I've had my BFG KO2's on my 2018 F150 XLT 2.7L for over 5 years now and they were due for replacement. I found a local place with a good price on Firestone Destination LE4's. I took my truck in two Fridays ago (September 4th). The truck ran great and my MPG has greatly improved! 

Well this past Thursday I was driving and my dashboard lit up with ABS errors, parking brake errors and all kinds of warnings about features that were disabled. I thought maybe I was low on brake fluid so when I got to my destination I checked and the brake fluid was fine. I used OBDLink and saw an ABS error. Now my battery was the original from 2018 and I did some searching and there was some suggestion that a deteriorating battery could cause ABS errors due to a glitchy signal from the battery. So I replaced my OEM battery with a Wally World Everstart Platinum H7. That did not fix the issue. But it wasn't wasted as the battery was in need of replacement anyway.

I switched apps and used FORScan Lite to search for more codes. I discovered a front right ABS sensor error that I didn't see on OBDLink. Sure enough, I checked on the ABS sensor and I'm pretty certain that the bracket had been flipped over and instead of positioning the cable so it was clear of the rim, it was now positioned to rub against the rim. I have a feeling that the tech who either did my tire change or the alignment intentionally sabotaged my truck so that I would return for costly diagnostics and repairs. 
Right front...


Left front...

What these MF'ers don't know is that I was an avionics tech on CH-53E helicopters for The Marines for 7 years and I spent the next 20 years in the tech industry maintaining and building complex machines to include complete system wiring. And with few exceptions (like changing my tires), I do mostly all my own work on my truck. I replaced both my front wheel bearing hubs last year and I never would have left a wire positioned like that. They thought I was some sucker who doesn't know how to troubleshoot a problem.

I went to NAPA and got a new cable for $50. After an hour, I had the new cable in and all my features are restored. Although I did lose a whole day of work addressing this issue.

I was happy with them until I found the issue. They'll never get another dime from me!

Tony.

They didn't do it on purpose.
Never contribute to maliciousness with which can be explained by stupidity.
This was stupidity.
Show them, bet they make it right.

Here's the rub, there's absolutely no reason to remove the bracket or the cable at all for a tire change or alignment.

I have to agree with SC, this was probably a young mechanic that made a mistake. Go back and talk with them, it is how they make it right that matters.

You had me up until the part where you worked on it yourself and disassembled/reassembled the part in question. You are a guy with real skills and ability to pay attention to detail, so of course you wouldn’t have assembled it the way it looks now, but there’s room on that wire for that bushing to be where it should be with respect to the bracket and it would look normal unless you looked at it after the wheel was reinstalled.

The bracket is clearly busted. How did that happen? My guess is you installed the bracket upside down and the guy broke it by knocking the wheel into it when he removed or installed the wheel.

I completely see how I could have done that because I was in a rush and sweating my nuts off in the Florida sun. But I don’t have your level of skills or attention to detail either.

Another vote for incompetence over maliciousness.

I'd guess either he wacked it with the loose rim and broke the plastic clamp or this was just bad timing, already broken and happened to not get noticed and the wire rubbed through.
Since you have aircraft experience, I'd get an Adel clamp (metal with rubber cushion) and replace those on all 4 corners of the truck. The plastic gets fragile with age and/or by being struck with a wheel or other damage by a careless worker.

For example:
https://www.aircraftspruce.com...ges/MS21919-DG12.php

The bracket isn't broken, It has a zip-tie built into it and it wraps around a bushing for the wire. By rotating it 180˚, it rubs the rim. After 6 days, it's rubbed through the zip-tie, then once the zip tie is rubbed through, the bushing and the wire now contact the rim and it can flop around while driving, slowly deteriorating until it shorted out.

When I replaced the hub over a year ago, the work was all downstream of this mounting point. So either it was built like that from Ford back in 2018, or someone flipped the bracket over. The left and right sensors are interchangeable.

The first rule in troubleshooting an issue is to look back to the most recent maintenance done. Is the issue in close proximity to the last maintenance event that was done? In this case, yes.

Tony.

Looks like there is a broken spring in the first picture, near the bottom.

I vote for stupidity... to actually plan on the series of events would take a very high intellectual level.

quote:

The first rule in troubleshooting an issue is to look back to the most recent maintenance done. Is the issue in close proximity to the last maintenance event that was done? In this case, yes.

True, but as you pointed out there would be no reason for the tire guy to remove the bracket during a tire change.

On the other hand, that bracket is preinstalled on the wire and come with the replacement hub and if the left and right are the same as you say, then on one side or the other you would have had to flip the bracket around to install it in the correct orientation. You are the last person who had any reason to touch that part.

Or, the tire guy maliciously took the bracket apart, removed it, and reinstalled it upside down on the chance it would cause a problem such that you would bring it back to that shop so they could sock you for more money.

Highly doubt it was on purpose.
You would be lucky for them to point out something that is bad.
Most see it as, if I say something then I'll have to fix it.

I just replaced a leaking wheel seal on a truck that had just had new brakes and drum replaced.
God forbid you say something and have to do more work.

If malicious then the shop benefits, not the tech, right. Unless the shop owner is in cahoots with the tech and gives him a slice of the pie. Either way, if malicious, seems the shop keeper is the real target.

If stupid, then shop owner would benefit so he can institute corrective actions to avoid repeat.

Stuff happens. My tire store damaged an abs sensor wire. Dash lit up etc on the way home. Took it back. They apologized and replced the sensor. No charge.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

The first rule in troubleshooting an issue is to look back to the most recent maintenance done. Is the issue in close proximity to the last maintenance event that was done? In this case, yes.

True, but as you pointed out there would be no reason for the tire guy to remove the bracket during a tire change.

On the other hand, that bracket is preinstalled on the wire and come with the replacement hub and if the left and right are the same as you say, then on one side or the other you would have had to flip the bracket around to install it in the correct orientation. You are the last person who had any reason to touch that part.

Or, the tire guy maliciously took the bracket apart, removed it, and reinstalled it upside down on the chance it would cause a problem such that you would bring it back to that shop so they could sock you for more money.

The cable mount rotates so that it can be flipped one way or the other to keep the wire away from moving parts depending on what side the harness is installed on. But once it's bolted on, it maintains the position you set. If I installed it incorrectly myself, it would have shown up over a year ago.

I would think that you would be able to tell if the bracket had been taken off and reinstalled backwards. Socket or wrench marks on the bolt and/or dirt and grime patterns underneath the bracket and under the path of the cable. From the picture it does not appear that bolt or cable has moved in quite some time.

^^^^ I agree with straightshooter01. So, I’m going to vote the other possibility: The tire shop guy didn’t do it, maliciously or unintentionally. It was installed that way back in 2018.

Any chance there are/were added wheel weights on that inner lip that caught that bracket and rubbed the wire?

Also, no matter the cause I am in the not intentional boat.

^^^Right, what changed?

Different position and/or size of wheel weights.

Smaller diameter wheels installed.

Could the tire guy have bumped the bracket or wire and broken the zip tie when he man handled the 60-100 pound tire and wheel back on? Looking at the picture, it appears there’d be clearance with the wheel if the wire were still zip tied to the bracket. The damage to the rubber strain relief part is on the left hand side which couldn’t possibly happen if that piece was still zip tied to the bracket and that piece couldn’t have possible wound up where it is in the picture of the zip tie has not failed.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
It was installed that way back in 2018.

Not possible, the cable comes preinstalled with the hub benny6 replaced last year. He was the last person who should have installed it.

I like the NTSB investigation threads because the NTSB doesn’t make assumptions about why something happened. They look at everything, figure out what’s possible, eliminate the possibilities, and then make a determination. Of course they are fairly meticulous and it takes them longer than most people have time for in normal life.

I actually looked back into my purchases and pictures. It was April of 2024 that I replaced the hubs (both sides), so over 2 years without any issue, plus regular tire rotations during oil changes at the Ford dealership.

Why would anybody intentionally sabotage the truck? Do you think they wanted you to come back and complain?

Even in a full service (not a tire-only) shop, tire installation is almost always done by the "general service" (also does oil changes - remember that the next time you have one done - and other minor repairs, as well as cleanup and "gopher") guy. The odds of these guys having the specific knowledge to monkey with that specific part, in a specific manner so as not to fail right away, and that you'd come back to their shop when there are others in the area, let alone possibly facing an accusation of sabotage, are so low as to be non-existent.

quote:

What these MF'ers don't know is that I was an avionics tech on CH-53E helicopters for The Marines for 7 years and I spent the next 20 years in the tech industry maintaining and building complex machines to include complete system wiring. And with few exceptions (like changing my tires), I do mostly all my own work on my truck. I replaced both my front wheel bearing hubs last year and I never would have left a wire positioned like that.

Argument from authority

I'm having trouble reconciling this with the affected wire having its support bracket inverted from the correctly installed side, thereby putting it closer to the wheel, with nothing to indicate that it had been moved. Also, there appears to be chafing through the outer conduit further up on the knuckle.