Problems with 2010 Ford F-150 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I own a 2010 ford f-150 fx4 pickup, purchased new october 2009. approximately in 2013 the rear window defroster stopped working. the truck is equipped with a power rear sliding window from ford. i took the truck to my local ford dealer to address the issue. the ford dealer service department advised me the problem was with the window itself, and would not be covered under warranty, or ford at all. i have noticed many complaints on the web from owners of ford pickups of the same year and model, the majority of them experiencing broken rear windows, smoke and damage. like many, i have a small child that sits in a rear facing child's car seat, and am very concerned about this problem. it is very apparent ford is aware of this safety issue, but is not willing to admit to it, or take steps to address it. this issue is a ticking time bomb for ford pickup owners, always worrying if it will happen to them, and when.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f150. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the module failure light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where it was advised to the contact that the bsm module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the vehicle approximate failure mileage was 44,000.

The driver's side seat heater quit working after my wife complained about it "getting so hot it was literally burning her legs". i took apart the seat today to replace the heating pad because i had read about this being a common problem. to my surprise my wife was not exaggerating. there were burn marks on the foam insulation around a connecting piece of the bottom seat heater. my truck is out of warranty, otherwise i probably would've just dropped it off at the dealer and never witnessed this myself. *tr

I had my truck parked outside during a heavy snowfall day at work. i went out and started it to let it warm up and turned on the rear defrost. when i got in to leave i noticed my passenger side rear window was shattered. i had no idea what had happened, not in an area where vandalism is possible. after reading the online posts about others with this problem i realized this is exactly what happened. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the air conditioner suddenly failed and a burning odor was present. the contact discovered that a plug attached to the resister wire had melted. the failure occurred on four separate occasions. the contact replaced the plug, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

2010 ford f-150. outside temperature approximately 28 degrees. started vehicle and turned on rear window defroster. drove about 1 mile and was waiting alone stopped at a light. heard very loud bang noise consistent to a crash or muffled small caliber bullet being fired. stepped out of my vehicle to confirm i was alone on road and wasn't in an accident. (i was completely alone at 6am with no other cars in site). i noticed the right (passenger) side rear window had spider webbed and completed shattered. rear window is 3 panes, right middle, left. right side window that shattered was extremely hot to the touch compared to middle and left (driver) side. contacting ford as i believe this to be a manufactures defect as it has happened to many 2010 f150s with tri rear windows. *tr

Outside temp was 22, while warming up truck, turned on rear window defroster & within 5 minutes; the passenger side rear window shattered. *tr updated 03/27/13*lj

I was driving and the rear window popped, smelled like an electrical fire. truck is still at the shop they cannot id the issue i fear that if only the glass is replaced that this issue will reoccur. *tr

I was driving home on the highway. i had the rear defrost running as it was cold overnight and the windows had frosted over. as i was driving, i heard a loud pop and saw that the rear passenger side window had been shattered in a spider web pattern. i got home and was finally able to inspect the windshield. i observed the "spider web" effect starting in the lower left hand corner of the glass. there was a fluid seeping out from the bottom of the glass at the point of origin. the glass also has a discoloration as if it had been heated. i was able to search online and find numerous other people with the same problem. i also found several accounts where the pop had caused a fire and melted portions of the window and its framing. *tr

Last week i started my morning commute @ 5am. 5 minutes after departure - i heard the equivalent of a 22 caliber gun being fired in the cab of my 2010 ford f150 platinum. alarmed by the sound i swerved into the adjacent lane, thankfully there were not many other drivers on the road. i exited the vehicle and began a visual inspection, immediately, i saw my passenger rear window shattered and smoldering in the lower left corner. after a closer look, this appeared to be where the defrosting mechanism was located in the glass. there was a metal substance being leaked in between the cab and the bed of the truck. i hope this was not lead or mercury, in my curiosity i touched and then thought about the old thermometers in grade school. *tr

I went out too warm up my truck the other morning before work. i started the vehicle, turned on heat and the front and rear defroster. came back outside to leave about 10 minutes later, as i started to pull out of my driveway i heard a loud pop. i got out of my truck to inspect my tires, which i thought was the problem at first. they were fine. i was not sure what the noise was, so i got back into the vehicle. as i proceeded to back out of my driveway again i looked on my rearview mirror and noticed my back glass was shattered. i had my rear defroster on, which for some reason shattered my passenger side rear window. i took my truck into the dealership and they told me there is no issue and ford is not responsible for the glass. after doing some research there seems to be an issue with the rear defroster in this vehicle. i believe ford needs to fix this issue before some child is in the back seat of one of these vehicles and gets injured. *tr

Filed a complaint earlier in the year about the electrical problems, and finally received a call back from the dealer. i took my 2010 ford f-150 in and it was determined the wiring harness was defective. well great...900$ to get if fixed. not covered under warranty. truck will not start without it. wow, i use to love fords... never again will i purchase a ford of any kind. thanks. *tr

Started truck one morning right before thanksgiving and no lights displayed in the control dash panel. great right before a planned trip. none of the gauges worked. began driving and the radio stopped working. hit a bump in the road and something beeped and they came back on for a few minutes and then went back off, and this type of electrical behavior has been going on since right before thanksgiving. on occasion i can just shut the drivers side door and the display panel gauges and lights begin working for a few minutes and then without warning the dash is blank again. sometimes i'm lucky and they stay on for 50miles before going out again. i put fuel in the truck today 01-13-2013 in sulfur okla and no fuel gauge. it didn't register and the display lights began going off and on. i stopped in pauls valley okla for a coke, while idling, the outside temp gauge climbed from 29 actual degrees to 86degrees in less than 5 minutes but when i began driving again the outside temp went back down to 29degrees. on 2 occasions while on i-35 the gauges would beep, reset and go back off. i drove from atoka okla to the texas panhandle with no way of telling my speed, fuel gauge, no temp gauge no blinkers to signal lane changes, i even tried the emerg. flashers and they wouldn't work either. i'm really afraid there is going to be a fire in the dash or something and i'll loose everything, and no one seems to care. it seems to be all about the sale. my warranty is almost up and no one cares!, this is not normal! before i left on my trip 01-08-2013 to okla. i called the dealer gene messer where i bought the truck, and they said they would have a service man call. well it's the 14th and no call. there is defiantly something wrong when you spend over 40,000 dollars on a vehicle and afraid your going to get a speeding ticket, but worse burn up in it or get killed. please help. *tr

I had started my truck, turned on the rear defroster , and within 10 minutes the back passenger side glass completely shattered. it appears that there was a small electrical fire or shortage in the corner of the glass where the defrosting mechanism attaches to the window glass. the window seal does not appear to be melted, but at the time of glass breaking , there was a loud bang (something like a fire cracker exploding). *tr updated 12/04/12*lj ...updated 03/20/13 *bf

Rear window defroster/window assembly connection defective, shorts out causing fire and glass breakage. i dropped off my daughter at preschool and five minutes later i noticed smoke coming out of the passenger side rear defroster window behind her car seat. i pulled over to find this becoming a fire. it began as smoke, then spark, and then flame. fortunately, i had a bottle of water in my truck, which i began to pour on it to stop. it got worse with the sparks, but eventually went out. while trying to distinguish the fire, the "explosion" occurred shattering the rear window. i took this to my local ford dealer and began to research issue. i quickly found several ford forums where other people experienced the exact same issue on 2010 f150 ford trucks. here's a link to one that helps explain the issue clearly. i posted my experience in post 38...http://www.f150forum.com/f38/rear-window-defroster-exploding-rear-window-129167/.. i see there have been no reports to you regarding this issue previously. obviously a defective defroster/window unit causing a vehicle to catch fire is a dangerous issue. but there was no need to push issue further due to their ford dealer understanding the issue and covering the repair under warranty. i have ford's premiumcare extended warranty which should cover this but my dealer is seeing only as glass breakage and refusing to cover it under warranty. there would be no glass breakage if the defective assembly didn't cause a fire, and if i didn't have something to put out the fire there would have been far more damage..with cold weather coming, and more recent incidents posted, there will be more instances of this in the near future on 2010 ford f150 trucks. with the redesign of replacement part ford is aware that the original design is flawed. *tr updated 11/05/12 *bf updated 11/07/2012 *js

Went to warm up my truck this morning as it was 36 degrees and light frost on the vehicle. turned on the ignition along with the seat warmer for drivers side and defrost. went inside and as i watched the truck there was a small spark/flame on the left bottom corner of the passenger side window. heard a loud pop and ran out to the truck to find that the portion of glass had shattered, still intact. will take it to the dealer this afternoon. *tr updated 11/07/12*lj

The instrustment panel of the truck has failed. the panel while driving goes through all cycles of lights, bells, and options on the instrustment cluster , causing us to not be able to see the current information. the ac goes out each time it happens. the truck will not start many times- and you have to hit the dash board to make it start - takes several attempts. it has gone out of gear once during this. we have been working with the local ford dealer, where we purchased the vehicle, and have now been waiting on the part for over a month, we are told each time it is on back order. therefore, leading us to believe a large number of ford truck owners are experiencing the same problem. we have spoke to ford customer relations this morning- and now told it will be estimated the 9th for part to arrive and they will not follow up until the 12th. which is causing us to have a faulty- potentially unsafe vehicle for over one and half months. *tr

Since march of 2012, my 2010 f150 xlt, 4.6 l v8 has randomly stalled at least 8 times. i feel that it is a tremendous hazard to me and my family. stalling occurs when i'm exiting from the highway after traveling 10-20 miles at 45-60 mph, taking a turn (right or left), and slowing down for a stop. i usually have the a/c and radio on. my cell is also synched. the only warning i get is the power steering and brakes go out. then a warning signal comes on. the first time it happened, i was turning onto a 2-way road. power steering failure surprised me and i turned in to oncoming traffic. luckily, i was able to avoid an accident and pull over in the oncoming traffic's shoulder. it restarted right away. since then it's happened several other times in similar instances--when slowing down for a stop. restarting is getting harder. it also happened after filling up at a gas station. it took me several tries to get it to start. of course, the ford dealership where i have taken it cannot duplicate the problem and their computer cannot find a code. when they returned the truck to me, they said call them if it happens again, don't restart it because that erases any codes, and they'll send a tow truck. the next day it happened again, and i followed their directions. not turning the key didn't help anything with obtaining codes, because they are still not getting any readings. i spoke with the shop manager. he thought it might be a bad coil causing bad radio frequencies, thus shutting down the throttle body (tb). he said he would test the coils and replace any damaged one. if that wasn't the problem, he would replace the tb. after 13 days, they still cannot figure out the problem, nor have they made any kind of repairs, except for performing a courtesy cleaning of my throttle body and "resetting" the truck's computer. i'm frustrated, and i fear i might have a lemon on my hands. *tr

The "downhill decent control fault" light comes on at random times while driving down the road. when the fault light comes on and remains on., it also causes the brake lights on the vehicle to come on and remain on until you can the fault light decides to go off. so while driving down the road, and even worse, when in traffic, the fault light may come on and cause the brake lights on the rear of the vehicle to shine, signaling to other drivers that this vehicle is slowing or coming to a stop, when it is not. this can, in certain instances, be very dangerous. turning the vehicle ignition off will at time alleviate the problem, but that is not always an option while driving down the road, or in traffic. the light also comes on with no warning, and with no use of the system that is indicated is faulting. *tr

During day time driving in rain or overcast the dashboard lights will not come on making it impossible to determine speed you are going. switching from automatic to manual control of headlights has no effect on dash lights. they stay off! i believe this affects all current ford vehicles. *tr

Dash instrument lighting does not illuminate when manually turning on the headlamps. the cluster lamps are apparently controlled automatically by a sensor located on the dash, however it is very difficult to see the dash meters when it is dark enough to turn on the headlamps, but not light enough for the sensor to engage. you can be driving in a rainstorm and headlamps are needed, but the instrument cluster lamps will not turn on and it is very difficult to see the any of the readings on the gauges. apparently this is a well known problem, but ford will not do anything about it. just the way it the vehicle is designed. this is hazardous condition that needs to be fixed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f150. while parked, the contact noticed a burning smell from the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed a six inch melted spot on the rubber near the floorboard. as the contact drove the vehicle, he noticed that the spot had become larger. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technicians were unable to diagnose the cause of the fire. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 12,100. the vin was not available.

Have been having electrical issues including failing backup camera at night and tail lights not working (dangerous at night) as well as fuses blowing. dealer could not duplicate but dealer states there is corrosion in the fuse panel because water entered the vehicle. there are several instances where ford is aware of this issue where water is entering the vehicle on the dot.gov and other websites. they are refusing to do anything about it. please do something about this, ford knows there is an issue and there is no reason for them do get away with issues that may cause fatal car accidents including tail lights going out while driving. *tr

While driving by 2010 f150 at approx 75 mph in cruise mode. the abs brake and red brake light came on and the car sharply decelerated. ( brake engaged). lasted approx. 1-2 seconds then the braking stopped. this happened 4 times within a 2 hour period. then while stopping to pay a toll ( came to complete stop abs brakes(, the truck stalled out while in drive. *tr

I had been driving for only a couple of miles when i pulled into a parking lot. went to make a turn in the lot and the truck shut down. turned the truck off and back on. everything seems to work well now, but this is an extremely dangerous issue, especially is i had been on the interstate. *tr

Engine loss of power (shuts off) for no reason, vehicle engine dies sporadically (with a total of 9 incidents to date) when at a stop light or making a complete stop, this places myself, my wife and my three young children in a dangerous situation when on the highway or on a road due to this no-power situation, this may cause loss of control of the vehicle due to the engine shutting off for no reason. vehicle has been to dealer several times and they say they are unable to diagnose the concern and return the vehicle to us with inconclusive results. we feel this is a manufacturer defect that needs to be addressed by the nhtsa and dot as it may places our family in a dangerous situation and may also be affecting other vehicles aside from ours. please contact the manufacturer and assist us in addressing this concern. thank you. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that he was experiencing a recurring failure with the rear doors. the warning light indicating that the rear doors were ajar was continuously illuminating without the contact engaging the doors. the rear doors were off track and the dealer replaced the doors four times in an attempt to correct the failure. in addition, the power steering fluid line was corroded and needed to be replaced. the contact also stated that the battery failed and needed to be replaced as well. all of the failures occurred within the first 20,000 miles driven on the vehicle. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 1,500 and the current mileage was 20,000. *tr

2010 ford f150...dashboard lights will not illuminate when in very low light conditions or very bright light conditions if equipped with 'auto lamp'...it will only illuminate in pitch black environments. instrument panel is recessed 8 inches into dash and you cannot see the speedometer or other gauges as you drive.....this is extremely hazardous as knowledge of your speed is mandatory for safe vehicle operation in any light environment. ford has advised me 'it is operating as designed'. this is unacceptable as the inability to quickly and accurately read your speed is paramount to driving any vehicle. the engineering shortcoming must be remedied. google '2010 ford f150 dashboard light problems' and you get 7 pages of concerns....... the only way to make the lights work normally during any daylight condition is to cover the dashboard sensor with a rag. the owners manual section on instrument cluster lights, headlamp switches and even auro lamp and dimmer all state the instrument cluster will illuminate any time any exterior lamp is lit....this is not true. please look into this matter as it appears to be a serious safety concern,,, *tr

2010 ford f150...dashboard lights will not illuminate when in very low light conditions or very bright light conditions if equipped with 'auto lamp'...it will only illuminate in pitch black environments. instrument panel is recessed 8 inches into dash and you cannot see the speedometer or other gauges as you drive.....this is extremely hazardous as knowledge of your speed is mandatory for safe vehicle operation in any light environment. ford has advised me 'it is operating as designed'. this is unacceptable as the inability to quickly and accurately read your speed is paramount to driving any vehicle. the engineering shortcoming must be remedied. google '2010 ford f150 dashboard light problems' and you get 7 pages of concerns....... the only way to make the lights work normally during any daylight condition is to cover the dashboard sensor with a rag. the owners manual section on instrument cluster lights, headlamp switches and even auro lamp and dimmer all state the instrument cluster will illuminate any time any exterior lamp is lit....this is not true. please look into this matter as it appears to be a serious safety concern. updated ivoq 02/18/11 *tr

While parked, parking lots and tail lights stay on despite switch position, then when truck put in drive, radio goes out... then wipers fail to work, illuminated odometer flashes along with 4wd indicator light and interior dome light. dealer claims water in gem panel???? internet search shows hundreds of similar with more dangerous results, such as being locked in car when power locks fail or wipers fail during rainstorms. ford issued spec. msg to dealer #15773 and knows of problem for years, but hasn't notified owners to fix before damage occurs to fuses and a major repair is needed. they claim warranty period is over, but leaks occurred during warranty period but problems didn't manifest until after warranty period. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the gauges on the instrument panel did not illuminate during the day, which made it difficult to see the readings. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that it was normal and that they were unable to alter the design of the vehicle. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred him back to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 1,600.

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford f150. while the vehicle was parked on an incline the digital fuel gauge displayed the incorrect amount of fuel in the vehicle. he also stated that when the vehicle was moved to level ground the fuel gauge did not correct itself. he stated that the failure had been ongoing for a couple of months. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who reprogrammed the electrical system. the repair temporarily corrected the failure. the vehicle was not taken back to the dealer for the failure. he called the manufacturer and was advised not to rely on the digital display. the failure mileage was 6,000 and the current mileage was 14,000. updated 3/2/2011 *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford f150. while driving approximately 70 mph he stated that he could not see the display on the instrument panels during the day since they are too far back inside of the dashboard. he could not read the display unless he stopped the vehicle. he called the dealer regarding the failure and they notified the manufacturer of the failure. the dealer advised him that the manufacturer said there was nothing they could do about the failure. the contact was unable to provide a vin. the failure mileage was 37 and the current mileage was 365.

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated while driving various speeds into the sun light he could not see the speed that he was driving .the instrument panel was extremely black and the contact had to lean very closely into it in order to see the speed. the dealer was informed about the failure and stated that there was nothing they could do and that it was designed that way. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 500 and the current mileage is 2900 updated 12/30/10*jb

I bought 2010 ford f-150 on 4/12/10 and it had only 9 miles on it. on 8/28/2010 around 9:30pm my car caught on fire while it was parked for a while. the fire started under the hood. 911 was called and until firefighters arrived me and my neighbor put down they fire by ourselves. next day, on sunday, we tow car to folsom lake ford dealership but service department was closed. on monday, 8/30/10 me and my wife went to dealership to find out what they going to do. service advisor told us that it is looks like manufacture defect. he told us that he contacted via e-mail ford company and they suppose to reply between 48 hours with instruction what to do or send an inspector and he can't help us with anything until he gets instructions from ford. we asked for loaner car but they refused, suggesting us to contact our insurance company and have them to take care of this problem, what we did. when 48 hours past we contacted dealership again to find out if they have got any instructions from ford. service advisor told us that ford didn't reply and gave us a phone # of ford consumer relationship department and try to find out by ourselves, what we did. what they told us is let your insurance company take care of this issue and after it's up to insurance company to try to get reimbursement from the ford. as a result we had lost income(i am contractor and i need a truck to do work). i have $25.00 rental coverage w/my insurance and i can get only small car, not truck, and i have $1000 deductible - so it means i have to pay out of my pocket while my car has bumper to bumper warranty. *tr

2010 ford f-150. consumer states that the vehicle shut off completely while driving. she could hardly steer the vehicle and the brakes were difficult to depress. she also states that she almost hit another vehicle. *kb the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem after having the vehicle for 7 days. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that it was difficult to read the instrument panel due to dim lighting. the contact stated that the instrument panel was also difficult to read because of the way the vehicle was designed. an authorized dealer confirmed that it was designed that way. the current and failure mileages were 38. updated 7/26/10 *cn updated 07/29/10.*jb

2010 ford f150 xlt pickup with automatic illumination/activation instrument cluster illumination lights on 3 occasions to date have failed to illuminate under low /no light outside conditions. the instrument cluster was not readable! no illumination lights. the vehicle also has a manual headlamp selection (3 positions) and even if the headlamp selector switch is turned to manual "on", the instrument cluster did not illuminate!.....this is a safety hazard! the next day everything worked fine except that the instrument cluster did not illuminate until it completely dark outside. safety hazard!....i cant read the instrument cluster under low light condition! i believe that the sensor that reads outside light conditions needs to be re-calibrated to a lower sensitivity, and that the vehicle should be reprogrammed so that when the driver manually selects for all lights to be activated that the instrument cluster should then go on! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the instrumental panel illumination failed and would not light up; the contact could not see the speed at which he was traveling. the vehicle was inspected by the dealer who informed the contact that the failure was normal and no repairs were needed. the manufacturer was also contacted who informed the dealer that the vehicle was designed in that manner. the vehicle had not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 2,000. the vin was unavailable.

2010 ford f-150, driving on gravel and rock road in 4h, wiring harness on left side below drivers seat lay below the frame rail, causing road debris to grab harness and rip/tear the wiring bundle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the instrumental panel lights would not illuminate on the instrumental panel and he was unable to read any of the gauges. the vehicle was inspected by the dealer but not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the sensor which controls the instrument panel lighting failed to function. as a result, the instrument panel would not illuminate when driving in shaded areas. an authorized dealer was notified and the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as intended. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 5. updated 08/31/11*lj updated 09/19/11

Ford motor co changed their universal garage door from homelink to car2u. which does not work as the owners guide states. the owners guide has two safety warning not to program inside the garage. i was told to disregard that warning. the only way the control can be programmed is the truck has to be inside the garage. i think it should work like the guide says or reprint the guide. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the exterior and interior lights only illuminated when it was dark outside. he was unable to see the gauges on the instrument panel. vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised him they were unable to change anything due to the design of the vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Tl* the contact owns 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the message center lights on the instrument panel were difficult to see while driving 25 mph in daylight. the contact has taken the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that they could not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 1,000. updated 06/03/10*bf the consumer stated the message center light on the panel was the problem. varying light conditions affect the message center. updated 06/04/10*jb