Headlights Flicker when using turn signal

[deanimalz]

Hello, I am new here, hope this is the right place to post this.

New FFHT owner, had 2011 FEH, but suffered Head on due to other driver Texting, yay me. Anyways here is the current problem I have.

I have a new 2014 FFHT fully loaded. Driving late one night I noticed that my headlights flickered while the turn signal was turned on. Dealer had my vehicle for over a collective 2 months, last stent was month in a half, with the help of the Ford service engineer from the engineering group, they replaced everything from the battery, battery control box, body control unit 3 times, wiring harness, and main body wiring harness. New Ground, No luck, talking with the Field service rep, he stated that this shouldn't be doing this. RAV agreed to take the car back, so I ordered a new one, and it does the exact same thing. Talking with the Dealer Engineer he said that while they had my vehcile for the month period two others came in, they tried the samething, and theirs was ok. Is my luck just that bad, or is there something going on here. BTW both cars were made in Mexico, don't know if that helps. My daughter has the same car, and hers functions normally.

[hermans]

I haven't experienced this with either of my cars.

[hybridbear]

We haven't experienced this either and you're the first person to post this issue.

 

Very strange that it's happened to you on two different cars.

[corncobs]

I would assume since it spend that long at the dealer you didn't replace standard lamps with LEDs correct or any other modifications?

 

Just for the record I haven't noticed a flickering either.

[SteveB_TX]

:lurk:

[deanimalz]

No, I didn't replace or modify anything on the car. Lucky too, otherwise they would have no problems saying that it was something that I did.

The flickering is very settle, the way I demonstrated this to the sales manager was to , start car, turn on the headlights, turn left or right blinker on. had manager stand in front of the headlights, (Left side seems to be the worst.) and cover up the orange lights from the turn signal so all that was hitting him on the pant leg was the headlights. . Per the FSE it was every second or third cycle of the turn signal, and that there was a draw, or low power drain. They had some what tied it back to the BCM, hence the reason it was replaced 3 times. Initial power up on BCM (Shiny new) no problem, no flicker, everything good. BCM goes into sleep mode, come back online with ignition, flickering problem comes back.

 

By the way how can you tell if your Fusion has the newest code update, In the new vehicle on Empower display, there are no brackets around ev blue curve bar .

[hybridbear]

By the way how can you tell if your Fusion has the newest code update, In the new vehicle on Empower display, there are no brackets around ev blue curve bar .

What do you mean? How does it show the threshold then? Can you please post a pic?

[deanimalz]

Ok, I was having a blonde moment, I was on enlightened not on empowered. Before I realized that, I had remembered reading that before the update the vehcle's engine was always on past 65 and after the update it was set to 85. So after I verified MPH on the freeway today, I doubled checked the display setting, and of course I noticed my error .

but to answer your question, while CE is running its a solid white bell curved bar, and while in EV its blue with no threshold hold indicator, both of which indicating amount of power being applied.

vs

[hybridbear]

So there are no changes to the Empower screen in your car?

 

Ok, I was having a blonde moment, I was on enlightened not on empowered. Before I realized that, I had remembered reading that before the update the vehcle's engine was always on past 65 and after the update it was set to 85. So after I verified MPH on the freeway today, I doubled checked the display setting, and of course I noticed my error .

but to answer your question, while CE is running its a solid white bell curved bar, and while in EV its blue with no threshold hold indicator, both of which indicating amount of power being applied.

[deanimalz]

No, not that I have seen anyways.

[acdii]

That looks like an Energi model, not a HyTi.

[FordService]

... RAV agreed to take the car back, so I ordered a new one, and it does the exact same thing. Talking with the Dealer Engineer he said that while they had my vehcile for the month period two others came in, they tried the samething, and theirs was ok. Is my luck just that bad, or is there something going on here. ...

 

deanimalz,

 

Let me see how I can help. Send me a PM with your name, phone number, VIN, mileage, and dealer info. I'll take a look.

 

Ashley

[deanimalz]

Sorry for the delay PM sent, thank you Ashley

[Kybuck]

Did you get any resolution to this issue? I'm seeing the same thing in my 2014 Fusion Energi SE. I think it's only the left headlight flickering when the left turn signal is on, but it also might be that I somehow make more left turns than right turns at traffic lights behind other vehicles (when I typically notice it). It's pretty subtle - I wasn't sure if I was just seeing a strange reflection of the turn signal the first couple of times. And I don't think it does it every time.

[Griswald]

On the 2G Fusion board, someone posted that they changed their light bulbs for LED bulbs and noticed the same problem. An answer was posted...

 

Quote

get some capicitors from TRS and that should solve the flicker issue. they are only like $15 each i think

Couldn't hurt to try...

[Easy Rider]

 

On the 2G Fusion board, someone posted that they changed their light bulbs for LED bulbs and noticed the same problem. An answer was posted...

 

Quote

get some capicitors from TRS and that should solve the flicker issue. they are only like $15 each i think

Couldn't hurt to try...

 

That is "fixing" something that is not really a "problem" in the first place.

 

A very slight flicker is not something to worry about and probably exists on a lot of cars.

I suspect it would be even more noticeable when the headlights are in "DRL" mode.

 

If the flicker is really pronounced and obvious, you should be looking for a loose connection (ground?) or a problem with the battery.........and NOT trying to fix it with an add-on modification.

[Griswald]

That is "fixing" something that is not really a "problem" in the first place.

 

A very slight flicker is not something to worry about and probably exists on a lot of cars.

I suspect it would be even more noticeable when the headlights are in "DRL" mode.

 

If the flicker is really pronounced and obvious, you should be looking for a loose connection (ground?) or a problem with the battery.........and NOT trying to fix it with an add-on modification.

Did you not read the thread before blasting my response?

 

The OP had his car at the dealer for many weeks, they couldn't fix the problem. I only offered a simple and cheap solution to his "not a problem".

[Easy Rider]

Did you not read the thread before blasting my response?

 

 

How exactly does my reply qualify as "blasting" ?

 

The fact remains that all the "fix" did was make the owner feel better.

It didn't really solve a "problem" that needed "fixing".

 

I meant no disrespect by disagreeing with your conclusion.......and certainly don't want to hint that you shouldn't have posted it.

Just trying to keep things in the proper perspective here.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Easy Rider

[JRichmer]

My 14 fusion hybrid titanium is doing the same thing. Dealer says it normal. It's crap

[Nick Golden]

Mine does this too. Doesn't really bother me except at red lights with a car in front of me...that's when I notice it. I'm too afraid to do anything about it because the car runs so well otherwise. if someone finds an easy solution, let me know.

 

Also doesn't seem to be affected by the state of charge of the HVB.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Nick Golden

[Fordguy469]

Found the fix. PM me for details.

[GrySql]

Found the fix. PM me for details.

Hello, welcome to the Forum.

Is there a reason you don't want to share this repair openly on the Forum? I can respect that if it might cause you a problem somehow.

If not, I am sure the rest of us could learn by your experience and appreciate it if you'd post it here.

Plus, you'd only have to type up the answer once! :)

[Kybuck]

I just got my 2014 Energi SE back after a little over a week at the dealer for this (and an oil change and a couple other minor issues). The majority of the time was spent on this issue. The first day, they couldn't replicate it, and worked on the oil change and other items (even though it was consistently flickering at least once every few "blinks"). The next day, they thankfully were able to replicate the issue, but they couldn't find anything obvious and had to contact "engineering" for help. The next day, when they heard back it was diagnosed as a BCM issue, and they had to order one, which took a couple business days. It finally arrived yesterday, and they finished installing/programming it today. All covered under warranty.

 

At least on the little bit of driving I did tonight, the flicker has gone away. But I'm almost positive my car didn't do it from day one, so time will tell if it comes back. If it does, I may just try the capacitor solution.

 

A few things to note:

- Replacing the BCM requires reprogramming both keys, so the dealer needs both (I had to make a special trip to deliver the second set).

- In my case, the door keypad code changed. I had to use the procedure outlined in the manual to have the car display the new code. So the card with the code that came with my car (which was in my glove box the whole time) now shows the wrong code.

- Some minor settings, etc. changed/reverted to default and had to be set back up. I also had to set up MyFordMobile again (Energi only). That being said, my memory seats, trip odometers, radio station presets, cell phone pairing, etc. all worked without any issues.

[TStorm]

Jumping in on an old conversation here....but I have noticed my 2014 doing the same. Was replacing the BCM the final fix or was there something else? I have about 5k left on my warranty if that is what it requires.

[gr8skate]

Jumping in on an old conversation here....but I have noticed my 2014 doing the same. Was replacing the BCM the final fix or was there something else? I have about 5k left on my warranty if that is what it requires.

Same here. What is the fix and proof that this is a problem. Drivers side headlight pulses periodically when either turn signal is on. The car is stock, no modifications. My dealer refuses to acknowledge there is a issue and my warranty is almost up. :banghead: