Front Camera Haze

[Whitest Russian]

Does anyone else with the Safe and Smart Package get the "Front Camera Low Visibility Clean Screen" message popping up frequently? For me it pops up almost every time I get on the highway and occasionally while driving. It also looks like there's a haze in the camera housing (has anyone cleaned it out?).

I was at my local dealership since my radar was acting up and my service advisor said that if they removed the camera housing and didn't find anything abnormal that I would be responsible for the man-hours required to remove, reinstall, and reprogram the camera.

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[Qcman17]

I have never gotten that message in 2 years with the car so no its not normal in my opinion.

 

[Whitest Russian]

I have never gotten that message in 2 years with the car so no its not normal in my opinion.

Do you have a haze in your camera housing?

 

[Cobra Jet]

It looks like there is a haze there to me, at least from your pics. Unless that is some type of reflection on the exterior of the windshield?

Looks like the haze is on the inside between windshield and the camera housing.

 

[Whitest Russian]

It looks like there is a haze there to me, at least from your pics. Unless that is some type of reflection on the exterior of the windshield?

Looks like the haze is on the inside between windshield and the camera housing.

Yes. I'm assuming that the haze is why I keep getting the error message.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Yes. I'm assuming that the haze is why I keep getting the error message.

Well, I’d point that out to the Service Center AND tell them you want it documented on your Work Order that there is a visible haze UNDER the windshield glass.

That R&R should be covered under the new car 3/36 warranty AND you should not be charged anything at all - even if they were to remove the module from the glass to only wipe the haze away....

 

[armykyle1 [HACKED ACCOUNT]

I have on occasion, but my windshield is filthy when it happens.


Yours looks really hazy. Definitely try to warranty it unless you're handy and impatient.

 

[Whitest Russian]

Well, I’d point that out to the Service Center AND tell them you want it documented on your Work Order that there is a visible haze UNDER the windshield glass.

That R&R should be covered under the new car 3/36 warranty AND you should not be charged anything at all - even if they were to remove the module from the glass to only wipe the haze away....

My dealer said that they'd be willing to take it apart and have a look but unless they found a defect in the glass or the camera or something I would be responsible for the labor. I feel like the 36k warranty too but here we are.

I am going to a different town next week and I managed to schedule with the dealership there. Hopefully they're more sympathetic.

 

[Whitest Russian]

Antelope Valley Ford in Lancaster CA ended up taking care of the haze for me.

 

[davisle1]

Antelope Valley Ford in Lancaster CA ended up taking care of the haze for me.

Antelope Valley Ford in Lancaster CA ended up taking care of the haze for me.

So what did they do to remedy the problem?

I've been having this same issue for some time now and my dealership looked at it and said they needed to reset some electronics. After that, the problem reduced but wasn't solved.

I have the same haze inside my windshield in the camera area and it seems to trigger the warning when bright sunlight hits the area just right. It even triggers my auto wipers on then that is usually followed by the warning message coming up. Since this camera senses several safety features, I would assume that any low visibility means everything it does is less sensitive.

From what I can tell, the haze is forming from fine dust in the air and from blowing air on the inside of the windshield, just like it does anywhere inside the windshield, if you don't clean it.

The housing is not totally sealed. There is a small slot at the bottom of the camera housing that air can easily get into and that is probably what's letting this haze form but it's not big enough to get anything in to clean the area. I've also always been in areas with high humidity which probably adds to the problem.

I took it back to my dealership here in Fort Lauderdale, Fl, and now they say they don't work on windshield issues and I would have to take it to a windshield repair shop to see if they can correct it but that would probably cost a fortune because they only use insurance it the windshield is broken and needs replacing. Not sure if it's an option to just remove the windshield, clean and replace it but even that doesn't address the root cause, which seems like a design flaw.

I was really surprised that the dealership is acting like it's not their issue and according to them, not covered under any Ford warranties.

Since I'm now seeing several different forum threads talking about this issue on various Ford models with this front camera design, I went ahead and submitted it to NHTSA to research as a potential recall issue. Then Ford will have to handle it.

 

[Whitest Russian]

So what did they do to remedy the problem?

I've been having this same issue for some time now and my dealership looked at it and said they needed to reset some electronics. After that, the problem reduced but wasn't solved.

I have the same haze inside my windshield in the camera area and it seems to trigger the warning when bright sunlight hits the area just right. It even triggers my auto wipers on then that is usually followed by the warning message coming up. Since this camera senses several safety features, I would assume that any low visibility means everything it does is less sensitive.

From what I can tell, the haze is forming from fine dust in the air and from blowing air on the inside of the windshield, just like it does anywhere inside the windshield, if you don't clean it.

The housing is not totally sealed. There is a small slot at the bottom of the camera housing that air can easily get into and that is probably what's letting this haze form but it's not big enough to get anything in to clean the area. I've also always been in areas with high humidity which probably adds to the problem.

I took it back to my dealership here in Fort Lauderdale, Fl, and now they say they don't work on windshield issues and I would have to take it to a windshield repair shop to see if they can correct it but that would probably cost a fortune because they only use insurance it the windshield is broken and needs replacing. Not sure if it's an option to just remove the windshield, clean and replace it but even that doesn't address the root cause, which seems like a design flaw.

I was really surprised that the dealership is acting like it's not their issue and according to them, not covered under any Ford warranties.

Since I'm now seeing several different forum threads talking about this issue on various Ford models with this front camera design, I went ahead and submitted it to NHTSA to research as a potential recall issue. Then Ford will have to handle it.

I think they ended up pulling the Safe and Smart housing off of the windshield and cleaned it up. It never came back.

Also that car had it's first owner in Florida. I wonder if it's a high humidity thing.

 

[Mike Pfeifer]

It is common for these systems to have other limitations besides the haze on the glass. The sun can blind the camera depending on position in the sky, and that can be seasonal as the sun tracks higher or lower from the horizon through out the year. This might be an issue in instances of a complaint like “every time I drive on road x on my way to work”. Fog and heavy rain / snow can limit it’s ability to make out vehicles ahead. Wet roads immediately after a downpour can cause reflections from the car ahead and cause system confusion. There are other things but they get less and less common. Basically, anything that can impede the camera’s ability to see what it expects will limit its function, possibly with a warning displayed.

 

[davisle1]

Thanks for the info Alex. I did ask if that housing would come off and while it does, it doesn't allow access to the area in front of the camera. (see attached image).
There is a thin slot there and maybe an innovative technician at your dealership, used something small to get in there to gently clean the windshield. I've found no one who will attempt anything, yet, so the mystery continues, for me

As for Mike's comment posted about how this is common for these systems. I know that heavy rain, ice, or snow or anything on the "outside" of the windshield can cause this but that's not the issue here. The outside of the windshield is not obstructed.

I never had a problem until the haze appeared on the inside and no doubt it is enhancing light and possibly blinding the camera but I've also had the warning on days that were not that bright, so the mystery remains. Bottom line, this is a safety system and it should work as specified.

 

[Cobra Jet]

After reviewing this thread again and the pics of the haze - my guess is the haze is being caused by interior degassing of the plastics. This wouid be similar to the haze that accumulates on the inteior of the windshield during hot days.

It's more common to see the haze on the front windshield than it is the rear or sides because of the close proximity of the dash pad and other surrounding plastics to the glass.

I forget the exact scientific reasoning, but it's the degassing of chemicals used in the interior component composition. Such as dash pad materials, plastics, rubbers, etc. This happens more frequently with vehicles on hot days, whether it's sitting out in a driveway/parking lot/street or even stored in a garage.

I don't know of any way that hazing can be stopped if it's being caused by interior degassing.

 

[IPOGT]

After reviewing this thread again and the pics of the haze - my guess is the haze is being caused by interior degassing of the plastics. This wouid be similar to the haze that accumulates on the inteior of the windshield during hot days.

It's more common to see the haze on the front windshield than it is the rear or sides because of the close proximity of the dash pad and other surrounding plastics to the glass.

I forget the exact scientific reasoning, but it's the degassing of chemicals used in the interior component composition. Such as dash pad materials, plastics, rubbers, etc. This happens more frequently with vehicles on hot days, whether it's sitting out in a driveway/parking lot/street or even stored in a garage.

I don't know of any way that hazing can be stopped if it's being caused by interior degassing.

Does it seem to get worse after a visit to Taco Bell? If so, the gassing may be confirmed but the actual source may be in question.

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