Help Needed - Alarm messages keep "Popping Up' Randomly

[BarbaraABaker]

I have a 2014 Fusion Hybrid Titanium that I purchased new back in Dec. 2013 and have had no issues - UNTIL NOW!

1st - A couple of months ago (approx. May 2019) a message started 'Popping Up' on left side of dash statin

g "Tire Mobility Service Fault" - it is typically preceded with 2-3 dings then would quickly disappear after 1-2 seconds (took me 3-4 times before I could actually look fast enough to start reading it). Then it wouldn't happen again for at least 4-5 days (maybe closer to a week) with no regularity.

2nd - after a couple times of this happening (maybe a week and a half to 2 weeks), I noticed that the the volume control on the steering wheel stopped working all together. I didn't worry about it too much as the volume control on the radio still worked.

3rd - not long after this (maybe a week or 10 days) while I was driving along, the radio would just 'shut off'. Each time my hands were gripping the steering wheel and 'no where' near any buttons etc. This would happen maybe once every 6-7 days or so. "Initially" it would let me simply hit the power button and let me turn it back on - but after 3-4 times of having this happen, the radio stopped turning back on and would no longer work. (I love listening to music while I'm in the car and have the Sony Surround sound entertainment system).

 

I didn't take it in to the dealership initially, because it was happening so irregularly, I figured that there wouldn't be anything they could do if they couldn't see it happen!

 

4th - Then out of the blue (maybe mid July), the tire mobility light would come on then go off (like before), but then after a minute or so, the "Low Fuel" light would light up along with the picture of a gas pump and show no fuel (when I "KNOW" that I had OVER a quarter of a tank of gas). This stayed on for a couple of minutes, and while the low fuel light was on - the 'Door Ajar" warning light came on for about a half a minuted then it went away. Then, a couple of minutes later I got stopped for a Red Light - and as soon as I got stopped - everything on the dash 'blacked-out' andon the screen between the seats (same screen that the back-up camera uses) after it went black as well, it came up with "Low Battery" then it was quickly replaced with "Switching to Power Saver Mode (or something very close to that).

All of this (in item # 4) happened within a 10-15 minute time period, and during that time the Tire Mobility Service Fault message would still pop up and then disappear after a couple seconds (except when stopped at the light and dash went dark).

 

At this point - I went straight to the dealership service department, but since it was a Saturday I was told that they didn't have anyone who could look at it or do any diagnostics to see what the problem could be so they gave me an appointment for Wednesday of last week (July 24th).

In the meantime, after talking to some family members - we started thinking that 'maybe' it could have had something to do with the 12v battery and since it was the original battery and the car is 5 1/2 years old (nearing the lifespan of a battery anyway) - I went ahead and had the dealership replace that. Ironically, after replacing that batter - the radio started working again (and for about 10 minutes - the volume button on the steering wheel did too).

BUT,,,

5th - Naturally, the afternoon before my appointment - I went to get in my car to leave work, and "Low and Behold" the car would NOT start when I got in - the dash was completely dark (no lights of any sort came on) and I found myself stranded. Ended up having the car towed to dealership.

After them having the car for 2 1/2 days - all they could do was basically scratch their head and say they don't really know why it happened or what the problem is and that "Maybe" there is an electrical short somewhere??? So last Friday afternoon they said I could come & get it & "see if" maybe it's fixed (after $475.00).

I picked it up and "Naturally" on the way home (I got maybe a block from the dealership) and the Tire Mobility Service Fault light came on again!!!! So clearly the dealership doesn't have a clue!

 

Has anyone ever had these types of issues or have any idea what types of things could be causing it! I took the car back in to the dealership just this morning - but now I'm trying to research this on my own (since the dealership isn't able/willing to).

Any information or feedback would be greatly appreciated! (sorry for my long-windedness)

 

Most Respectfully,

[lolder]

Change the 12 vdc battery before you pay for any diagnostics. Don't even check the battery, just change it. Even if someone says it's ok, change it.

[billford]

Your point 5 is a big clue to tell your dealer that the dash lights did not turn on. They have to duplicate the problem to find the issue.

 

When the dash did not light up, you may want to see what else did not work to try and narrow the problem down. At the time the dash lights did not light up, did the headlights and parking lights work? Did the horn work? Interior lights?

 

Sounds like this is going to be a tough problem to find.

 

Please keep us posted...

[BarbaraABaker]

The 12v battery was changed 5 days before the car wouldn't start, and 'initally' I thought that might have done the trick as the volume button on the steering wheel started working (but sadly only for a few minutes - within 5 minutes it had stopped again) BUT, the radio 'had' started working again - that is until the car wouldn't start on the 5th day. The dealership had it for 3 days and said they weren't really sure what happened or why, but wondered if it could be a "short somewhere"?? On the 3rd day they called me and said they weren't sure if they had it fixed or not but I could pick it up and try it out! Naturally,, the tire service mobility fault light came on before I could even get a half mile away! This was on a Friday evening during rush hour traffic, and knew they wouldn't be doing anything over the weekend, so I just took it home and let it sit for the weekend in the safety of my garage, and just took it back on Monday morning first thing (2days ago) and it's now Wednesday almost noon and I've heard nothing from them. Both when I picked it up on Friday and again when I dropped it off 2 days ago, they seemed to be doing a lot of scratching their heads and saying things like "uhh, we'll try to fix it" (basically shattering my confidence in their capabilities). I'm thinking now that I should have taken it to either a different dealership, or a NON Ford place that deals with electrical / computer / battery related issues that specializes in diagnostics - if there is such a place. Unfortunately I'm a bit clueless as to where the best place is to take it.?? I guess we'll see!!

[murphy]

The first thing to check when random errors happen is for a loose ground wire.

I'm not talking about the battery ground wire but all of the component grounds throughout the car.

 

Does Indianapolis spread salt on the roads in the winter?

[BarbaraABaker]

Yes, Indianapolis does sometimes puts down salt in winter - other times put down a liquid to reduce effects of freezing. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon.

[BarbaraABaker]

Yes, Indianapolis does sometimes puts down salt in winter - other times put down a liquid to reduce effects of freezing. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon.

[BarbaraABaker]

Yes, Indianapolis does sometimes puts down salt in winter - other times put down a liquid to reduce effects of freezing. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon.

[BarbaraABaker]

Yes, Indianapolis does sometimes puts down salt in winter - other times put down a liquid to reduce effects of freezing. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon.