Battery Life

[rhizian00]

I'm looking into buying a 2010 - 2012 FFH (preferably 2012 if I can find one), and if I do then it will be my first time owning a hybrid. I noticed there's a lot of general paranoia online about the reliability of hybrid batteries, and since this is a forum full of people who own and drive the type of car that I want to buy, I thought I'd ask and see if anyone has ever needed to replace their battery, for how much money, and how often, etc...? Is this really an issue I should be concerned about? because I really love everything about these vehicles, and I would hate to buy one and then immediately spend $2,500 on a replacement battery.

[jeff_h]

That is probably the #1 misconception that people have about hybrids - they hear the term "battery" and think of their own car's 12V battery that is good for a handful of years and then goes kaput.

 

Hybrid batteries are different.

 

I bought a Prius in 2005 and drove it for over 120k miles then sold it to a co-worker, he drove it for several years and finally traded it in with 245k miles and the hybrid battery was just fine.

 

I bought my 2010 Fusion hybrid in 2009 and drove it for 145k miles, then handed it off to my wife's best friend and it continued to get a lot of miles from commuting - the car now has 242k miles on it and the hybrid battery does not act any differently than when it was new.

 

So if you surf around various forums you will find occasions where someone had to get their HVB (high voltage battery) replaced, but the situation is very rare.

[bdginmo]

I have a 2012 Escape Hybrid which I believe has the same battery chemistry (NiMH) as the 2010-12 FFH. We have 100k miles on it and there's no indication whatsoever of a problem with the HVB. In fact, this vehicle has been the best we've ever owned. We also have a 2015 Fusion Energi with 25k miles on it. That vehicle uses a lithium ion battery. My wife and I are confident enough in the technology that both of our vehicles are EV. We are in the process of a buying a 2017 Explorer to replace the FEH, but I'm trying to talk my wife into keeping the FEH because it just works so well. To be perfectly honest, I'm more concerned with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine in the Explorer than the HVB in the FEH. I'm pretty confident we can get another 100k out it.

 

By the way, one thing about the NiMH batteries is that more often than not they can be reconditioned in the unlikely event a problem does develop. Being in NJ you'll have no shortage of outfits that specialize in EV battery reconditioning. So if something did go wrong it doesn't necessarily mean you have to replace the HVB anyway.

Edited January 23, 2017 by bdginmo

[devinron]

What they said. Don't worry too much about battery going to fail and spend a lot. Well, it can happen but just like with other parts.

[paulbuck]

I have noticed less and less electric-only propulsion available in my 2010 FFH in the last few years; I assumed it was because the HVB was losing it's storage capability and not being able to provide as much juice to run electric only. Also my overall gas mileage has been decreasing over the years; I no longer see 40+mpg like I used to when the car was relatively new. Not going to replace the HVB in a near 10 year old car.

[PaulGo]

Read this thread:

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/12638-wont-run-in-ev-mode-ice-kicks-in-immediately/