Articles on: Maintenance & Repairs

How to Troubleshoot Common Electric Ride-On Faults and Issues

Below, we'll cover the most common faults and how you can go about troubleshooting each part. Following this guide will make it easier for you and our customer service team to pinpoint the exact part which is causing the issues which means we can get you up and running a lot quicker!

Please click the links below to be taken to the exact part troubleshooting guide:

How to Diagnose a Faulty Pedal Switch

The most common symptoms of a faulty pedal switch are:

Vehicle turns on but does not move
Vehicle drives but cuts out intermittently
Works with remote but not with pedal
The vehicle is turning on with full voltage but not driving
Vehicle drives as soon as it's turned on without pressing the pedal or remote

Below are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty pedal switch

Test the Ride On with the parental remote control, if it works with the remote, the pedal switch in the vehicle is most likely faulty.
If possible please make sure you have the child sitting on the ride on when doing the test as we want to replicate normal driving conditions and eliminate other issues. This applies to troubleshooting via parental remote.
Another method of testing the pedal switch -which is more advanced and should only be carried out by those that are comfortable and have experience with wiring- is by removing the pedal from the car, removing the wires from the pedal housing and touching the two wires together, if this turns the motors then the Pedal switch is faulty. We'd advise removing the rear wheels when running this test, doing so will be safer due to the fact the vehicle is sat stationary.

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace a faulty Pedal Switch

How to Diagnose a Faulty MainBoard/Speed Controller

The most common symptoms of a faulty MainBoard/Speed Controller are:

Vehicle turns on but does not drive.
Vehicle does not turn left/right via remote.
Vehicle does not pair to parental remote.
Vehicle goes backward but not forward.
Vehicle is turning on and displays full voltage but does not drive.
Vehicle works with the Pedal but not Parental Remote.

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty MainBoard/Speed Controller

Test the Ride on with the Remote Control first.
Check the battery Voltage to confirm it is not the battery.
Check the all clips are plugged into the MainBoard/Speed Controller and no wires are hanging out.
If the car is not turning left or right first check the bolt on the steering rod, then check the steering motor is connected properly, if both checks pass then the chances are, the MainBoard/Speed Controller is faulty.

How to Diagnose a Faulty Battery

The most common symptoms of a faulty battery are:

Vehicle drives but cuts out intermittently
Vehicle does not charge
Vehicle is a lot slower than usual
Vehicle battery does not last long
Vehicle turns on but does not move
Vehicle Keeps Restarting
Vehicle does not turn on

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty battery

Try and turn the car on, if this does not turn on check the battery is connected.
If the car is turning on check the voltage on the music display, this should never be lower than 2 of the total voltage e.g 10 on display for a 12v model.

If you prefer troubleshooting battery issues in video format, please find this below

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace a faulty Battery

How to Diagnose a Faulty Parental Remote Control

The most common symptoms of a faulty Parental Remote Control are:

Car does not pair to parental remote
There are no lights on remote control, even after changing the batteries
The light/s will not go stable and continuously flash even after following the correct pairing procedure
Car works with Pedal but not Parental Remote

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Parental Remote Control

Try and pair the remote to the car.
Try new Duracell batteries.
Test the vehicle with the pedal, if it works with pedal, the most likely fault is with the Parental Remote Control

We also recommend following the procedure of troubleshooting the MainBoard/Speed Controller to eliminate this as the faulty part. You can find the steps for this here

How to Diagnose a Faulty Wheel

The most common symptoms of a faulty wheel are:

The wheel does not spin when motor is spinning
The wheel falls off when driving
The wheel will not stay on the axle

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty wheel

With snap or clip on wheels you need to check the springs inside the wheel, these are responsible for securing the wheel onto the axle. If springs are missing or are not positioned correctly, this will cause the wheel to not function as intended.
If the wheel is not spinning on one side, you will need to use the wrenches provided to untighten the bolt. Wheels nuts which are too taught will prevent the wheel from spinning freely and cause wear on the motors as well cause battery degradation.
If the wheel falls off when driving this means the washers are not present or the split pins to hold the wheel in place have either not been inserted correctly or missing entirely.

How to Diagnose Faulty Steering Wheel Media Controls

The most common symptom of a faulty Steering Wheel Media Controls is:

Steering controls do not work

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot faulty Steering Wheel Media Controls

Firstly remove the steering wheel gently and make sure none of the wires are snapped from the dashboard side or steering wheel. If the steering wheel wires are snapped/damaged we can replace the steering wheel, if the cables are snapped/damaged on the dashboard, you will need to contact us to arrange the repair. Please keep in mind the vehicle needs to be disassembled and packaged securely for delivery to us.
If the buttons are not working, make sure there is no damage to the buttons and that they click correctly. For battery operated steering wheels, replace the batteries for Duracell ones. If it is a wire operated one you will also need to check the speaker wire behind the music display to ensure this is connected.

How to Diagnose a Faulty Steering Wheel

The most common symptoms of a faulty Steering Wheel are:

*Steering Wheel Feels Loose/Does not Steer

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Steering Wheel

If the car is not turning left or right, first check the bolt on the steering rod, if this is in place, please check the steering motor to make sure it is connected.
Check to make sure the steering wheel bolt is secured correctly to the top of the rod.

We are confident that the above will resolve any steering issues but if they don't, please feel free to get in touch with our customer support! :).

Here's a quick video showing you how to install a steering wheel correctly

How to Diagnose a Faulty Motor/s

The most common symptoms of a faulty/incorrectly installed motor are:

Clunking or Grinding noise when driving
Wheels are going the wrong way
One Wheel is going forward & the other backwards
The item is turning on and full voltage but not driving

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty/Incorrectly installed motor/s

First thing to check is that both wires are soldered on in the motor, as sometimes these may snap off.
If the wires are connected, then, the next thing is to listen, if the motor is making a grinding or clunking noise, the motor is faulty and will require replacing.
A good way to test if one of the motors is faulty is to disconnect one motor at a time and try to drive the car with just one motor connected. This way we can isolate the faulty motor/s.
If one wheel is going forward and the other wheel going backwards, the manufacturers have connected the wires on the motor the wrong way around and this can easily be fixed by swapping the wires in the plug and this will resolve the issue.
If both motors are spinning the wrong way around this means the left motor has been put on the right and the right on the left, please swap them around and the issue will be resolved.

Here's a video showing how to troubleshoot wheels spinning in opposite/wrong direction

How to Diagnose a Faulty Media Player

The most common symptoms of a faulty Media Player are:

There is no sound coming from the vehicle
There is no power to the media player
Media player does not work
Buttons do not work on media player

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Media Player

If the issue is with no sound coming out of the speakers, firstly check to see if there is power to the LCD display. If there is power, then, the speaker wire may be disconnected.
If there is no power to the LCD at all, firstly make sure the USB port is not corroded and then check the wires behind (same as speaker) the media player are connected properly. If all wires are connected then you need to replace the music display

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace media players

How to Diagnose a Faulty Speed Switch

The most common symptom of a faulty Speed Switch is:

Speed Not Changing From Low to High

Here's a quick way you can check whether the Speed Switch is Faulty

Please remove the switch by prying it off with a soft plastic pryer or a flat head screwdriver. Once removed, make sure both wires are connected: there will be 1 wire for low and 1 for high, they may just need to be re-connected. If both are connected you can then replace the switch.

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace a faulty Gear Shift/Stick

How to Diagnose a Faulty Light Switch

The most common symptom of a faulty Light Switch is:

Vehicle lights do not turn on

Here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Light Switch

Bulb failure is very rare therefore please eliminate the cables on the switch itself by prying the switch off it's housing and making sure the cables are connected properly. If the cables are connected, then the most likely fault is the switch so please contact our customer service team.

How to Diagnose a Faulty Four Wheel Drive Switch

The most common symptom of a faulty Four Wheel Drive Switch is:

Car does not switch between 2WD and 4WD

Here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Four Wheel Drive Switch

First, please make sure you check the motor/s have been connected properly and go through the motor troubleshooting guide here, to eliminate motors as the culprit.
Pry the switch off its housing to make sure the wires have not been dislodged.
If the motor/s have been eliminated as the faulty part and the wires are connected properly on the switch, then, the fault is most likely the Four Wheel Drive Switch.

How to Diagnose a Faulty Gear Switch

The most common symptoms of a faulty Gear Switch are:

Vehicle does not drive forward/back with the pedal but works with remote.
Vehicle drives forward but not on reverse.
Vehicle drives on reverse but not forward.

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Gear Switch

Before proceeding with the below, make sure the MainBoard/Speed Controller connections are all in place as this could also prevent it from working in forward or reverse. You should also check the MainBoard/Speed Controller troubleshooting guide the eliminate this as the culprit. You can find the guide here.
Make sure the gear switch wires are connected by prying the switch off its housing and making sure the wires are not dislodged.
If the wires are connected, this could mean that the Gear Switch is faulty and will need replacing.

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace a faulty Gear Shift/Stick

How to Diagnose a Faulty Gear Shift/Stick

The most common symptoms of a faulty Gear Shift/Stick are:

Vehicle does not drive forward/back with the pedal but works with remote.
Vehicle drives forward but not on reverse.
Vehicle drives on reverse but not forward.

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty Gear Shift/Stick

Before proceeding with the below, make sure the MainBoard/Speed Controller connections are all in place as this could also prevent it from working in forward or reverse. You should also check the MainBoard/Speed Controller troubleshooting guide the eliminate this as the culprit. You can find the guide here.
Make sure the gear stick wires are connected by simply removing the screws next to the gear stick and removing this from the body to check that the wires have not been dislodged.
If the wires are connected, this could mean that the Gear Stick is faulty and will need replacing.
If the gear stick will physically not go into forward or reverse you will need to replace the gearstick.

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace a faulty Gear Shift/Stick

How to Diagnose a Faulty On/Off Switch

The most common symptoms of a faulty On/Off Switch are:

Car does not turn on
Only the On/Off light comes on
You need to hold down the on button for it to stay on

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty On/Off Switch

The light will not come on (red light on the switch) when pressing this down.
The button will not go into the ON position.
The button will not stay in the ON position.
This is very simple to diagnose as it will all be visual, if you see any of the above you will need to replace the on/off switch.

Here's a quick video showing you how to replace a faulty On/Off Switch Button

How to Diagnose a Faulty On/Off Ignition Barrel

The most common symptoms of a faulty On/Off Ignition Barrel are:

Car does not turn on
Lights + Sound work but won't drive
Key won't turn in ignition

Depending on the symptoms above, here are a few ways you can troubleshoot a faulty On/Off Ignition Barrel

The wires have snapped off and will need to be re-soldered, you can check this by removing the ignition switch or going into the dashboard to check the wires have not been damaged/dislodged.
The key barrel itself is damaged, this will be visible and if this is the case the whole barrel will need to be replaced.

Updated on: 12/04/2021

Was this article helpful?

Thank you!