2015 Ford Focus Visibility & Wipers Problems

The front windshield wipers will slow after only a few minutes of use, in a heavy or light rain, and eventually come to a stop after about 30 more seconds. This happens every time I use the wipers in the rain. I have had it looked at by a Ford service tech at a dealership on at least 3 occasions, but they claim either that they cannot recreate the problem, or that they are designed to work that way to avoid burning out the wiper motors. Wipers should not be designed to stop working when it is raining, that is just ridiculous. Despite Ford's position that this is all new to them, or that it is how they are designed to work (depending on whom you talk to at Ford), the fact the wipers stop working during rain...heavy, moderate, or light rain...it is a well-known issue across the Ford Focus ST enthusiast community. A simply Google search will uncover many identical reports. When the wipers stop working during a rain, you obviously cannot see clearly ahead. You can turn the wipers off then back on to get them working again, but they stop all the same soon after.

WIPERS DON'T SHUT OFF WHEN CARED IS OFF AND DON'T TURN ON SOME TIMES WHEN I DRIVE AND IT RAINING HARD OR SNOWING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN ALIGNMENT AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE WHEEL BARREL AND WHEEL HUB NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,066.

WHEN I TURN ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, THE WIPER BLADES SOMETIME STOP, WITH THE BLADES IN A VERTICAL POSITION OR ANOTHER ANGLE ON THE WINDSHIELD. THEY MAY REMAIN IN THAT POSITION FOR A MINUTE OR MORE. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS AND ON HIGHWAYS. TO GET THE WIPERS WORKING AGAIN, I USUALLY HAVE TO TURN THE WIPER CONTROL OFF AND THEN BACK ON. DURING THIS TIME, RAIN IS ACCUMULATING ON THE WINDSHIELD, REDUCING VISIBILITY. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE. I REPORTED THE WIPER PROBLEM TO THE DEALER, BOB THOMAS FORD, 2215 DIXWELL AVENUE, HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT 06514, ON AUGUST 15, 2018, WHEN THE CAR HAD 11,122 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE DEALER DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. RECEIPT FROM THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTION STATED: "REFER TO SSM 45753." REPAIR TECHNICIAN SAID HE COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. SINCE THAT TIME, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS HAVE CONTINUED TO STOP, UNPREDICTABLY, IN A VERTICAL OR OTHER POSITION ON THE WINDSHIELD.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE WIPER IS FREEZING AND DOES NOT OPERATE PROPERLY NO MATTER WHAT OPERATION IT IS IN: LOW, MEDIUM OR HIGH. I HAVE HAD THE WIPER BLADES, WIPER ARM, AND WIPER MOTOR REPLACED AND NONE OF IT HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM. IT HAS LEFT ME IN SEVERAL DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. I HAVE ALMOST WRECKED NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THREE MONTHS. NOBODY SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, INCLUDING THE FORD DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT.

I OWNED THE VEHICLE 2 YEARS AND THEN REPLACED THE WIPER BLADES AT NAPA. THEN THEY STARTED STOPPING MIDWAY ON THE GLASS OR SLOWING AND STOPPING. I REPLACED THE BLADES WITH GENUINE FORD BLADES AT THE DEALER'S QUICK LANE, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THE SERVICE DEPT. COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM ON TWO VISITS, AND SAID IT HAS AN ADVANCED SENSOR SYSTEM AND "IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO THAT." I AM AFRAID THE WIPERS WILL GIVE OUT IN A STORM. THE SERVICE ADVISOR SNAPPED AT ME "IF YOU KEEP COMING BACK, WE MAY HAVE TO CHARGE YOU," EVEN THOUGH I HAVE TIME LEFT ON THE FULL WARRANTY. THIS IS A HAZARD, AND THEY SHOULD WARN PEOPLE THAT THE SYSTEM USES SO-CALLED SMART TECHNOLOGY, AND TO BE CAREFUL WHEN CHANGING THE BLADES.

THERE IS EXTREME DISTORTION OF THE IMAGE ON THE INSIDE MANUAL (NON-ELECTRONIC) REAR-VIEW MIRROR WHEN THE MIRROR IS SET TO THE "NIGHT" POSITION. THE MIRRORS ARE OK WHEN SET TO THE "DAY" POSITION. I HAVE OBSERVED THIS DEFECT IN THE MIRROR OF MY PERSONAL FORD FOCUS 2015, AND IN OTHER FORD VEHICLES I HAVE EXAMINED ON FORD DEALER LOTS. WHEN SET TO THE NIGHT POSITION, ANY MOVEMENT OF THE DRIVER'S HEAD RELATIVE TO THE MIRROR CAUSES SEVERE DISTORTION OF THE IMAGE WHETHER THE MOVEMENT IS IN THE VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL PLANE (HOWEVER, MOVEMENT IN THE HORIZONTAL PLANE APPEARS TO CAUSE WORSE DISTORTION THAN IN THE VERTICAL). THIS DISTORTION IS MOST DISCONCERTING TO FOLKS WHO DRIVE AT NIGHT, AND COULD CAUSE THE DRIVER TO PERCEIVE THAT ANOTHER VEHICLE IS CLOSER/FARTHER BEHIND THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, OR TO PERCEIVE THAT IT IS IN A LANE OTHER THAN WHERE IT ACTUALLY IS. WHEN I DEMONSTRATED THIS TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER SERVICE MANAGER AND TRIED TO MAKE A WARRANTY CLAIM, HE PERMITTED ME TO OBSERVE THE MIRROR IN OTHER VEHICLES ON THE LOT, ALL OF WHICH DEMONSTRATED THE SAME DEFECT. HE CLAIMS THAT IF A "DEFECT" APPEARS ON OTHER COMPARABLE VEHICLES, IT IS NOT REALLY A DEFECT AND IS "NORMAL." ANYONE WHO SUBSCRIBES TO SUCH NONSENSICAL LOGIC MUST SURELY BE LIVING IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE!