Adding an inside Liftgate Power Switch

[markboris]

Hi Sue Ann, what year and model Mach-E do you have? I can look up to see if the color has changed from '21 models but I highly doubt it. I have had several members some to me with the same issue only to find the brown wire is there but just hard to see. So many wires in that loom and it can be buried. Make sure you pell back the covering over the wires so that you can really pull them apart and have a good light.

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[sparky]

Hi Sue Ann, what year and model Mach-E do you have? I can look up to see if the color has changed from '21 models but I highly doubt it. I have had several members some to me with the same issue only to find the brown wire is there but just hard to see. So many wires in that loom and it can be buried. Make sure you pell back the covering over the wires so that you can really pull them apart and have a good light.

2021 Premium

 

[sparky]

seems like there was a brown but had a slight colored streak. Could not find a completely solid Brown. Wiring diagrams I have found identify pin 31 as BRN for the Liftgate Release.

 

[lesz]

I was at a friends this morning who also has a Mach-E and she said the one thing she misses is a simple power button to open and close the liftgate. She doesn't like having to turn the car to accessory and make three selections on the center screen. She just wants to push a button.

I thought it couldn't be that difficult to wire up a switch to do this and I was right. I took a look at the wiring diagram and found that both momentary switches in the liftgate do nothing more than short an incoming wire from the BCM to ground. The BCM is located at the front passenger footwell at the top. Extremely easy to access just remove the panel that hides it and you can get to the wiring. The wire that is needed to tap into is solid brown and located at the large top plug connection. I tapped into it and ran the wire to the center console where I installed a small momentary switch just below my subwoofer volume control. For the ground I used the black/blue wire going to the parking brake switch in the console. All the black/blue wires throughout the car are grounds. I had this momentary switch laying around but I am going to change it out with one that is much flatter.

I now have a working power button that will open and close the liftgate from inside the car without having your key fob, or phone. The car can be on or off but the doors have to be unlocked and in Park. It works just like the one in my 2014 Escape did. I could have mounted the switch is several easy to see locations but like to conceal my work (like I did the subwoofer volume control) so nothing looks "added on". Just drop your hand down in front of the console and they are both easy to use. Besides if I ever needed to remove it, all I'd have to do is put a little flat plug in the hole and no one would know any different.

It took me about an hour to do the entire thing but now that I did it, when I do hers, probably should only take 30 minutes. I took quick photos of where I tapped into the wiring and it was before I permanently attached and taped up the wires.

Edit: After getting my GT when I did this mod, instead of adding a button on the console like I did on the Premium, I replaced the max defrost button on the headlamp switch with a liftgate button from a bronco found on this post #57

Why not use the FordPass app to open the liftgate?

 

[markboris]

seems like there was a brown but had a slight colored streak. Could not find a completely solid Brown. Wiring diagrams I have found identify pin 31 as BRN for the Liftgate Release.

That is correct, it is pin 31 and I am very sure there is a brown wire in your loom knowing it is the same as the three '21 Premiums I did over two years ago. It may look like there is a white streak but as long as it is not a definite white line you should be ok and of course you can make sure it is going to pin 31.

 

[markboris]

Why not use the FordPass app to open the liftgate?

You can however some like to have a dedicated switch like we've had in our cars for many years. Some don't have their phones readily available. Sometimes the Ford Pass app takes awhile to even work. There is a soft touch switch on the sync display too but the car has to be on to get to it. It is a fairly easy mod to add a dedicated switch for the liftgate. If you use it a lot, it's worth doing.

 

[lesz]

You can however some like to have a dedicated switch like we've had in our cars for many years. Some don't have their phones readily available. Sometimes the Ford Pass app takes awhile to even work. There is a soft touch switch on the sync display too but the car has to be on to get to it. It is a fairly easy mod to add a dedicated switch and if you use it a lot, it's worth doing.

I guess for me the advantage to the FordPass app is that I can open the liftgate without having to get into the car. Which is how I would use a remote pop on a traditional trunk.

 

[mkhuffman]

I guess for me the advantage to the FordPass app is that I can open the liftgate without having to get into the car. Which is how I would use a remote pop on a traditional trunk.

I love having the physical button. I turn off the car, and as I am getting out, I press the button to open the hatch. By the time I get around to the back, it is fully open. And my phone never needed to come out of my pocket.

 

[LKN_Mach-E]

First off, many thanks those who have gone before and shared their info. I have wanted this feature since day one but just got the courage to make this mod after 13 months of ownership. Here are a few points and pictures that I wanted to add that may help someone in the future.

For reference, my spec is a 2022 RWD SR Select with the Comfort/Technology package.

Here is the part description that I ordered from eBay, from which I harvested the liftgate switch.

2020 2021 2022 FORD EXPLORER HEADLIGHT CONTROL SWITCH - LB5T-13D061-DCW

I paid $43.87 with tax.

I was not exactly sure how to remove the headlight switch so I started off with removing the side panel on the dash. I used an old drum brake adjusting tool to help pop off the friction connectors without breaking them. In retrospect, it’s probably not necessary to remove this panel but it did make it easier to route the new wire from the back of the switch.

I popped out the headlight switch from the side with a thin/small precision screwdriver. Luckily, I did not scratch anything.

I used 18 gauge stranded wire. I doubled it over and pushed it into the back of the wire harness connector and it made a very solid friction fit.

By far, the most difficult and scariest part of this project was to cut open the wire harness wrap and find the brown wire. I used a click razor blade to carefully cut through a section of the wrap. The brown wire was difficult to find as there are many wires in the bundle and they are in there tightly. It took several attempts but I finally found what I hoped was the correct wire. The brown wire is quite thin and feels fragile.

I used a Posi-Tap 18 gauge mini to make the connection.

Before buttoning everything up, I tested the switch and voila! It works! I am so pleased to finally have a physical switch instead of going through the touchscreen or my phone.

 

[ReverendPete]

I also would like to add my thanks for this post! I had bought a switch for it several months ago, but it's been so cold that I couldn't find a good time to do it. Work was slow today, so I finally broke down and did the install. Couldn't be happier!

 

[david_quick]

Hi Rich, one manufacturer that comes to mind right away is Katzkin. I have gotten their leather seat covers in the past and they are excellent. They also offer a heated and cooled system they call Degreez which I bet you can get the cooling part as a stand alone kit. https://katzkin.com/degreez/

There is also another company, Champion Seat Systems, that does offer a stand alone cooling system for car seats but I have not used them before. You would still have to bring the seats to an upholstery shop to have the system installed. Not something I think you should do yourself unless you have all the proper tools to work on seat upholstery. Wiring it up would be easy though. https://championseatheaters.com/ss/products/seat-cooling/

Looks like the Champion link is defunct.

 

[mkhuffman]

Looks like the Champion link is defunct.

The Google is your friend. (As long as are not looking for political opinions that are different from theirs.)

 

[waldo22]

I did some more generic searching, and based on the cool ideas here of replacing the OE switches, It looks like you could get as many as 2 additional buttons in the headlight control area.

Using the switch assembly from a '20 - '22 Ford Escape, part no. LJ6T-13D061-AEW or LJ6T-13D061-FDW, gets you a combined hatch/liftgate switch and fuel door switch, both of which should be momentary contact closure (I have not tested this!). The "fuel door" switch may make sense for someone that wants to route a frunk release wire through the firewall as @markboris described above.

Here's a pic:

Adding the version from a '20 - '23 Explorer with Fog Lamp switch should give us a "latching" switch (again, I'm not sure, perhaps someone can verify if it is momentary or latching) that could be good for cameras: Part no. LB5T-13D061-DCW:

Either switch could be used for any purpose, but it kinda sorta makes intuitive sense to me that a fuel door switch could open the frunk "door" and the fog light switch could turn on the cameras.

Without buying both, it's hard to say what could be mixed and matched, but you can tell by looking that the hatch/fuel door assembly is removable.

This is definitely more expensive than using off-the-shelf buttons from a hardware/auto parts store, but still pretty affordable and it looks stock, even if the labels aren't perfect.

It looks to me like you could combine the hatch/fuel door assembly with the fog light/dimming assembly even with the GT version that has the traction control switch.

 

[HuntingPudel]

<SNIP>
Adding the version from a '20 - '23 Explorer with Fog Lamp switch should give us a "latching" switch (again, I'm not sure, perhaps someone can verify if it is momentary or latching) that could be good for cameras: Part no. LB5T-13D061-DCW:

<SNIP>

This is the switch that I bought from an online auto wrecker. I just swapped the liftgate switch from the Exploder cluster to my original (and buggy) MME switch cluster.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

This is the switch that I bought from an online auto wrecker. I just swapped the liftgate switch from the Exploder cluster to my original (and buggy) MME switch cluster.

+1

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