6.5
fairly significant- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 10,977 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
I have had my F150 for 7 years and have had very few problems. Bad fuel injector and the recall for the cruise control. I have been having trouble with my wipers coming on by themselves. I called my local Ford dealer (columbia Ford, longview, wa) and they said they had not seen this problem before. I did a little research on the web and found your tsb 00-9-6 which describes this problem to a tee. I called the dealer back and was advised I would have to absorb the entire cost for the repair? since they have known about this problem since 2000 and did not recall for this bad switch (see your tsb) "install revised multi-function switch" do I have any recourse in this matter. Like the cruise control switch recalled last year is there a chance of fire? it can be disconcerting to be driving along in 90 degree weather and have your wipers turn on by themselves. I have found many complaints about this at a number of car site it's being called "ghost wipers" the above listed tsb was issued in 2000 but owners were not notified. I believe this is a safety issue that should have been recalled when found. This may have been going on for the past 6 years, the wipers turn on once and you think maybe you hit the switch on the steering wheel by accident.
- Kelso, WA, USA
Windshield wipers just arbitrarily coming on. It's been a problem ever since we bought our 1999 F150 but was much more sporadic than it is now. Now it just seems like the wipers have a mind of their own and keep coming on. It is getting quite annoying.
- Great Falls, MT, USA
Water was getting down into the dashboard and causing windshield wipers to stop. The windshield wipers work normal when the vehicle is in neutral or park. The wipers would only work on low, the radio would cut off when driving in the rain which would happen after 10 minutes, the vehicle wouldn't turn over. The diagnosis was that harness assembly needed to be repaired at the starter assembly. There was a clicking sound coming from under the dash, and the theft light flashed. The mechanic found a bad GEM module which also caused the blower to stay on and drain the battery. The heater bower wound not shut off intermittently when shutting the trunk off and had to be manually shut off.
- Brunswick, OH, USA
Have had problems with the turn signals, brake lights, and windshield wipers on my 1999 Ford F-150. On a recent trip to Indiana I noticed that when the steering wheel was tilted down so that my wife could drive, the turn signals stopped working. While in Indiana a man was nice enough to flag me down to let me know that my break lights were not working. I took the truck to eby Ford sales (June 6, 2003) in goshen for repair. They indicated that the multifunction switch disconnected when the steering wheel was tilted down. So they lengthened the connector assembly wires and that seems to have solved the problem. On December 17, 2001, I took my truck into prince Ford in douglas Georgia and told them that my windshield wipers would just come on for no reason. They replaced the multifunction switch but did not lengthen the wires.according to the service department at ebby Ford, this multifunction switch controls several vital functions on the truck - brake lights, turn signals, wipers, etc. Several things are worth noting here: First, I called and talked with price Ford in Georgia and asked why the multifunction switch wires were not lengthened when the switch was replaced by them the first time (December 17, 2001). They haven't even called me back. Second, I called Ford Motor Company and informed them of the problem. They said that they would note the problem but that there was no recall at this time. Finally, it seems to me that there is a potential for serious crashes resulting from the fact that the switch wires on the multifunction switch assembly is not long enough and that the switch disconnects when the steering wheel is tilted down. It would be a tradgedy if just one person lost their lives because the break lights or turn signals failed due to this problem. Thanks for looking into this for me.
- Hazlehurst, GA, USA
Windshield wipers activate themselves for no apparent reason. This is distracting to the driver and could be a potential hazard.
- Lockport, NY, USA
Windshield wipers come on by themselves. No apparent reason why. There are no shorts or loose wires no one can explain. Back window on truck is leaking went to have fixed. They said that they have replaced a multiple of these windows do to faulty manufacturing but are still making me pay for it. I just don't understand that if they know it is a fault in the window why not recall it instead of making money off of it.
- Spring Lake, NC, USA
The windshield wipers activate (turn-on) unexpectedly when driving and switch is in the off position. Dealership says the control module is "defective" but will not warranty the repair since there is no recall. It is a definite safety issue as the distraction could arise at anytime while driving.
- Cedar Park, TX, USA
While driving in the rain windshield wipers stopped working, causing loss of visibility. Consumer states the multi-function switch was replaced.
- Tucson, AZ, USA
Windshield wipers intermittently engage without warning. Jlg
- Beesley's Point, NJ, USA
Windshield wiper suddenly comes on without being switched by the driver. This is very startling and distracting to the operator of the vehicle. I feel it is a safety concern because it frightens the operator
- Valley City, OH, USA
Electronic module causes windshield wipers to operate in the off mode without being turned on. Causes repeated scraping and scoring of dry windshield and distraction to driver.
- Gahanna, OH, USA
Windshield wipers come on unexpectedly, especially during or following turns causing a major distraction. The transmission "coasts" during deceleration. When power is applied after that the transmission seems to slip back into gear, causing the truck to jerk.
- Bakersfield, CA, USA
Windshield wipers come on an off randomly while driving.
- Hamilton, MA, USA
While driving windshield wipers come on without application. Problem was reported to dealership. Problem has not been corrected.
- Ellisville, MS, USA
At highway speeds, washer spray is to weak. It only gets the bottom 1/3 of windshield. This won't let you clean the section in front of your eyes. Problem with cleaning spray during winter driving or light rain.
- Carlisle, PA, USA
This has happened several times and is not correctable per Ford
- Hillsdale, MI, USA
The force of the wind over the hood directs the stream of washer fluid from the washers to a place below the wiper blades due to design.
- Plymouth, MA, USA
- Indianapolis, IN, USA