'06 Eddie Bauer - Strange Electrical Problem

[bill32399]

yea I was just getting ready to give my car a massage but I have to find my white gloves first.

 

[Crumski01]

Yeah-- I would be willing to give my truck a tire rub if it would quit giving me so much trouble.

I got my truck back, and everything seems alright so far. They gave me a slight discount on the labor considering it would have been over a $3,000 tab. However, they ended up charging me more than they promised anyhow.

I can't help but feel that this was more than a normal wear-and-tear problem, and there wasn't anything I did to cause it. If anything, it seems like a manufacturing defect. I don't think this was a flood vehicle, although I do know there was a flood in the Louisville Ford Plant in 2006 (in September). I suggested this to the service advisor, and he said there was no way it was a flood vehicle. I probably would have seen many more problems by now.

I'm hoping that none of these problems resurface. It feels great to have the vehicle back in my hands, though! I've already missed enough work because of this, and I can't afford to take any more vacation!

I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks,
Eric D.

 

[midiout]

We had a 1999 E150 Econoline conversion van with the same problem on the driver's side. After several attempts to correct the problem, a leak was found. When the van was on the assembly line, someone forgot to do a weld in the windshield, so there was a leak, water ran down the inside of the pillar into the dashboard. Ford did take the van back, as it was costing them to much money to fix it under warranty. The flooded topic could be an issue, as who knows where some of these new vehicle were sitting before they went to the dealer ?

 

[slayer305]

If the X had a sunroof that could be a problem also. We looked at a VW Jetta and the rear floor board was soaking wet. Someone at the dealer had seen that before and the drain tube for the sunroof was clogged. He snipped it and water started gushing out. Depending on where the sunroof drains (maybe in the passenger kick panel) could be the problem.

 

[Crumski01]

Poor Soldering-- the saga continues

Hey All--

I thought I would give you all an update (hopefully this will help anyone else who is having similar problems with a vehicle), and maybe ask for some advice on how to handle this situation...

First, the update:

I had been driving the vehicle for about a week after getting it back (supposedly fixed) when I started seeing problems again. The problems I was seeing were as follows:
- Lights coming on in the cluster again (Brake service and airbag light). These lights were intermittent I was also seeing flickering in the "Passenger Airbag Off" light above the radio in the center console. When I stepped on the brake, this light would turn off and stop flickering, and most of the time the airbag light in the cluster would simultaneously turn on. When I released the brake, the "Passenger Airbag Off" light would begin flickering again, and the airbag light would often times turn off.
- I could not get the Brake Shift Interlock to engage so that I could shift out of park. The vehicle would start, but since I couldn't shift into drive or reverse, the vehicle was unusable. On one or two occasions I did get the vehicle to shift, but the problem seemed to deteriorate over time and eventually I could not shift out of park at all.

I had purchased an Electrical Wiring Diagram for the vehicle, and I began doing my own research and diagnosis. You can imagine, I was having a hard time trusting that the guys at the dealership were competent at this point ($2400+ invested in (mis-)diagnosis and repairs and I'm still seeing problems!). I began looking into some of the work they had done on the "corroded" wires and connector in the passenger side kick-panel. I did not see any evidence of corrosion, but I did see that they had used jumper wires to bypass 3 pins of the connector. I did not see any problems with the 3 pins they bypassed in terms of corrosion. After some experimentation, I realized that by pinching the connection where one of the jumper wires met the original wire, I could cause the lights I mentioned above in the cluster to turn on/off. I deduced that the soldering job must have been poor, and I could only hope that fixing this would fix the entire problem.

I called the service advisor, and they paid to have the vehicle towed back to the dealership to fix the soldering job. Apparently fixing this soldering job did not completely fix the problem. They were still unable to engage the Brake Shift Interlock to shift the vehicle out of park. I don't know if they were still seeing problems with the lights in the cluster at this point. (At this point I had not authorized additional work on the vehicle). While pressing and releasing the brake, the tech apparently kicked the Power Distribution Box, and accidentally fixed the problem. The tech determined that the Power Distribution Box must have been the problem. The service advisor told me that they call this a "Tap-test", and he told me that they went ahead and ordered a new Power Distribution Box without my authorization. They installed the part and programmed it, and returned the vehicle to me.


Here's the current status:

I was instructed to drive the vehicle for a week or two to make sure that everything was fixed before we talk about additional billing. Although within the first week I did see the compass in the cluster go out for an extended period of time and I saw the tire pressure light go on once (may not have been a problem), the vehicle has been running fine with no problems for the past couple of weeks. Now the service advisor wants to "settle up" with me on the billing. I had already paid $2400 for the first go-around, and I'm worried about how much he's going to ask for this time. I believe they mis-diagnosed the problem on multiple occasions, including unnecessarily replacing the Instrument Cluster. I'm also not supremely confident that I've seen the last of the problems with this vehicle.


And finally, a request for advice:

I would like to request some recourse through Ford to pay for the manufacturing defects that have caused problems in my vehicle. I would especially like to determine how much Ford is willing to help before I pay anything more to the dealership that has given me so much grief over the past 2+ months. Does anyone have any recommendations for me on how to proceed? A phone number to call or a person to contact?

Thanks so much for your help,
Eric D.

 

[garyk1970]

all i can do is offer advice and my opinion on your situation..however i do automotive electrical work for a living (23 years now) so im qualified to do so.
do not pay for any unnessary repair (ie; cluster).it sounds like they dont have a very solid electronics tech.with the issues still showing up,all the loose/shorted crcuits have not been adressed.
tell them to find the source of the problems(water/moisture),not just throw parts at it.
might be time for a second opinion from a good local independent electronics/electrical specialists.like me,they will be able to tell you what actual repairs were done right or wrong.........good luck.

 

[denmcg]

Eric,

Just read entire thread on your issues. What a nightmare! Hope my issue ( http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258390 )is not the beginning of another!

My '06 mountaineer is presently at the dealer after having it towed earlier today. I experienced a "no start " with theft indicator lamp rapidly flashing. However, so far, I have not experienced any of the other strange symptoms, except when at the dealer, the mechanic went to check the vehicle in and could not get any odometer reading. No dash lights, no dome lights etc. DEAD BATTERY!

Now I don't know if a weak battery (original) caused the symptoms, or the symptoms caused the battery to go dead. Only time and $$ will tell.

Hopefully by tomorrow I will have an answer from the dealer.

Good luck with your endeavors! I will keep you posted on mine.

Denny

 

[Crumski01]

Denny,

Sounds like we have had some similar symptoms regarding the "no start" and the theft indicator light flashing. I certainly hope your problem is fixed permanently and you don't have to go through what I've gone through. I have a strong feeling that my dealership wasted a lot of time in their misdiagnosis of the problem. I'm pretty convinced the problem all along was related to the Power Distribution Box (since bypassing the connector and replacing the cluster did not fix the problem). I have to go back into the dealership tomorrow to "settle up" on the billing since he tells me they need their books balanced before the end of the month. Not too happy about it.

Keep me posted on any developments on your end. If I can offer any help or advice based on my experiences, I would be more than happy to.

Eric D.

 

[denmcg]

Eric,

Got my car back from the dealer yesterday and so far all is well. Along with the dead battery the dealer found a faulty PATS transceiver (intermittant). Both items were replaced. See attached thread for more details.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258390

Hopefully all is fixed, but only time will tell.

Again, good luck on your end. I will post any further developements.

Denny

 

[Topflightamp]

Hi All,
Well I wanted to post my experience with the same issue: While driving the vehicle the ABS light and the traction control light comes on for about 3 seconds followed the whole control panel blacking out. Speed odometer, gas gauge, and RPM's all go completely black. This happens when the PCM senses a problem with the electrics. (Normal)
My issue was corrected by taking it in to the dealer after paying for a tow. They found that the alternator was free- wheeling. The voltage regulator function had taken leave. It was actually pushing 18 volts. Way too high for the normal operation of the ex. $427 later it was fine. Hope this helps someone else.
Worried sick.