2015 Ford Flex

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made abnormal grinding sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed but no issues were found. The dealer sprayed rust off the exhaust. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, there was a loud banging sound coming from under the hood before losing control of the vehicle. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and veered to the side of the road. The contact noticed an abnormal burning odor. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to their location. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit (PTU) had exploded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

WHEN VEHICLE IN MOTION ON MAJOR ROADWAY, LOSS OF POWER AND GOES INTO LIMP MODE. YELLOW WRENCH LIGHTS UP. VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE. I HAVE TO SHUT OFF VEHICLE AND TURN IT BACK ON . THERE IS NO DTC CODE WHEN CHECKED. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE AT TIME OF INCIDENT. CAR LOSES POWER AND RAPIDLY DECELERATES WITHIN 5 SECONDS. THERE IS ZERO TIME TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WHICH PUT US AT HIGH RISK OF BEING REAR ENDED. THIS IS A LIFE/ROAD SAFETY HAZARD

WRENCH LIGHT APPEARS ON DASH AND THE CAR LOSES ALL POWER - KNOWN AS "LIMP HOME" MODE. CODES CLEAR UPON RESTART. TOOK IT TO DEALER AFTER FREEWAY INCIDENT ON 2/17/19, DEALER FOUND NO CODES, STATED IT WAS MOTOR MOUNT. GOT THE CAR BACK ON 2/25/17, AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITHIN 30 MILES. WAS ABLE TO PULL CODE WITH MY OWN SCAN TOOL - P2111. KNOWN ERROR IN THROTTLE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, AND ONCE ON EXPRESSWAY, TWO ADDITIONAL TIMES AT AROUND 20 MPH

DRIVING ON I75 HEADED SOUTH JUST N OF FORSYTHE GA 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC 75 MPH OR FASTER WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON AND NO POWER. WITH GODS LUCK THERE WAS LIKE A 10 SECOND WINDOW WHERE WE GOT OVER TO TO RIGHT BEEN AND OF THE ROAD. MY WIFE AND GRANDDAUGHTER WERE VERY FRIGHTENED. CAR WAS DEAD NO POWER! WAITED A COUPLE MINUTES AND THE CAR STARTED SO THE AIR WOULD WORK THIS IS JULY 1ST CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FIRST OPERATOR WAS NOT GOOD AND HER ENGLISH WAS TERRIBLE NEXT LADY WAS GREAT BUT TOW WAS 2 HOURS AWAY.TOWED TO FORD DEALER CLOSED TILL MONDAY. MONDAY MORNING FORD DEALER SAYS ITS A THROTTLE ACTUATED STUCK HAVE TO REPLACE THROTTLE BODY. THEY DID A GOOD JOB ON THE ROAD COUPLE HOURS LATER. THIS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.

I WAS DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON US 23 ON 6/10/2017 WHEN MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO GAS PEDAL. I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FORTUNATELY WITHOUT STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE OR THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME REAR ENDING ME. A ORANGE WRENCH APPEARED ON THE DIGITAL SCREEN IN MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND A MESSAGE APPEARED THAT SAID "SEE MANUAL." MANUAL STATED THIS WAS A POWER-TRAIN FAILURE. I TURNED CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ON. ONCE RESTARTED, THE WRENCH SYMBOL DISAPPEARED. ON 6/11/2017, WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, THE VEHICLE DID THE SAME THING ONLY 1.5 MILES AFTER IGNITION. SUDDEN DECELERATION, COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD, VERY LOW ROUGH IDLE AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO GAS PEDAL DEPRESS. FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLES BEHIND ME. THIS TIME I HAD MY WIFE BRING MY SCAN TOOL TO ME AND I PLUGGED INTO THE OBD2 PORT AND RECEIVED A CODE "P2111 THROTTLE ACTUATOR CONTROL SYSTEM - STUCK OPEN." ONCE AGAIN I TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON. I WENT TO BRUCE WALTERS FORD IN PIKEVILLE, KY ON 6/12/2017 AT 2PM AND ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE SERVICE ADVISER AS WELL AS SERVICE MANAGER ADVISED ME THEY COULD NOT READ ANY CODE AND THEREFORE COULD NOT DO ANYTHING. I EXPLAINED THAT IT RESETS WHEN YOU TURN OFF AND BACK ON AND THERE IS NO WAY TO DRIVE THE CAR WHEN IT HAPPENS BECAUSE IT IS DISABLED. I WAS ADVISED BY BOTH PEOPLE THAT I JUST NEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL IT BROKE DOWN AND HAVE IT TOWED IN WHILE STILL RUNNING THAT WAY THEY COULD READ THE CODE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS UNBELIEVABLE. NO TOW SERVICE WILL TOW A RUNNING CAR. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN BUT WAS ONLY TOLD THAT THEY HAD TO BE ABLE TO READ THE CODE TO HELP. I LEFT DEALERSHIP AND CALLED FORD CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING. DRIVE UNTIL I BROKE DOWN AND HAVE IT TOWED WHILE RUNNING SO THE CODE COULD BE READ. HAVING A VEHICLE RANDOMLY SHUT DOWN ON THE ROAD IS SUPER DANGEROUS.

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN IT SUDDENLY DECELLERATED AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO STEER/COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD. ENGINE WAS RUNNING, BUT VEHICLE HAD NO ACCELERATION. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY PART. DEALER INDICATED DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY PARTS WERE NOT UNCOMMON ON FORD VEHICLES. SUDDEN DECELLERATION COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK HAD TRAFFIC BEEN HEAVIER AND/OR LESS SKILLED DRIVER.

PURCHASED MY 2015 FORD FLEX ON MAY 11, 2016 WITH 54 MILES. ON SATURDAY, JULY 2, 2016 THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND THE CAR SHUT-DOWN. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED AND DROVE HOME, WHICH WAS LESS THAN 5 MILES AWAY. THE CODE PER THE MANUAL, POWERTRAIN FAILURE. ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AS WELL. I NOTICED IT WOULD MOVE A LITTLE SLUGGISH WHEN GOING UP A HILL AND ALSO NOTICED THE SOUND OF THE TRANSMISSION TAKING A FEW SECONDS TO SWITCH GEARS. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TOWED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE SAYING THE THROTTLE BODY WAS DEFECTIVE AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED; HOWEVER.....IT'S ON BACKORDER FOR WEEKS. ON JULY 5, 2016, I SENT AND EMAIL VIA FORDS WEBSITE AND RECEIVED AN EMAIL RESPONSE FROM MEAGAN, A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER REP. WITH FORD ON 7/5/16 AT 2:53PM. MEAGAN'S RESPONSE STATED THAT SHE, "ESCALATED MY CASE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MY DEALERSHIP (OF PURCHASE), AND ENSURED THE SERVICE MANAGER WILL USE ALL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ASSIST ME." FORD CASE NUMBER: CAS-9974632-S3Q0B3

JULY 1 I WAS DRIVING THE CAR RUNNING SOME ERRANDS (BANK, POST OFFICE, GROCERY STORE) WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER TURNING ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS ONE DAY AFTER I HAD THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR MORE DIAGNOSTIC WORK AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITHOUT THE CODE. I LEFT THE CAR RUNNING AFTER MAKING IT HOME AND CALLED FORD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR A TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP. WHEN WRECKER DRIVER ARRIVED AFTER A TWO HOUR WAIT HE SAID HE COULD NOT TOW CAR WITH ENGINE RUNNING (AGAINST DOT RULES AND REGULATIONS) SO ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND CODE WAS LOST AGAIN. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND I TOLD THEM TO KEEP THE CAR UNTIL REPAIRS WERE PROPERLY MADE. I ASK FOR A LOANER BUT I WAS TOLD THEY DIDN'T HAVE ONE. NO OFFER WAS MADE FOR A RENTAL. THEY DID GIVE ME A RIDE BACK HOME WHERE I SAT OVER THE JULY 4TH HOLIDAY WITH NO TRANSPORTATION. TOTALLY LOST FOR WHAT TO DO NEXT? ANY SUGGESTIONS?

REGARDING NHTSA COMPLAINT NO. 10876758. HAD THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING AND NOTHING WAS FOUND. THEY THINK IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY BUT CAN'T REPAIR IT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY. SERVICE WRITER SAID HE WOULD CALL ME IF AND WHEN HE GOT AUTHORIZATION (NO IDEA WHEN THAT MIGHT BE). NO OFFER WAS MADE TO LEAVE CAR UNTIL REPAIRS WERE MADE AND REPLACE WITH A LOANER. I DROVE THE CAR BACK HOME APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES ONE WAY. THIS AFTERNOON I DROVE IT TO THE GROCERY STORE WITH MY WIFE RIDING ALONG AND UPON RETURNING HOME I WAS TURNING ACROSS TWO LANES OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC ONTO THE ROAD I LIVE ON WHEN THE CAR STALLED AGAIN. DEALERSHIP JUST CALLED AND SAID FORD WILL NOT AUTHORIZE REPAIR WITHOUT THE CODE SHOWING ON THE READER. SO, ON TO THE NEXT STEP.