2013 Ford Flex

CONSTANT DOOR AJAR WARNING WHEN ALL DOORS ARE CLOSED (OR OPEN) DRAINS BATTERY AND CONTINUALLY SETS OFF CAR ALARM. DOORS NO LONGER LOCK WHEN CAR IS IN MOTION. DOORS CANNOT BE LOCKED ONCE PARKED OR ALARM WILL SOUND WITHIN 10-15 MINUTES. ISSUE HAS DRAINED MULTIPLE BATTERIES AND STRANDED OWNER. DOME LIGHTS COME ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT - ISSUE OCCURS ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. FORD DEALER RECOMMENDS REPLACING ALL DOOR LATCHES AT >$200 A PIECE WITH NO GUARANTEE OF ISSUE NOT RECURRING.

OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, AS I AM DRIVING MY VEHICLE, MY STEERING WILL SEIZE AND STOP OPERATING. THE COMPUTER COMES UP WITH THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE, "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE". I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED AND WAS TOLD THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. THE INFORMATION IS AS FOLLOWS: NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 15V340000, FORD FLEX 2011-2013, FORD RECALL #15S18. I CALLED THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, BIRD KULTGEN, AND THEY STATED THAT IT DOES NOT PERTAIN TO MY VEHICLE BECAUSE WHEN THEY PULLED MY VIN, IT DID NOT GIVE THEM A RECALL MESSAGE. I CALLED THE FORD COMPANY AND THEY SAID THE SAME THING. THE RECALL LISTED IS FOR FORD FLEX 2013, WHICH IS WHAT I HAVE. BOTH THE FORD DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS THE COMPANY STATED - SORRY. ISN'T IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON OTHER VIN'S AS WELL? THAT IS WHAT I WAS ASKING FOR THEM TO LOOK INTO. IF MY STEERING FAILS, AND I AM ON THE HIGHWAY, WHICH IS WHAT I DRIVE DAILY TO WORK, I WILL CRASH. THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS FORD STATED - MAYBE IT WILL COME UP IN A WEEK, WHO KNOWS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FLEX. WHILE DRIVING AND MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE FORD MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V390000 (STEERING). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

THE DOOR AJAR WARNING COMES ON EVEN WHEN THE DOORS ARE CLOSED. WITH THIS HAPPENING THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS STAY ON AN ALARM SOUNDS AND TELLS YOU TO SHIFT TO PARK WHEN YOU STOP THE DOORS DON'T LOCK BECAUSE IT THINKS THE DOORS ARE OPEN AND THE ALARM GOES OFF WHENEVER THE CAR SENSES THE DOORS ARE AJAR WHEN SHUT OFF AND THE LIGHTS DON'T TURN OFF ALL NIGHT LONG BECAUSE IT THINKS THE DOORS ARE OPEN.

I PLACED THE SUV IN PARK, TURNED IT OFF (THE CAR WAS STATIONARY). AS I LEANED ON THE VEHICLE TO GET OUT OF IT, I NOTICE IT ROLLED BACK. BECAUSE IT WAS UNUSUAL, I PUSH ON THE CAR FRAME TO ENSURE EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. WHEN I PUSHED THE VEHICLE, IT CONTINUED TO ROLL OUT OF MY GARAGE. I HAD TO RUN AND JUMP IN THE CAR, RESTART IT, AND PUT IN IN THE PARK POSITION AGAIN. THIS CAUSED GREAT CONCERN FOR ME BECAUSE MY SMALL CHILDREN WERE IN THE CAR. AFTER THIS OCCURRED, I CALLED FORD TO REPORT IT. RECENTLY, I'VE DONE RESEARCH AND REALIZED THAT SOME OF THE 2012-2014 FORD FLEX VEHICLES WERE RECALLED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. HTTP://FOX6NOW.COM/2014/08/14/FORD-RECALL-YOUR-CAR-COULD-ROLL-AWAY-EVEN-IF-ITS-PARKED/. WHEN I CALLED FORD TO REPORT, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THEM DID THEY HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE VEHICLE BEING IN PARK BUT DISENGAGING AND ROLLING AND THE RESPONSE I RECEIVED WAS NO. THE PERSON SUGGESTED I PUT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON UNTIL I COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE NOT BEEN THE TRUTH AS THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM IN 2014. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL, I AM HAVING THAT PROBLEM.

UNABLE TO LOCK BACK HATCH WITHOUT ALARM GOING OFF AT RANDOM HOURS. HAVE TO MANUALLY LOCK DOORS. THIS SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO DOOR AJAR WARNINGS FOR BOTH DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. UNSAFE DUE TO INTRUDERS BEING ABLE TO ACCESS CAR. CHILDREN AND OTHER OCCUPANTS COULD BE VULNERABLE TO CARJACKING. COULD ALSO RESULT IN LOSS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY.

DOOR SENSOR INDICATES THE DOOR IS OPEN WHEN IT IS CLOSED. AT TIMES, THE DOOR IS PREVENTED FROM CLOSING WHEN A MECHANISM DROPS WITHIN THE DOOR PANEL. AN ITEM HAS TO BE PLACED IN TO PUSH THE MECHANISM UP TO ALLOW THE DOOR TO CLOSE. THE DOOR SENSOR MECHANISM, WHEN IT INDICATES THE DOOR IS CLOSE ALTHOUGH IT IS OPEN, PREVENTS THE CAR DOORS FROM BEING LOCKED.