It's not the location of the foot pedal but what may be under the foot pedal. I once couldn't get locked down. Looked under the pedal and the strap used to store trolling motor was only partially under the pedal and I cleared it out from underneath the pedal. Worked flawlessly.

It can be anything. Leaves, pull cord, strap etc etc. It's probably not your puck if it flashes red light to indicate it's on. I would keep an eye on the area directly under the pedal as this is a common occurrence among the several guys I know that uses Ultrex.

The folks at Minn Kota can be very helpful and there is a slew of Frequently asked questions on the website.

I wholeheartedly agree with your high rating.