2009 Ford Flex: Broken Interior Trim

This thing lacks BMW like build quality.

What a piece of crap. I sat in a Flex at a recent auto show just to see what the hype is all about. It's nice - until you start noticing ALL the hard plastic everywhere. My '96 Maxima doesn't even have this much hard plastic in it. I'd take a Flex if you gave it to me, but I wouldn't spend my money on one.

We've had some trim piece issues on our Flex as well but the dealership has been really good about fixing everything. That's what a warranty is for. I'm cutting ford some slack since this is a first year vehicle and the problems have all been minor. The drivetrain, electronics etc are all rock solid so far. I know people with new Audis/VWs that have transmission problems and computer errors etc. and their service has been less than helpful.

eclogite, I couldn't disagree more about the interior on the FLEX. I think its really well done and has a really nice mix of materials. They use a lot of soft materials for areas you touch and the seats are absolutely fantastic.

Yes, right on time.. the moron express citing how
"this" isn't as good as they said it is and how "my" 90's 4 door slow car is sooo much better..

Without proof of said failure being the latches fault, and proof that the trim piece wasn't kicked off like it has been in the M3 and 370Z, it's not the Flex's fault. Period.

I found the Flex to have a lot of soft touch materials. Not sure what ecoglite is talking about.

If the Flex had other problems like the Mazda6 or BMW, I'd be a bit annoyed.

But it looks to me like you guys are clumsy and kick everything in your car.

Are you guys running some sort of "Slam Test" and "Kick Test" article?

When do we see those ratings?
Are you using different forces to rate 1-5 stars?
Like level 1: backhand slap!, level 2, straight punch!, level 3: right hook!, level 4: shoulder drop!, level 5, mule kick!

So I presume all your vehicles have gone through this now...

I mean, it's a good test and would make a good article, but we better be seeing some results of this exercise, or you'll pay for the damages!!!

Sorry guys... I'm not gonna cut Ford slack here because I think making apologies and excuses is part of the reason why the American auto industry sucks so much now.

IMO, this points to a quality problem. I don't know if its build quality or the quality of the parts being built but cars with only 40,000 miles on the odo. should not be falling apart like this. And I don't care if it's manufactured in German, Japan, Mexico or Flint, Michigan. It's crap.

Crap is crap, no matter where it's built. And I'd be saying the same thing if this were a Highlander.

"I know people with new Audis/VWs that have transmission problems and computer errors etc. and their service has been less than helpful."

=...thats what you dont buy first year models from German manufacturers, you wait for the mid-generation update then buy the car

cjassas=trolling for sure.

Did you miss the part where the Japanese and German cars in this fleet have had trip pieces popping off or broken off(Even the SAME pieces ending up broken)? Must be why Ford sucks so much now.

cjasis:

For all intents and purposes we don't even know if this has happened with other Flexes. In fact an automotive critic from TTAC owns a Flex and has had nothing but good to say about the vehicle.

It is a manufactured part, there is going to be a failure rate of some sort. That's statistics 101. A low failure rate would indicate the exact opposite of 'crap'.

26,000 Edmunds Miles = 106,000 Normal People Miles. Let's face it they are rough on theirs cars. It's like dog years for car miles.

cx7lover - can you read? You certainly can't spell.

Re-read my post... In fact, let me quote myself: "crap is crap no matter where it's built..."

I would no more forgive a Japanese or European made car for having things fall of than I would an American made car. Moreover, I did not say Ford sucks.

Perhaps you should take your axe somewhere else to have it sharpened because grinding it here isn't helpful to anyone.

gdmstrb:

Statistically speaking your point is valid and for the record, I assume that this isn't happening in every Flex produced. My perspective isn't a statistical perspective, it's a potential owner's perspective.

My point is this... if this was a car you spent your $40,000+ on how would you feel if things were breaking and falling off? I, and only speaking for me, would think that's crap.

I don't expect trim pieces to break or fall of any new vehicle that I'm spending even half that much money on... no matter where it's built.

I can see a handle on the center console snapping off because it's a frequently used. But a trim piece at the bottom of the seat being regularly kicked? Come on!

Ok, so maybe it can be attributed to editors getting in and out of different cars every week, and getting into and out of each car is different. However, one must have seriously short legs or huge boat-anchor shoes to catch the seat rail end-piece at the front of the seat to break it!

I admittedly have long legs, and could not possibly contort myself to kick the seat rail in my car. I think I'd chalk this up to operator unfamiliarity (you've had this thing how long now?) or carelessness rather than "Ford-piece-of-crap-itious."

The center console latch sounds like a design failure. It's not like you can exert a massive amount of force on the latch.

Oh sh$@....I just defended a Ford product. I'm going to hell for sure now!

@ cjasis:

Has anything else broken on the Flex? NO.

As a potential owner of anything built anywhere, one should be reasonable enough to understand that things break every now and then. Considering this is the first time this has happened, and nothing else in this vehicle has broken in this vehicle what are you talking about?

I don't think I would be too concerned about a couple of trim pieces breaking already at 26K miles in a vehicle that sees this kind of abuse. 26K miles in a year or so and how many different drivers?? And that is all that is broken? This thing gets more use than a rental. I think that only a couple of broken things after 26K miles (no matter what vehicle) is a pretty good record. If any vehicle makes it through the year-long Edmunds test with only a couple of things that need attention, then I think that must be a pretty good vehicle.

@ cjasis:

I can see your point, but as a potential owner issue this isn't too telling. Try as they might, Edmunds' Long Term fleet is not representative of a typical ownership experience. Their cars experience failures and problems at a greater rate than the car statistically should, regardless of its average reliability in the real world. A year in the Edmunds Long Term fleet is really the toughest durability challenge for any car. This is about par for the course, though not typical for a normal car sold to consumers.

gdmstrb - To each his own... I feel that two trim pieces breaking like this at less than 26,000 miles isn't good. In fact, I don't think it's good at all.

I call 'em like I see 'em and I said the trim breaking in the BMW as garbage too.

Given my car ownership experiences, I don't think it's reasonable to expect a car to not have its trim break off in 26,000 miles of use. Unless someone is hitting it with a hammer.. which Edmunds is not doing.

cjasis: You don't know what type of abuse this vehicle is seeing. So "calling it like you see it", is more like rushing to uniformed judgement. When something like this doesn't belong to you, one tends to treat it with a little less respect.

Ford, BMW, Lexus....whatever. Your expectations are unreasonable.

gdmstrb

Good for you for pointing out what so many people don't understand. All manufactured products be it parts or complete systems will exhibit failure at somepoint or another. It's a statistical guarantee. The key behind manufacturing high quality products if is to keep the failure rate low.

Unless someone can point to evidence that indicates that any of these trim issues across all these manufactures are happening at a high rate then this particular occurance is the exception.

People seem to believe that things need to be perfect. Weel if it's made by a human or a robot (built/programmed by a human) then it's imperfect.

This is why warranties exist. If the problem continues to happen then that's when there amybe a broad manufacturing issue.

and you do gdmstrb? Do you work for Edmunds? Or are you just making assumptions?

Seriously... why are you all so quick to assume that the folks at Edmunds are pouring saltwater into the HVAC system and kicking the dashboard with steel toed boots? I'm sure they're harder on cars than I am but give me a break.

What exactly do you think the editors at Edmunds are doing to the Flex to get the lower trim piece under the seat to break off? I don't think that I've ever even touched that area of any of my cars other then when I vacuum.

As I've said before... to each his own. But I think trim pieces like this falling off after 26,000 miles is pathetic.

My expectations are not unreasonable and I'd be less than pleased with any make or model that had these issues.

Ocramida -

I completely understand that nothing is perfect. And I understand that eventually all cars wear out. Moreover, I understand that every car has a defect if you look hard enough.

But I have a 12 year old car with 150,000 miles on the clock that has to sit outside in the elements and nothing in the interior has broken off. The firs numbers in the radio display don't always work but I don't think that's unreasonable. And there in lies the difference. Things wear out over time and with use... but 26,000 miles? Come on.

cjasis:

I'm not the one here quickly dismissing something as junk. That would be you. If you read any of the updates associated with this vehicle, it has been many different places, utilized by many different people to haul many different things. Can the same be said of you 12 year old car? I doubt it.

They have to be doing something to the lower seat trim for it to pop off like that. The manner by which those trim pieces are secured indicates that.

And like I've said before your expectations aren't realistic

cjaSSis?
Seems right
I'm not gonna cut Ford slack here because I think <- Fail. There is no reasoning with your types, because you over dramatize something as stupid as a latch breaking or a seat track cover coming off.

Both of these parts can easily be abused by whoever is coming in contact with it on a daily basis, and it's been done on OTHER cars in this same fleet, which means it's probably not the cars fault.

Your display Failed? Your car is a POS.
WHAT???? cars have been in the making for decades and they messed that up? Trade that pile in for a much better car without these serious issues, just don't buy American because people cut them too much slack for breaking glove box latches.

Again gdmstrb - we have differing expectations.

I can't hypothesize a scenario where 26,000 miles of use is sufficient to simply shrug when interior trim is falling off. Calling the entire car crap isn't really fair, I admit that but I also stand by my point that I would be extremely upset and disappointed if I just spend $40,000 of my own on this and was experiencing the same failure.

And FWIW, I still think you're making some assumptions about the use of that trim piece. Neither of us have gotten behind the wheel of this car so neither of us really knows what happened. Based solely on the picture it almost looks like the seat being slid back and forth on its tracks caused the trim to pop off. If that's the case (emphasis on if) than that's a problem since seats are supposed to move back and forth on their tracks.

cx7lover -

I am tempted to lower myself to your level and engage in personal attacks but I think I'll allow your poorly articulated diatribe stand on its own.

Based solely on your posts to this thread you can't read, can't spell and can't properly construct an argument. Your method of discussion is personal attacks. Unless you're in 5th grade, shame on you.

BTW - would you mind sharing your last name with the world as I have so that I might insult your family, your ethnicity and your background? Seems only fair since you've done that twice to me.

Last name - youareamoron. It's a hybrid.

Of course you don't understand, like I said.. you're a trolling drama queen. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A latch should NOT break in any car that's basically under fleet conditions?! What's next? 4 tire blow out on the freeway???? BRAKE FAILURE???? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! LEMON!!!!

annoying problems in any car.

Thank you for making my point cx7lover.

Rather than responding to the question at hand or crafting a logical argument, you resort to poorly written diatribe, name calling and juvenile antics.

Another internet tough guy. Why don't you leave intelligent conversation to the adults and find another way to entertain yourself?

i have a focus and it also has a seat track cover that came off when i kicked it entering the vehicle by mistake. it took some elbow grease but it popped back on and all was good!!!
and... this car has nearly 30 grand worth of miles on it and i dont think ive read a post about weird interior rattles or velcro holding wires becoming exposed. those latches for the center storage break if you let the lid slam, they also become loose if you do that so i think it is just slammed instead of carefully closed.

Interesting since my 2003 Mazda6 had the same lower seat trim come off almost right after purchase years ago. The thing WAS built at a Ford plant, by the way!

Why is cx7lover still allowed to post here? I'm not the first, and won't be the last, to ask the moderators to ban him. He contributed nothing but ad hominem attacks toward other posters.

While I may not agree with what everyone posts, it doesn't contribute to anyone's knowledge here by going after others rather than addressing issues. GEEEZZZZZ!!!!

These problems have happened on nearly every car Edmunds has. Being driven be numerous drivers who have no vested interest in the car's overall health has got to be tough on vehicles. I mean just check out the vehicles at your local rental establishment. The only difference is that Edmunds takes care of their vehicles mechanically based on manufacturer guidelines. You don't have to cut vehicles any slack if you don't want, but when there are so many vehicles in the fleet, regardless of make and model, with various interior panel fit problems, you have to point to the conditions a bit.

Even the best manufacturer sees more than 1 problem per car manufactured under normal conditions. 26,000 miles in 10 months with different drivers everyday is not normal.

We have had the same console problem with ou new Flex. Terrible plastic design. Also FYI, if you are hit in the rear bumper of the 09 Flex there is no way to paint around the textured bezzles at the back-up sensors. The bezzles are heat pressed to the bumper and connot be properly taped off to for repainting and baking. Another well thought out detail.