NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Unknown Or Other complaints
177 reportsClear category filter20,500 miles · Aug 18, 2015
Exterior LightingUnknown Or Other
IT STARTED IN MAY 2015 WHEN YOU CLOSE THE DRIVER DOOR, THE SCREEN WILL ALWAYS DISPLAY "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" AND SHOWING THE CAR ICON SHOWING THE DRIVER DOOR OPEN, AND ALL DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK WHETHER AT FULL STOP OR WHEN MOVING. THE DASHBOARD SCREEN WILL DISPLAY ALSO "SHIFT TO PARK" INTERCHANGEABLY WITH "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" WHEN THE…
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IT STARTED IN MAY 2015 WHEN YOU CLOSE THE DRIVER DOOR, THE SCREEN WILL ALWAYS DISPLAY "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" AND SHOWING THE CAR ICON SHOWING THE DRIVER DOOR OPEN, AND ALL DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK WHETHER AT FULL STOP OR WHEN MOVING. THE DASHBOARD SCREEN WILL DISPLAY ALSO "SHIFT TO PARK" INTERCHANGEABLY WITH "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" WHEN THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WILL KEEP ON FOR ABOUT 30 MINS WHEN IN MOTION AND WHEN THE CAR ENGINE IS ALREADY OFF.
NHTSA ODI #10749354
59,832 miles · Aug 15, 2015
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
THE DRIVER DOOR AJAR SENSOR LIGHT IS FAULTY. THE SENSOR LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF AND THEREFOR THE DOORS DO NOT LOCK AND THE DOME LIGHT DOES NOT GO OFF. TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AS SOON AS I TOLD HIM THE PROBLEM HE TOLD ME WHAT KIND OF CAR I WAS DRIVING. THIS TELLS ME THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL AS T…
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THE DRIVER DOOR AJAR SENSOR LIGHT IS FAULTY. THE SENSOR LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF AND THEREFOR THE DOORS DO NOT LOCK AND THE DOME LIGHT DOES NOT GO OFF. TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AS SOON AS I TOLD HIM THE PROBLEM HE TOLD ME WHAT KIND OF CAR I WAS DRIVING. THIS TELLS ME THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL AS THOUGH THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THERE IS SOME DANGER THAT THE DOORS DO NOT LOCK.
NHTSA ODI #10748929
61,000 miles · Aug 5, 2015
Unknown Or Other
AS IS COMMON WITH THE FORD EDGE, THE DOOR AJAR ISSUE APPEARED ON MY CAR ABOUT A MONTH AGO. THE DASHBOARD INDICATES THE DRIVER DOOR IS OPEN EVEN WHEN CLOSED. THIS IS A BIG HEADACHE AS THE ALARM GOES OFF EVERY TIME YOUR FOOT COMES OFF THE BREAK AFTER A STOP. THE KEYLESS DOOR LOCKS ALSO DO NOT FUNCTION WITH AN "OPEN" DOOR. BEYO…
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AS IS COMMON WITH THE FORD EDGE, THE DOOR AJAR ISSUE APPEARED ON MY CAR ABOUT A MONTH AGO. THE DASHBOARD INDICATES THE DRIVER DOOR IS OPEN EVEN WHEN CLOSED. THIS IS A BIG HEADACHE AS THE ALARM GOES OFF EVERY TIME YOUR FOOT COMES OFF THE BREAK AFTER A STOP. THE KEYLESS DOOR LOCKS ALSO DO NOT FUNCTION WITH AN "OPEN" DOOR. BEYOND THE HEADACHE, YOU HAVE THE SAFETY ISSUES. IF THE CAR THINKS THE DOOR IS OPEN, THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WILL NOT ENGAGE. ADDITIONALLY, IN THE EVENINGS THE DOME LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON BECAUSE IT THINKS YOU ARE IN THE CAR WITH THE DOOR OPEN. THIS COULD EASILY LEAVE YOU STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY. I ENDED UP TAKING IT INTO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND WAS CHARGED $560 TO REPLACE THE LATCH.
NHTSA ODI #10746619
50,750 miles · Aug 5, 2015
Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER DISPLAYED "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" WHEN THE DOOR WAS DEFINATLY SHUT AND LOCKED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THIS ALARM WENT AWAY AND IT RETURNED A FEW DAYS LATER ON MY WAY TO THE STORE. THE FREQUENCY OF THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN INCREASING AND NOW MY CAR ALARM SOUNDS OFF SEEMINGLY A…
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I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER DISPLAYED "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" WHEN THE DOOR WAS DEFINATLY SHUT AND LOCKED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THIS ALARM WENT AWAY AND IT RETURNED A FEW DAYS LATER ON MY WAY TO THE STORE. THE FREQUENCY OF THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN INCREASING AND NOW MY CAR ALARM SOUNDS OFF SEEMINGLY AT WILL, MID-DAY OR MIDNIGHT BECAUSE THE COMPUTER THINKS SOMEONE OPENED THE DOOR WITHOUT THE KEY. LAST NIGHT IT WAS GOING OFF AT 4AM. I AM CONCERNED THAT INTERELATED SAFETY EQUIPMENT MIGHT NOT FUNCTION BECAUSE THE COMPUTER THINKS THE DOOR IS OPEN. THIS PROBLEM ALSO PREVENTS THE AUTO-LOCK FUNCTION FROM WORKING, SO SOMEONE COULD OPEN MY DOOR AT A REDLIGHT OR IN TRAFFIC. THE REPAIR BILL FOR THIS PROBLEM IS JUST OVER FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. THIS IS CLEARLY AN EXAMPLE OF INFERIOR PARTS COSTING THE DEFENSELESS CONSUMER MONEY AND FORD MOTOR CO. REPEAT CUSTOMERS. IF YOU DO AN ONLINE SEARCH, YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM.
NHTSA ODI #10746556
103,000 miles · Aug 1, 2015
Unknown Or Other
MY 2012 FORD EDGE WILL NOT CLEAR THE DRIVER DOOR AJAR WARNING WHILE I AM DRIVING. I SLAM THE DOOR SEVERAL TIMES AND THE WARNING WILL NOT DISAPPEAR! IT KEEPS MY DOOMS LIGHT ON ALSO. IT HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR A COUPLE MONTHS NOW AND WILL NOT STOP. IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE.
NHTSA ODI #10745508
42,000 miles · Jul 4, 2015
StructureUnknown Or Other
DOOR AJAR COMES ON WHEN I START THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSES THE DOME LIGHT TO COME ON AND I CAN ONLY GET THE SENSOR TO GO OFF WHEN I DRIVE FORWARD AND OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR WHILE DRIVING. AT NIGHT, THE DOME LIGHT PREVENTS ME FROM SEEING BEHIND ME WHEN REVERSING, BUT I'M UNABLE TO USE MY "TRICK" OF GOING FORWARD AND OPENING AND CL…
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DOOR AJAR COMES ON WHEN I START THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSES THE DOME LIGHT TO COME ON AND I CAN ONLY GET THE SENSOR TO GO OFF WHEN I DRIVE FORWARD AND OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR WHILE DRIVING. AT NIGHT, THE DOME LIGHT PREVENTS ME FROM SEEING BEHIND ME WHEN REVERSING, BUT I'M UNABLE TO USE MY "TRICK" OF GOING FORWARD AND OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR TO GET THE SENSOR TO GO OFF UNTIL I AM FULLY BACKED UP. THE SENSOR ALSO TELLS MY VEHICLE THAT THE DOOR IS OPEN EVEN WHEN I EXIT THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE DOME LIGHT TO STAY ON ALL NIGHT AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT IT DRAINING THE BATTERY.
NHTSA ODI #10731976
30,000 miles · Jun 30, 2015
Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other
AFTER CLOSING THE DRIVER'S DOOR, I GET A DOOR AJAR MESSAGE IN THE DASHBOARD SCREEN. WHEN PARKED, INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS REMAIN ON AND DOORS WILL NOT LOCK SINCE THE VEHICLE THINKS THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN. WHILE DRIVING, DOORS DO NOT LOCK AND NOTIFICATIONS REPEAT AFTER EACH STOP AS I RELEASE THE BRAKE TO START ACCELERATING. REPEATED …
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AFTER CLOSING THE DRIVER'S DOOR, I GET A DOOR AJAR MESSAGE IN THE DASHBOARD SCREEN. WHEN PARKED, INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS REMAIN ON AND DOORS WILL NOT LOCK SINCE THE VEHICLE THINKS THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN. WHILE DRIVING, DOORS DO NOT LOCK AND NOTIFICATIONS REPEAT AFTER EACH STOP AS I RELEASE THE BRAKE TO START ACCELERATING. REPEATED DOOR CLOSINGS MAY CAUSE THE COMPUTER TO REALIZE THAT THE DOOR IS CLOSED AND THE MESSAGE MAY GO AWAY, BUT THAT SOLUTION WORKS LESS AND LESS OFTEN. MY EDGE IS NOW 5 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS 2 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. FORD HQ TELLS ME THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE AND MY DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE ME $400 TO REPLACE THE DOOR SWITCH OR $500+ IF I WANT A DIAGNOSTIC TO DETERMINE IF THAT SOLUTION WILL WORK, OR IF THERE IS A LARGER PROBLEM. ONLINE RESEARCH REVEALS THIS PROBLEM IS RAMPANT ACROSS MANY FORD MODELS AND YEARS. THEY KNOW IT'S A FLAW AND REFUSE TO MAKE IT RIGHT.
NHTSA ODI #10731348
23,000 miles · Jun 30, 2015
Unknown Or Other
DOOR LATCH SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE. "DOOR AJAR" LIGHT WILL GO ON, EVEN WHEN THE DOOR IS PROPERLY CLOSED. IT IS EXTREMELY DISTRACTING BECAUSE IT KEEPS BEEPING DURING DRIVING AND KEEPS TELLING ME TO SHIFT TO PARK WHILE IN MOTION.
NHTSA ODI #10731345
29,000 miles · Jun 27, 2015
Unknown Or Other
THE DOOR AJAR SENSOR IN MY FORD EDGE ALWAYS READ AS OPEN, EVEN WHEN THE DOOR WAS CLOSED. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS STAY ON EVEN WHEN I AM NOT IN THE CAR, DRAINING THE BATTERY. ALSO, THE DOORS WILL NOT LOCK WHEN I AM IN THE CAR, CAUSING A SECURITY CONCERN DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM DRIVING. I BOUGHT A NEW LATCH MECHA…
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THE DOOR AJAR SENSOR IN MY FORD EDGE ALWAYS READ AS OPEN, EVEN WHEN THE DOOR WAS CLOSED. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS STAY ON EVEN WHEN I AM NOT IN THE CAR, DRAINING THE BATTERY. ALSO, THE DOORS WILL NOT LOCK WHEN I AM IN THE CAR, CAUSING A SECURITY CONCERN DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM DRIVING. I BOUGHT A NEW LATCH MECHANISM TO REPLACE THE FAULTY ONE. WHEN I REMOVED THE FAULTY ONE, I NOTICED THAT IT HAD FILLED WITH WATER, WHICH IS WHAT WAS CAUSING THE MALFUNCTION. I WAS ABLE TO INSTALL THE NEW ONE AND IT WORKS NOW, BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE AN ISSUE THAT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN SOON.
NHTSA ODI #10730781
30,000 miles · Jun 5, 2015
Exterior LightingUnknown Or Other
THE "DOOR AJAR" LIGHT STAYS ON EVEN WHEN THE DOOR IS SHUT SECURELY. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY ON AND THE DOORS WILL NOT LOCK WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN THE CAR. WE HAD THIS FIXED ONCE FOR OVER $150 AT A DEALERSHIP. NOW LESS THAN A YEAR LATER WE ARE HAVING THE SAM…
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THE "DOOR AJAR" LIGHT STAYS ON EVEN WHEN THE DOOR IS SHUT SECURELY. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY ON AND THE DOORS WILL NOT LOCK WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN THE CAR. WE HAD THIS FIXED ONCE FOR OVER $150 AT A DEALERSHIP. NOW LESS THAN A YEAR LATER WE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE.
NHTSA ODI #10723726
Official recalls
3Jul 2, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 2, 2010, to November 30, 2013; 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured August 25, 2011, to November 30, 2013; and 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured September 12, 2011, to November 30, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the halfshaft retention circlip may not have been properly installed, and as a result, the halfshaft may move outward and disengage from the linkshaft while driving and without prior warning.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the halfshaft and linkshaft become disengaged while driving, power will no longer be transmitted to the wheels, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, if the parking brake is not applied before exiting the vehicle, the vehicle may roll away despite the transmission being placed in 'Park', increasing the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure that the halfshaft is properly retained. If it is not, dealers will replace the linkshaft and also replace the halfshaft if it shows evidence of spline damage, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S10.
Jan 6, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Edge vehicles manufactured from September 2, 2010, through April 25, 2013, and equipped with 2.0L engines. The fuel line pulse damper metal housing may crack as a result of an improper manufacturing process. A cracked fuel line pulse damper housing may result in a combination of fuel odor, weepage, or a continuous leak while the fuel system is pressurized.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line with one that does not have a damper, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 25, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 13S13. IMPORTANT: This recall supersedes recall 12V-438. All vehicles that have been remedied under the previous recall need to have the current remedy applied.
Sep 7, 2012
Ford is recalling certain 2012 Edge vehicles manufactured from September 2, 2010, through October 31, 2011, equipped with 2.0L engines. The fuel line pulse damper metal housing may crack as a result of an improper manufacturing process. A cracked fuel line pulse damper housing may result in a combination of fuel odor, weepage, or a continuous leak while the fuel system is pressurized.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on September 27, 2012. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE16012 · Door Ajar Warning Light Always On
Opened Sep 28, 2016 · Closed Mar 20, 2017
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Interior Lighting; Latches/locks/linkages; Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on September 28, 2016 based on allegations that the door ajar light located on the instrument cluster stays on all of the time even when all doors are closed and fully latched on 2011-2013 model year Ford Edge vehicles.When the light is illuminated continuously, vehicle occupants cannot be certain if any of the doors are properly latched.Reported safety consequences as a result of this issue include doors opening while driving (because doors were initially not latched properly), doors cannot be locked while driving, and the interior dome lights staying on continuously. Ford data received from the Information Request letter corresponding to this investigation indicates the failures were caused by contamination of the electrical contacts on the switch located within each door latch that tells the vehicle if the door is open or closed.All four doors contain the same latch design and switch.According to Ford, the Body Control Module (BCM) monitors the position of the switch and continuously samples it to detect a state of change.After a closed door state is detected, a continuous wetting current designed to keep the electrical contacts clean is sent from the BCM to the switches as long as the BCM is active.Beginning with the 2011 model year Edge vehicles, a change in BCM strategy resulted in a reduction of the wetting current sent out to clean the switch contacts by more than 75%.Over time, this low level of current is not sufficient to keep the switch contacts clean and contamination build up causes them to fail as described above.During the course of this investigation, ODI has identified a total of 1,983 complaints related to the door ajar light.Of these complaints, 14 indicated that a door opened while driving.Twelve of the 14 door opening events were situations where an occupant of the vehicle (often a child) opened a passenger door because the doors were not locked.The remaining two complaints involved a door opening on its own because the driver was unaware that the door was unlatched.There were no accidents but one complainant reported that a shoulder injury was caused by the driver having to repeatedly slam the door in an effort to get the door ajar light to turn off.After reviewing all available data, an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety has not been identified.The door latches themselves continue to function properly, remaining securely latched until acted upon by a driver or passenger.Child safety locks on the rear doors continue to function properly and can be used to prevent the rear doors from opening via the inside door handles.Vehicle crashworthiness is not affected by the lock condition of the doors and all active safety systems continue to function normally even if the vehicle BCM believes one or more doors is open.In addition, no accidents or accident related injuries have been reported.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.ODI numbers for the reports cited above are shown in the attached document.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Interior Lighting
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on September 28, 2016 based on allegations that the door ajar light located on the instrument cluster stays on all of the time even when all doors are closed and fully latched on 2011-2013 model year Ford Edge vehicles.When the light is illuminated continuously, vehicle occupants cannot be certain if any of the doors are properly latched.Reported safety consequences as a result of this issue include doors opening while driving (because doors were initially not latched properly), doors cannot be locked while driving, and the interior dome lights staying on continuously. Ford data received from the Information Request letter corresponding to this investigation indicates the failures were caused by contamination of the electrical contacts on the switch located within each door latch that tells the vehicle if the door is open or closed.All four doors contain the same latch design and switch.According to Ford, the Body Control Module (BCM) monitors the position of the switch and continuously samples it to detect a state of change.After a closed door state is detected, a continuous wetting current designed to keep the electrical contacts clean is sent from the BCM to the switches as long as the BCM is active.Beginning with the 2011 model year Edge vehicles, a change in BCM strategy resulted in a reduction of the wetting current sent out to clean the switch contacts by more than 75%.Over time, this low level of current is not sufficient to keep the switch contacts clean and contamination build up causes them to fail as described above.During the course of this investigation, ODI has identified a total of 1,983 complaints related to the door ajar light.Of these complaints, 14 indicated that a door opened while driving.Twelve of the 14 door opening events were situations where an occupant of the vehicle (often a child) opened a passenger door because the doors were not locked.The remaining two complaints involved a door opening on its own because the driver was unaware that the door was unlatched.There were no accidents but one complainant reported that a shoulder injury was caused by the driver having to repeatedly slam the door in an effort to get the door ajar light to turn off.After reviewing all available data, an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety has not been identified.The door latches themselves continue to function properly, remaining securely latched until acted upon by a driver or passenger.Child safety locks on the rear doors continue to function properly and can be used to prevent the rear doors from opening via the inside door handles.Vehicle crashworthiness is not affected by the lock condition of the doors and all active safety systems continue to function normally even if the vehicle BCM believes one or more doors is open.In addition, no accidents or accident related injuries have been reported.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.ODI numbers for the reports cited above are shown in the attached document.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on September 28, 2016 based on allegations that the door ajar light located on the instrument cluster stays on all of the time even when all doors are closed and fully latched on 2011-2013 model year Ford Edge vehicles.When the light is illuminated continuously, vehicle occupants cannot be certain if any of the doors are properly latched.Reported safety consequences as a result of this issue include doors opening while driving (because doors were initially not latched properly), doors cannot be locked while driving, and the interior dome lights staying on continuously. Ford data received from the Information Request letter corresponding to this investigation indicates the failures were caused by contamination of the electrical contacts on the switch located within each door latch that tells the vehicle if the door is open or closed.All four doors contain the same latch design and switch.According to Ford, the Body Control Module (BCM) monitors the position of the switch and continuously samples it to detect a state of change.After a closed door state is detected, a continuous wetting current designed to keep the electrical contacts clean is sent from the BCM to the switches as long as the BCM is active.Beginning with the 2011 model year Edge vehicles, a change in BCM strategy resulted in a reduction of the wetting current sent out to clean the switch contacts by more than 75%.Over time, this low level of current is not sufficient to keep the switch contacts clean and contamination build up causes them to fail as described above.During the course of this investigation, ODI has identified a total of 1,983 complaints related to the door ajar light.Of these complaints, 14 indicated that a door opened while driving.Twelve of the 14 door opening events were situations where an occupant of the vehicle (often a child) opened a passenger door because the doors were not locked.The remaining two complaints involved a door opening on its own because the driver was unaware that the door was unlatched.There were no accidents but one complainant reported that a shoulder injury was caused by the driver having to repeatedly slam the door in an effort to get the door ajar light to turn off.After reviewing all available data, an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety has not been identified.The door latches themselves continue to function properly, remaining securely latched until acted upon by a driver or passenger.Child safety locks on the rear doors continue to function properly and can be used to prevent the rear doors from opening via the inside door handles.Vehicle crashworthiness is not affected by the lock condition of the doors and all active safety systems continue to function normally even if the vehicle BCM believes one or more doors is open.In addition, no accidents or accident related injuries have been reported.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.ODI numbers for the reports cited above are shown in the attached document.
Latches/locks/linkages
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on September 28, 2016 based on allegations that the door ajar light located on the instrument cluster stays on all of the time even when all doors are closed and fully latched on 2011-2013 model year Ford Edge vehicles.When the light is illuminated continuously, vehicle occupants cannot be certain if any of the doors are properly latched.Reported safety consequences as a result of this issue include doors opening while driving (because doors were initially not latched properly), doors cannot be locked while driving, and the interior dome lights staying on continuously. Ford data received from the Information Request letter corresponding to this investigation indicates the failures were caused by contamination of the electrical contacts on the switch located within each door latch that tells the vehicle if the door is open or closed.All four doors contain the same latch design and switch.According to Ford, the Body Control Module (BCM) monitors the position of the switch and continuously samples it to detect a state of change.After a closed door state is detected, a continuous wetting current designed to keep the electrical contacts clean is sent from the BCM to the switches as long as the BCM is active.Beginning with the 2011 model year Edge vehicles, a change in BCM strategy resulted in a reduction of the wetting current sent out to clean the switch contacts by more than 75%.Over time, this low level of current is not sufficient to keep the switch contacts clean and contamination build up causes them to fail as described above.During the course of this investigation, ODI has identified a total of 1,983 complaints related to the door ajar light.Of these complaints, 14 indicated that a door opened while driving.Twelve of the 14 door opening events were situations where an occupant of the vehicle (often a child) opened a passenger door because the doors were not locked.The remaining two complaints involved a door opening on its own because the driver was unaware that the door was unlatched.There were no accidents but one complainant reported that a shoulder injury was caused by the driver having to repeatedly slam the door in an effort to get the door ajar light to turn off.After reviewing all available data, an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety has not been identified.The door latches themselves continue to function properly, remaining securely latched until acted upon by a driver or passenger.Child safety locks on the rear doors continue to function properly and can be used to prevent the rear doors from opening via the inside door handles.Vehicle crashworthiness is not affected by the lock condition of the doors and all active safety systems continue to function normally even if the vehicle BCM believes one or more doors is open.In addition, no accidents or accident related injuries have been reported.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.ODI numbers for the reports cited above are shown in the attached document.
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