Cooling fan not working 2009 ford flex

Could be the coolant temperature switch.

I'm going through the same process with my Ford dealer now. First, the Ford dealer installed an aftermarket fan assy. due to unavailability of OEM part, which worked erratically for a couple weeks, then it was replaced again last week with a Ford OEM fan assy. and it also operates erratically, sometimes not coming on and allowing the engine to overheat. Back in the shop today, many hours of diagnostics and they still haven't figured it out. Maybe tomorrow!

This happened to our 2009 flex. The fan was staying on anywhere from 1 min to 3 minutes after we turned car off. We talked to Ford service and we were told it was normal. Then car started overheating on short runs. The fan continued to stay on after shut offs. We continued to complain, still got same answer. They changed thermostat but car continued to do same. About a month after warranty ended the car totally overheated. What do you think was wrong? Oh, it was the entire fan assembly. After towing, parts and labor we paid out over 2500. And the dealer somehow lost the records of our complaints.

Did you ever find out the solution. I am having the same problem. Put in new fans and module, worked for a week or so, now back to the same problem not working again

Problem solved: it was the pigtail to the fan module. I guess it wasn't getting a good connection. I tried buying a new one but the only way I could get one was in a kit that included a new fan module ($200). So I disassembled the pigtail, plugged the wires straight into the module and covered the end with black silicone to keep moisture and debris out of the open connections. Haven't had a problem in over month. Hope this helps.

After bringing in some different and more experienced techs, and going through more diagnostics, the dealer determined the next step is to replace the Power Control Module (PCM). This is the computer that switches/signals the fans off and on (among other things). I don't think mine is the "pigtail" issue from Bryan, since my fan assy. (incl. fan module) has been replaced (twice), which would have included a new pigtail and wiring I believe. The PCM is a vendor-direct part, coming from CA (I'm in VA), and thus takes a week to arrive. I hope to have the car back this week.

They can't perform a reflash?

I don't know if this was a part of their diagnostics. They didn't specifically mention doing it. I was trusting them to determine the best progression of solutions, especially since so many people have been involved with it, all the way up to the Service Director. Next time I talk with them about the repair, I'll ask about the reflash. Thanks.

So I reached out to Dorman, the company that I bought the fans w/module from, and they are going to send me a new one. If it works and functions properly then my next question is, what is making these assemblies short out so often? There has to be another underlying issue? Anyone know what that is?

The Ford dealer determined the next step, after replacing the fan assembly, is to replace the PCM (Power Control Module). That was replaced, and we've been driving for a week in hot weather and stop-and-go traffic and the fans have been working and coolant temps have been staying in the normal range. Fingers-crossed and knock on wood that this is the final fix. The dealer said this is the first time they have experienced a PCM problem like this on a Flex, which is why they first went after the Fan Assembly (twice), and performed such extensive diagnostics. Just my luck ($2500 later)! Fortunately the Flex has been pretty much trouble-free up to this point (7 years and 100K miles).

I was battling an intermittent overheating issue with my 06 Mustang GT since mid July and just solved it. I replaced the thermostat, I removed the radiator and had it tested, replaced the radiator cap and replaced the cooling fan assembly with a new one from Ford but still had the issue. My old fan had a burned power wire going into the resistor but this plugin itself looked fine. My problem was in the BEC (power distribution box) in the engine bay. I loosened the 4 bolts in that box which then allowed the wiring harness connectors to drop out. The wiring pin for the high speed fan relay was burned up and had melted the connector housing and the terminal on the BEC was also burned. I got a salvage BEC with the wiring harness connectors attached to it and used the connector from it to repin my factory wiring into it. I used the unburned wire (green/violet) from the salvage connector and joined it to my wiring harness after cutting off the burned wire. I installed the new BEC and reconnected the new unburned connector and reassembled it all and after test driving it voila, problem solved!!! I spent so many hours trying to figure out my problem. I was about to replace the PCM when I checked this BEC. I had no codes and sometimes the fan worked but when driving it the fan would stop working. I hope that my comments here might help somebody battling the same problem I had. The new fan assembly has a redesigned resistor so I think the old resistor design caused my problem. What I don’t understand though is why it burned up the wiring in the BEC and the green 40A cooling fan fuse did not blow. Makes no sense to me. This was the biggest mystery I ever had with a car!! On the plus side I learned a lot about my car’s cooling system and the electrical stuff as well

My PCM replacement has still solved my cooling fan issue, 4 months later. I don't know if the BEC replacement was part of that. The dealer put their best techs and many hours on the diagnosis, so for now I have faith in their repair. If the fans start to act up again, I'll remember to ask them about this BEC wiring issue. Thanks.

Is a PCM and an ECM the same thing? Having cooling fan problems with my 09 Flex.

I had similar issues on a 2009 Ford Flex SEL FWD until it was repaired today. My fan would continue to run for an extended amount of time after I shut the vehicle off, the a/c air conditioning was weak. I would hear the a/c cycle on and off while driving. The final straw was when the A/C completely quit on me and I brought it to a dealership in Green Bay, WI. I had an idea what the issue was by researching it online and wanted to confirm (fan assembly). The dealerships have pinpoint test and computer system that is different than the commercially available systems and specifically designed for Ford computers which they use to verify the actual issue so I did not tell them my suspicions. I told them all the symptoms, noises and issues. The called back about 2 hours later and said it need 8A8Z 8C607 C motor and fan assembly. The part was approximately $760 and 3.5ish hours labor @128.67 which included diagnostic time. The total bill was just under $1300 after taxes and fees and a recharging of my refrigerant. I can tell it is fixed because it is behaving just like when I bought it and it is ice cold at all rpm's

@GTfoxbod89: Wow, you can get that exact brand new fan assembly online for $300-400! And it’s simple to change it out. They took you to the cleaners charging you $1300!! It’s no more than an hour’s labour to do it!

Having the same issue with my 09 flex. It overheats when idling. Once I get on the accelerator it’ll start cooling back down. In the ford shop now and they said it’s the fan $660 later with $150 in labor. Should get it back today or tomorrow. We’ll see if it’ll fix it.

so i have a 2009 ford flex. fans stop working today and so did ac at same time. now i know when ac was working fans kicked in. so ac was telling them to turn on. before this fans werent working before either. to fix this problem i changed out to new thermstot worked great fans and ac. so did this again. but ac and fans still not working. tested fans direct power one at a time. fans turn on no problem. test power from fan module and test power fine. took out fan fuse getting power from there. why arent my fans coming on

See my post above from several months back. I’d start with investigating the BEC (bussed electrical center) aka the engine fuse box. I don’t know the set up on your vehicle but in my 06 Mustang GT it simply involved removing the 10 mm bolt for the power connection to that box, then loosening 4 x 7mm bolts inside the box where the relays are. Those bolts don’t come out but when loosened enough you can lift the top part containing the relays up off the bottom part where the wiring harness connectors are. You also have to unclip a couple of clips on the side of the box. Takes about 5 mins to do. In my case I had a short in the electrical connector to the fan relays. I ended up buying a salvage BEC with the connectors included and re-pinning the wires for the connector that went to the fan relays. The short had caused my fan wire to burn and melt part of the electrical connector plastic. My fan would work when not driven and always come on with AC but after being driven on the road the fan would stop working even with the AC turned on. The short was even affecting my transmission making it flare up as a fuse in the same area as the fan relays powered the transmission. Once I fixed it the cooling fan problem was solved and my transmission issue went away as well as some other minor electrical issues I had such as intermittent hyper flashing of the turn signals. It was the weirdest issue I ever had with a vehicle and it took me quite some time to figure it out. Even a ford tech could not figure it out.

I had the same issues I change the mci module no more problems with fan radio not working heat blowing with out being on all lights on dash went out that’s the problem to your Ford Flex electrical problems I have a 2014 that runs great now

And the pcm is not the same as the ecm your flex has a few different kind of control modules on mine was fix ipc behind the dashboard and radio

I'm having the same problem as everyone else. fans not running. I have a local mechanic that checked the fuse, which was fine, and replaced the fan module, but no cigar yet. Next up is the coolant temperature gauge if im not mistaken, unless anyone has other input?

I had this problem with my 2011 Flex 2 years ago (earlier in this thread). After replacing the fan assembly twice and still experiencing erratic fan function, dealer replaced the Power Control Module (PCM) which resolve the problem. This was a rare repair for this dealer, but a master technician finally determined it after many hours of diagnosis. The fans have been running fine since.

Ok, so after reading all these posts I’ve learned this. My Flex is blowing hot air and could possibly overheat at anytime. Can’t take it to a dealer because they’ll rip me off. It could be anywhere from 1-5 different things wrong costing $100-$400 each. Is there a order I should try first to fix this problem?

2009 Ford Flex, we had this same thing happen 2 years ago, HVAC all checked out, all wiring good, and connections. Power all the way up to the connectors to the fan assembly. Fuses all good. Replaced the whole fan unit. Everything worked great for 2 years, and here we are again same exact issue. So told the shop to replace the fan unit and then test the HVAC and all connectors and fuses. Maybe they will find something the other place didn't 2 years ago? If not at least we can finish our vacation now.