Ford Workshop Service and Repair Manuals

The active suspension provides improved handling, comfort and stability by continuously adjusting the adaptive shock absorber properties to the current road and driving conditions. In conjunction with the anti-lock brake system (ABS) the system offers the benefit of potentially shorter stopping distances on rough road surfaces.

Located in the floor console is the switch for the driver to choose one of the following suspension modes, comfort, normal and sport. The indicator in the switch will be illuminated and a text message, indicating the chosen suspension mode, will also appear in the instrument cluster for a few seconds.

The suspension system will be set to a fail safe mode if the adaptive module detects a concern in the system. The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) will illuminate and a message will appear in the instrument cluster.

Basic operation

The adaptive damping module is connected to the high speed controller area network (HS-CAN) to communicate with the electronic stability programme (ESP), the anti-lock brake system (ABS), powertrain control modue (PCM) and other systems.

The adaptive damping module also receives information from the front and rear vertical acceleration sensors and the front and rear suspension height sensors.

With the information received the adaptive damper module monitors the heave, roll, pitch, cornering, braking and acceleration of the vehicle. Then, depending on the suspension mode selected by the driver, the module calculates the best action for each adaptive shock absorber within 2 ms.

Depending on the suspension mode selected, the adaptive damping module will send an electrical current to each damper in a range between 0.29A for comfort and 1.6A for sport.