Blind Spot System Fault and Cross Traffic System Fault

[italianstallion]

Hey everyone, new here and hoping to see if anyone had an issue like I am having with my 2011 Mercury Milan that has 63,000 miles on it.

 

My car has been rear ended three times in the past year and a half. I was at fault for none of these accidents, as I was stopped at a red light for the first then stopped in traffic for the next two. The most recent accident I was hit on the highway by a sedan at about 45 mph and it was certainly the most violent of the three.

 

After close to $8,000 in damages and five weeks in the shop, my car was finally returned to me on October 24. The car looked great, everything worked, and I was happy to have it back.

 

Flash foward a month to yesterday morning when I started the car up and received the following error messages on the dash screen "BLIND SPOT SYSTEM FAULT" and "CROSS TRAFFIC SYSTEM FAULT." Both messages cycle flash once every 2 or 3 minutes and are both accompanied by that same beeping sound you hear when your door is open with your lights on. Extremely annoying.

 

The manual says if these should appear to take the car to a dealership right away. Before doing that I tried a couple of reset techniques: first I did the 10 turns of the key, and after that didn't work I disconnected the battery for an extended period of time. Once I reconnected the battery, the problem persisted and a new issue arose: my AC only blew hot hot air and only at my face (defrost and feet did not work).

 

So this morning I took it to the dealership. First I was told the AC control unit would need to be replaced. Ok, fine, $200 part plus an hour of labor. The right rear blind spot sensor also needed to be replaced, callout # 14C689 at a cost of $1,074 plus another hour of labor. Neither part would be in stock until Tuesday, and as the car is otherwise completely driveable Ford sent me on my way after $300 in diagnostic charges (to be applied to the future repairs).

 

So I have a volley of questions for anyone who has made it this far:

 

1) How often do these blind spot indicators fail?

2) Could my blind spot indicator's failure be attributed to the accidents? There are two modules that are mounted in the left and right corners of the bumper. (I have an insurance adjuster coming out who will look at the car before repairs are made. The service tech's eyes lit up when I told him it had been through 3 accidents and said it could "absolutely be attributed to that." He did not note any damage on the module itself though).

http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/CatalogResults.aspx?y=2011&m=Mercury&mo=Milan&initSearch=1&keyword=blind#Search

3) Can I just disable the blind spot system altogether and just continue to check my blind spots like I already do anyway (the service guy hesitated when I asked him this, he eventually said no they cannot be disabled. I cannot disable them from the dash menu as I no longer have control of those systems).

4) Is there anywhere I can get this OEM part for cheaper than the $1,074 sticker price? I'm guessing I shouldn't mess with junkyards on this type of thing.

5) When I left the dealership the A/C and heat worked just fine all around. I knew they reflashed the car because the radio was reset, so how soon does an A/C control unit fail?

 

Again my car has 63,000 miles on it, and it seems a bit early for a $1,074 part to just fail on its own, same with the A/C control unit. Just trying to see if anyone has any knowledge on these items.

Edited November 26, 2014 by italianstallion

[Waldo]

Yes, 100% likely that your blind-spot module was damaged in the accidents. It's right there in the bumper, I don't know how you could accrue $8000 and not damage it. Even if it's not damaged, it's very sensitive to it's surroundings and installation. If the brackets and sheetmetal it's attached to are still bent, the system may be mis-aimed and picking up strange signals, which will eventually set off the warning messages. Even if there's a piece of metal in it's field of view, it can react strangely.

 

As for the A/C system, sounds like it's just resetting itself after the battery disconnect. When the dealer says that it needs to be replaced, it really just means they couldn't find anything else wrong, so if it's working fine now, I'd just leave it alone.

[italianstallion]

Yes, 100% likely that your blind-spot module was damaged in the accidents. It's right there in the bumper, I don't know how you could accrue $8000 and not damage it. Even if it's not damaged, it's very sensitive to it's surroundings and installation. If the brackets and sheetmetal it's attached to are still bent, the system may be mis-aimed and picking up strange signals, which will eventually set off the warning messages. Even if there's a piece of metal in it's field of view, it can react strangely.

 

As for the A/C system, sounds like it's just resetting itself after the battery disconnect. When the dealer says that it needs to be replaced, it really just means they couldn't find anything else wrong, so if it's working fine now, I'd just leave it alone.

 

Hey thanks for the reply. I figure a small square part that goes for $1,074 is probably a pretty sensitive piece of equipment. I'm hopeful my insurance company agrees, and they pay for it and fight the at-fault driver's insurance company over it.

 

And the A/C continued to work fine today. I'll have a full weekend of driving in before I take it back, but it'll probably be okay for the time being.

[Mikey14SE]

Also, its pretty rare, but also another possible scenario in this case could be the presence of an aftermarket or otherwise non-OEM rear bumper cover. If the plastic is thicker than the OEM bumper it can potentially cause issues. Also if any of the circuitry to the sensors on either side is pinched or anything like that, it can cause an excessive voltage drop to the sensors and cause problems.

[President Bell]

I will say to all that is having this blindspot and cross traffic fault. Mine also caused the radio panel not to respond while the faults were on. Before u go to the dealer, try this trick as it worked for me.

Get you about $5.00 worth of quarters, go to a car wash with a high pressure sprayer, and spray all the dirt, grime, roadkill, etc from under the firewall of each tire. Also spray all the sensors on the rear bumper, the rear camera, the camera on the front windshield, and spray the sideview mirrors real good. That fixed my problems. I was spraying and then I noticed the lights came on while the car was off. Evidentally after spraying all the places the sensors could be, I sprayed the one that had an obstruction.

Hope it helps and save you thousands of dollars!

Sincerely,

President Bell

youtube.com/presidentbell

[drolds1]

Leaving aside for the moment that this thread is over 5 years old, IDK how you got lucky with this approach but you did.

 

First, what exactly is the "firewall under each tire?"  The only thing under the tire is the ground.  If you mean the inner fender liners, there are no sensors under there.

 

Next, the sensors in the rear bumper are for the rear parking assist and have nothing to do with the cross-traffic alert system or BLIS.  Those sensors are behind the rear bumper cover on either side of the car.  So you never touched them with the spray.  The rear camera, likewise, has nothing to do with either system as well.  I certainly wouldn't direct high-pressure spray at that camera on my car.

 

A 2011 Fusion wasn't available with a front camera and how would one spray a front camera when it's inside the car?

 

Lastly, there are no sensors in the rear view mirrors, so spraying them did nothing and risked more damage.

 

Also, how would the lights come on when the car was off? 

 

Bottom line: what you did had no affect on the cross-traffic/BLIS sensors.

 

 

[President Bell]

If u take the time to read the manual, it says if the car is dirty, it affects the sensors. Doesnt matter how old the post is if it helps someone. If the windshield has roadkill, it blocks the camera in it to see forward. Same with back camera, it senses movement also. When i said under the tire, i meant under the wall where the tires throw dirt. But if u know anything about the Titanium edition, which u obviously dont, the lights blink when certain options enable or disable. It worked for me. Choice is up to the reader if they want to try it. The sensors on my car, which is a 2014, which I see u also didnt read, absolutely would not be damaged by a car wash rinse sprayer. If so, car washes would go out of business!

Edited March 2, 2020 by President Bell

[NCEcoBoost]

Not a doubt in my mind that the creator of this thread no longer owns the Milan.  Until drolds1's reply, I was beyond shocked that the car wouldn't have been totalled.  Had it been 2020, it would have, obviously.

Be aware that even a small "tap" in a parking lot can screw up the Rear Parking Assist sensors (the small circles).  In a prior vehicle, I did just that to a Suburban parked in a small car spot and I'm sure the owner had troubles afterward..

Edited March 2, 2020 by NCEcoBoost

[drolds1]

13 hours ago, President Bell said:

If u take the time to read the manual, it says if the car is dirty, it affects the sensors. Doesnt matter how old the post is if it helps someone. If the windshield has roadkill, it blocks the camera in it to see forward. Same with back camera, it senses movement also. When i said under the tire, i meant under the wall where the tires throw dirt. But if u know anything about the Titanium edition, which u obviously dont, the lights blink when certain options enable or disable. It worked for me. Choice is up to the reader if they want to try it. The sensors on my car, which is a 2014, which I see u also didnt read, absolutely would not be damaged by a car wash rinse sprayer. If so, car washes would go out of business!

You're new here so I'd advise you to look around and see the tenor of the interaction here.  We don't generally take the tone with each other that you have in your response.

 

Now that that's out of the way, we'll deal with the rest of the issues.

 

First, if I'd take the time to read the manual?  That's actually laughable.  I've owned 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2020 MKZs and have read the manuals cover-to-cover for each of them.  Whatever's on your Fusion Titanium is on my MKZ and then some.  In addition to that, I've been a member,  and a moderator here for 10 years, so I think I'm quite familiar with how these  cars operate, perhaps moreso than you.

 

Next, you say that if the w/s has "roadkill" on it it blocks the front camera. Two things wrong with that: apparently, you have no idea how BLIS and CTA work.  I'll say it again since you apparently didn't get it the first time.  The front camera has NOTHING to do with BLIS/CTA.  Explain how you think that a camera that only looks forward would detect cars in your blind spots or approaching from the side.  Moreover,  you were quite quick to accuse me of not reading that your car is a 2014. You might redirect that accusation to yourself since you did not read that the OP's car was a 2011 Milan.  Hence, your point is moot since no 1st-gen Fusion/Milan was available with a front camera which, BTW, is used only for LKA for cars so equipped.   The foregoing also applies to the rear camera, which you still are trying to connect to BLIS/CTA. Yes, obviously it senses movement but only when the car is in Reverse, when BLIS/CTA are disengaged!

 

Now you try to explain what you meant by the firewall under the tire.  FYI,  a firewall is the bulkhead between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment.  I explained to you that you probably meant the inner fender liner, yet you insist on calling it a "wall."   Regardless, there's nothing on that part of the car that could affect BLIS/CTA.  Explain your contention that it does.  You clearly stated that the "lights came on while the car was off."  The term, "the lights" is interpreted by most people to mean the head and tail lights. Now you're trying to dance around that by saying that I obviously don't know anything about a Titanium. We've already compared what I know compared to your knowledge so please explain what lights on your car blink when it's off and "certain options" are enabled or disabled.  What options exactly? I'll wait.

 

You still seem to be laboring under the misconceptions about sensor location and function.  I'll reiterate. There are NO exposed sensors that the owner can clean that have anything to do with the operation of BLIS/ CTA.  This includes the o/s mirrors, which house no sensors for anything.

 

I hope this clears it up for you.

 

 

[President Bell]

It doesn't matter how new I am! Your tone trying to make me look like an idiot was not taken lightly, and frankly, I didnt ask a question or for your response. I made a statement that may or may not help the next person. If it helps, great. If it doesn't, continue on to the dealer or a mechanic who can fix the problem. My car has not thrown a fault since, so eventhough it seems far fetched to you, that does not mean it can't work. My lights did blink as if I hit the key fob at the car wash as to signal something had enabled. I put the wand down, put my feet on the brake, push the button, and all the faults were gone when the car started. If dirt, grime, and roadkill is on the car, it absolutely can make the sensors fault out. There are little circles on the rear bumper I sprayed. There are sensors in the area by the gas tank on each side I sprayed. There is a camera on the windshield I sprayed, and there is a camera above the tag I sprayed. I sprayed the mirrors just in case a sensor was there since it blinks when a car is near. A certified Ford mechanic stated to me at the dealership today that again, dirt can cause the sensors to fault when I went to see why my seats were not heating and cooling, which was because of a blown fuse. And by the way, a MKZ is not a Fusion, so eventhough Lincoln and Ford are comparable vehicles, they are not exactly identical. If it didn't help you or you didn't have the problem, do like everyone else that read it and be quiet. You are engulfed in business that don't concern you. Its quite obvious you were aware I was not talking about a Milan, because u assumed I had a 2011 Ford Fusion, which didn't have BLISS or Cross Traffic, so you trying to play little "He is an idiot games and don't listen to his advice". My initial post was a suggestion and I don't owe you any explanations. It's obvious you not having the problem because you have consistently bought new cars. Find you some kids to play with. Don't play with me! Go find someone else to moderate. I'm perfectly fine moderating myself!

Edited March 3, 2020 by President Bell

[akirby]

1 hour ago, President Bell said:

Go find someone else to moderate. I'm perfectly fine moderating myself!

Great - somebody else attempting suicide by moderator.

 

Seriously - just forget about it and move on.  Just be aware that a lot of what you posted is factually inaccurate and that stuff will get called out.  You shouldn’t be so defensive about that.

[bbf2530]

Hello PB. Welcome to the Ford Fusion Forum. We have a friendly forum here. And drolds1 was not "...trying to make you look like an idiot". It is not his style to insult people. And the information provided to you was correct.

 

You sprayed some areas that would helpful to be kept clean, such as the exterior side bumper areas. You also sprayed a lot of areas that had nothing to do with your warning lights, such as the wheel wells, where there are no sensors having anything to do with those warning lights. And the side view mirrors, which also have no sensors for BLIS or other safety monitoring features. And as mentioned, spraying the side view mirrors and some of the other areas with high pressure water jets at close range could cause other issues.

 

Yes, it states in the Owners Manual that "if the car is dirty, it affects the sensors". However, the Owners Manual is referring to areas on the exterior of the car, which is what drolds1 was explaining.

 

Bottom line is no one was trying to make you look like an idiot. So lets take a deep breath and perform a reset before you reply back again.

 

Good luck.

[drolds1]

Thank you Allen and bbf for stepping in as the voices of reason.  I'm not going to continue the discussion because no matter how many times I explain it, it's not getting through and I see no further benefit in continuing. 

[President Bell]

Look everyone who wants to speak up for you can say what they want, but I'm a whole man. You don't come at me talking reckless or like I'm somebody that have no mechanical knowledge. You come with your lil sporty language like nothing is under the tire but the ground like you didn't know what I meant. If you didnt, you wouldn't have corrected it in the next sentence. Just because I didn't know the exact terminology don't mean I have to accept you talking to me like i'm some 3 year old. I have kids just as you probably do and I will be respected as a man. Like I said earlier, you should have done like everyone else from the beginning and been quiet. You want to wait till I feel disrespected and discontinue talk when you shouldn't have said a word in the first place. Your car not having the issue, so you had no place in the conversation. It specifically said for the people who are having the issue not a moderator or someone thinks they know everything or wants to try to be disrespectful because I didn't know the exact terminology for, as you call it, "inner fender liners". I don't need to perform any resets. He stuck his nose in business that didn't concern him, so send your resets that way. I don't know what's wrong with you people. Reset before I reply? Yeah ok! I have no more to say. It worked for me. If people want to try it, I put it out there. If not, I'll accept being the dumbass since everyone feel i'm inaccurate. As long as my car is working perfectly fine now, you all can enjoy this forum since ya'll the experts and going to tell me what I did not possible and my wording is inaccurate. Maybe all of you should go to Ford and be mechanics since ya'll can fix cars without ever laying eyes on them. Bottom line is, I sprayed all the places I mentioned. Which one caused it to work, I don't know, but evidentally I sprayed something off that reset the fault. Period.

Edited March 3, 2020 by President Bell

[drolds1]

Look, pal. It's a public forum. Anybody can comment on anything they like. That's how it works.  That's the way it's always worked, long before you got here. There's no such thing as "business that doesn't concern him." You want private conversations, use the PM feature.  You posted a bunch of inaccurate information, which you still don't understand.  If you can't accept that, I suggest you find some other venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by bbf2530

[bbf2530]

This thread has run its course and is now locked.