2013 Ford Flex

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FLEX. AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. MOMENTS LATER, WHILE DRIVING, THE "CHECK CHARGING" INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,000.

"FORD FLEX POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AND TRAC CONTROL MALFUNCTION. THE EPAS MOTOR ON MILLIONS OF VEHICLES ARE FAILING AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR FLEX OWNERS. I HAVE FOUND THAT FROM RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE THAT THE EPAS MOTOR IS ACTUALLY OVERHEATING AND BURNING UP THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. FORD MANUFACTURER HAS DELIBERATELY LIED TO NHTSA ABOUT WHAT THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION FOR WHICH THEY PRESENTED A RECALL ON CERTAIN 2013 VEHICLES. I SPOKE WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THEY RESPONDED THAT MY VIN NUMBER DOES NOT FALL IN THE CAMPAIGN OR TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS. CAMPAIGN FOR THE RECALL IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY VEHICLE BUT YET FORD WANTS TO CHARGE ME MONEY FOR THE REPAIRS AND DIAGNOSTIC WHEN THEY ARE WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER ISSUE. IT IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION WHICH HAS KILLED AND INJURED PEOPLE. THEY JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE POINT TO WHERE THEY ADMIT THAT IT IS ON WAY MORE VEHICLES THAN THEY ARE ADMITTING TO. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT NHTSA IS NOT FORCING FORD TO REPAIR THE VEHICLES THAT HAVE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE EXACT RECALL ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS AT VERY LEAST. I WAS TRAVELING AROUND 70 MILES AN HOUR DOWN INTERSTATE I-40 WHEN SYSTEM FAILED AND ALMOST FLIPPED MY VEHICLE. HOW CAN A DEALERSHIP NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS OR HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THEY DO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY? RECALL NUMBER IS 15 S18 OR 15V340000.

REPEATED STEERING FAILURES. INITIAL FAILURE (SPRING 2016) OCCURRED SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER COLLISION REPAIR (DECEMBER 2015) DONE AT DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. REPAIRED VEHICLE CAME BACK WITH TIGHTER STEERING THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED. FAILURE IN SPRING 2016 INVOLVED COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING UPON STARTUP OF VEHICLE. SHUT DOWN AND RESTART DID NOT RESTORE POWER STEERING OPERATION. STEERING GEAR REPLACED BY DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SECOND FAILURE (SPRING 2017) INVOLVED LOSS OF TRACTION CONTROL, STABILITY CONTROL, CRUISE CONTROL DUE TO FAILURE OF POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE. POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE REPLACED BY DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIRD FAILURE (NOVEMBER 28, 2017) IS LOSS OF POWER STEERING GEAR UPON VEHICLE STARTUP. SHUT DOWN AND RESTART RESTORED POWER STEERING OPERATION.

POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT A FEW TIMES IN MY FLEX. FIRST TIME WAS AFTER IT WAS PARKED, THE WHEELS WERE TURNED OUT, IT WAS STARTED, AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN AND MANEUVER THE VEHICLE IN THE PARKING LOT. SECOND TIME, WAS THIS MIRING, I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, AND WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE ON OUR STREET IT WAS AGAIN VERY HARD TO STEER. BOTH TIMES WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, IT WAS LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG.

I WAS DOING A U-TURN ON A CUL DE SAC AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED AND THE MOTOR DIED AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR I HAD NO POWER STEERING CAPABILITIES AND THE WARNING LIGHTS FOR THE POWER STEERING CONTROL AND THE ADVANCE TRAC CAME ON AND THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT STAY ON WITHOUT HOLDING THEM IN THE UP OR DOWN POSITION.

OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS, MY POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL LEAVING ME IN MANUAL MODE. I WOULD STOP AND RESTART THE CAR AND THE POWER WOULD RETURN. I TOOK THE CAR IN THIS WEEK AND IT WILL NOW COST ME $2000 TO REPAIR IT. PRIOR TO TAKING IT TO MY DEALERSHIP, I RESEARCHED POSSIBLE RECALLS. SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS ONE IN 2015 FOR "CERTAIN" 2013 FORD FLEX. BUT MY VIN WAS NOT IN THE RECALL. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ALL THE REPRESENTATIVE DID WAS READ SCRIPTS TO ME LETTING ME KNOW THAT MY CAR WAS NOT IN THE RECALL. THIS IS THE SECOND THING ON MY CAR THAT HAS GONE WRONG THAT WAS COVERED FOR OTHER "CERTAIN" FLEX--THE FIRST WAS THE FUEL PUMP. DISAPPOINTED THAT IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS ARE NOT COVERED FOR ALL!!!

I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND MY STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP COMPLETELY. THE IDIOT ALARM STARTED GOING OFF AND I RECEIVED AND ERROR CODE. THE ERROR READ POWER STEERING FAILURE. I TOOK IT TO TIRE KINGDOM AND THEY SAID I WAS PART OF THE 15V3400000 RECALL. I CALLED FORD AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR EVEN THOUGH IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME SAFETY RECALL ISSUE I AM HAVING AND MY CAR IS ON THE RECALL LIST. THEY SAID SORRY YOUR VIN ISN'T LISTED AS BEING AFFECTED. IT'S CLEARLY THE SAME ISSUE AND IS. WING AFFECTED. IT'S DANGEROUS THAT I WASN'T NOTIFIED AND NOW THAT I'M HAVING THE PROBLEMS THAT CAUSED THE RECALL IN THE FIRST PLACE THEY STILL WON'T FIX IT.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE AND I WOULD TRY TO GET TO A POINT WHERE I COULD PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, RESTART THE CAR AND IT WOULD BE GOOD. THIS TIME IT DIDN'T WORK. I HAVE BEEN ON ROADS IN CURVES MANY TIMES AND IT WOULD GO OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM. I SHUTTLE MY KIDS EVERYDAY AND THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR THEM AND MYSELF. I SEARCH FOR A RECALL A WHILE BACK AND DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER OF 3 AND I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO SPEND OUT ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHEN IT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM I'M HAVING WITH A FAIRLY NEW VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM IS THE POWER STEERING GEAR AND THE ANGLE POSITION SENSOR. I HAVE NOTICED THAT OTHER 2013 FORD FLEX WERE ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT MINE WAS NOT. I CALLED THE FORD MANUFACTURER AND SPOKE WITH 3 DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIVES (REPS) AND A SUPERVISOR. TWO REPS TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND THE OTHER REP AND SUPERVISOR STATED I WOULD NEED TO TAKE MY VEHICLE TO A FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT A DEALERSHIP AND IT WOULD BE THEIR DISCRETION ON WHETHER THEY WILL FIX IT, DISCOUNT IT OR SOMETHING. I DON'T THINK IT IS THE DEALERSHIP'S RESPONSIBILITY AS THEY DID NOT MAKE THE VEHICLE, THEY ONLY SELL THEM. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT MANAGER AT LANCE CUNNINGHAM FORD IN KNOXVILLE, TN AND HE AGREED AND STATED HE DIDN'T KNOW WHY THEY WOULD TELL ME THAT. HE WAS ALSO NICE ENOUGH TO SAY THAT HE WOULD HELP ME OUT THE BEST HE COULD BECAUSE HE WANTED TO KEEP ME AS A CUSTOMER. PLEASE HELP ME! I DO NOT THINK IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT THE SAME ISSUE IS HAPPENING TO MY VEHICLE AS IT HAS OTHERS MADE THE SAME TIME AS MINE. I HAVE ALSO READ OTHER COMPLAINTS AFTER RESEARCHING THAT MANY OTHER CUSTOMERS IN FORD VEHICLES (FOCUS, FUSION, ETC.) ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AND THE MAJORITY OF OUR VEHICLES ARE LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD.

THE ELECTRIC STEERING IS MAKING A CLUNK NOISE WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEEDS. (CAN'T REALLY HEAR IT AT HIGHER SPEEDS) THAT IS AN EARLY WARNING OF AN EPAS FAILURE. (ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST STEERING) EVENTUALLY THE STEERING WILL WHINE AND FAIL WHEN DRIVING GOING INTO MANUAL MODE. THAT IS A SAFETY ISSUE! SINCE MY WIFE IS DRIVING THE CAR WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER IT HAS ME NERVOUS AND WORRIED.