keybman

There is a lot of more recent information on the web, as this has been an increasingly more common problem in the last few years. Here's one such article that may provide you with additional insight: http://www.wheels.ca/news/exploding-sunroofs-what-can-cause-it-and-whos-to-blame/

Thanks, TWS. And the link referring to a particular news article is 404'd, but I found it at another source: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/how-to-prevent-car-sunroofs-from-shattering-spontaneously_20151105190420158

I have been unsuccessfully trying to paste a link for you. But, in the search box here on the forum type in "moon roof keybman" and you will find my similar experience. Hope this helps.

Glad to hear they are back. It is good to have options. :) I have since been told that it is common to discontinue a series of tires to let the national inventory clear out, before reintroducing an updated version. This apparently happened to these Continentals this past fall. Unfortunately at the time, I did not have the luxury to wait for the tire to be reintroduced, as i was not willing to push the 75K I had on the OEM tires. And as for the Pirellis? Still love the smoother, quieter ride. There was a definitive trade-off with the MPGs though. Achieving low 40s now as opposed to hi 40s.

I am hoping for the same. And I am considering that yesterday's (& today's) poor morning commute MPGs might have been the early morning weather - 60 and foggy, as more of a contributing factor. My afternoon commute home (82 & Sunny) garnered 51mpg vs. the usual 46mpg. We'll know more over time. In the meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy my "glider" tires.

I put 73,000 and 4 years on my original Michelins, so it was time to replace. Continental PureContacts were unavailable, Michelins were $50/tire more, so I went with the Pirellis based upon good reviews from this forum and elsewhere. 1st impression - What a difference in the ride! The Pirellis are very smooth - way quieter than the previous Michelins. Even my passengers noticed the "softer ride" as it glided over the road this weekend. And I definitely appreciate the difference. MPG-wise - it is taking a definite hit. I do not know if there is a "break-in" period for new tires, but MPG stayed around 44. This morning, my commute yielded 46mpg, where I would have normally expected 54mpg. Not complaining about getting MPG in the 40s, though. I will certainly take a smoother, quieter ride with a 70K warranty in exchange for a few MPGs. Summary - so far, so good. :)

1st impression - What a difference in the ride! The Pirellis are very smooth, way quieter than the previous Michelins. Even passengers noticed the "softer ride" as it glided over the road this weekend. I definitely appreciate the difference. MPG-wise - it is taking a definite hit. Don't know if there is a "break-in" time for tires, but MPG hung out around 44. This morning, my commute yielded 46mpg, where I would have normally expected 52-54mpg. Not complaining about MPG in the 40s, though. I will certainly take a smoother, quieter ride with a 70K warranty in exchange for a few MPGs. Summary - so far, so good. :)

Turns out that the Continentals have since been discontinued, and there's a large price difference for the Michelins, so it looks like I'm going with the Pirellis. I'll let y'all know how that turns out.

Thanks, smr. These are the 2 tires that I am considering. Since snow is not an issue here, for me it comes down to 3 deciding factors - 1) handling rainy roads, 2) long treadwear and 3) quiet driving. If I can get 70,000 out of my next set of tires and accomplish those 3 things, I am sold.

With 71,000 on my original Michelins, it is time to replace them. Tread is still holding up well, but we're approaching the 4 year mark, and completing 4 Texas summers. Based on recommendations here on the forum, I was planning on going with the Pure Contacts. Since this thread was started 2 years ago, I am hoping that I could get some feedback for those that have made that same choice. What has been your experience? How many miles? Would you choose differently? If so, what would be a better choice? Thanks in advance! :)

So, with my normal city driving habits, and with no intentional effort, I got just over 51 MPG for the most recent tank. 630 miles logged and only filled 12.3 gallons. Biggest factors - finally a period with only a little rain, and no extreme temps ( 80s/60s every day). After 3 1/2 years, I still love this car. :)

Thanks, Hybrider. I edited that line for clarification.

For those preferring not to use the link, here are the important parts: 1) Multiple factors involved in sun/moon roof incidents in recent model years 2) Main issue involves the use of thinner materials 3) Car makers are under federal pressure to produce better fuel mileage 4) With thinner materials, and thinner metal, you get more movement 2 suggestions for prevention from this article: 1) When it's really hot, leave the shade to the sunroof open so that heat doesn't build up, putting additional pressure on the glass 2) Get the sunroof tinted on the inside to prevent glass showerage if it does break (factory tint will not likely help)

Hi all, Heard this on the local news and thought I would share this information as a follow-up: http://www.click2houston.com/news/money/how-to-prevent-car-sunroofs-from-shattering-spontaneously/34342698

Welcome to the FFH Forum, Bryan. I don't know the answer to the specific question that you are asking. But, I have found that the seats that come with the "Luxury package" are the most comfortable car seats I have ever experienced. I've taken several long trips without any back pain whatsoever. And this is even with the concept that accompanying the exceptional FFH mileage, there are not necessarily any gas stops for 8+ hours. I do not know if you can purchase these seats separately, but I would encourage you to go back to the dealer to see you if you can try out an FFH so equipped. What works for me may not work for you, but perhaps this could be a viable option. Good luck and again, welcome!

My Battery Story - I share these details only so that others can compare their similar experiences, since each story seems to have some variations each time. A few days ago, just before arriving on my drive home, it started raining. I pulled into my garage, got into my house and then pressed the key fob to set the alarm. It didn't chirp, so I went back to the garage to investigate. While headed back, I instantly remembered I had manually turned on the lights not too far from home because of the rain. In fact, I was thinking to myself "how smart of this car to not let me set the alarm without turning off the lights". Sure enough, the lights are on but, strangely enough, the car is locked and the key fob will not respond - not for unlock, lock, trunk, panic - nothing. Thinking maybe the key fob battery is low, I retrieve my backup fob - no difference. Illuminated key pad is also inoperable - displays a single red light, but will not display the numbers. Knowing I need to manually get in the car to turn off the lights, I realize that I do not know how to remove the key cover, and my owner's manual is inside the locked car. So, after several feeble attempts, I go back inside, download the owner's manual from the internet, and then accomplish the task. Once inside the vehicle, I turn off the lights, and am aware that the car is dark. No interior lights, no dash, even the map lights are inoperable to touch. I put the key in the ignition and the car starts up like a charm! No problem whatsoever - "Ready to Drive". I turn it off...back to darkness. I set the alarm and went back inside the house to call the service dept. The alarm does not chirp, but does lock the doors. So, I hope that maybe I'll at least be able to get it started in the morning. While talking with the service dept, I went back to garage and notice that the interior light was on and the side mirror lights were also illuminated - they would not turn off. I could now use the key fob to unlock, but only the driver door. Ultimately, I decided to just leave the car garaged and unarmed, as this was the only way to have the least amount of battery drain overnight. Next morning, I unarm the car and get in - still pitch black, no lights whatsover. Turn the ignition...no problem whatsoever - "Ready to Drive". I make it to Service, describe the problem, and of course...she is now working perfectly. Key fob, alarm, lights all appear as if nothing is wrong. I suspect the 12V battery, and based upon my description, they do too. I get the call later that morning that they tested the battery and it was "no problem". They were suspecting either the regulator or "the big battery", as my service advisor referred to it. ;) He was concerned that they would have to order a new one, and that it would be a potentially long wait. I expressed to him my skepticism as to the HVB being at fault, but he did say they were now testing with a bigger diagnostic tool. Sure enough, he called later to inform me that the 12V battery was indeed at fault and they were seeing all kinds of codes, sometimes showing low charging and sometimes high charging. We did have to wait overnight for a battery to be delivered, but it was installed, tested and apparently, problem solved for now. I say "for now" because this is my 3rd battery. Different presentation from last time (Feb 2013) but same solution. All in all, I still love this car, and if I have to replace the 12v battery every 1-2 years, then so be it - it is a relatively small price to pay. Besides, if its replaced that often, it will probably be under the 3 year replacement warranty each time. (I did have the 14E02 performed as well; 14S21 is still on back order for parts. No apparent effect on MPG, got 54 MPG on the way home in stop-n-go traffic)

Good to know. Thanks!

I was wondering about the same thing. Obviously in this case, the water cushioned the impact and the car went under water. But what if there was a crash first, before the submersion. Could there then be exposed wires/connections that could cause a shock risk. After all, isn't that why we have the "HYBRID" symbol emblazoned on the front doors, and the motor having orange parts - to warn 1st responders?

I am fairly certain that compensation is affected by the results of these surveys. Anything less than all 5's can result in less than full compensation. My very first survey I completed was with my purchase experience. I gave my salesperson all the highest marks, but gave the "finance" department (which is a misnomer since I was not financing) a lower mark since I had to wait over 2 hours just to hand them a check. It turns out that since the aggregate score was less than 5 (meaning just 1 bad mark), my salesperson ended up getting a substantial hit on his commission. Totally unfair to the salesperson since he was not at fault for anything, but it was how it was done. I would suspect that service visits have some similar repercussions, which would explain why there is an importance stressed surrounding the surveys. If you had a good experience, it is definitely important to return the survey with all 5s. Its a win-win. If you had a bad or a so-so experience, then I would leave it up to your discretion on how to handle it. Bad scores could punish, and I don't know what unreturned surveys do.

Damn you, hermans! My neighborhood uses cluster mailboxes, and mine is located about a block and a half away. Because of that, i usually pick up my mail no more than once a week, maybe once every 2 weeks. Since you posted on June 29 that the "Check is in the Mail", I began making the trek every day in the horrible Houston heat and humidity, just to see if my check was there yet. Grrrr.... Thank you, hermans! Only a few days after this mailbox ritual began for me, I discovered via a mail notice from the bank, that my son had begun to overdraw his account by several hundred dollars. Knowing he would not be able to repay this without fees, I was able to stop this quickly before it got out of hand. I would not have known if I hadn't been "checking my mail". :) Thank you, SteveB_TX for finally confirming on July 29 that the checks were indeed coming by FedEx and that I could stop my daily sweat to the mailbox. Much appreciated. :) Damn you, SteveB_TX for later suggesting that Ford was stopping the release of checks to those who hadn't received them yet. And it wasn't even April 1 yet. And... Thank you, Ford. :love_shower: I got my check today via FedEx. They left it on the porch, no sig required, I am pleased. (Build date 12/4/12, delivery date 12/26/12, last name "M")

Thank you, but these are occasional and random events for me. I use voice commands for phone, navigation, radio and climate on a daily basis without problems, and I appreciate these features. When the atypical result occurs (~2% of the time), I generally find the humor in it and try again. :)

Thank you for this. My apologies, but I was belly laughing. :) I, too, have had my own arguments with her (I say "Call Mom", she says "Tuning to Indie"), but your descriptions are priceless!

1) I would not have been as attracted to 41 MPG in the City, which is the only number I was concerned with. My calculations on Value/Total Car Cost/etc were based on 47 MPG/City and I was comparing it with other hybrids on the market. On the positive side, if the numbers were not published as 47/47/47, then Ford may have priced the FFH lower. Plus, there is no doubt that this car’s styling far outclassed its competitors. Add in the extras (ACC, BLIS, B/U camera, lane keeping, cross traffic, etc) and I just may have still made the FFH my choice. 2) No. I can’t imagine there being the kind of buzz and user growth that occurred during that time period. So, my experience (if I would have even found the forum) would have been limited and it would have become a passing thought on my life’s internet pathway.

One possible response would be to refer your buddy to the following article: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/spurious-gas-saving-tips.shtml

My current commute is 20 miles one direction – is city (Houston) driving, is mostly flat, usually stop and go, and no opportunities for speeds over 50 MPH. In the morning, temps currently are around 78-80 degrees. For the last month or so, my fuel economy for that trip has been 58-60 MPG consistently. 78 degrees outside seems to be a “sweet spot” for my FFH. However, in the afternoon, temps currently are in the 90-93 degree range and my fuel economy drops to 45-47 MPG for the same commute home. So, a 10-15 MPG fluctuation for a 10-15 degree temperature difference. I cannot tell you how much is attributed to my A/C usage or to the heat’s effect on the battery, but I would imagine that it would be very hard to achieve 40+ MPG under 100-110 degree conditions. On the rare occasions where I have not garaged my car during the day, and it has been left in the sun to bake, the FFH has not performed well MPG-wise. High 30s is my recollection of that experience. I do emphasize that every individual’s experience is unique. As others have oft mentioned here, it will depend on the driver’s behaviors, hybrid driving knowledge, the terrain, the commute, the conditions (rainy is also bad), the trade-offs (A/C vs MPG) and even the car itself (there are good ones and bad ones!). My suggestion would be to test drive the MKZ hybrid before you decide, and give it “your real world” driving experience. While you indicated that you won’t make that decision for a few months, maybe now would be a good time to drive it in the 100-110 conditions during the day, and then try again when the temps are not nearly so hot. And use this forum to gain insight into maximizing your hybrid driving habits before your test drive. Hope this helps!