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I can't believe I am the only person to complain about this "feature" but here goes. I just bought a 2015 Transit Connect XL (LWB) last Friday. I transport dogs in crates to dog shows (performance events, agiliy, frisbee, etc) so the cargo space in this tiny van is great for my purposes and so far I love it. When I got to shows, however, I will park in the shade, open the side doors and the back door and leave them open all day. I will also periodically come back to the car and sometimes have to open one or both of the front doors. For some reason Ford decided to have the front, rear, and interior lights come on when a door is open, and then all these lights stay on for 10 minutes. If you open another (different) door after the lights finally go out, they all come on again and your 10 minutes starts all over again. There is some information about turning off the headlights when a door is open and I've done that, but there are still lights in the front head light and tail light assembly that come on and stay on, not to mention the LED light in the back cargo area which has no switch whatsoever associated with it (unlike every other vehicle in America). I took it back to the dealer and was basically told I was SOL. Apparently this is programmed into the ECU and cannot be changed. Does anyone know if there is a workaround or way to change the behavior or the timing. Is no one else bothered by this "feature"? Thanks!! Amanda pretty happy except for this one little thing....

Hi guys, I am a super happy new owner of a transit connect cargo as my bike and ski carrier. One of the things I have not been ecstatic with however is the hardboard panels on the sliding and rear doors. I am thinking of making up a replacement set out of a super impact resistant polypropylene composite called tegris. It was developed for ballistic purposes but is really hard wearing and used in other areas such as high end luggage. I happen to work for a helicopter outfitter who provides interior protection kits made out of the material. I have heard of a few other complaints about the hardboard and would be curious to see if there was enough interest in such a kit to justify producing a few sets for sale. The material is completely waterproof, extremely impact resistant, temperature stable, and generally very wear resistant. A massive upgrade over hardboard. It also has a pretty cool looking finish somewhere between carbon fibre and tweed. I am considering two separate kits. One would replace all existing hardboard panels using OEM fasteners. A second would provide new panels for the window areas and likely affix using either industrial velcro (my preference and what is used in several helicopter kits) or customer drilled fasteners. The picture below shows the areas in red that I would like to make panels for. Costs would likely be around $250-300 for each kit as the material itself is quite expensive. I have attached a few pictures showing the material. Around 5-10 sets on either kit would the point where we could consider production. Let me know what you think and about any questions or suggestions. Cheers! (PS individual modifications such as speaker cutouts or engraved logos could also be possible)

I have a 2015 TC ecoboost SWB wagon. I started modifying as soon as I got home. This lit will help me remember it all. And maybe Ford will listen too. Of course there are those damn US regulations. 1. Removed the cross bars for gas milage. 2. Pulled the rear bench seat to storage > 100# lost 3. Installed removable rubber floor mats in the cargo area for dirt and sound deadening 4. Removed the intake muffler in front of the radiator, it makes it quiet but restricts airflow. With it gone I have a factory cold air intake. Probably standard in Europe...And this thing has a nice air filter box w/360 degree filter. 5. Stuffed 4" foam into all the rear quarter interior panels for sound deadening. Right thru the access panels. 6. Replaced all interior lights with LED's, 4 in all, I camp a lot and I don't like dead batteries. Pisses me off that the exterior lights stay on when the door is open. Maybe I can reprogram that, or more LEDs At this point I was ready to get adventurous... 7. Removed the rear interior door panels to find they were designed with 3/4" space for sound deadening but there was nothing there. I guess you have to get the Titanium for that. Mine is an XLT so I just stuffed 1" of fiberfill in there and closed it up. Wow what a difference! 8. Ok, now I know, I proceeded to remove the front door panels and rear hatch and stuff them full of foam or something...and now I drive a Titanium. I was thinking about getting the rear badge and sticking it on... 9. Got sticky rubber stair treads and installed them on the rear bumper for accessing the roof. Cut several pieces to fit perfectly, it looks factory. Where did that go Ford? 10. Tinted the front windows to 30% and put a tinted windshield visor down to the AS line that's Lemo black. The AC works much better now. 11. Where the rear seats mount there are two little 1/4" holes near the doors that actually go thru to the outside. I plugged them with sealant. It's quieter and it'll float longer now. 12. Got a cargo carrier for the receiver hitch, I can carry another box of gear without a loss of aerodynamics. Results: 1. You have to close the doors with a little more effort since the air seal is so tight, or crack a window. 2. She is quiet and comfortable at 100 MPH! 3. I have never gotten less than 26 MPG on a tank. I've gotten as high as 30 on a full tank. My miles to empty is up to 427 on a full tank. I have gotten 34.9 for 45 miles in tight fast moving traffic. I can reliably get 32 MPG if I drive 65 and baby it. Next Mods: 1. LED exterior lights 2. Remove a muffler...there is a resonator and a muffler. I hear removing the resonator doesn't make much difference, so maybe I'll remove the muffler and make it load!! I will get 35 MPG before I'm done. 3. Maybe a computer tuner, they have settings for MPG. And maybe I can reprogram those stupid lights... This van is everything I expected and It will only get better. I'll keep you posted..

Don, is there any reason NOT to do this USB modification tapping into the courtesy lamp power switch? I'd like to add this but don't feel like pulling all the panels

Engine off, key in pocket, any rear door open: Push the turn signal switch forward then back. Hear one chirp. This tuns off the outside lights until the next time the car has been locked. The dome lights will still stay on for ten minutes after each time a front door has been closed and opened.