2009 Ford Flex

EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING. NO CODES/WARNING LIGHTS WERE SHOWN. POWER STEERING FLUID WAS FILLED PROPERLY, AND THERE WERE NO LEAKS FOUND. THANKFULLY THIS DIDN'T OCCUR AT A HIGHER SPEED AS THIS IS A TERRIFYING SAFETY CONCERN. A MESSAGE BOARD WAS FOUND WITH AT LEAST 6 PAGES FULL OF PEOPLE THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM (HTTP://WWW.FORDFLEX.NET/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=7&T=10080). THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES!

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN MAY, 2014 AS A USED VEHICLE W/WARRANTY (POWERTRAIN). WHILE TRAVELING FROM ST.LOUIS, MISSOURI IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE CAR OVERHEATED. AFTER SPEEDING UP TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC IT SUDDENLY COOLED BACK OFF. NOW, DURING THIS SAME TIME, THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED BLOWING COOL AIR UNTIL WE SPED UP TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. AFTER THAT, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN UNTIL I WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC. SAME PROBLEM. THE FANS STOPPED WORKING. HERE RECENTLY, I WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC AND THE CAR OVERHEATED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ONLY THIS TIME, WHEN I SPED UP THE CAR DIDN'T COOL DOWN. THE COOLANT WAS FINE BUT THE CAR STILL OVER HEATED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS THE COOLING FAN MODULE AND IT SHOULD BE REPLACED. NOW, I'VE READ IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLACES THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH 2008-2012 FORD FLEX VEHICLES. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE 2011-2012 SERIES BUT NOT EARLIER MODELS. OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FAULTY MATERIALS USED TO MAKE THESE VEHICLES. THE SAME RECALL THAT WAS AFFORDED TO THE 2011-2012 MODELS SHOULD ALSO BE AFFORDED TO OWNERS OF EARLIER MODELS. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS $600 TO REPAIR THIS BECAUSE MY WARRANTY ONLY COVERS POWERTRAIN. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ASAP. I HAVE 6 CHILDREN AND CANNOT AFFORD TO SPEND $600 ON SOMETHING THAT IS NOT EVEN MY FAULT OR THE FAULT OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. *TR

1#-FEB 25,2015 BLEW THE TWO HEATING HOSES OFF BACK OF MOTOR WHILE CAR WAS SITTING IN PARKING LOT WITH GEAR IN PARK, TOOK TO JOE COOPER FORD TO HAVE REPAIRS DONE AND DID. 2#- ON MARCH 14,2015 @ ABOUT 0930 DURING A TRIP TO TEXAS, GOT CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC IN FORTH WORTH TEX ENGINE OVER HEATED AND SPEWED ANTI-FREEZE FROM BOTTOM OF CAR. WE REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT AND AFTER FURTHER CHECKING WE FOUND THAT THE "COOLING FANS" DID NOT WORK. FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS KNOWN OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2007. JOE COOPER FORD DID NOT BRING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION EVEN THOU THEY KNEW THE CAUSE AND WAS NOT FORTH COMING, NOR HAVE WE HEARD FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY ABOUT THIS ISSUE. WE CHECK THE FORUM FOR FORD FLEX AND FOUND THAT THIS IS AND ON GOING ISSUE SINCE 2007 WITH THE FORD FLEX. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE COOLER FAN FAILED TO OPERATE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AS THE RADIATOR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE COOLING FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

THE ISSUE THAT HAS RECENTLY CROPPED UP ON OUR FLEX IS THE FUEL METER WILL READ SUFFICIENT FUEL FOR APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES AND THEN, IN A MATTER OF MILES, THE TANK SEEMS TO RUN DRY/INDICATE NO MILES LEFT. ON THIS PARTICULAR DATE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR IT INDICATED 49 MILES TO EMPTY. AFTER 3 MILES IT RAN OUT OF GAS. FORTUNATELY I WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND NOT THE HIGHWAY. THIS BEHAVIOR COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IF I WAS OPERATING ON A HIGHWAY. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS ISSUE. PLEASE SEE FORDFLEX.NET FOR ADDITIONAL CASES AS AN EXAMPLE: HTTP://WWW.FORDFLEX.NET/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=20&T=9449&SID=6D4B835271D1154C67FCD43967CB2906. *TR

CAR SAID '15 MILES TO EMPTY' AND GAUGE NEEDLE WAS JUST BELOW A QUARTER, THEN NEEDLE DROPPED TO EMPTY AND COMPUTER ESTIMATE WENT DOWN TO '3 MILES TO EMPTY' WITHIN A MILE..THEN SHUT DOWN AND LIMPED OFF ROAD. LEFT ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A BUSY CITY FREEWAY IN A VERY DANGEROUS LOCATION, UNTIL I COULD GET SOMEONE TO BRING GAS TO REFUEL. REPEATED THIS THE NEXT TIME THE GAS WAS DOWN TO A QUARTER TANK. I WATCHED IT CAREFULLY AND SAW IT RECALCULATE FROM APPROX 15 TO EMPTY, TO 0 IN LESS THAN 4 MILES. GOT TO A GAS STATION IN TIME BEFORE THE CAR SHUT OFF. NOW I FILL IT UP AT 50 MILES UNTIL EMPTY TO AVOID RUNNING INTO THIS ISSUE. JUST TO ILLUSTRATE, ANOTHER OWNER MADE A VIDEO OF THE SAME SITUATION HAPPENING TO THEM: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=XWAMOBVHGUQ