Getting a “Hill Start Assist Not Available” Message? (Here’s What to Do)
Over the last decade, cars have been equipped with a variety of high-tech features that most people would never have dreamed of before. One of these features is Hill Start Assist, which helps Ford cars gain traction on hills (other automakers may have similar systems).
While this feature is very useful, it can sometimes cause problems. If you see the message “Hill Start Assist Not Available” on your car’s dashboard, there’s no need to panic. Just keep driving. We’ll explain what this warning means, what causes it, and most importantly, how to fix it.
What exactly is Hill Start Assist?
Hill Start Assist is a technology that prevents your vehicle from rolling back when stopped on a hill. This feature is found on almost all new vehicles and holds your vehicle in place when starting off on a hill for a short period of time after you release the vehicle’s brakes and before you press the accelerator pedal.
Simply put, Hill Start Assist automatically controls the application of your vehicle’s brakes for a short period of time, even after you release the brake pedal itself. This braking posture usually continues for a period of time or until the vehicle’s accelerator pedal is depressed.
What does “Hill Start Assist Not Available” mean?
Many owners of various Ford models, such as the Focus, Mustang, and Escape, are accustomed to seeing the message “Hill Start Assist Not Available” appear on their vehicle’s dashboard from time to time. This effectively means that the vehicle’s hill start assist system has stopped working due to the recording of one or more active faults.
When this message appears, Hill Start Assist is completely disabled, which means that the vehicle has a tendency to roll back when starting on a hill, as is always the case with older vintage vehicles. Until the root cause of this issue is resolved, you should be extra careful when accelerating from a stop on any kind of incline.
Is it safe to continue driving?Yes, it is in fact safe to continue driving even if your vehicle displays the message “Hill Start Assist Not Available”. It simply means that an error related to the functionality of this system has been logged and as a result the use of the system has been disabled.
Apart from that all other systems should operate as intended. However, special care should be taken when starting uphill or downhill.
Common Causes of Hill Start Assist Problems
There are often a few underlying issues that cause Hill Start Assist problems. Understanding these potential issues can usually minimize downtime and identify errors quickly.
Here are some of the most common reasons why this warning appears:
1) Sensor Failure
Hill Start Assist monitors a variety of sensors to ensure operational efficiency. If one of these sensors fails, the feedback to the Hill Start Assist system will be inconclusive and the entire system will be disabled.
The most notable sensors used in conjunction with this system include the vehicle’s wheel speed sensors and various tilt sensors.
2) Low Battery Voltage
For Hill Start Assist to function, the vehicle’s starting and charging system must function optimally. Fluctuations in battery voltage can easily disable the entire system.
Loss in alternator efficiency and corrosion of battery terminals are often common causes of such failures.
3) Off-road driving or irregular driving conditions
Some car owners have reported issues with their car’s Hill Start Assist when driving off-road. This is usually due to natural wheel spin occurring under these conditions, which may result in errors being logged related to the wheel speed sensor.
Alternatively, some people report experiencing similar issues when trying to climb very steep gradients that are beyond the engineers’ expectations. In either case, this type of issue can often be resolved simply by restarting the vehicle.
How to Fix the Issue
To diagnose and resolve the root cause of your vehicle’s Hill Start Assist issue, you should perform the following steps: As always, consult the factory specific service literature for your vehicle model before attempting any such repairs.
1. Check Battery Voltage – Use a multimeter while idling to check the battery voltage on the affected vehicle. Ideally, the voltage displayed should be between 13.7 and 14.2 volts/DC. Any value below this limit indicates a potential charging issue that requires further diagnosis.
2. Resetting Hill Start Assist – You can manually reset your vehicle’s Hill Start Assist by disconnecting the vehicle’s battery cables. These cables must remain disconnected for up to 15 minutes until the connected modules are reset. In many cases this is sufficient to correct any associated errors.
3. Check for trouble codes – If such problems persist, you should use an OBD-II diagnostic tool to check for the corresponding diagnostic trouble codes. This will give you more information on the cause of these errors. In most cases, the fault itself can be traced back to damage to one or more wheel speed sensors.
When to seek professional help
In most cases, repairing Hill Start Assist problems requires professional help if resetting the system does not solve the problem. This means that finding the cause of such a problem often requires a visit to a trusted auto repair shop.
This is especially true if in any case when an OBD-II scan tool is not readily available for use. You must be capable of reading any offending faults, in order to rectify the issue at hand.
