"Check Park Aid" in Ford Fusion – What's This and How to Fix?

Any warning lights and error messages are disturbing. You may remember the time when you ignored some of the warnings and then had to pay a couple of thousand to repair the car. Well, the "Check Park Aid" is not that serious, but it still shouldn't be ignored in your Ford Fusion because it can lead to several different issues and also tell you about some upcoming problems.

Check park aid message highlights

• Common reasons:dying battery, TCU problems
• How to fix:check the battery voltage, have the TCU inspected
• Possible consequences:car may refuse to start
• Priority level:Medium
• Can you drive?Yes, if it starts
• DIY repair:Impossible
• Repair price range:$150-$400

Explaining the "Check Parking Aid" message in the Ford Fusion

So, this message is connected with the parking aid system that has several different configurations in the Fusion. In most cases, you will see this message in older vehicles (2014-2016) that have only rear parking sensors and maybe the camera. Also, the front parking sensors are available in some trims and versions of the Fusion.

Anyway, if you see this message, you don't know what exactly malfunctions. And you will want to make sure that you don't rely exclusively on the parking sensors and camera to park your car now. Otherwise, you may hit something or someone because the sensors don't work the way they should.

Whenever your Fusion tells you to check the parking aid system, you should also understand that there are quite a lot of different reasons why this may happen and there is no need to just replace some sensors or the camera until you are sure that this part is causing the problem.

How can you actually check the problem?

To avoid spending money on random parts and units, you should clearly understand what the problem is. In some cases, the issue may be so easy to solve that you solve it for zero dollars. When it comes to more serious issues, it's always advisable to go to the specialist. Electric and electronic problems in a Ford car are not so easy to detect and repair.

Here are some steps you can take to diagnose the issue:

• use the good OBD2 scanner - connect it to your Fusion and read the codes, it's important that the scanner can communicate with all electronic control units, not just the engine unit;
• check the sensors - you may visually inspect the parking sensors because they are very often the culprits for this issue;
• check if the parking aid actually works - just shift to reverse and try approaching some wall or any other obstacle carefully;
• check the electrical connections - your sensors and camera are connected with different control modules with tiny wires that may corrode or just be broken;
• reset the system by disconnecting the battery - in some cases, this will help you solve the problem, I will explain this later in this article.

So, there are a lot of things you can do before you go to the dealer and get your wallet out of your pocket. And I strongly recommend you do these things because not all dealers are actually that fair and they may just reset the system and give you the bill with several hundred bucks for some work that wasn't actually done.

What are the common reasons for the "Check Park Aid" message?

Well, after reading this article till this moment, you should understand the majority of the common reasons that can trigger this message. But still, let's list those problems and also enhance our knowledge about them.

Here's what may cause this problem in your Ford Fusion:

1. Bad parking sensor

These sensors may go bad after some time or because of mechanical damage. Also, they may get very dirty. They don't really enjoy contact with water but they have to deal with this sometimes because they are located outside.

So, a lot of factors affect the work of these sensors. Also, they may malfunction after any accident with your car. Rear-end accidents often cause problems with the rear parking aid sensors and the camera. Sometimes, reconnecting them will not help, the entire system will need revision and repair.

2. Bad or corroded connection

Electrical wires are one of the common issues that can trigger the "Check Park Aid" message in your Ford Fusion. Ford doesn't make really reliable and long-lasting wiring harnesses and sometimes they bother you in these cars.

The corroded connection will mean that the parking aid computer or control unit doesn't get the proper readings from a certain sensor. This will lead to several error codes that will obviously trigger the message that we are talking about today.

3. Control unit failure

The parking aid system in your Ford vehicle is controlled by a special electronic unit. It gets the readings of all sensors and turns on the rearview camera when needed. Also, this is an electronic module, so it can develop a glitch or other problems. Sometimes, these glitches are easily repaired by resetting the system (disconnecting the battery). But sometimes, you will need a much more expensive repair.

4. Battery is low

It's not uncommon for different electronic modules in your Ford Fusion to start throwing random codes and error messages when the battery is low. If the voltage of your battery is lower than 12V and it drops even more when you try to crank the engine, numerous problems may arise. And the issue with the parking aid is one of the least serious occasions.

Checking the battery is not hard if you have a multimeter. Also, you can replace the battery with a new one if yours is older than 4-5 years.

5. Less common issues

Unfortunately, your Ford Fusion isn't always clear about the errors and problems that it has. It can tell you that the problem is with the charging system, but it will actually be the problem with the engine. In the case of the "Check Park Aid" message, the Fusion may also have several different issues that aren't actually connected with the parking aid system.

I strongly recommend going to the specialist if you can't locate the problem on your own. Ignoring this may lead to several bad issues with the electrical systems and control units in your car.

Can you drive like this?

Usually, this error message will go on the dash when you start the car and then it will disappear in several seconds. It doesn't mean that the problem is solved. It just doesn't bother you with this message covering other important information on the dash. So, the problem is there and you should fix it.

If you keep driving with this message on the dash, it may be that the parking aid doesn't work eventually and you may hit some other car in the parking lot or hit a pedestrian when you reverse.

Although the issue doesn't pose any serious immediate risks and you can drive with this message, please don't ignore the problem completely because it will most likely lead to bad occasions on the road.

Fixing the problem - DIY or shop?

There are just several DIY things you may and should do when you see that the Fusion is complaining about the work of the park aid system. Here they are:

• use a good OBD2 scanner and get all the codes stored in different modules;
• check if the system actually works;
• check all the sensors, the camera, and the connections that you can see;
• reset the battery (for this disconnect the negative terminal, then the positive, wait for 5 minutes, connect the positive terminal, then the negative one).

This should help you locate or even fix the problem without paying anything to mechanics and shops. But if you can't understand the reason for this problem, you may want to go to the dealership or just to a good independent repair shop and find some help.

Anyway, driving with this error message coming up the dash every time you start the car is not a good choice.

Final thoughts

Although this problem doesn't affect the way your Fusion goes on the road, you should anyway fix it. For this, you may use the DIY methods that I've listed above in this article or just go to the dealer or to some shop that will help you repair the problem.

Park Aid problems are pretty common in older Ford Fusion models but they can spoil the mood of newer cars' owners, too.

Ask questions in the comments and don't forget to share your experience!