What Would Cause Blue Ox Patriot 3 To Lock Up Vehicle Brakes?

Updated 01/12/2026 | Published 05/06/2025

Question:

I have a blue ox patriot 3 2019 that i bought that was never used. First off i have a 2025 ford maverick hybrid. Have you ever of this system locking the brakes up going down the hi way? It happened to me and now I have flat spots on my tires that have 400 miles on them. I called Blue ox customer support and the only answer I heard was you have sent the unit in. I ask if they have ever heard of this or is there a reason for the unit to do this. You will have the send the unit in is the only answer they will give. I ask what the difference between the new unit and the unit I have, they said it was smaller. I ask has the program changed in the unit? They couldnt answer the question, I ask to speak to a engineer, no I could do that. so why would I be better off with a new unit if there isnt a difference? I am not impressed with their customer support. Have you ever heard of this system locking up, what do you think could cause this to happen. Just luck it didnt cause a accident. Thanks

asked by: Richard G

Expert Reply:

Hello Richard, thanks for reaching out. Sorry to hear about the bad experience with Blue Ox. We have heard of this issue before and spoken with the techs at Blue Ox about it. They said that in the rare situation where the Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR locks up a towed vehicle's brakes the problem is in how the Patriot is set up and not in the unit itself.

They say in most cases the reason is the seat is adjusted too far forward or the arm of the system has been adjusted too far out.

In very rare situations they have seen an internal A04 error code in the unit causing the system to need to be replaced entirely.

You could try tweaking the seat adjustment to see if that helps. If not, it could be an internal issue.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

expert reply by: Jesse M

Richard G.

5/15/2025

Jesse M I haven't responded to your answer because I wanted to see what Blue Ox was going to do. I wanted them to know that I had a older Blue ox brake unit and I was familiar with how to set them up. I did send the unit in to have it looked at and they call back and they said the unit had a problem. What they said was that for some reason when in was in hybrid mode the braking force was higher than it should have been. Then they offered to refurbish the old unit or get a new unit. I opted for the new unit, Your response to my question was great, what I find interesting is when I ask Blue Ox these questions it would have been nice if they would have given me these answers. You are a great resource, and I do appreciate your help. Blue Ox did say I could put in a claim for the tires because they now have flat spots on them and are going to be replace this weekend. My truck only has 700 miles on it so I can get by replacing only two tires instead of all four because its a All Wheel Drive and the diameter of the tires have to be the same. thanks for your help Richard G

Jesse M.

5/15/2025

@RichardG Hey Richard, thanks for sharing! Definitely glad to hear you got it sorted out, and that you convinced Blue Ox to take care of the tires, as they should. Good to know it actually was an internal issue with the brake unit, and not something you were doing wrong (not that I ever doubted you haha). I will keep this in mind next time I hear about issues with one of these Blue Ox units. Feel free to come back anytime you need anything!

Mike D.

9/17/2025

@RichardG - Thanks for the details, I'm having a problem with a 2023 Ford Escape 2023 PHEV. If press brake button on controller then brakes engage and release. If I press hard enough on towing vehicle to engage Patriot 3 then brakes lock up on Escape and won't release until I fully stop. I have tried all of the settings Hybrid, force and sensitivity, the seat, floor mat, and as soon as it engages the brakes locked up. Had someone ride in passenger seat to watch operation as well, at low speeds, and same thing. I have reached out to Blue Ox and we will see what comes of it.

Jesse M.

9/17/2025

@MikeD Hey Mike, glad to hear you found this page helpful! Hopefully Blue Ox will take care of you like they did our friend Richard. In the meantime feel free to reach out if there is ever anything you need.