Uncomfortable Steering

[acdii]

Sounds to me that he has a bad tire or two. I found that my car pulls hard on certain roads when the tires now in the back were in the front, but no longer does it now that they are in the rear.

[Ryan Goodlett]

So what was the result of taking it into the service department?

[expresspotato]

I agree with you, the seat isn't very comfortable... Plus what is F**** is up with the headrest? It like pushes you head down?

[GrySql]

is up with the headrest? It like pushes you head down?

Page 132 in the OM - you can adjust it up, down, tilt it back and forward and even remove it.

[hybridbear]

Plus what is up with the headrest? It like pushes you head down?

The headrest can be pushed toward you and it will lock in place, pull it all the way toward you and it will spring back. I was driving one day and couldn't figure out why the headrest was so far forward pushing into the back of my head. Later I commented on it to my wife and she said that some kids that we had with us in the back seat were playing with my headrest and pushing it forward. She then showed me how to get it to release so that it wouldn't be forward anymore.

 

Perhaps something happened that bumped your headrest forward unbeknownst to you.

[expresspotato]

Well no even in its default settings its still very forward. Will try removing it but wonder what happens in a crash.

[SteveB_TX]

Well no even in its default settings its still very forward. Will try removing it but wonder what happens in a crash.

 

Whiplash is what will happen!

[tr7driver]

Try raising it a little higher

[kbailey990]

We're slightly off topic about headrests, but I wanted to add some important safety info from the IIHS.org. I urge expresspotato to keep the headrest in place. It's not there for daily comfort; it's there to protect your vital head in a crash. Yes, it's closer than in the old days, but it has to be to protect you. Here's a link to the IIHS about proper adjustment of the "head restraint." IIHS also answer's exactly "what hapens in a crash," and it's overwhelming that head restraints save lives. Seatbelts aren't comfortable either, but 88% of us have gotten used to them for safety.

 

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/neck-injury/qanda#neck-injury

[acdii]

We're slightly off topic about headrests, but I wanted to add some important safety info from the IIHS.org. I urge expresspotato to keep the headrest in place. It's not there for daily comfort; it's there to protect your vital head in a crash. Yes, it's closer than in the old days, but it has to be to protect you. Here's a link to the IIHS about proper adjustment of the "head restraint." IIHS also answer's exactly "what hapens in a crash," and it's overwhelming that head restraints save lives. Seatbelts aren't comfortable either, but 88% of us have gotten used to them for safety.

 

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/neck-injury/qanda#neck-injury

And a few of us have walked away unharmed from major crashes due to seat belts and head restraints. Major crash is defined as a crash where one or more airbags are deployed, in my case 4 of the 6 airbags deployed.

[Tgederberg]

Well the dealership fixed my problem - however I did not get an good explanation from my service advisor on what they did. There was an error code about a low battery cell (could be because when I picked up the car six months ago, the 12-v battery was dead) and they reprogrammed something. Does this make sense to anyone?

 

Just glad it is steering better now.

[Easy Rider]

The "fix" might be temporary.

They may have just charged the 12V.......again.

The steering problem or other "odd" things may crop up again before too long.

If that happens, a new 12 V battery would be in order, probably.

[corncobs]

The "fix" might be temporary.

They may have just charged the 12V.......again.

The steering problem or other "odd" things may crop up again before too long.

If that happens, a new 12 V battery would be in order, probably.

This obsession with a maybe low 12V LVB causing everything unexplained is getting really annoying.

[Easy Rider]

This obsession with a maybe low 12V LVB causing everything unexplained is getting really annoying.

 

It is not an "obsession" but a real possibility, based on the experience of hundreds of owners of all kinds of hybrids: Fords, Toyotas and GM Volts just for example.

What IS REALLY annoying is taking your car back to the dealer multiple times before they finally admit that the battery is bad.

Finding the battery dead just once or having to re-charge it just once are good clues that something is wrong with the 12 V system and the most likely cause is the battery itself (but not the only cause).

 

Comments like the one YOU made, however, are helpful to no one.

 

I am sorry that it annoys you.

You might want to just pass over any future references to this.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Easy Rider

[hytibill]

I think that they performed the TSB out for the 12 volt battery not keeping a charge. Look at TSB 13-5-1. There was a reprogramming of the "direct current module". Anyway, happy to hear that the steering has been resolved. The FFH has great steering and handling, especially for a hybrid with electric steering!

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6710-tsb-13-5-1-reprogram-direct-current-module/

[lolder]

A bad or marginal 12 vdc battery has proven to be the culprit in many FFH problems that you could never imagine. If it had not been for many instances of this since the 2010 models I would not believe it either. Bad OEM 12 vdc batteries have been one of the biggest problems with new vehicles.

[mwr]

Bad OEM 12 vdc batteries have been one of the biggest problems with new vehicles.

Do you mean across all automobiles? If so, when did that start?

[lolder]

FFHs. I'm not exactly sure why. They may sit several months after manufacture without running much and the higher residual electronic loads of modern cars even when they're off runs the already fairly small batteries flat. That's not good for batteries. I think the batteries themselves may also have had more infant mortality failures.

Edited July 24, 2014 by lolder