Continous problems with our Limited

[Onrie]

I am just going to copy and past my wifes rant from FB.

@FORD 's system in my car has been complete garbage for months. I could write a laundry list of issues that all tie back to the technology of the vehicle: The remote start almost never works. However, sometimes when I press the lock or unlock button, it will start my car. The engine randomly shuts down when in park. The mirrors go haywire as I'm driving down the road. It often doesn't recognize my key fob at all, and I've gotten stranded in the middle of the night because I can't start my car. Today, it tells me that it's -40° outside (I'm in Texas, where it's currently 85°). Well, actually, it bounced around from -40°, all the way up to 85°. At one point, it just was blank... My AC is blowing straight heat, hotter than the outside air, even though the AC is clearly set to "LO". And these are just a few examples...

I've had it in the dealer service department over 30 combined days in the last twelve months, yet they still tell me that I'm making up my problems, and that they can't get ANYTHING to replicate when the vehicle is in their possession.

Worst part? I've been without a loaner each time it's gone in the shop, AND I've had to pay a diagnostic fee each time -- even though they've never once fixed a thing.

After just shy of two years, I think I've had enough. I have tried voicing my concerns with every level of staff at the dealerships (I've taken it to two different locations). Nothing works. They don't care. I give up.

Guess I'll be in the market for a new car soon... Thanks, @FORD !!


Anyone experience the same issues?

 

[613GT500]

Too soon, as I'm driving a MY2016; but I would cut my losses now and sell the damn thing.

 

[peterk9]

I am just going to copy and past my wifes rant from FB.

@FORD 's system in my car has been complete garbage for months. I could write a laundry list of issues that all tie back to the technology of the vehicle: The remote start almost never works. However, sometimes when I press the lock or unlock button, it will start my car. The engine randomly shuts down when in park. The mirrors go haywire as I'm driving down the road. It often doesn't recognize my key fob at all, and I've gotten stranded in the middle of the night because I can't start my car. Today, it tells me that it's -40° outside (I'm in Texas, where it's currently 85°). Well, actually, it bounced around from -40°, all the way up to 85°. At one point, it just was blank... My AC is blowing straight heat, hotter than the outside air, even though the AC is clearly set to "LO". And these are just a few examples...

I've had it in the dealer service department over 30 combined days in the last twelve months, yet they still tell me that I'm making up my problems, and that they can't get ANYTHING to replicate when the vehicle is in their possession.

Worst part? I've been without a loaner each time it's gone in the shop, AND I've had to pay a diagnostic fee each time -- even though they've never once fixed a thing.

After just shy of two years, I think I've had enough. I have tried voicing my concerns with every level of staff at the dealerships (I've taken it to two different locations). Nothing works. They don't care. I give up.

Guess I'll be in the market for a new car soon... Thanks, @FORD !!


Anyone experience the same issues?

Has the battery in the remote ever been replaced? Not sure if that might be part of the problem. As for the engine randomly shutting down in 'Park', is that while it is idling for a period of time? There is a setting that automatically shuts it down. I believe this can be extended or deleted. Not sure what is meant by "mirrors going haywire".
The temperature reading issue is likely due to a faulty external temperature module. There is a thread on that. The A/C issue could be due to a stuck 'Blend Door'. That is also covered in this Forum. Diagnostic fees are charged whether or not anything is repaired. That is normal. Loaners are provided at the dealer's expense unless you happen to have the Extended Warranty with 1st day rental coverage.

Peter

 

[blwnsmoke]

Has the battery in the remote ever been replaced? Not sure if that might be part of the problem. As for the engine randomly shutting down in 'Park', is that while it is idling for a period of time? There is a setting that automatically shuts it down. I believe this can be extended or deleted. Not sure what is meant by "mirrors going haywire".
The temperature reading issue is likely due to a faulty external temperature module. There is a thread on that. The A/C issue could be due to a stuck 'Blend Door'. That is also covered in this Forum. Diagnostic fees are charged whether or not anything is repaired. That is normal. Loaners are provided at the dealer's expense unless you happen to have the Extended Warranty with 1st day rental coverage.

Peter

If the temp sensor is faulty or missing, that is why they are getting full heat even with AC on. It is smart enough to know that at -40, it will be full blown heat even with the AC. If it thinks it is -40 and you have the thermostat set to LO (60 degrees), you need heat to go from -40 to 60.

To the OP, dealers do not get paid if they can not find anything defective hence the diagnostic fee. They have overhead and techs that need to get paid for their time. This is purely a dealership policy as I have some in my area that do it as well. I just choose to go to the one that does not charge. Can't hate on Ford for something a dealership chooses to do.

 

[peterk9]

If the temp sensor is faulty or missing, that is why they are getting full heat even with AC on. It is smart enough to know that at -40, it will be full blown heat even with the AC. If it thinks it is -40 and you have the thermostat set to LO (60 degrees), you need heat to go from -40 to 60.

You are right. That didn't occur to me at the time.

 

[bigdude2468]

Seem odd to anyone that "the remote start almost never works" yet the dealer could not duplicate it during the "30 days" the car has been in for service?

 

[MikB]

You ever know someone who couldn't figure out heads or tails about a computer and end up calling someone to fix....

You know, some people are just not tech savy. If a tech can operate all those 'things' that are going crazy and they operate the way they are supposed to work, there is a saying we used to like to say that we used to explain the 'problem' and that is 'the nut behind the wheel'. Of course this was never exposed openly to the customer, that would be in bad taste but, it was and I'd say, still is, an inside joke. I'd like to say that there could really be a problem but, after reading 30 visits over a year for these problems, well....

 

[Odrapnew]

If the temp sensor is faulty or missing, that is why they are getting full heat even with AC on. It is smart enough to know that at -40, it will be full blown heat even with the AC. If it thinks it is -40 and you have the thermostat set to LO (60 degrees), you need heat to go from -40 to 60.

But, the OP states the outside temp reading fluctuates, not the inside(well, there is not actual inside temp reading anyway, just a setting).
If I get into my Ex and it's cold(say 0 F) and leave the thermostat set to LO, it will blow as cold of air as possible(adjusts blend door to close off heat), which would be close to 0F. It doesn't blow hot air.
Also, just to clarify, there is a difference between LO and 60. I don't think the exterior and interior temp sensors are connected, but I could be wrong.


But, regardless, I smell a troll as well. As bigdude said, odd that the OP has an issue almost all the time, but dealer cannot replicate.
Also, if it's blowing hot air all the time, wouldn't the dealer notice it? I mean, it would be pretty obvious.

 

[Onrie]

Both remote batteries have been replaced, the vehicle batter has been replaced twice as the dealer thought the battery had some dead cells and was not allowing the vehicle to retain the memory settings. The A/C only blew hot for about 10 min. Then returned to normal, and after driving for about 5 minutes the ambient temp. gauge slowly worked it's way back to normal temperature.

As for the vehicle turning off, it will do it after a very short amount of time, sometimes after a bit of an extended peroid of time, no warning lights or anything.

The mirrors, or mirror rather as it it did it first on the drivers side, the moves itself to the passenger side, but it will adjust itself as if I am holding the button in the up direction, and once it maxes out, it'll keep going. It does this at random times, while driving, when we first start the car, when going from reverse to drive, just whenever it feels like it on that particular day.

We have the best extended warranty they offer, the car is covered till the year 2022

 

[Onrie]

But, the OP states the outside temp reading fluctuates, not the inside(well, there is not actual inside temp reading anyway, just a setting).
If I get into my Ex and it's cold(say 0 F) and leave the thermostat set to LO, it will blow as cold of air as possible(adjusts blend door to close off heat), which would be close to 0F. It doesn't blow hot air.
Also, just to clarify, there is a difference between LO and 60. I don't think the exterior and interior temp sensors are connected, but I could be wrong.


But, regardless, I smell a troll as well. As bigdude said, odd that the OP has an issue almost all the time, but dealer cannot replicate.
Also, if it's blowing hot air all the time, wouldn't the dealer notice it? I mean, it would be pretty obvious.

The A/C blowing hot air occurred the first time yesterday, and it corrected itself shortly there after.

The dealer was able to replicate a few problems while we were still there dropping the car off, but then they can't seem find the problem.

 

[Onrie]

I'm the last person to troll a web forum, just curious to see if anyone else as experienced any of the above mentioned problems. It's the wife's car, I'm rocking my trust 08' Tundra with 83,000 miles on her.

 

[Onrie]

You ever know someone who couldn't figure out heads or tails about a computer and end up calling someone to fix....

You know, some people are just not tech savy. If a tech can operate all those 'things' that are going crazy and they operate the way they are supposed to work, there is a saying we used to like to say that we used to explain the 'problem' and that is 'the nut behind the wheel'. Of course this was never exposed openly to the customer, that would be in bad taste but, it was and I'd say, still is, an inside joke. I'd like to say that there could really be a problem but, after reading 30 visits over a year for these problems, well....

It has nothing to do with being tech savy, and we both are way more tech savy then most people. The problem is nothing is consistent, and we have only taken the car in when the issue seems to be consistant for a few days, only to be told they can't get the problem to replicate or they can't find the cause of the issue.

 

[blwnsmoke]

But, the OP states the outside temp reading fluctuates, not the inside(well, there is not actual inside temp reading anyway, just a setting).
If I get into my Ex and it's cold(say 0 F) and leave the thermostat set to LO, it will blow as cold of air as possible(adjusts blend door to close off heat), which would be close to 0F. It doesn't blow hot air.
Also, just to clarify, there is a difference between LO and 60. I don't think the exterior and interior temp sensors are connected, but I could be wrong.


But, regardless, I smell a troll as well. As bigdude said, odd that the OP has an issue almost all the time, but dealer cannot replicate.
Also, if it's blowing hot air all the time, wouldn't the dealer notice it? I mean, it would be pretty obvious.

The outside temp sensor still plays a roll on what the interior air will be. It is the same thing on the Superduty's.. Our outside temp sensor is built into the passenger side mirror. An owner hit a wall with the mirror and wiped it off the truck. Same thing happened, defaulted to -40 and blew hot air the whole time on full blast whenever the HVAC system was turned on.

 

[MikB]

It has nothing to do with being tech savy, and we both are way more tech savy then most people. The problem is nothing is consistent, and we have only taken the car in when the issue seems to be consistant for a few days, only to be told they can't get the problem to replicate or they can't find the cause of the issue.

The thing that really stands out is the '30 days over a year' thing. However with the above post, maybe the outside temp sensor got wacked or is intermittent. I can only imagine that the sensor has been checked out but, to what extent, is not known. Maybe, for this problem, you can convince them to change this sensor out. The sensor, being located in front and exposed, could have received some road damage.

 

[peterk9]

But, the OP states the outside temp reading fluctuates, not the inside(well, there is not actual inside temp reading anyway, just a setting).

While there is no cabin air temperature display there is a temperature sensor.

Peter

 

[sheltonfilms]

The outside temp sensor still plays a roll on what the interior air will be. It is the same thing on the Superduty's.. Our outside temp sensor is built into the passenger side mirror. An owner hit a wall with the mirror and wiped it off the truck. Same thing happened, defaulted to -40 and blew hot air the whole time on full blast whenever the HVAC system was turned on.

I second this.

I've personally seen a 2013 Limited with a ripped off outside sensor blow heat in the lo setting. You can overide it by going to MAX A/C.

 

[Odrapnew]

The outside temp sensor still plays a roll on what the interior air will be. It is the same thing on the Superduty's.. Our outside temp sensor is built into the passenger side mirror. An owner hit a wall with the mirror and wiped it off the truck. Same thing happened, defaulted to -40 and blew hot air the whole time on full blast whenever the HVAC system was turned on.

Interesting, guess I wouldn't think outside temp sensor would override inside temp sensor.

While there is no cabin air temperature display there is a temperature sensor.

Peter

View attachment 93003

Yup, that's what I would think the hvac would use to control interior temp and not the exterior sensor.

 

[v26278]

I've never encountered a similar problem, but have heard of it on other vehicles (not Explorers). Often it is due to a low voltage issue, a faulty connection in the main CAN bus (or whatever it's called) or a faulty control module somewhere. In such cases, the are usually some OBD codes being triggered. Any codes? Also, any aftermarket electronics installed? Some things, such as a power amp, may draw too much current, which can raise havoc with the electronics.

 

[peterk9]

Interesting, guess I wouldn't think outside temp sensor would override inside temp sensor.



Yup, that's what I would think the hvac would use to control interior temp and not the exterior sensor.

This issue has been discussed before; http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/ambient-air-temperature-issue.412634/

Peter

 

[reserved50]

3 things usually, #1 whats quoted below #2 there is no issue, or #3 was there ever an accident? If all the issues you are having are unrelated, you have a lemon.. which can be fixed.

I've never encountered a similar problem, but have heard of it on other vehicles (not Explorers). Often it is due to a low voltage issue, a faulty connection in the main CAN bus (or whatever it's called) or a faulty control module somewhere. In such cases, the are usually some OBD codes being triggered. Any codes? Also, any aftermarket electronics installed? Some things, such as a power amp, may draw too much current, which can raise havoc with the electronics.