talmy

Until a few weeks ago we had a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid and a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Being older (I'm 69 and my wife is 73) we want cars with as many safety driving assists as possible as well as easy entry/exit and a comfortable ride. The 2014 Fusion was supposed to have all available assists available at the time but didn't due to various mistakes in ordering. So I was considering a replacement. Then the news about Ford dropping sedans came out. The 2018 Titanium would have been a lovely upgrade, and the 2019 would be as well with its cruise control that goes down to stop/start. But, frankly, this news looks like a killer for the cars holding their value. So we ended up replacing the 11 year old Camry with a RAV4 Hybrid, going the SUV route. A bit less gas mileage than the Fusion, but it has all the safety assists and then some, and the easy in/out of an SUV. Cost was 10% higher than the old Camry, so actually less considering inflation, and was 10% less than the Fusion. Insurance is actually less expensive than either, being $200/year less than the Camry it replaced. Keeping the Fusion as our second car. The real shame is we much prefer the Ford dealer service (we've been there for 32 years!) over the Toyota service, so in that respect we would have been happier keeping with Ford.

Just got car back from getting new latches. Got a loaner 2017 Fusion with 80 miles for free. Gas model, prefer our hybrid! If they gave me a loaded hybrid (the loaner wasn't equipped with any options to speak of) they might have gotten a sale! Service adviser (who we've had for many years) was griping about the way they announce recalls well before they have parts and says the problems really are not as severe as they seem. I suppose he gets inundated with unhappy/scared customers wanting the latches and seatbelts (still waiting on that).

I just got notice of this recall on our 2014 Fusion. Don't know why we didn't get notice earlier since this applies unless they are spreading out the notices because of parts availability. Still waiting to be notified about parts for recall 16S42.

Save a click-thru unless you have a 2017 Ford Mustang vehicle built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Jan. 13, 2017 to Jan. 31, 2017. No Fusions or hybrids involved.

Don't get too carried away with all of this. All of those states (S1a, for instance) are from Toyota documentation. Our Camry Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid are programmed completely different even though the basic design of the engine/drive train are the same!

Plan on a two week vacation this fall, sans car, and not sure how to prepare. Two hybrids here, and the older one (a 10 year old Camry) even says in the manual that it shuts off after two weeks! Somewhere I read (sorry, don't remember source) that the #1 failure across all new cars of all makes has been the battery. With all the electronics we are not alone.

Indeed true. My old 1983 VW Vanagon did the same. But what would be unusual in the Energi case is that the ICE isn't normally spinning at all but when you turn on the DHA or shift to "L" the engine starts spinning. Might be shocking!. A similar oddity happens in our Camry hybrid. When in "B" going down a hill, as you press on the gas the ICE slows down. The further you press the slower it runs. Now that's strange!

Nice to know! I didn't realize it was that smart, so only turned it on when HVB reached 100%. When you coast with DHA off and in "D" there will be energy recovery without applying the brakes. This is done to mimic the engine drag one would get with a conventional automatic transmission. Somewhere here I read that the amount of recovery applied has been increased in more recent models (perhaps 2016 or 16, we have a 14) to help slow the car down faster to get better braking scores -- braking effectively starts earlier. Since the DHA only purpose is to maintain the existing speed using engine braking going downhill, it does nothing on level ground or going uphill. If it indeed will do energy recovery if the battery is not fully charged then it probably wouldn't hurt to leave it on all the time. I know I've hit the button occasionally and didn't realize it! Don't have an Energi, but I would find it strange when running electrically for it to fire up the engine just to slow the car down. Disturbing! Turn on Downhill Assist, go down a steep hill, and report back!

The car will regeneratively brake, providing the HV battery is not at 100%, when you use the brake pedal. This recovers energy that can be used for acceleration or cruising and is thus most efficient and will increase gas mileage. Using low gear with the foot off the accelerator will use the engine braking to slow the car. That's non-recoverable energy. Using the downhill button will use engine braking to attempt to maintain the current speed. Again that's non-recoverable energy. When driving downhill, use the brake pedal to regeneratively brake until the battery has reached 100%, then use the downhill button to save wear on the convectional, friction brakes. There is never any reason to use Low unless you want the car to seem like it has a conventional automatic transmission. Low won't save on gas or give any increased torque over Drive. Regenerative braking not only increases gas mileage, it also cuts down on brake wear. Work to get high braking scores by smoothly slowing down to prevent the friction brakes from being applied. Latest report has our Fusion's brake linings at >90% at 58000 miles so the brakes will be good for half a million miles. Similarly our Camry hybrid at 140,000 miles hasn't needed any brake work.

Not really a mistake, but you make it seem worse than it is. We also have a Camry hybrid and both cars are similarly "tricky" to get around a dead 12v battery. The owner's manual is available on-line. So if you have web access you can get the information you need about using the key to get inside. Once you pop the hood and connect the jumper battery you can open the trunk without contorting yourself through the back seat.

I got this, too. First for this car (2014). What I don't like is that there won't be any parts until the second quarter. I'm supposed to do what until then??

Basically "L" is there to make previous owners of automatic transmission cars feel familiar (I say that after 50 years of driving manual transmissions). To quote the owners manual: Low Gear: Low gear (position L) is designed to mimic the enhanced engine braking available in non-hybrid vehicles. Low gear will produce high engine speeds to provide necessary engine braking. This is normal and will not damage your vehicle. In low gear, the gas engine will remain on more often than in position D. Since there are no gears, the L position won't give you any difference in hill climbing. The creeping when stopped but brake released is also faked to make it seem like a conventional automatic. I never use L, but Grade Assist (the push button and instrument panel downgrade icon) is very useful: Grade assist: Provides additional grade braking with a combination of engine motoring and high-voltage battery charging to help maintain vehicle speed when descending a grade. As the vehicle determines the amount of engine motoring and high-voltage battery charging, you may notice the engine speed increasing and decreasing to help maintain your vehicle speed when descending a grade. The grade assist lamp in the instrument cluster is illuminated. Its usefulness is that speed is usually maintained while going down long hills, rather than the car picking up speed. You still get the regenerative braking, but when the battery tops up engine braking is used rather than having to manually apply the friction brakes.

Somebody else should jump in with definitive answer for this model. All I can say (based on 2007 Camry Hybrid and 2014 Fusion Hybrid) is that hybrids offer little to no fuel efficiency benefits in very cold weather, especially on short trips. Batteries are not efficient when cold. Engines must get up to operating temperatures to meet emissions requirements (and to be most efficient). The engine must also be running to get the cabin up to comfortable temperature. Another thing to consider is that these are not electric cars -- the electric motor (and battery) are there to allow the gas engine to run in it's most efficient range. When it is producing excess power it will charge the battery, as the car will also do when braking. When extra energy is needed for acceleration, it is withdrawn from the battery. This allows a smaller and more economical gas engine to be used. So congratulations for driving four blocks on battery -- that takes a really light foot but isn't necessarily more gas efficient since all the energy has to originally come from gasoline.

This is comparing the 2010 MKZ (not a hybrid) to the 2010 Fusion Hybrid. If the comparison was 2011 or later MKZ Hybrid to Fusion Hybrid the cost to repair the items listed should be the same (water pump, alternator, brake pad replacement, and oil change service)

I only rely on the car's nav when traveling cross-country. Around town it's Waze. There's no way the built-in nav + XM can beat the crowd-sourced traffic information and re-routing that Waze can do. It is an enormous drain of the phone's battery, so I keep it plugged into the USB jack in the center console.

See this thread http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/11386-oil-specification-changed/ about the spec change. Or just don't worry about it. :)

IMHO there is no reason ever to use "L". The "gear shift" shifts no gears, nothing mechanical at all for any position but Park. To put more energy back in the HVB, just press the brake pedal lightly. This doesn't actually apply the mechanical brakes but absorbs the energy through the motor into the HVB. If the HVB is full and you need braking use Hill Assist. At this point braking must use the mechanical brakes however Hill Assist forces ICE engine braking to the extent to maintain the existing speed if it can.

Looked at my receipts (local Ford dealer) and its still 5W-20 as of July. But this applies to 2013-2014 (we have a 2014). Newer Fusions probably have specified 0W-20 since manufactured.

You gotta stop using the key as a pry bar. :)

Agree with the above about the tires. The color makes a major difference in the summer -- years ago I was in a car lot with a white and black car next to each other and the difference was very noticeable. Don't forget the interior colors as well. At least around here with overcast winter skies I can't imagine black being that much of a heating advantage -- it would depend on where you live. And of course a light colored car is easier for others to see during those long winter lights so probably is safer.

Read the comments in the article -- this is basically normal. "Back in the day" the short trips were considered harsh driving conditions calling for more frequent oil changes. The only thing I can think of that could be wrong with the car is if it has a coolant leak into the crankcase, which will also cause this to happen.

It is said that most drivers could do fine with an electric car most of the time. However the problem is that small percent of the time when a gasoline powered car is really needed. Hence either a second car must be purchased or a plug-in hybrid. But something needs to be done about that trunk space and the Mondeo Estate (as mentioned above by ElectricFan69) in an Energi model would do the trick. Note though that Estate model is the only Mondeo/Fusion that isn't available in any hybrid form for some reason. Just this past week we went on a cruise leaving the Port of Seattle so we drove up from home (outside Portland). Our son and daughter-in-law went as well (also from their home just outside Portland) taking their car, a Tesla. They had to stop half way to "fill up" for free at a Tesla station in Centralia plus a small charge at a commercial electric station near Seattle because of power loss lying idle for the week. So that was a 2+ hour delay in their round trip and a few bucks for electricity in Seattle and when they got home. Our Fusion Hybrid did the whole trip without any fuel stops, consuming 9 gallons of gas ($20). So as much as they rave about their Tesla, I'll pass. IMHO the Fusion is superior for road trips.

If the 2019 is a complete redesign, they might get better space utilization so the trunk won't suffer so much with the Energi. We can just get by with the hybrid when we travel and it's only the two of us. Don't know how families cope.

I believe the "best answer" in this thread is actually a wrong answer. What was said "the engine spins up and acts as an air compressor to hold the car back for the hill descent. No fuel is fed to the cylinders so the engine isn't running." is done with the switch, not the L position, and happens regardless of the battery charge. That's been my experience. The L, as far as I'm concerned, is useless, and is there to make people used to conventional automatics comfortable. Until our Fusion, I spent 45 years driving a manual, so don't care. The quote above from the service manual describes it fine: "When the transmission range is in the low position, the transmission increases regenerative braking when the accelerator pedal is released to provide an engine braking feeling and increased battery charging." You can press the brake pedal lightly to get the same effect.