smax official trouble topic

[jezzer]

An amazing coincidence considering the post yesterday (Good Work Stumax), I have been outside trying to figure out why my front wipers have suddenly stopped working. Fuse seems Ok so is the alarm module the problem? There are no other symptoms.

I have removed the F26 fuse from the central fuse box but this didnt seem to make any difference!

I guess this is down to the battery backup so im wondering how long it would take to drain down. I dont want to start pulling the arch apart to get at the alarm unit itself.

If i take this to a dealer how much will it cost me ?

Jezzer

S Max 2.0 TDCI Titanium 56 Reg

[kirsty27]

i have a s-max tdci 07 and have noticed a whinning when driving, any ideas? thanks

[Stumax]

Hello Jezzer,

Good news...I'm glad my notes & experiances are being of use to someone.

The bad news is..

1. In the short term the only way i could reactivate the front wippers was to un plug the alarm sounder module located in the wheel arch. Bit tricky as I found the only way was to unbolt the whole thing as to be able to see how the wiring cable was snap fitted in to the sounder unit itself.

2. Once water ingress has taken place its unlikley that drying out will recover the problem as the damage has been done to the PCB and its mounted electronic components, you could see the surface mount resistors on my unit had virtually been burnt off the board.

3. It cost me £250 at a Ford dealer to replace a new unit and reset the alarm fault display on the dashboard etc.

4. Im awaiting a reply from Ford, Im not holding my breath, howver I've had some serious advice that Im not likley to get any thing. I'll keep this forum posted with any update. You never know perhaps thos really helpfull Ford people might read our remarks..

[femdad]

I'm having a similar problem with my 56 s-max. There is an intermittent fault whereby the alarm goes off spontaneously, sometimes with hazard lights flashing and sometimes without. Occasionally I can disable the alarm with the remote but sometimes the only way to quieten it is to turn on the engine. I have tried disabling the internal scanners but to no avail. The fault has occurred on two nights about ten days apart with no problems in between. After the first occurrence it went into my local dealership where they claimed to be able to find no problem. It's back in the garage today after a second night of frequent disturbances and again a claimed not to be able to find fault, suggesting that wind was causing the air vent louvres to flap and set off the internal sensors! I find this hard to accept, particularly since I had turned off the internal scan. (The Ford technician incidentally claimed this was not a feature of the alarm system which I found a little worrying) After I involved customer care on the main Ford website the garage has claimed to have found a fault with the sensors. Has anyone else experienced this fault? When I queried whether there could be a problem with water getting into the alarm sounded I was told this would lead to a failure of the alarm to sound at all which does not seem to be the experience of others on this forum. As it stands I am waiting for the part to come in and fearing another disrupted night. When I asked the garage if they could pull the fuse as a holding measure they refused and warned me that if I take it out myself it may invalidate my warranty re the alarm system. Much as I love my s-max, this whole episode and the ambivalent at best attitude of the staff at the dealership have me starting to regret going for a Ford.

[femdad]

Pls how can i disable/turn off internal scanners/sensors ford mondeo lx auto 06

[137699]

Pls how can i disable/turn off internal scanners/sensors ford mondeo lx auto 06

Errr... you could try asking in the Mondeo forum instead of the S-max one? That might be a good starting point! Especially as this thread is for people to log issues with their smax, not ask "how do I" questions about thier Mondeo???!!!!

BUT, if it's the same as the smax you will find it in the menus controlled by the right hand toggle-switch on the steering wheel. I have mine set to "ask on exit" as sometimes I leave the dog in the car.

[Robox]

I’m new to this forum group but have to also share my Smax faulty alarm system saga...

The alarm sounded, hazard lights were activated and wipers stopped working all while the car was being driven in heavy rain conditions on a very busy a road during the rush hour on a Friday night. Whilst being driven by wife with our children in the vehicle...it doesn’t get much worse than this! The wife had to perform a rapid exit off the road whilst other road user thought she was trying to warn of a pending road accident due to the hazard light flashing

Turning off the ignition, locking the car stopped the alarm...albeit from the lay-by whilst getting wet!

Yes it is all down to the Alarm Horn Sounder unit in the near side front wheel arch. The module is hidden out of view by the plastic inner wheel arch liner. The module is bolted to bracket just behind the suspension strut, very close to the horozontal bulk head pressing. The bulk head has a drain hole in it to allow any rain water to be released. The hole is fitted with a plastic diverter tube...but the fit of the diverter tube is not good and any water drips off the drain tube and on the alarm module and or its connecting wiring loom.

The modules purpose is sound an internal alarm horn if the vehicle is broken into, within the module it is supported by it own rechargeable battery backup, this is ensure the alarm will still sound if the main vehicle battery is removed or disconnected.

This module is manufactured by Delphi for Ford the same component is fitted to Freelander II.

Once the alarm horn sounder module is damp it is likely to breakdown. The breakdown is due to the electronics within the module shorting out, this will cause permanent damage. Root cause effects are varied from making false alarm sound, activating the hazard lights and sending a false signal to the wiper control module that demobilises the front windscreen function.

If you’re wondering why I’m so sure of these facts it’s because I took out the wheel arch liner and unplugged the module and then the wipers worked fine. I then dismantled the module to see the PCB and its tiny surface mount components burnt with signs water stains!

Although Ford MoCo stock standard answer is that they are not responsible for water ingress, I have to totally disagree; I'm in no way responsible for the design of this poor system. The Failure Mode is very dangerous and warrants safety recall and proven corrective measures implemented.

I have complained to Mr Andy Barratt Customer Services Director at Ford, I will post his response as soon as it arrives, I’m hopeful of a refund of my £200 bill I got for this problem. Annoying as my car has only covered 28k miles.

In the mean time I’m preparing a 'safety defect report to VOSA, I recommend that all other owners with this fault do the same to force some action, see link below for the form.

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/repository/vehicle%20safety%20defect%20report.doc

Also I will contact my local trading standards office as this is a safety issue.

Do post the response when you get it, Stumax. I've just got my SMax back from Ford and I'm £520 the lighter. Same wipers/alarm problem. We arrived off the ferry at Southampton and the wipers were going full-whack as soon as I turned on the engine. Stopped at a Ford garage on the way home who said that it was the alarm module that was faulty but they didn't have the part. Wipers settled down on the way home but then, that evening, the alarm kept going off. Looked at an earlier post here and removed (the infamous) fuse 26 which solved the alarm problem. And then ten days later the wipers started going again, so removed the wiper module fuse and booked the car in with Ford. They told me they'd need to replace the "Horn assy - part 1667961" (£123) and the "Sensor and bracket - interior scan - part 1670435" (£167) and that it would be 1.5 hours labour. It does seem ridiculous that this is not seen as a safety issue - and is there every likelihood this will happen again? And I'm still not entirely sure whether the two parts have become faulty at the same, related to the same issue. We could possibly have survived without the interior scan anyway, but Ford said that they couldn't guarantee that without this being changed, the alarm may still malfunction. Anyone shed any light? And are these costs unusually high - paid for now anyway...

ps - also have the whining turbo which doesn't seem to be affecting the power, just a bit embarrassing going down the street. Have had it for about 7 months now without change. Am wondering what will happen next.

[rubbishwithcars]

First entry in this topic courtesy tunne1rat:

As some of you are now aware, the biggest problem with the s-max is the poxy alarm!

The problem is caused by water getting into the alarm sounder module which is located under the front ns wheel arch.

The only cure is to get the alarm sounder replaced at the dealers.

In the mean time, fuse F26 in the central fuse box provides the power to the alarm sounder. Unfortunately Ford also provided this sounder with an internal battery, so pulling the fuse will not instantly silence the alarm but will eventually as the battery drains and will prevent the alarm from sounding again while you are waiting for the part to arrive at the dealers! (The wipers will also return to normal function).

To access and identify the fuse, you need to remove a small piece of carpet under the glove box held on with 2 plastic fasteners (these just pull off) then there is a small latch which when turned will release the fuse box which is hinged at the back so just pull it down far enough to get your hand in.

Fuse F26 is a 5A and is third from the bottom on the left.

Hope this helps.

Just wanted to say thank you, a lot! I have absolutely no idea when it comes to cars and on the tenth time of me having to get up to the alarm on my friggin S Max going off and just before I started pulling out what little of my hair I have left RRRRRR. I thought I'd pop the question in to Google, and it took me straight here to your blog so I tried your recommendation and so far, 45 mins later, it hasn't gone off again. From me, my wife and I'm sure all of my neighbors a massive thank you for this advice. Your a gent sir!

[BigRab74]

We purchased our S-Max from Ford Direct in April 2010 (car registered November 2009).

Not sure if anyone will have had similar issues to the one we have experienced, but recently our Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) decided to throw a wobbly. Cut to the chase - all four tyre pressure sensors need to be replaced because they are cracked! Also the nuts that hold the valves in place had corroded. I asked what could have caused the corrosion within such a short space of time, and the local Ford mechanic believes it to be a manufacturing fault, and has placed a 'Global Concern Report' with Ford. Ford have apparently said that although they normally only guarantee things like valves for 12 months, in our case, they will replace the whole lot free of charge. Would be interested to know if there are other people with similar problems with the pressure sensor valves corroding/cracking because for a car that's only 14 months old it just shouldn't happen.

As a side issue, the wheel alignment needs doing - curse these potholes!

[M H]

Hi,

Same problem with S-Max Alarm Module on an '07-plate as the rest of you.

How long before Ford recognise this as a design fault and manufacture a relatively cheap plastic shroud / water diverter, rather than owners incurring expensive repairs following what could be a very dangerous fault in particular situations?

The first time a serious accident is caused by this known and frequently-recurring problem, Ford could find itself the subject of a significant damages claim (not that I approve of our becoming-American-style litigation regime).

Ford: S-Max recall for minor mod or beware!

[Pdubya]

First time brosing here as my S Max is giving us grief!

We bought the car in September 09, a 56 plate 2.0 TDCI Titanium with 40k on the clock, in December 09 the flywheel failed and ford replaced under the warranty provided.

Now 14 months and 10400 miles later the flywheel has failed again!!

My dealer are being quite helpful but advised me to talk to "Ford Customer Relations", I think they best comment the guy said was "Well you are the second owner of the vehicle and it is out of its original manufacturers warranty" I read that as you bought it second hand so its not our fault, so should you buy an "approved" used Ford vehicle???

I said I understand that it is out of its original warranty but it is a "new" genuine Ford replacement part that has failed not an original part from when the car was new.

Should a flywheel fail after 10400 miles????

He asked if I was going to accept the 50% contribution to the cost of the part, but when I said its £1400 and the part is not the expensive part he said thats all that was on offer and I would get a new warranty with the part, all well and good untill it fails again after 14 months!!!

I added that if they do not accept liabilty and help me out I would probably chop the car in and never buy a Ford again......

Customer relations my eye!!!

I also have the Turbo whistle, like a leak in an air pipe somewhere, the airbag light is on/off intermittently too.

Time to get shot me thinks............

Any one else had probs with the flywheel issue ???

[RosieConnor]

posting just to get this on top, if anyone has a problem with smax don't hesitate

Hello

Hope you can help me. I bought a 2.5 Smax titanium 56 plate in December 2007 from new. It instantly developed electrical faults including, controls on steering wheel not working, external temp sensor not working, windscreen blades not working, washer bottle leaking. took the car back to dealership who could not find any faults on computor.

Took back several times and no faults could be detected and so therefore faults not fixed.

took the car to dealership for MOT in December and it passed no problems.

March this yr the car suddenly had a complete power failure whilst driving along. It was recovered to the dealership where an electrical problem was diagnosed by the recovery driver. However the dealership are saying the vehicle has no oil in it but cannot see a oil leak? The have taken the sump of the engine and diagnosed new engine, new turbo, new gasket etc £9188 cost.

As the car has only just come out of warranty and has done 38k miles I refuse to beleive that I am responsible for these costs?

Has anybody experienced this kind of complete failure?

I would be really grateful for any reponses ?

Many thanks

Rosie

[gumpie]

hi,

this is my first post so go easy for any mistakes. i bought a 2.0 tdci titanium 56 plate in december.it has 49k on the clock and only 1 owner from new with full ford service history.since i've had it my parking sensors have failed 4 times and my turbo has failed twice.main thing the turbo.when i'm accelerating the power suddenly goes then once i've turned the car off & back on it works fine for a while.ford keep fobbing me off with "it's my glow plugs" or "we found a break in ur wiring" but still the problem persists.can anyone help.

also can anyone tell me if the sony 6006 cdc have the bluetooth facility and if so should i be able to connect my phone to it. cheers

[RachelW]

Hello

Posting this in case anyone else has come across the same problems and has a clue how to fix them \ had any dealings with Ford they can share

Problem 1 - Unable to open boot and petrol cap. Everything fine until the weekend when we went to fill up with fuel and now cannot get the door covering the petrol cap open. It is acting like the car is locked (even though it isn't). We also cannot get the boot open as despite using the remote button on the key fob it stays locked, again even when the car is unlocked. It's in Ford at the moment as without being able to put diesel in it the car is pretty useless. Ford don't seem to know what the problem is and want to charge £160 to "investigate".

Problem 2 - random sudden deflation of tyres. Probably my most worrying concern. We have now on 6 separate occasions had tyres suddenly deflate on us for no apparent reason. This includes the original fit tyres from Ford plus replacements. We've had the valves changed each time, used different tyre fitters and the tyres in question have always had a good amount of tread left and no other obvious signs of damage. Once this appeared to happen overnight but on the other 5 occasions this has happened when I have been driving at speed on dual carriageway \ motorway. We've raised the problem with Ford who dismissed it as "one of those things" however after 5 flats at speed I am feeling lucky to be alive!

Problem 3 - Parking sensors stopped working. Annoying but irrelevant whilst we cannot drive the car anyway.

We've also had the problem with the air con leaking into the drivers footwell, the bonnet catch sticking preventing us from closing the bonnet properly, had to have the boot catch replaced after it failed and we could not close the boot at all and generally I have been unhappy with the general quality of finish as bits seem to keep falling off. We are not intending to buy Ford again!

[137699]

Problem 1 - I'd say these are two unrelated faults. The boot lock is well known to fail. Can you hear the lock solenoid working when you press the open button? You can try pressing down hard on the boot lid whilst pressing the open button and you might be able to open it - otherwise there is a TSB article on how to open a stuck tailgate, but be warned, it involves hacking apart all the trim inside the boot area to force the lock open.

We have had issue with our fuel flap not opening in cold weather. Repeated pushing of the flap usually manages to get it to pop open, but it sounds like yours may be a little more involved than that.

Problem 2 - Are you sure you don't have some local kids (or an enemy in your street) letting your tyres down? Deflation can be caused by faulty valves, but as you said you'd had these changed then I cannot see the issue. Have you checked the rims for buckling (usually on the inside of the rim if its likely to happen)?

Problem 3 - When you say stopped working - are you saying there is no beeping at all? Or is the opposite true - they're beeping all the time?

[jns2011]

hi all

we just brought a 56 plate 2.5 turbo s max , couple of things

does it have a cambelt or chain?

how do i connect my phone to the bluetooth?

also the curise control has stopped working

please help.

[137699]

>> does it have a cambelt or chain?

Chain

>> how do i connect my phone to the bluetooth?

Look in the manual - it's all explained, but in brief, you get your phone to search for the car - it pairs with "Ford Audio".

>> also the curise control has stopped working

Have you switched it on? Not aware of any cruise faults...?

[jns2011]

>> does it have a cambelt or chain?

Chain

>> how do i connect my phone to the bluetooth?

Look in the manual - it's all explained, but in brief, you get your phone to search for the car - it pairs with "Ford Audio".

>> also the curise control has stopped working

Have you switched it on? Not aware of any cruise faults...?

thats brilliant thank you , with the cruise control it comes up and says cruise control ready but when you set the speed nothing happens, and bluetooth i switch bt on in the advance menu ,only seems to stay on for 20 seconds and then switches off.is it me being dumb or is it the car!!

[137699]

How do you know the bluetooth is only on for 20 seconds? What are you using to monitor the bluetooth signal?

Have you managed to pair your phone with the bluetooth system?

As for the cruise - I can't help you with that. Perhaps the right-hand buttons on the steering wheel are defective and that's why you can't set a speed?

[jemcs]

Starting this thread so all the troubles you have can have an answer.

Newbie to this, but need some help asap. We are looking to buy an smax 2.0TDCi 07 reg. Great car, apart from what can only describe as a 'winding down' noise from engine on turning off ignition. It is quite loud from outside of car. We had a test drive with the owner, who said since he had it(sep10), it has always made that noise. Have not noticed this on any other smax we have had a test drive in. Help! We really like this car, but want to know if we are buying into a major problem! Thanks.

[137699]

Could be a noisy turbo - can you hear a "siren" type noise as you're driving along (a bit like a police siren)?

[137699]

Could be a noisy turbo - can you hear a "siren" type noise as you're driving along (a bit like a police siren)?

[kisscycles]

Just had the alarm module replaced and it restored the wipers to working! and the auto on headlight function. The plonker that designed this electrical system needs a very firm kick up the rear... crazy. Better for the radio to be taken out when the alarm battery fails - at least you can drive legaly without a radio!

cost - £145 Essex Ford rayleigh (parts & labour)

[markandcha]

3rd baby on the way and what with us being two full time working parents working different shifts, our driveway looks like a posh taxi firm with 2 x 57reg 2.0 tdci titanium smaxs (mine looks better with the x-pack wheels, think the wifes jealous)...

Anyways..

Having read through this thread, few questions:

a) This alarm problem, is there anything we can do before we have the problem, to waterproof/shield this unit prone to water ingress

B) my 6 cd autochanger has a "mech" fault, is that going to be a big job - not the end of the world now with ipods...

c) I have the pano roof, and I appear to be missing 1 of the roof rack 10cm long plastic slats , near drivers door. I should be able to get them from ford?

d) how much is a travelpilot nx recent sat nav update on dvd?

thanks guys for this forum..

[137699]

Probably best to ask these questions over on www.smaxownersclub.com