2009 Ford Flex Visibility & Wipers Problems

THE WINDSHIELD DEFROST DOES NOT CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD WHEN TURNED ON THIS WINTER. THE FAN BLOWS OK. THE FAN BELT IS OK. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM.

HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THIS OCCURS WHILE IN MANUAL MODE AND IN AUTOMATIC MODE. TURNING THE KNOW TO "OFF" AND BACK TO "ON" RESTORES THE LIGHTS TO WORKING CONDITION. WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF, THE PARKING LIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS STAY ON MOST OF THE TIME. WE HAD ONE OCCASION WHERE ALL FRONT END LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING - ESPECIALLY CONCERNING AS WE WE RE DRIVING AT NIGHT, IN COMPLETE DARKNESS ON A RURAL ROAD.

THE FORD PANEL NEAR THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER WINDOW CONTINUES TO COME APART. AS FAR AS THE VEHICLE'S FUEL. THE FIRST TIME I WAS AT A GAS STATION. I PUT GAS IN MY CAR. I GOT BACK IN THE VEHICLE AND MY GAUGE WAS STILL ON EMPTY. SO I GOT WORRIED. THEN I WENT TO A DIFFERENT GAS PUMP AND PUT MORE GAS IN THERE. I STARTED MY CAR AND IT WAS STILL ON EMPTY. I DROVE AROUND THE PARKING LOT TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AND ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER MY GAS GAUGE WAS 3/4 FULL. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER. THEN ABOUT 5 TIMES AFTER THAT. I WILL BE ON THE LAST MARK BEFORE EMPTY AND NOT ONLY DOES IT GO FROM 80-70 MILES TO E TO COMPLETE 0 MILES, BUT MY GAUGE GOES FROM THAT MARK TO PASS THE E. I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE AND IT WENT FROM THAT SAME MARK ( THE MARK RIGHT BEFORE THE E) AND JUST RAN OUT OF GAS. I HAVE TOOK IT TO THE SHOP TWICE AND THAT CAN'T FIND A CODE. THEY SAID IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN THEN BRING IT BACK IN. BUT THE INCONVENIENCE I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I HAVE TIME. IT HAPPENED TODAY FEB 10 2014 AND I RACED TO A GAS STATION. I DON'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN AND I'M DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE MY GAS GAUGE IS WRONG AND I STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. I DON'T WANT TO GET STRANDED SOMEWHERE EITHER BECAUSE I HAVE A KID. I HAVE SEEN SAME COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VEHICLE. SO I'M VERY CONCERNED. *TR

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. IT WAS REPAIRED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASSIONS FOR PROBLEMS STEMMING FROM THE WINDSHIELD SENSOR AS WELL AS THE MOLDING WAS NOT CORRECTLY PUT ON THE DOOR. NOW THE BENCH SEAT WILL NOT FOLD DOWN. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY APPARANT ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL ACCORDING TO THIS WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.FORDFLEX.NET/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=14&T=5363 THE CAR IS THREE YEARS OLD AND HAS 59K MILES ON IT BUT FOR A FAMILY WITH ONE CHILD, THIS MECHANISM SHOULD NOT BE DYSFUNCTIONAL. ITS NOT AS IF IT WAS GETTING A LOT WEAR AND TEAR FROM ACCESSING THE 3RD ROW SEATING AREA. IS FORD REVIEWING THESE COMPLAINTS? *TR

THIS FORD MODEL, AND A FEW OTHERS, INCLUDES A LAYER OF ACOUSTIC GLASS IN THE WINDSHIELD. THIS MATERIAL IS A SCREEN PATTERN DISPLAYING A DEFINITE BROWNISH COLOR CAST. A FAIR ESTIMATE IS A REDUCTION OF 15 PERCENT IN FORWARD OVERALL VISIBILITY. PLUS CHANGES IN COLOR DEFINITION AND CONTRAST, WHICH FROM AN EXTREME EXPERIENCE, CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A GRAY SKY, A GRAY TRUCK AND GRAY PAVEMENT MERGING IN MORNING DISTANCE TO BECOME A SERIOUS HAZARD AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS. IT BECOMES A SITUATION OF TOTAL POTENTIAL DISASTER IN A FOG OR SMOG SITUATION. ALL THE ABOVE COMMENTS ARE BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE TO DEMONSTRATE COLOR SHIFT AND LOSS OF VISIBILITY. NEITHER FORD, NOR CARLITE (MAKER OF THE WINDSHIELD) OFFER A "NO ACOUSTIC" GLASS REPLACEMENT. LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE GLASS SERVICE REPORTS A "NO ACOUSTIC GLASS" REPLACEMENT IS IN THE PRE-PRODUCTION PHASE. LOCAL FORD DEALER REPORTS "NO RECALL" ON THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. FORD MOTOR COMPANY CLAIMS "NOT OUR PROBLEM....CONTACT WINDSHIELD MAKER (CARLITE)." YOUR GUIDANCE WILL BE APPRECIATED. *JS

I FEEL THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT IN THE MODEL OF THE 2009 FORD FLEX WITH A DVD SYSTEM. WHEN THE MONITOR IS IN USE THERE'S AN OBSTRUCTION OF VIEW FOR THE DRIVER. IT IS QUITE DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT OF THE REAR VIEW MIRROR WHEN THE MONITOR IS IN USE. I HAVE TRIED ADJUSTING THE DRIVER SEAT AND I CAN NOT FIND A POSITION WHERE THERE IS NOT AN OBSTRUCTION OF VIEW FOR THE DRIVER. *TR