Thomz Fusion

Dead 12V battery on my 2013 Ford Fusion. I'm not terribly surprised, since I haven't been driving the car and it's been extremely cold up here in Wisconsin. It hasn't been above freezing for at least two weeks, and some nights have gotten well below 0F. I jumped it using a Li-Ion battery that I have for that purpose, and then let it run for a bit. Two days later and my Fusion was dead again. So I jumped it and took the vehicle out for a spin. I looked for my records and find that I replaced the OEM battery in March 2019, so I'm within the 36 month warranty life of the Motocraft battery. But I don't really know if the battery is really bad, or if it had just drained close to zip because of the cold and non-running issues. I have two questions for anyone that is willing to respond: 1. How does the 12V battery get charged? Only when the ICE is running, or does it take juice off the Hybrid-electric circuit when running? 2. Do you think my 12V battery is junked and needs to be replaced? Any thoughts appreciated.

My tag should show the current MPG on my 2013 Fusion. I get better mileage in the spring through fall, and it drops considerably during the cold winter months (Wisconsin).

As noted, my 2013 Fusion Hybrid experienced a small coolant leak in the exhaust manifold assembly. It took the dealer a long time to find it. They quoted about $2,500 for replacement of the manifold assembly. In searching the web, I discovered that it is indeed an expensive part and difficult to replace. This exhaust manifold appears to be a fairly unique innovation that Ford introduced in order to help get cabin heat as soon as possible (recognizing that the IC engine runs intermittently). I considered a number of remedies, including bypassing the coolant passages from the manifold, and trying to seal the leak externally. Eventually, a friend and former Ford engineer suggested using radiator stop leak. I used a half bottle of Bar's stop leak and I am relatively certain that the leak has been plugged. I used to get a coolant smell when starting the vehicle, and experienced a very small loss of fluid over time. Both issues have ceased. I'm hopeful that it has resolved the issue. I'll report back if it resurfaces.

Bill, I took my car to the dealer today to diagnose my coolant leak. After an hour of testing, they determined that I have a leak in that exhaust manifold assembly. They quoted $2,500 for replacement, which has me gulping. The leak is very minor--more of an annoyance than anything. Still, I'm concerned that it could become worse over time and lead to other issues. I like your bypass solution, but it would be nice to have a diagram of some sort to make sure I know what I'm doing. I have been amazed at the cooling circuits on the vehicle, which seem to be running all over the place. I've looked for a drawing of the cooling circuits but haven't found anything. Can you provide any information on the best way to bypass the exhaust manifold? Any help would be most appreciated.

Have you determined the source of this leak? I have been smelling antifreeze occasionally when I get in my vehicle. It doesn't persist. I took the vehicle to a local shop and they pressure tested the cooling system. I suspect, however, that they only tested the normal cooling circuit--not the inverter cooling system. A leak on the driver's side, such as yours, would suggest that it involves the inverter cooling system, so I'm quite interested. I haven't yet found any evidence of a leak, but do seem to be slowly lowing fluid from the main reservoir. Are the two systems interconnected in any way? Any help appreciated.

I have a 2013 Fusion Hybrid with about 35,000 miles. Recently I began to experience a rattle when going over bumps that sounded like it was coming from the back seat area--almost like the seat belt buckles were clicking against each other. I performed a fairly exhaustive check in the backseat area, including the best tensioners, etc. Nothing I did remedied the issue. I also had folks ride in the back while driving over noisy roads. They could all hear the noise, but couldn't pin-point it. Then, recently I took my vehicle through a car wash and the noise disappeared--at least for a few miles. Which got me thinking the noise must be from the exterior. I also noticed that during significant rain events, the noise would disappear for awhile. I spent some time (again) on the various forums and finally came across a post on the Fusion Energie forum that seems to be right on the mark. There is a rubber/plastic seal strip located at the bottom of the rear window, that seals the top of the trunk lid. The trunk lid moves around a bit as you drive over bumps, as you might imagine. That seal apparently becomes somewhat brittle with time and was causing the noise. I lubricated the seal and the noise has disappeared (at least for now--fingers crossed) The photograph below (courtesy of a posting on the Fusion Energie forum, shows the area. I hope this works for others; feel free to pass it along! Thom

I experienced the dreaded 'dead battery' yesterday. Of course, I couldn't get in my trunk where my jump cables were located. Fortunately my wife's car was available and I was able to successfully jump my vehicle (2013 Fusion hybrid). I just ordered a Li-Ion jump battery, to store in my glove box. I figure my conventional (trunk) battery may be getting weak. If this happens repeatedly, I'll of course replace it. However, it occurs to me that it likely takes very little battery power to start the vehicle. I assume the engine is started by the hybrid battery and not the trunk battery. The trunk battery handles the electronics and the like (plus radio, heater, lights, etc.). But, in a pinch might I be able to start the car, or at least open the trunk, with a small battery designed to re-power mobile phones? Can anybody reply to this logic? Is it farfetched? Thomz

I just returned from a week away and found out my battery was dead. Do you have any advice for a portable battery pack? It sounds like a good thing to have. I assume your potable battery pack hooks up to the terminals in the engine compartment, rather than through the lighter socket. Tom I keep a portable battery pack in the glove compartment just in case this happens to me....again. It seems like the average life on the 12V battery is 2-3 years.

Thanks, this forum is helpful. I have a 2013. Today I took a look at the lead-acid battery in my trunk, just to make sure the terminals aren't corroded in any way. All looks good, but it got me to wondering what life-expectancy I can anticipate out of the conventional battery. My vehicle is now about 4-1/2 years old. I typically replace batteries before the 4th or 5th winter on my non-hybrid vehicles. But the conventional battery on the hybrid doesn't get much strain, since it isn't used to crank the engine. Has anybody had any experience with a failure of the conventional battery?

The Taurus isn't listed as one of the 17 cars on the 'death list,' but rather as cars that are "Not Dead Yet! These vehicles aren't quite gone yet, but are clearly headed in that direction." They note that the Taurus has a strong following in China and some other parts of the world, so is unlikely to be dropped. Actually it is in store for a major refresh soon, and I think it shares the same body as the new Lincoln Continental. If they do a decent job with the refresh, it should be around for a long time, iMHO

I had my vehicle in for an oil change today. They performed this service recall (15e03). I found a PDF version of the recall on the C-MAX forum. It effects only certain 2013 Fusions. The reason given for the need for the recall is: In some of the affected vehicles, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may have been reprogrammed with a service calibration which may unintentionally cause clearing of emission-related data under certain conditions. When this occurs, the vehicle may not pass certain state-required emission/OBD readiness testing. I've posted the recall notice. Thomz R15E03.pdf

re: Rattles and squeaks drive me crazy I feel the same way. I'm always trying to find the source of any rattle or other noise. I find the Fusion to be incredibly quiet and solid feeling - which makes that clunk all the more noticeable, even though it seldom occurs.

I hear a clunking noise from the rear right when I do a sharp right turn and go up an incline - such as when I enter my driveway. I called it to the dealer's attention shortly after purchasing the vehicle in 2013 and they didn't find anything. It has persisted and about 4 months ago I took the vehicle in and had the service writer ride along with me. The noise was repeatable and the service group diagnosed an issue related to the right rear shock assembly. The parts have been on order for months now - still awaiting them to schedule the work. I called a few weeks ago and the service writer said that they are having difficulty in obtaining the parts - not sure i understand that, since they should be common for all Fusions. I don't think there is anything unique with the shock assembly on a hybrid. The service writer states that the replacement part (the shock) has a different part number from the original - suggesting that it has been redesigned. She believes that there must have been an issue with the original shock design. I plan on calling and escalating this issue next week - been waiting far too long for resolving this admittedly minor annoyance.. I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has had this issue.

Perhaps, although I would be surprised if the default position was closed because it is more normal for things like this to be controlled in a 'fail safe' manner. This would imply that they would be powered to close. You wouldn't want the shutters to fail in the closed position, because that would eventually lead to overheating. But the point of all of this is that the shutters are used, in part, to reduce the time for the engine to achieve normal operating temperature. Motor Trend had this to report about the Ford modification (July 2013): These software updates focus on three areas of fuel economy improvement: highway driving, short trips, and climate control use. The maximum pure electric speed is increased from 62mph to 85mph to allow for greater use of electric-only mode on the highway. Active grille shutters, which reduce aerodynamic drag, are optimized to better function in conditions like cold weather and when the air conditioner is running. Engine warm-up time is reduced by 50 percent, meaning that electric-only mode can be activated sooner after a cold startup. The climate control system will also use less energy in cold weather now due to minimized usage of the air conditioning compressor. Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/ford-software-update-hopes-to-improve-hybrid-mpg-386569.html#ixzz3MGnFzyx8

I believe you are wrong on that point. The shutters close when the engine is cold, in order to reduce the warm-up time. This change was part of the modifications that Ford put in place with the revision to the hybrid programming earlier this year. While the shutters may have originally been designed solely for aerodynamic improvement, they are now also being used to help warm up the engine. I found this to be smart-thinking on the part of the Ford engineers...