I'm taking delivery of a '12 Platinum 5 1/2ft bed 4x4 crew cab in a few days. It has the folding steps. I know this might sound like a weird question but can you make then stay extended after the door is shut? Also, have they been pretty reliable for everyone?

Thanks
DH

 

IIRC they have a feature where if weight is on the step when the door is closed they will stay in the down position. They are very similar to Amp Research powerfold steps, in fact, they might even be made by Amp for Ford.

 

Thanks for the info. I found the manual online and have copied it below for everyone as an FYI. The anwer is "yes" I can leave them down if I set it that way in the LCD options. (sorry for the funky formatting)

POWER DEPLOYABLE RUNNING BOARDS (IF EQUIPPED)

Deployable running boards (DRB) automatically move when the doors are opened to assist entering and exiting the vehicle.

Automatic power deploy:

•

Automatic power stow:

Manual power deploy:

To manually operate the running boards, refer to

Instrument Cluster

•

Enable/disable:

To enable/disable the power running board feature, refer to

Message
center in the Instrument Cluster chapter.

•

When this feature is disabled (OFF), the running boards will move to the stowed position regardless of the position of the doors.

•

When this feature is enabled (AUTO), the running boards will move
back to the correct positions based off of the door positions.

Bounce-back:

•

If an object is in the way of the moving running board, the running
board will automatically bounce back in the reverse direction and
move to the end of travel.

Note:

The running boards may operate slower in cooler temperatures. In
adverse conditions, debris such as mud, dirt, and salt may become
trapped in the running board mechanism, possibly leading to unwanted
noise. If this occurs, manually set the running boards to the deployed
position and flush the system (in particular the front and rear hinge
arms) with a high-pressure car wash wand.

Note:

Do not use the running boards, front and rear hinge assemblies,
running board motors, or the running board under body mounts to lift
the vehicle when jacking. Please utilize proper jacking points. Refer to

Changing the tires in the Roadside Emergencies chapter.

 

I had a 2010 Platinum with deployables and HATED THEM! If you live in a winter climate, you'll quickly realize it doesn't take much snow and ice to jam them. They take way too long to deploy as well... My two cents... Some people love them but not me... Very thankful my new XLT doesn't have them...

 

I never had snow or ice jam them, but I also have mud guards.

My truck is over 2.5 years old and my driver's side board started to make a noise every time it went up and down. The dealer was able to fix it though. There is a TSB out there that desribes a popping noise that people may hear with this boards and it describes how to fix it.

 

I've had my Amp steps on for two years now. After around a year, they started making a slight noise. Turned out that a couple of the allen screws attaching the steps to the swing arms were loose. I used compressed air to clear out any grit, retightened them, and no more noise.