Garmin Force Trolling Motor Foot Pedal Disconnected

What Does This Error Mean?

'Foot Pedal Disconnected' on Garmin Force means the wireless foot pedal lost connection with the motor head.
Garmin Force uses ANT+ wireless (no cables) which can have interference issues.
Power-cycle both motor head and foot pedal, then re-pair if needed.
Most disconnections are signal interference or battery low on the foot pedal — fresh batteries usually resolve.

Affected Models

Garmin Force trolling motor
Garmin Force Kraken

Common Causes

Foot pedal batteries low
Wireless interference from other electronics
Pedal too far from motor head (10+ meters)
Pedal damaged from impact
Firmware mismatch between pedal and motor

How to Fix It

Check foot pedal batteries.

Garmin Force foot pedal uses 3 AA batteries.
Open the battery compartment.
Replace with fresh alkaline AAs (not rechargeable — voltage too low).
This resolves most disconnection issues — low batteries cause intermittent wireless dropouts.
Power-cycle both units.

Power off the trolling motor at the battery switch.
Pedal: remove batteries for 30 seconds.
Reinstall pedal batteries.
Power on motor.
Wait for both to fully boot.
Pairing should re-establish automatically within 30 seconds.
Reduce wireless interference.

Other wireless electronics (chartplotters, fishfinders, phones) can interfere with ANT+ wireless.
Move the pedal closer to the motor head.
Turn off non-essential wireless devices to test.
If pairing improves, you have an interference issue.
Re-pair the pedal.

If automatic re-pairing doesn't work: Menu on the Garmin chartplotter or motor head → Trolling Motor → Pair Foot Pedal.
Follow on-screen prompts.
The pedal must be powered on and in pairing mode (consult Garmin Force manual).
Update firmware via chartplotter.

Garmin Force firmware updates resolve some pairing issues.
Connect via the chartplotter and check for trolling motor updates.
Apply if available.
This is good practice anyway — Garmin issues firmware improvements regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Garmin Force pedal wireless?

Garmin's design choice — eliminates the cable that can be damaged on traditional foot pedals.
No cable to step on or get caught.
Trade-off: requires batteries and can have wireless interference issues.
Most users find the wireless approach convenient once they're used to it.

How long do pedal batteries last?

Typically 80-150 hours of fishing (foot pedal use).
For a typical fishing season (40-50 trips of 6 hours each), one set of batteries lasts.
Use lithium AAs in cold weather — better cold performance.
Carry spare batteries in your tackle box.