Bailes1992

My other half has an 06 plate Fiesta.
The hazard lights come on for no reason, but only on the outside. There is no flashing lights etc inside and the only way to make them switch off is to switch the car on and off.

She bought it from a Vauxhall dealer 6 months ago as a part ex to clear.
It came with 1 yrs warrenty.

So she sent it back to vauxhall who couldn't find a fault.
Vauxhall booked it into ford who couldn't find a fault and charged her £40 for the privalege.

Now surley this car is dangerous to drive if the hazard lights are flashing and you have no clue about it?

Anyone know where she stands on this?

Cheers, Bailes.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

Maybe something "GEM" related?

May sound silly and probably won't resolve the problem but have you tried disconnecting the battery for a while and reconnecting?

Martin

Bailes1992

Yeh, and we tried cleaning up all the connectors on the GEM too.
At a loss what to check next. The other half seems to think it happens most when raining.

Which is odd as the GEM plays up on my Focus when it rains but results in the central locking taking cocaine or something.

rallycross

Its a 2006 car sold as a p/x to clear you are not going to have much luck getting Ford to work on it for free its nothing to do with then anymore, and the warranty sold with the car will only cover so much.

Find a good auto spark and get it fixed yourself.

Those Fiesta's can have ecu problems I've had a couple repaired but never heard of flashing hazards sounds more like an aftermarket alarm problem.

Bailes1992

Cars totally standard. Vauxhall we're to pick up the bill but because ford didnt find any problems they made her pay for the diagnotics.

LukeDaisley

iTrader: (1)

sounds like my old sportKa, if you didn't unlock the car properly the silent alarm(hazards) would go off. just had to lock and unlock to solve the problem.

matts1

does sound like an alarm issue, have you checked for water ingress in the alarm unit??

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

The alarm did cross my mind as well (If applicable) it may not be the contacts as such it could be the actual unit at fault, if that is the cause of the issue that is.

Martin

Bailes1992

Where is the alarm module on it? Didn't think modern fords had alarms to be honest. My Focus dosen't have one?

bishbashbosh

If your Focus is the one in your sig then it will have an alarm and immobiliser, I had one in as a part ex a while back and the alarm kept going off so the techs disconnected it, apparently its a fault on them so once the warranty runs out most dealers disconnect them because they are pricey to replace.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

NOT true, OP'S siggy is a Focus LX, these did not have alarms as standard, if you had this same model then it was either aftermarket or an optional extra!

On the Focus where fitted the alarm is in the boot behind the carpet.

No, especially as it's a Fiesta, I should think it would have to be a Ghia etc to have an alarm, although the MK7's seem to have quite alot of toys on mid range trim.

Martin

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Almost certain they do have an alarm at that age.

Another thing to check is that there's no water getting into the fusebox which is behind the glovebox on the passenger side,I've seen this on one or two of these and that could be causing havoc.

Usually caused by a badly sealed windscreen.

I'm going with the lads above on an alarm/immobiliser system issue.
After all the indicators flash everytime you lock/unlock it anyway.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

I can't say for sure about the Fiesta, but I know for a fact a 04 plate Zetec dosen't which I worked on ages ago, in fact it was pretty basic tbh!

OP needs to find this out...
Martin

djcossie

get some1 to check your abs module mate

bishbashbosh

My bad thought it was a Zetec because of the Alloys, never spotted the lack of front foglights.

Having said that I have an S reg Mondeo Lx thats got an alarm (just the horn going off repeatedly, but still an alarm).

Bailes1992

Back on topic... anyone know if we can force a refund or anything?
This is now getting beyond silly. Should I be phoning trading standards?

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

I very much doubt there's anything legal you can do with the Sale of Goods Act what with the nature of the problem (I.e not a defect that the garage could have known anything about) so I very much doubt returning the car will be an option.

If however the warranty small print includes electrical items then they have to rectify it. They need to send it to an auto electrician who can fix it. If it does it again video it, showing that the interior hazard switch does nothing, as I presume that they haven't replicated the fault, so may not believe the problem exists.

rallycross

Definitely not!
As I said before you bought a cheap car with an after Market warranty, the fault it's got is just one of the things you might expect on a cheap 6 yr old car.

If you want warranty cover for most problems buy a new car not a cheap used car.

Make it easy on yourself just find a good auto elec to fix it.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

Zetec alloys are different, they are the correct alloys

Ford are tight, they have a habit of removing equipment as production goes on, for example early Sierras had MORE equipment than later models, for example a MK1 Ghia had wooden door cappins and a bonnet light, whereas a MK2 woulden't, the footwell lights also mysteriously disappeared, then reappeared.

Incidentally some models also had an alarm which operate the same way as you describe.

It seems the older Fords were better equipped than the later models, which is one of the reasons I am a fan because of the gismos and innovation compared to other brands, for example the lovely heated screen which was a Ford patent design many years ago.

Martin

GVK.

On some Fiestas of that age, the GEM module/ABS module is programmed to put the hazards on when you slam the brakes on, I'm wondering if your fault is something to do with this 'feature'....