Reported serious problems with FFH in Newfoundland

[jgnfld]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/lisa-sweeney-ford-fusion-hybrid-sludge-1.3779293

 

I have seen this car on the road and I think it is exactly like mine drive train-wise (though she seem to have tricked it out with the better SYNC package). I am totally satisfied with my own car, but I'm wondering what may be going on here?

 

She couldn't have forgotten to change the oil, could she? Or, use the wrong rated oil? That said, while much of my driving is short commutes, I do 100 km road trips quite routinely.

Edited September 27, 2016 by jgnfld

[md13ffhguy]

Seems similar to what I encountered with my wife's car during cold months, although it hasn't proven to cause any harm.

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9792-what-is-this-gunk-inside-oil-cap

[Griswald]

Wonder what her average MPG's are?

[md13ffhguy]

As I mentioned, this has happened with my wife's car under similar conditions - cold weather, short commute. However, we have never had the check engine light come on. I wonder if this woman's car has a separate, unrelated issue, and they are falsely correlating it with the appearance of the gunk.

 

Fyi, I always use high-quality synthetic oil and change it when the car tells me it's time.

[talmy]

Read the comments in the article -- this is basically normal. "Back in the day" the short trips were considered harsh driving conditions calling for more frequent oil changes. The only thing I can think of that could be wrong with the car is if it has a coolant leak into the crankcase, which will also cause this to happen.