keybman

Perfect. Thank you, hb. I look forward to seeing the output.

I was able to find information on the VHR (so I can run it next time), but can not find info on the Engineering Test Mode. Can you help me get there?

My thought too. After all, this was the first time that I had parked her outside in the summer sun during the heat of the day. But, the reaction just baffles me...don't understand why the driving was affected. And no, I did not run a VHR at the time. But I did just look up VHR in the manual and will now go sign up - then I'll be ready for the next time. (hopefully never!)

Has anyone else experienced something similar to the following? Last week, I did some volunteer work at a downtown food bank and parked outside in their parking lot. At lunch time, I pulled out of the spot, turned right, onto a neighborhood street and then right again as I approached the interstate's feeder road. Just then, warnings galore began rapidfire! Hill Assist ... AdvanceTrac ... etc There were so many trouble alerts and warning lights that I could not begin to remember them all. Plus, I was driving and had to pay attention to my surroundings. At the same time, the car did not want to move. When I pressed on the accelerator, it barely responded. It felt as if I was suddenly pulling a heavy trailer. I was able to limp my weak-powered car to the next block and into a gas station's parking area. Because of the heavy drag I was feeling, I began to wonder if maybe I had accidently initiated the electric parking brake. Never having used this before (it's mostly level ground here), I pulled out the owner's manual, and promptly ended up setting the parking brake. It seemed to work as it should, so I disengaged it (eventually!) and turned off the vehicle. I waited a bit and then turned the car on again. The warning lights were still there so I turned it off again and waited a couple of minutes. I started it up, and went ahead and tested it again on the road. It struggled to get up to highway speed but being only a couple of miles away, I made it to my lunch destination, warnings blaring and parked the vehicle. After the hour lunch, I got in, fired up the FFH, and everything was normal. No lights, no warnings, no acceleration issue - it was if it had never happened. And there has not been a similar incident since. My working possibilities list are 1) maybe I pressed the Hill Assist button on the gear shift. Would that have caused the car to react and drive as it did? 2) maybe the battery was overheated. It was 97 degrees air temperature at the time and the car is usually in a parking garage during the heat of the day 3) maybe this was the 12V battery problem again. But last time, it showed completely different trouble codes, and did not affect acceleration. 4) maybe this is just another quirky one time incident (like my defrost turning on blasting full heat at random, radio turning on by itself, etc) 5) maybe the computer was overheated and just went crazy for a bit Any ideas? I am willing to forgive and forget it ever happened, otherwise.

I'm pretty sure that my dealer will require me to come in and leave the car with them for a day, just to make sure that i have a Fusion before they order the software.

Wow. Just wow. Is this a gamechanger? Will it really work? How will this affect MPG in the long run? Is this April 1? Wow.

Courage.

And I also drove beside a rare bird this morning - a 2013 Ginger Ale Fusion. It did not look bad at all.

And an Ingot Silver FFH zoomed by you in the opposite direction around that same time. (me)

i do not know the mechanics of how that would or would not affect, I am just sharing my experience - and there seems to be a plausible (or possible) connection, based on the circumstances. You may be right and, as I pointed out, there certainly are other factors involved. But, based on anecdotal evidence, why is the answer that many owners receive first is "There's nothing wrong. Go drive better."? That is really the basis of my comments. There is a definite opportunity for improvement of Ford customer service and reputation-building.

Brake Score 93% over 7500 miles

I have a hard time understanding why Ford WOULDN'T change out the battery. It is not a particular pricey item, is a known problem (and not just for FFHs) and if it changes the owner's experience positively, then why not?!! I can not definitively point to my battery change-out as the sole reason for my increased MPG, but my 12V battery was replaced on 2-13-13. I was getting 40-43 MPG up to that point and learning how to drive a hybrid. After 2-13-13, my average jumped to 48-51 MPG per tank. I'm sure I was still learning, the "break-in period" was about then, and more moderate weather was occurring...but, I cannot escape the fact that Ford replaced the battery on my FFH on that date, and the MPG have been better ever since. It seems like it has to be a factor. To me, it seems like a "no-brainer" to at least try to satisfy the customer who is having obvious issues. Why not "try" changing the battery - if nothing else but to rule out the battery as being "the issue"? Are you listening, Ford?

And if it went all the way up every time, you would prefer an option for it to only go halfway. That's what I am suggesting - I would like an option. Maybe something as easy as pressing the remote one more time brings it the rest of the way up. Then, everyone would be happy. :)

Any others? What am I forgetting?

Okay, here goes my lists... LOVE 1. that I love to drive again (had been increasingly growing adverse to traffic, congestion, driving habits of others) 2. the much calmer driving persona that I have developed since beginning to drive the FFH 3. counting the money that I'm not spending on gasoline each month (currently saving $167/mth) 4. not having to fill-up with gasoline 2X a week (now its 2X a month) 5. voice controls over most activities that I use (phone, climate control, radio) 6. feeling of safety when I drive (new driving habits, multiple air bags, driving aids, safety ratings) 7. comfortable leather seats (it fits and feels right for me) 8. the quiet drive 9. the FFH forum where I have gained a lot of knowledge 10. easy phone pairing for hands-free use 11. that it reads my instant messages to me 12. the little checkered victory flag waving once I reach my destination (still enjoying it!) 13. navigation system 14. colorful displays and multiple options for them 15. rear view camera and sensors 16. the switchblade remote control key (no poking in my pocket) 17. wipers and headlamps automatically turning on when I need them 18. handy sunglasses holder 19. no gas cap to forget 20. automatic high beam headlamps (surprised me the 1st time!) 21. blind spot monitor (BLIS is a great addition) 22. the back seat legroom (my passengers say it's great) 23. the front styling of this car (love the Aston grill) 24. that Ford seems like they are genuinely trying to make a good thing even better (PCM recalibration upgrade) 25. realizing that I add Fuelly updates that are consistently higher than not just some Priuses, but Motorcycles too!!! (who'd thunk?) HATE 1. recalls/TSBs with the 1st year model (but knew to expect it) 2. the drain of MPG when the A/C is used in hot weather 3. climate control randomly turning on (heated seats, heater, A/C, etc turned on by a "ghost") 4. the single efficiency leaf falling away if I put the ignition key in without turning it on right away 5. lack of trust in a fully charged 12V battery (replaced once so far) 6. voice recognition errors (I said "call Mom", not "tune to CNN") 7. the fingerprints on the touchscreen (way too easy to accumulate) 8. no convenient place to put small trash 9. trunk only goes halfway up with remote (would prefer an "all the way up" option) 10. relatively small gas tank (would love to get 700+ miles per tank regularly) 11. that the ambient lighting option was not reasonably available for me 12. the antenna sticking out as it does I will add more as I think of them.

7200 miles at 6 months

No complainin' here. I'm saving all my complaints up for my dealership's service department. Would like to get my shifter knob, fuel module and ping-pong match stopped before anything gets worse, but Vicki apparently ain't broke yet. So, I will wait semi-patiently until its "okay" to have the correct parts on my car. But then that's another thread...

"Climate On" and "Climate Off"

I am in Houston. Typical drive to work is 17.6 miles each way - 5 miles of stop&go at 35 MPH, 11 miles of undulating freeway/beltway at 60 MPH but with standstill traffic for half the trip, and then 2 more mile of stop&go at 35 MPH. The A/C on/off isn't too bad actually. I don't always do it, but the ICE struggles more to get up to speed from a dead stop if the A/C is running full blast. And I just use the voice commands, so I essentially just talk to her.

I can tell you with certainty that my MPG has leveled off with the temps now remaining in the mid-90s. (100 predicted for this weekend!) My tanks previously were averaging about 51 MPG, and now they are around 48 MPG. The only advice I can share at this point for Southerners is : 1) go to work early enough in the morning when you don't necessarily have to run the A/C 2) turn the A/C off upon take-off from a stop and turn back on when you reach your speed (easy as "Climate On", "Climate Off") 3) treasure and savor the tropical fronts that will move through your area in the summer (of course, the wind and the rain will then hurt your MPG) 4) be patient and wait for the 4th week of September when the 1st cold front of the Fall will arrive 5) be appreciative that your MPG is not affected as deeply during the winter months as your fellow FFHers in the North.

Just wanted to say that I am pleased to see so many 50+ reports coming in day after day. Especially from those that weren't experiencing those results during the cold winter months. It makes for a lot of "happy" customers. And in a roundabout related way, yesterday I drove about 10 miles in 96 degree weather, ran the A/C, hit light after light, had one long overpass to climb, got to my destination and saw 37 MPG for the trip. Having not experienced trips below 40 MPG, my honest first thought was about those here who experienced mileage in the 30s with their new FFHs, despite knowing how best to drive a hybrid. Sometimes, its just the situation and the circumstances. This car doesn't like extreme cold, extreme hot, speedy driving or a driving rain. (Come to think of it, I don't either.) On a happier note, my second leg of the trip described above, I achieved 56 MPG over those 9 miles.

For my FFH, there was a definitive shift in MPG performance after the 3rd tank of gas, after 1355 miles. 1st 3 tanks - 40.3, 42.5, 45.8 MPG Subsequent fill-ups - 50-51 MPG However, as said earlier in this thread, the "break-in" period of time is not the only factor involved. For me, additional factors to consider were 1) Learning how to drive this hybrid (1st hybrid for me) 2) Replaced the 12v battery at the 1355 mile mark (was receiving trouble codes and warnings) and 3) Cooler temps outside for the 1st 3 tanks

Congrats! :)

Yesterday, I was trying to determine how to get my individual trips back up to 54-56 MPG. This week, I have been running the A/C constantly (non-negotiable factor with 90s temps and 90% humidity), doing more highway miles above 65-70 mph and in general, driving more. I was watching the efficiency leaves falling away rapidly, as if someone was shaking my environmental tree vigorously. My recorded trips were getting only 50, 45, 48, 50 MPG. And then a realization dawned on me, what in the $@%#@ am I concerned about?? I am driving comfortably in a well air-conditioned vehicle that is beautiful, makes me enjoy driving again and the numbers that I was disappointed in, were actually pretty darn good. Beating EPA even still! I could not believe that it took me a week to realize this. It is all a matter of perspective. Previously, I would get 14-20 MPG in my vehicles and kept filling up every 200-240 miles 1-2X a week. Kinda felt like that Geico motorcycle guy made out of money, just blowing cash all over the road. Now, I regularly get 51 MPG and fill up every other week after driving 550+ miles on a tank. Bottom line? Being aware of the vehicle’s performance is important. It is good to know the factors involved – both good and bad. The people in this forum help tremendously to both report and inform each other. My hybrid education continues every week and a lot of gratitude is shared towards numerous posters. I continue to practice the things I have learned here, I will soon get a new shifter knob, and the mice playing ping-pong on my axle will be removed. So, This morning, in near 100% humid conditions, I managed a “meager” 50 MPG and was HAPPY.

And the other possible culprit, or co-conspirator, is the Humidity. Humidity levels over the last week have been mostly in the mid-80% range. Mechanically, I don't know how that would affect the performance, but I have seen numerous reports in this forum regarding poor performance in rainy weather.