2013 Ford Flex

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FLEX, WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CODE EP0627, THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL CIRCUIT OPEN, AND FUEL VAPOR LEAKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V8120000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,241.

FUEL LEVEL WILL SUDDENLY DROP FROM 1/4 TANK TO EMPTY WITHIN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THE DISPLAY WILL SHOW APPROXIMATELY 65 MILES TO EMPTY, LESS THAN A MINUTE LATER IT WILL DISPLAY GIVE A LOW FUEL ERROR AND THE VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. SOMETIMES YOU CAN WAIT 20 MINUTES , TURN THE KEY ON AND IT WILL AGAIN SHOW 1/4 TANK OF FUEL. WHETHER OR NOT IT THEN DISPLAYS 1/4 TANK OF FUEL, IF YOU TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A GAS STATION TO FILL UP IT WILL ONLY ACCEPT 12-14 GALLONS. THE VEHICLE HAS AN 18 GALLON FUEL TANK. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE THINKS IT SUDDENLY RUNNING OUT OF FUEL DESPITE THERE BEING ANOTHER 4-6 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE TANK.

DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON CITY STREET, A MAINTENANCE INDICATOR LIT UP ON THE DASH AND THERE WAS NO POWER (ACCELERATION.) VEHICLE DID NOT SHUT OFF, BUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD NO LONGER OPERATE OR REV THE ENGINE. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND TURNED OFF. UPON RESTART VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. TURNED AROUND TO HEAD HOME. PULLED OUT FROM SIDE STREET AND IT HAPPENED A SECOND TIME. THIS TIME WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL. HAD THERE BEEN TRAFFIC COMING A SEVERE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. AGAIN, TURNING OFF AND RESTARTING RESOLVED (TEMPORARILY) THE ISSUE. IN THE NEXT 3 MILES TO GET HOME, IT OCCURRED 3 MORE TIMES. FORD DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED IT TO BE A FAULTY THROTTLE BODY, PARTS ARE BACK ORDERED. FORD KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE AND HAS "COVERED" SOME MODELS, BUT STILL IGNORES THE DANGER.

AFTER SERVICE TO THE TRANSMISSION BY THE DEALER; THE VEHICLE WAS EMITTING A STRONG FUEL SMELL. AFTER RETURNING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER THEY CLAIMED IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP WHICH THEY REPLACED. THE VEHICLE STILL CONTINUED TO HAVE A STRONG FUEL SMELL. THEY CLAIM IT WAS RESIDUAL LEFT OVER FROM THE REPAIR. IT HAS NOW BEEN A MONTH SINCE THE REPAIR AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO EMIT A STRONG FUEL SMELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FLEX. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP AND BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

A 2013 FORD FLEX RENTAL VEHICLE USED FOR A 4-HOUR DRIVE FROM THE SAN DIEGO AREA TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA WAS LEAKING GASOLINE FUMES, WHICH KEPT ENTERING THE CABIN AND MADE ALL PASSENGERS NAUSEOUS, INCLUDING AN ELDERLY FEMALE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED INSIDE A GARAGE OVERNIGHT AND THE FOLLOWING MORNING ALL THE INTERIOR AREAS OF THE HOUSE, INCLUDING ALL BEDROOMS, WERE SATURATED WITH A VERY POTENT SMELL OF GASOLINE. AFTER INSPECTING THE HOUSE, IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT THE FUMES WERE COMING FROM THE RENTAL 2013 FORD FLEX VEHICLE, AND THE GARAGE HAD AN EXTREMELY POTENT CONCENTRATION OF GASOLINE FUMES. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO EXPLOSION, WE ALL FELT ILL AND TOOK US ABOUT A WEEK TO FULLY RECOVER. WHEN THIS HAPPENED WE WERE IN AN AREA WITHOUT PHONE OR INTERNET ACCESS, BUT I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO THE RENTAL COMPANY WHEN I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE RENTAL COMPANY, BUT THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO BE TOO CONCERNED. *TR