Minn Kota foot pedal not working…sometimes.

So I have a brand new Minn Kota Ultrex on a brand new boat. Had on water 4 times total.

First 2 times, everything functional as normal.

Third trip, deploy TM and foot pedal is frozen. Thought the worst, steering cable.

Pull up, deploy again, pedal works.

Fish a bit, deploy and pull up, no problems.

Go out today, deploy, no problems. Pull up, move spots, deploy, froze again.

What might this be? Foot pedal freezing up randomly.

Has to be something in the mechanics of deployment but I can’t figure it out.

Someone mentioned a bad foot pedal sensor. My research shows that generally comes from water getting to sensor in the pedal. Not saying it’s not a possibility, but the is literally a brand new motor that never been exposed to getting water in it.

Frustrated.

Steering sensor board. Easy fix, but a little more costly than the cables you thought was the issue. Takes about 20 minutes to remove the pedal and all the screws to get the board out. The older boards have an exposed ribbon cable that is prone to break. The revised part has the ribbon cable secured and far less prone to damage.

Forgot what I paid for the board, but it was not too bad.

Warranty fix. There was a problem with the boards and cables on some models of the Ultrex. I don't think it was bad enough to issue a Recall, but they are good about fixing them under warranty.

When it's deployed and foot pedal isn't working, move the wiring harness that is closest to where the wires go into the top of the shaft/head. My buddy had same issue, there was a small black&white wire that has a small connector. The strain on the connector from the strain on the wiring harness was the issue. It was almost like a signal to turn on the unit.

Thank you all for the responses.

I’m going to troubleshoot with the info you game me.

Appreciate it.

Having similar issues with new Ultrex, spot lock less than 2 hours