NHTSA Complaint #11073337 — 2014 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT

THE REAR WINDOW WIPER WAS BLOWING ITS FUSES RANDOMLY. ALSO NOTICED THE TAIL LIGHTS AND CARGO DOME LIGHT BLINKING OFF AND BACK ON AS THE LIFTGATE WAS RAISED OR LOWERED. I REMOVED THE VEHICLE END OF THE PASSENGER SIDE CORRUGATED RUBBER WIREWAY FROM THE BODY AND DISCOVERED THE WIRE HARNESS SEVERELY ABRADED WHERE IT CROSSED THRU THE OPENING IN THE BODY. ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF THE HARNESS WRAPPING AND WIRE COVERINGS ON THREE WIRES WERE SCRAPED AWAY EXPOSING BARE COPPER WIRES WHICH WERE SHORTING OUT TO THE BODY AS THE LIFTGATE WAS OPENED OR CLOSED. THE STAMPED HOLE IN THE METAL BODY HAS A SHARP, RAGGED INNER EDGE. THE SAME SITUATION EXISTS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE BUT OWING TO THE WIRE HARNESS BEING SMALLER AND HAVING MORE SLACK ON THAT SIDE, THE ABRASION HAS ONLY REMOVED THE HARNESS COVERING SO FAR. HAVING DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM FROM OBSERVING THE FAULTY WIPER AND TAIL LIGHT SYMPTOMS, I HAVE REPAIRED THE WIRE HARNESS, LINED THE ROUGH METAL HOLES WITH FLEXIBLE PLASTIC GROMMET STRIPS AND RESTORED FUNCTIONALLY BEFORE ANYMORE TROUBLE OCCURRED. I FEEL THIS COULD BE MORE SERIOUS FOR OTHERS UNAWARE OF THEIR PENDING FAILURE. I'VE NO DOUBT THIS CONDITION EXISTS IN OTHER TRANSIT CONNECTS.