2009 Ford Flex

DROVE 30 MILES AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THEN IN SHOPPING MALL ENGINE QUIT SUDDENLY AT 20 MPH WITHOUT ANY WARNING. NO POWER BRAKES, NO POWER STEERING. IT WAS IF SOMEONE HAD TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. I WAS ABLE TO MUSCLE THE CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC AND WAS THANKFUL THIS SUDDEN FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR AT SPEED OR WHILE MAKING A TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM IDENTICAL TO THOSE REPORTED BY OTHER 09 FLEX OWNERS, BUT FORD ( OR AT LEAST MY LOCAL DEALER) IS NOT INTERESTED IN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM. CONSIDERING THAT THE CAR HAD A LOSS OF CONTROL, IT IS PUZZLING THAT THIS DEFECT IS NOT BEING TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY. IN TERMS OF SEVERITY OF THE PROBLEM, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A '10'. THE PROPOSED FIX IS NEW THROTTLE BODY, REPROGRAM COMPUTER, CLEAN INJECTORS. SINCE NO FAULT CODES APPEARED AND SINCE THIS IS INTERMITTENT, THE MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN POLICY DOES NOT COVER WHAT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT ON THESE EARLY BUILDS. SO THE PROBLEM IS TWOFOLD: THE CAR DIES SUDDENLY AND THE COMPUTER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AS A FAULT. *TR

THIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF BOTH RADIATOR COOLING FANS. THE ENGINE ENTERED REDUCED POWER MODE DUE TO HIGH TEMPERATURE WHILE MY WIFE WAS ENTERING A BUSY STREET. JUST PRIOR TO THIS THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IDLING FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 OR 15 MINUTES. TEMPERATURE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE UNTIL ENGINE ENTERED REDUCED POWER MODE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. LOSS OF POWER WITHOUT WARNING COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. USUALLY THE FIRST SIGN OF A PROBLEM IS THE AIR CONDITIONER BLOWING WARM AIR WHEN STOPPED AND ENGINE IS AT AN IDLE. FORD HAS THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM (#12B36) THAT IS COVERING THE REPAIRS REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON 2011 AND 2012 FORD FLEX VEHICLES AT NO COST TO OWNERS. THE 2009 AND 2010 MODEL YEARS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THIS PROGRAM. A LETTER WAS SENT TO 2011 AND 2012 FLEX OWNERS OFFERING THIS REPAIR. BOTH FANS HAVE BEEN TESTED AND FOUND TO BE INOPERATIVE. FAN CONTROL MODULE APPEARS TO BE OK. I SPOKE TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE TODAY (CASE #[XXX]) 01/21/13, AND THEY VERIFIED THAT THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM (12B36) IS COVERING 2011 AND 2012 MODEL FLEX VEHICLES. AN INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS THAT OTHER MODELS MAY ALSO BE COVERED. I BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM SHOULD COVER THE 2009 AND 2010 MODEL VEHICLES FOR SAFETY REASONS OR A MAYBE A SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. I WILL BE PURCHASING A NEW FAN ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLING IT MYSELF BUT HAVE NO WAY TO REPROGRAM THE PCM TO HELP PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. I WILL ALSO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM INSPECT IT BEFORE REPLACING THE FAN ASSEMBLY AS ASKED BY FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TWICE WHILE DRIVING MY FORD FLEX, I HAD SPONTANEOUS TOTAL SHUT DOWNS OF THE ENGINE. THE FIRST TIME, MY CAR WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD AND I WAS IDLING IN FRONT OF A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHEN ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON AND IT COMPLETELY DIED. I STARTED IT RIGHT BACK UP (AND IT SUBSEQUENTLY PERFORMED PERFECTLY) AND I DROVE IT TO FORD WHERE THEY DID SOME DIAGNOSTICS CHECKS AND FOUND NO ANOMALY. IT CONCERNED ME BUT THINKING IT MAY BE A FUEL INJECTION ISSUE WHILE ONLY IDLING, I WENT ABOUT MY BUSINESS. ON JULY 20, 2012, AT 38K MILE, MY FORD FLEX DIED AGAIN! TOTAL SHUTDOWN OF THE ENGINE AND ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR! NO POWER STEERING, NO POWER BRAKES, NO POWER ANYTHING! BECAUSE I WAS ON A SLIGHT DOWNHILL, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT CATASTROPHE, THANK GOD. THE ENGINE STARTED UP AGAIN AS IF NOTHING OCCURRED. I DROVE DIRECT TO FORD WHERE THEY DID 10 MINUTES OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND TOLD ME ONCE AGAIN THAT THERE WAS NO ANOMALY. I WENT A LITTLE CRAZY, INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS LEAVING FOR A 10- DAY VACATION THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND THAT THEY HAD THE FULL 10 DAYS TO FIX THE CAR OR THAT I WASN'T GOING TO BE PICKING IT UP EVER AGAIN. A FORD TECH DROVE MY CAR WITH A COMPUTER PLUGGED INTO THE CAR, TYPED IN THE PROBLEM AND AFTER MANEUVERING THE CAR TO TRY AND GET A REPEATED RESPONSE, THE CAR DID INDEED SHUT DOWN WHILE HE WAS DRIVING IT! APPARENTLY, THE THROTTLE BODY WAS BINDING INTERNALLY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER REPLACING PART # 1 7T4Z 9E926 FA, FORD WALNUT CREEK CA IS TELLING ME IT IS FIXED. LET'S HOPE SO. I PRAY THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN A FATAL OR INJURY ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THIS PART'S FAILURE. I AM WRITING THIS AS AN ALERT AND A HEADS UP TO ANYONE WHO HAS HAD THE SAME SCARY EXPERIENCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DRIVER STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS OVERHEATING. THE DRIVER ALSO NOTICED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE RESIDENCE AFTER RESTING FOR THIRTY MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT THE ILLUMINATION OF WARNING INDICATORS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE ENGINE RESTARTED AND THE VEHICLE RESUMED AS NORMAL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED FOUR TIMES WHEN DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED. THE CONTACT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.