2009 Ford Flex

My Flex has repeatedly lost power while driving. I can feel the car lose power, and the yellow wrench light comes on. After reading up on it, I learned that you have to turn the vehicle off, wherever you are, and restart it after a few minutes. The wrench light turns off, and the car runs as normal, with no records of codes. This is talked about over and over in online forums. The safety issue is that it has happened on the freeway several times while traveling at a high rate of speed. The car loses power, and you cannot accelerate. You have to find a way to stop immediately, put the car in park (and listen to the transmission clunk) and turn it off. This last instance put me in harms way on the freeway. The car lost power while traveling 70mph. I immediately lost speed and had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to pull over to turn the car off. All of the forums talk about the throttle body, but everyone says that’s not the issue. The OSS and TSS sensors are also discussed. The dealerships cannot find out what’s wrong because once the car is turned off and restarted, any codes are erased. The issue persists, and the car keeps losing power wherever and whenever. I am referencing the most recent incident on this form, however, this has happened at least 12 times since September, 2020. Please, please force a recall on this issue!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. WHILE THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION, THE ANTI-LOCK WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE SECURE LOCK SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED BY THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND TRANSFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 169,000.

DRIVING CAR, STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT, OR LEAVING PLACES THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ENGAGE WHEN PUT INTO DRIVE. IT GETS STUCK AND WON'T MOVE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE TO PUT IN PARK AND TRY AGAIN AND IT SOMETIMES SHIFTS OR MAKES A LOUD CLUCK AND JERK. HAPPENS OFF AND ON. TOOK INTO THE FORD DEALER COUPLE OF TIMES AND THEY SAID THEY COULD ONLY DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS IF IT DOES IT WITH THEM. NEVER DOES IT WHEN IN THE SHOP. THE DEALER ACTS AS IF THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOWEVER I HAVE READ FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH 2009 FORD FLEX. I BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION IS THE SAME AS ON THE 2015 FORD TRANSIT VANS BECAUSE THE SAME ISSUE IS HAPPENING WITH IT. I HAVE TALKED TO MY MECHANIC AND THEY HAVE HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM TOO AND TOLD ME TO TAKE THE FLEX INTO THE DEALER. THEY HAVE FOUND DOCUMENTATION ONLINE THIS TRANSMISSION ISSUE NOT SHIFTING HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. MOST RECENTLY FEBRUARY 21, 2019. SEEMS TO OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS WARMED UP.

THIS IN REFERENCE TO THE TRANSMISSION, I HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT AND NO ONE CAN SEEM TO NARROW DOWN THE EXACT PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE STALLS WHILE DRIVING. AFTER STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE IT HESITATES AND THE KICKS INTO GEAR AND DRIVES. THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY DAY, BUT NOT KNOWING WHEN THE VEHICLE MIGHT STALL IS TROUBLESOME. THERE IS TSB 11-12-10 THAT DESCRIBES THIS PROBLEM, THE FORD DEALERSHIPS DO NOT HAVE ANY SAFETY RECALLS IN REFERENCE TO THIS.

TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS 40 DEGREES OR BELOW I SOMETIMES HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IN THE MORNING AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVER NIGHT I START THE VEHICLE, PUT IT INTO REVERSE, I BACK 40 FEET DOWN MY DRIVEWAY WHICH HAS ABOUT A 30 DEGREE GRADE DOWN TO THE STREET.. I STOP ON THE STREET, PUT IT INTO DRIVE AND TURN TO THE RIGHT TO PROCEED FORWARD UP THE STREET WITH ABOUT 10 DEGREE GRADE FOR ABOUT 300 FEET, THEN THE STREET HAS ABOUT A 15 DEGREE GRADE FOR THE NEXT 200 FEET AFTER WHICH IT HAS A 5 DEGREE GRADE FOR 75 FEET AT WHICH POINT THERE IS A STOP SIGN AT A BUSY TWO LANE CROSS STREET THAT IS FAIRLY LEVEL AND HAS A 35 MPH SPEED LIMIT. I STOP UNTIL THE TRAFFIC GIVES ME A 100 TO 150 FEET MORE BREAK BETWEEN PASSING VEHICLES SO I CAN TURN RIGHT, MANY TIMES THE ENGINE REVS TO 4000 RPMS BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES VARY SLOWLY AT PICKING UP SPEED. I OFTEN TRAVEL 600 TO 100 FEET BEFORE I ATTAIN 25 MPH. THEN IT SHIFTS INTO THE CORRECT GEAR. I HAVE HAD IT TO THE DEALER 3 YEARS AGO BUT THE FORD DEALER CHARGED TO TEST IT BUT FOUND NO PROBLEMS. FOUR MONTHS LATER I TOOK IT TO AAMCO WHO FOUND A PROBLEM AND REPAIRED IT, "THEY THOUGHT" REPLACING SOME PARTS. THE SAME PROBLEM PERSISTS AFTER THE "REPAIR". THE EXCUSE IS THAT THE CAR IS WARMED OR THE CONDITIONS CANNOT BE REPRODUCED. THE FORD DEALER SAID THAT THEY CANNOT COME 8 MILES TO MY HOME IN THE MORNING TO REPRODUCE THE CONDITIONS. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL HAS ALWAYS BEEN DECLARED TO BE OK.

PART OF MY POWER IN MY CAR SHUT OFF ON THE FREEWAY, AT 1:39 PM AT 67 DEGREES OUTSIDE . I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 40 MINUTES. MY DASHBOARD WENT DARK, AND ONLY MY CLOCK TIME WAS ON. I GLIDED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR VERY HARD TO THE RIGHT (AS THE POWER STEERING WAS OFF). THEN TURNED THE KEY TO OFF, WAITED 3 MINUTES TURNED THE KEY AND IT WENT BACK ON. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN.

CAR STARTED 2 YEARS AGO WITH "STUTTERING" WHEN DRIVING BETWEEN 50-60 MPH, AS IF THE CAR COULDN'T DETERMINE WHICH GEAR TO STAY IN. HAD TRANSMISSION FLUSHED AND REFILLED IN APRIL 2016. PROBLEM WAS LESS BUT STILL REMAINED. ADDED DR SHUTTER IN JUNE 2016 TO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND PROBLEM HAS WENT AWAY, THAT WAS LAST YEAR. PAINT ON THE HOOD IS PEELING AND STARTED OUT AS A SMALL CHIP MAY 2016, AND IS NOW THE SIZE OF A 2 BASKETBALLS. BLACK BODY PIECES THAT ARE BETWEEN THE WINDOWS ON THE SIDE AND IN FRONT BY THE WINDSHIELD ARE LOOSE AND COMING OFF. WILL PROVIDE PHOTOS IF NEEDED

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT AXLE HAD AN INDENTATION AND THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER HAD BOLTS THAT DETACHED. AS A RESULT, THE AXLE AND CALIPER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND TRANSMISSION SEAL WERE LEAKING OIL AND THE DRIVE LINE AND TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,946. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.