2012 Ford Flex

BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS STUCK SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, GOING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL ROAD, WHEN THERE WAS A THUMP FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE (FRONT) WHEEL. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE BRAKE PADS WANTED TO FALL OUT. THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS, DEBRIS, POTHOLES AND I WAS NOT BRAKING AT THE TIME. TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR EVALUATION, WHERE THE MECHANICS ADVISED BOTH CALIPERS WERE BAD. I HAD TO HAVE BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS, ROTORS AND PADS REPLACED. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS NOT DRIVEN HARD OR THROUGH HARSH CONDITIONS. SIMILAR EVENT OCCURRED ALMOST A YEAR AGO ON THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY. THAT "EVENT" ALSO REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF ROTORS, CALIPERS AND PADS.

WHILE STOPPED AND IN PARK THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING, I ATTEMPTED TO JUMP IN THE VEHICLE BUT COULD NOT PULL MYSELF ALL THE WAY IN. I WAS ABLE TO YANK THE KEYS FROM THE IGNITION AND THEN I COULD NO LONGER RUN ALONG SIDE THE VEHICLE AND I FELL ON THE ASPHALT. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED ROLLING UNTIL IT BECAME HIGH CENTERED ON A LARGE ROCK. FOUR WITNESSES CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND THE KEYS WERE OUT OF THE IGNITION.

I WAS BACKING MY CAR INTO A PARKING SPACE, TURNING MY WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT WHEN I HEARO AND FELT A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEN ALL POWER STEERING ASSIST COMPLETELY ENDED MAKING THE CAR GO INTO MANUAL STEERING MODE. VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS BEING SO SUDDEN. THERE IS A RECALL OUT FOR THE POWER ASSIST STEERING ALREADY AND MY FLEX FITS ALL THE SAME CRITERIA AS THE RECALL YET ITS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL. SAME PLANT, SAME BUILDING YEAR, SAME MODEL YEAR, AND SAME AREA AFFECTED AS OTHER CARS IN THE RECALL BUT MY VIN ISN'T INCLUDED. THIS IS NOTHING THAT I'VE DONE TO THE VEHICLE PERSONALLY TO MAKE THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION. I BELIEVE IT'S A MANUFACTURER ERROR THAT NEEDS REPLACED IN THE RECALL. IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS AS I WAS IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARKING LOT WITH ALOT OF LITTLE KIDS WALKING AROUND ALSO HAVE 3 IN THE CAR WITH ME. MY HUSBAND WAS LIED TO MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PHONE FROM FM EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE NATURE OF THIS RECALL AND HOW OR WHY OUR VEHICLE WASN'T INCLUDED. OUR VEHICLE CAME OUT OF THE SAME PLANT DURING THE SAME TIME THE OTHER AFFECTED VEHICLES DID AND IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AS THOSE AFFECTED AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL.

MY FORD FLEX HAS A TOTAL OF 82000 MILES ON IT. I LIVE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK. I HAVE HAD THREE INSTANCES WHERE THE REAR BRAKE CALIPERS STICK AND SEVERELY REQUIRE BOTH PAD AND ROTOR REPLACEMENT. AT 60 YEARS OLD I CAN'T HEAR THE HIGH PITCHED SQUEALING BUT ON TWO OCCASIONS MY SON HAS NOTICE AND UPON STOPPING TO CHECK FOR THE NOISE, THE REAR WHEEL IS TOO HOT TO EVEN TOUCH. IN ONE INSTANCE THE PAD WAS COMPLETELY WORN TO THE METAL NO DOUBT RESULTING IN LOSE OF BRAKING POWER. THE FREQUENCY OF THIS PROBLEM IS DISTURBING. THE ONLY DOCUMENTATION I HAVE IS THE RECEIPTS FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR.

WHILE DRIVING I EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND THE DASHBOARD FLASHED "POWER ASSIST FAILURE". THIS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF TWO WEEKS. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR IN TO SOUND FORD IN RENTON, WA AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A KNOWN RECALL ISSUE (#15S18). MY COMPLAINT IS WITH REGARD TO THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. BOTH THE DEALER AND THE FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER HAVE TOLD ME THAT THE PART ( A STEERING GEAR) IS ON ENDLESS BACKORDER DUE TO MANUFACTURING DELAYS. DRIVING THE CAR AT THIS POINT IS DANGEROUS AND I'M LOOKING FOR SUPPORT IN GETTING THE REPLACEMENT PART FROM FORD AND HAVING THE REPAIR DONE.

THE RIGHT REAR DOOR SENSOR SAYS THAT THE DOOR IS OPEN WHEN IT IS NOT. TRIED TO CLOSE IT A FEW TIMES BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK. NOW I CAN'T LOCK MY CAR AT NIGHT BECAUSE MY CAR ALARM WILL GO OFF THINKING THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO BREAK IN. IT HAS NOW HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY SIX OR SEVEN TIMES NOW. I SEE THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL.

TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN RAIN STORM, MID MORNING, WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON, INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF. PULLED OFF HIGHWAY AND SET HEADLIGHT CONTROL TO ALL FOUR POSITIONS AND ALL LIGHTS REMAINED OFF REGARDLESS OF CONTROL POSITION. SHUT ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED. LIGHTS CAME ON IN ALL CONTROL POSITIONS. SET TO AUTO FUNCTION AND RETURNED TO HIGHWAY TO GO HOME. STILL RAINING, WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON. TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES WHEN ALL LIGHTS SHUT OFF AGAIN. AFTER REACHING HOME, SHUT ENGINE OFF. RESTARTED AND LIGHTS WORK IN ALL CONTROL POSITIONS. WILL RETEST AGAIN WITH SECOND DRIVER TO VERIFY CIRCUMSTANCES

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED THERE WAS A SUDDEN METAL ON METAL SOUND. SHORTLY AFTER THIS NOISE STARTED THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL AND THEN VISIBLE SMOKE FROM THE WHEEL. I PULLED OVER TO EVALUATE THE NOISE AND SMOKE. THE RADIANT HEAT FROM THE WHEEL CAUSED THE FIBERGLASS PANEL ON THE SIDE OF THE CAR TO HEAT UP. THIS HEAT CAUSED A 3RD DEGREE BURN TO THE TIP OF A FINGER. THE VEHICLE WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP EVALUATED IT AND STATED THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR CALIPER FROZE. THE DAY AFTER THE FLEX WAS RETURNED "FIXED", THE PASSENGER SIDE CALIPER FROZE. IT DID THE SAME THING AS THE DRIVERS SIDE (MADE THE SUDDEN METAL ON METAL SOUND, SMOKED AND HEATED UP). THE FLEX WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE OTHER CALIPER WAS REPLACED. THE FLEX WAS RETURNED LATER THAT DAY "FIXED". UPON DRIVING HOME, BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT REAR CALIPER RE-FROZE. AFTER MULTIPLE VISITS TO THE DEALERSHIP, I DECIDED TO TAKE MY FLEX TO A TRUSTED BRAKE SHOP FOR A SECOND OPINION. THE SHOP STATED BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT REAR CALIPERS WERE SEIZED. THEY ADVISED THE PARTS WERE INCORRECTLY INSTALLED. THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS AND CORRECTIONS TO FIX THE RIGHT AND LEFT REAR CALIPER. I HAVE HAD NO ISSUES SINCE THE SHOP DID THE REPAIRS.