Worst possible place for the ECU

[DuckRyder]

I am not saying that is the best possible location, but it has been a good long while since a common fender bender has not been "thousands". I bet you're into several grand of headlights and radar sensors before it gets anywhere near that ECU... they probably aren't even the first ones to put it there...

 

[tnt_motorsports]

but, but, but it looked good on the screen! (when the engineer was designing it...)

just my $0.02

 

[Owen Lucas]

They probably saved about $1 per vehicle in wiring to have it there instead of on the firewall in the dash. You laugh but the new Bronco hardtop recall is a result of a program that saved $.50 per vehicle, but is costing about $7,500 per vehicle to fix.

Not to sidetrack the thread, but can you elaborate on what happened to the hard top and how Ford could have spent an extra $.50 to avoid a $7500 repair?

 

[Oillover]

but, but, but it looked good on the screen! (when the engineer was designing it...)

just my $0.02

Or maybe that's the only spot they could find after they finished designing the vehicle.

 

[nthach]

C5 corvette. Directly below the lead acid battery.

In the bottom of the right front fender just behind the tire. Probably one of the worst ECU locations.

Toyota did something similar on the 3rd Lexus LS/Celsior but the ECU was in a “conditioned” box next to the battery.

 

[JimPghPA]

Is the body control unit also part of the electronics placed there? And if so, how much time does it take for it to decide to fire the air bags in a crash? And would it be disabled by a crash before it could set off the air bags?

 

[nthach]

I asked a guy who worked with solar accessories what they heck they did, and he said his company's product was basically epoxied for a complete waterproof seal that should last 20 years even in a bad storm. I doubt they do that with an ECU. I participate on a message board dealing with mobile phones, and the water resistance comes up more often than it should when someone decides that they think (despite the warnings to not do it) that the water resistance standard advertised means one can take an iPhone underwater.

If you pot a PCB in epoxy/urethane/silicone or even an acrylic/lacquer conformal coating you also impair the ability to conduct heat from the IC packages on the PCB as well. Smartphones have as much computing power as a computer - but they also need cooling(Apple doesn’t do this, Samsung uses vapor chambers or the phone’s frame as a heatsink) and any kind of coating impairs that unless it’s a TIM.

There’s a vent on ECUs(either a mechanical one or a Gore-Tex one) to deal with atmospheric differences - there’s a barometer in the ECU but that’s just about it.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Is the body control unit also part of the electronics placed there? And if so, how much time does it take for it to decide to fire the air bags in a crash? And would it be disabled by a crash before it could set off the air bags?

Front airbag sensors are usually mounted on the frame rail / radiator support. The computer OP posted most likely just controls the drivetrain. The airbag computer is most likely inside the dashboard / center console with additional collision sensors in the structure.

 

[Gimpy1]

FORD probably knows it'll be totaled if it gets bumped/hit in the front so it ain't gunna matter.

It will definately matter because it can change the veh ISO symbol/number which is used to establish insurance rates for that particular model. The higher the "symbol" the more a ins policy will be. I simplified it but it will affect rates, by how much I have no idea since Im not an actuary or an underwriter.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

That ECU is literally in the fender crumple zone....

...and that module is HUGE.

 

[Zaedock]

Engineer: "Oh $&!^", we forgot the ECU....quick, put it there!!!!!

 

[GSCJR]

 

[KJH]

Before clicking on this thread, I thought the BMW E36 3 series I had was the worst location, right under were water collects at the bottom of the windshield. This takes the cake however.

That bmw ECU fried from corrosion, at the suggestion of a friend who knows electronics better than I do I took out the board and baked it in the oven at high temp. That trick actually fixed the issue, but the car died again due to unrelated electrical gremlins. Great car besides literally anything electronic in it (ecu, harness, window motors etc)

 

[DuckRyder]

If you want a fun exercise - pick a reasonably recent (say 5 years) mid line car and go look up the front end parts on one of the online dealer sites... see just how much the parts alone are...

You tap someone in parking lot with the front of your 2019ish 5 series BMW and you or you insurance company just spent on the order of 9500.00 with labor. Head lights something like 3750 each....

How about a tailgate appliqué for a 2020 F250 King ranch... Grill for a Ram 3500 Limited ... Even a windshield isn't easy (ahem Subaru eyesight calibration anyone).

 

[Nick1994]

They probably saved about $1 per vehicle in wiring to have it there instead of on the firewall in the dash. You laugh but the new Bronco hardtop recall is a result of a program that saved $.50 per vehicle, but is costing about $7,500 per vehicle to fix.

Sounds like the Pintos

 

[2EHA]

Before clicking on this thread, I thought the BMW E36 3 series I had was the worst location, right under were water collects at the bottom of the windshield.

thats because the drain is never cleared

20 years of dirt and leaves clog them

 

[atikovi]

Think twice before driving through that water in the road

When I was rebuilding a flood Chevy Cruze, I thought the BCM placement was stupid. Under the center console so even a foot or so of water would take it out. On the other hand, a new one was under $200.

Or maybe that's the only spot they could find after they finished designing the vehicle.

Many cars I've worked on you could drive in 2 feet of water and not touch the computers. 80's and 90's Mercedes and Volvo have the computers up by the cowl. Nissan Versa in front of the battery and next to the top of the strut tower.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

So Ford decided that the Maverick’s ECU location should be in the lower front bumper where the majority of accident damage happens. A common fender bender could be in the thousands to repair if this crucial part is damaged in any way. View attachment 87303

Sandy Munro would have a "field day" with this one!

 

[92saturnsl2]

More and more, cars are becoming disposable. Insurance companies have to deal with it, and their customers pay for it in the end.

With the all the plastic being used (often in structural components), expensive sensors, airbags, etc., a minor collision can be $10K or more and require specialized body shops (or outsourcing) for repair. Moderate collision damage that was fixable 10-15 years ago for $5k has probably tripled in price. I don't think I'm far off in that statistic.

Still, the number of accidents is tiny compared to the number of vehicles on the road paying insurance that don't experience loss. It's all math and the insurance companies have it figured out.

Getting back to the topic at hand, that ECU location is poor but I can't say I'm surprised. It probably makes for reasonably tidy (and inexpensive) wiring between the engine and transmission. With all the networked modules present in modern vehicles, that box is likely primarily for the powertrain-- but that's a moot point as any collision in that area would make a real mess out of that wiring harness, which I can't imagine would be a cheap repair.

I really like my Maxima's location, right underneath the interior center stack on the interior/passenger side of the firewall. But that requires a lot of wire pass-through to the engine bay, which evidently isn't favored by the bean counters.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

More and more, cars are becoming disposable. Insurance companies have to deal with it, and their customers pay for it in the end.

With the all the plastic being used (often in structural components), expensive sensors, airbags, etc., a minor collision can be $10K or more and require specialized body shops (or outsourcing) for repair. Moderate collision damage that was fixable 10-15 years ago for $5k has probably tripled in price. I don't think I'm far off in that statistic.

Still, the number of accidents is tiny compared to the number of vehicles on the road paying insurance that don't experience loss. It's all math and the insurance companies have it figured out.

Getting back to the topic at hand, that ECU location is poor but I can't say I'm surprised. It probably makes for reasonably tidy (and inexpensive) wiring between the engine and transmission. With all the networked modules present in modern vehicles, that box is likely primarily for the powertrain-- but that's a moot point as any collision in that area would make a real mess out of that wiring harness, which I can't imagine would be a cheap repair.

I really like my Maxima's location, right underneath the interior center stack on the interior/passenger side of the firewall. But that requires a lot of wire pass-through to the engine bay, which evidently isn't favored by the bean counters.

You are spot on! If the average body shop has just 1 "come back" after a collision repair, they most likely have lost money on the job. I know an Auto Dismantler (Junkyard operator) who is making way more money off of reverse scrapping newer cars than he ever did off of second hand parts sourcing. He has made so much money in the last ten years, that he is thinking of buying a shredder so that he can ready process the scrap even more efficiently so that it can be sent to the metal arc furnace just one state away.