2009 Ford Flex

THE FUEL GAUGE WILL READ BETWEEN 1/2 AND 1/4 TANK THEN IMMEDIATELY MAKE A *DING* AND THE DISPLAY READS 0 MILES. THE FUEL GAUGE WILL DROP TO EMPTY. IF YOU DRIVE ANYTHING FURTHER THAN A SHORT DISTANCE (10 MILES OR SO) THE CAR WILL DIE. IT IS "OUT" OF FUEL. REFILLING THE TANK YOU WILL FIND THAT THE VEHICLE STILL HAS WHATEVER FUEL THE GAUGE WAS SHOWING BEFORE IT DROPPED TO ZERO. IT IS CONSISTENT, IT DOES THIS EVERY TANK. APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE AS TIME GOES ON.

AS HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY TIME ON HERE AND IN THE FLEX FORUMS, THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY STALL AT A 1/4 TANK OF GAS FOR NO REASON. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT HIGH WAY SPEED WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE DROPPED TO E AND THE MILES TO EMPTY READ 0. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. I CALLED ONE OF MY LOCAL DEALERS WHO INSISTED THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM AND NOTHING WAS DONE. THERE ADVICE WAS TO NOT LET THE CAR GET TO A 1/4 OF A TANK. THEY HAVE NO FIX FOR THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM.

VEHICLE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE LAST QUARTER TANK OF FUEL. ONCE IT REACHES APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER TANK LEFT, THE FUEL GAUGE AND MILES TO EMPTY DISPLAY DROP SUDDENLY TO EMPTY AND THE CAR SHUTS OFF. WHEN REFUELING AFTER IT SHOWS EMPTY, IT ONLY ACCEPTS ABOUT 3/4 TANK. THE FUEL IS THERE, BUT INACCESSIBLE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THE CAR DIES VERY SUDDENLY WHEN THE SYSTEM DECIDES THERE'S NO FUEL LEFT. IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE, OTHER HIGHWAYS, AND ON A RURAL ROAD WHERE FINDING ENOUGH FUEL TO GET GOING AGAIN WAS A BIG PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP REPLACED FUEL SENSORS, BUT SAID THERE WAS NO CODE SHOWING WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. NOW I'M STUCK RANDOMLY REPLACING FUEL SYSTEM PIECES IN HOPES OF FIGURING OUT WHICH PIECE IS BROKEN. EACH TIME I SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO "FIX" IT, THE PROBLEM REPEATS AS SOON AS I GET THROUGH MOST OF THE FIRST TANK OF FUEL. POSITION OF VEHICLE DOESN'T MATTER. UPHILL, DOWNHILL, ETC, IT ALWAYS HAPPENS CLOSE TO A QUARTER TANK OF FUEL LEFT.

TRAVELING AT 70MPH THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED SLIGHTLY OVER 1/4 OF A TANK LEFT AND THE ESTIMATED MILES TO EMPTY WITH THE MILEAGE-TO-EMPTY ESTIMATE INDICATING APPROXIMATELY 70 MILES LEFT. THEN IN UNDER TWO MINUTES TO WHEN I CHECKED THE DASH AGAIN, THE GAUGE HAD DROPPED TO ZERO WITH THE ESTIMATOR SHOWING 0 AS WELL. WITHIN THE NEXT MILE THE ENGINE RAN OUT OF FUEL. TO FILL UP THE 18.6 GALLON FUEL TANK IT ONLY TOOK APPROXIMATELY 14 GALLONS AT THE PUMP. THIS INDICATES THAT APPROXIMATELY 4.6 GALLONS OF FUEL WERE STILL REMAINING IN THE TANK. SINCE THIS MODEL USES A FUEL TANK DESIGN WITH TWO SUMPS THE FUEL ISN'T TRANSFERRING FROM THE ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER WHERE THE FUEL PUMP IS LOCATED. THIS CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR SOMEONE EXPECTING TO HAVE ONE QUARTER OF THEIR FUEL TANK LEFT.

TRAVELING AT 70MPH. URGE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED SLIGHTLY OVER 1/4 OF A TANK LEFT AND THE ESTIMATED MILES TO EMPTY WITH THE MILEAGE-TO-EMPTY ESTIMATE INDICATING APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES LEFT. THEN IN UNDER TWO MINUTES TO WHEN I CHECKED THE DASH AGAIN, THE GAUGE HAD DROPPED TO ZERO WITH THE ESTIMATOR SHOWING 0 AS WELL. WITHIN THE NEXT MILE THE ENGINE RAN OUT OF FUEL. TO FILL UP THE 18.6 GALLON FUEL TANK ONLY TOOK 2.5 GALLONS FROM THE JUG AND ANOTHER 11.5 GALLONS AT THE PUMP FOR A TOTAL OF 14 GALLONS. THIS INDICATES THAT APPROXIMATELY 4.6 GALLONS OF FUEL WERE STILL REMAINING IN THE TANK. SINCE THIS MODEL USES A FUEL TANK DESIGN WITH TWO SUMPS THE FUEL ISN'T TRANSFERRING FROM THE ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER WHERE THE FUEL PUMP IS LOCATED. THIS CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR SOMEONE EXPECTING TO HAVE ONE QUARTER OF THEIR FUEL TANK LEFT.