2019 Ford Flex

2019 Ford Flex Back-up camera view is always upside and sometimes delayed or unavailable when the car is put into reverse. Software updates are current. The camera going out, delayed, and being upside down when backing up is definitely a safety issue. There are no longer wheel guidance lines available. The car is 5 years old and the camera worked for about the first two years. There were no warning signs for the problem. Thought a recall would be issued.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, and needed to be jumpstarted. Upon replacing the battery and jumping starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart independently. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the independent mechanic replaced the battery and all components connected to the battery; however, the vehicle failed to independently start. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V548000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 87,000.

The contact's husband owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine servicing, the dealer informed the contact that the battery was severely corroded and was fractured. The dealer replaced the battery under warranty. Additionally, the contact stated while at a complete stop at a crosswalk, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she shifted into park(P) and attempted to restart the vehicle several times by pressing the Push to Start button, but the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that she pumped the brake pedal and shifted into neutral(N). The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The contact's husband arrived at the scene and opened the hood. The contact’s husband then noticed that the battery was corroded. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the starter needed to be replaced. The part was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer informed the contact that the battery was smoking; upon inspection, the dealer determined that the battery was corroded, fractured, and was leaking. The dealer determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced; however, the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that the A/C compressor had disintegrated and was preventing the vehicle from starting. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Sarasota Ford (707 S Washington Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236), where it was diagnosed that the A/C Compressor had seized, and the A/C clutch had failed and was stuck. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: [XXX] (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The problem was with the backup camera. The problem started when we had about 25,000 miles on the car, I ended up getting the camera replaced at 36,000 miles. The camera worked properly 90 to 95% of the time. Sometimes it would just be fuzzy, sometimes it would be blank and say camera not available, and other times it showed everything upside down. Sometimes the obstacle beeper would work, and when the camera wasn't working the Beeper would not work. We were going on a trip over the recent Christmas holidays out of state and my wife wanted the Peace of Mind of having that camera working. We are both retired, and I took it to a dealer and it cost almost $700 to replace the camera. I told the Ford dealer that I wanted the bad camera, and I do possess it. I have Googled the problem, and I noticed that it is a rampant problem with Ford vehicles but I am convinced that they haven't done a recall on the Flex because they stopped making these vehicles in 2019. I have a 15-year-old Chrysler product with 150,000 miles on it and the backup camera works perfectly. Ford seems to recall all of their new and current vehicles for this identical problem but they have no intention of helping me with the cost. I've called them several times and I have a case number with them but the only response that I have gotten, is that there's no recall so they can't do anything about it. Interestingly, when I made the appointment to get it fixed the service guy said he had to check inventory of the cameras because they go through them so quickly. He got back to me and told me that they had just received six more so I could come in right away and get it taken care of. I had it fixed December 15th at Dean Sellers Ford in Troy Michigan. I have taken pictures of the invoice and the bad part but I can't seem to load them on this form

My Ford reverse camera fails to display a correct image, decreasing driver visibility. It is nearly always displayed upside down or occasionally the image fails to appear at all. The parking guide lines also fail to display since January. There were no warning lights when the malfunction began in January 2023 and at that same time, the camera started remaining on while I drive forward, showing a live upside down view while driving forward for various amounts of time after shifting out of reverse. The Ford dealership says they have several people with rear view camera malfunctions right now but they aren't manufacturing those cameras at this time so they can't fix it and there is no ETA at all. In addition to that, they quoted a high price to fix this some day when the part is made again even though it's clearly a manufacturer defect. I've been repeatedly asking Ford for help with my faulty rear view safety camera since Jan 2023. The dealership inspected it and confirmed the defect which is easily reproduced by simply putting the vehicle in reverse. They did not inspect the cables, wiring or electrical components even though I requested it. There has been no resolution and my car is unsafe in reverse because of the Ford camera defect and non-working backover protection. This is a long vehicle and the defective reverse camera or camera wiring causing the image to be upside down or flashing off to black creates a risk of backing up into people, objects and other vehicles. It is extremely troubling and dangerous at all times in reverse, especially in parking lots and in areas with pedestrian or vehicular traffic, street parking and in tight conditons such as parking structures and garages. I've been asking for a resolution from Ford for almost 6 months. I need the camera and wiring repaired ASAP or a temporary vehicle to drive until this safety issue is resolved. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Thank you.

Back up camera not working; started flashing on/off, turning upside down, and now simply does not work; the beeping still works to let you know you’re close but the visual is not available. Not being able to SEE what is behind me is a safety issue as well as not being able to see how close I am to objects. I have taken my Flex to Tim Short Ford Dealership in Morehead, KY where the problem was reproduced. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. The warning message that the camera is not available appears when the vehicle is put in reverse. It began approximately 6 months ago.