sschnath

Thanks for the confirmation. I had forgotten that I still have CANBUS anti-flicker modules installed from some LED headlights I had installed and then removed. The CANBUS modules are still connected and it's possible they might be causing a problem (they are causing a problem with the DRL) so I need to get those out first and then see if the problem returns. If so, I know which direction to take it next. Thanks again.

What was the problem that cause the module to be replaced? My daughter is now driving my '14 Fusion Hybrid and she reported that the turn signals stopped working yesterday along with all of the steering wheel buttons? When I checked it last night the turn signal did not work first time I tried but turned it off and tried it again and then it worked. I initially thought the lever might be going bad. But she said this morning that the steering wheel buttons were still not working and by the time I got to it (a couple of minutes after she started) they were working. This sounds like a steering column control module to me. Anyone else ever experience these symptoms? The 12V battery was replaced in 2017 @ 91K miles with a Ford AGM battery. It's got about double that mileage now and it did sit idle for a couple of months this summer while we waited for my daughter to get her license. But the AGM battery should have handled that better than the stock battery. Still, a battery would be significantly less than a steering column control module.

Likely your air conditioner. Try turning it off to see if it goes away. The AC is noisy anyway so if it's not that, turning it off will help to better isolate whatever it is.

I've experienced significant smoke from my Fusion a couple of times that put my old Passat TDI to shame. It seemed to come from repeated bursts of hard acceleration over a very short period of time (just a few seconds) that I think put the ECM into a state it's not used to dealing with. Caught me by surprise. Engine's still running fine at 160K.

Yes, that vibration 35-40 mph roughly. It sounds to me like it comes from the A-pillar area on the passenger side which is I why I thought why it might be related to your issue. The hunt continues!

Does it rattle when you're driving or only when you're closing it? There's a rattle at certain speeds coming from that general area that some of us have complained about. We've never been able to pinpoint. I'm wondering if this is it?

A phone book sounds really comfortable. You're certainly entitled to your opinion but maybe you should walk a mile in his shoes...for certain people the manual seat is very low and makes being in the car less than pleasant. Everyone has different tolerances for dealing with car issues. One of the reasons you rejected another car in favor of the Fusion would probably be considered silly by someone else who ended up driving an Accord (although most of us on this forum would be of the opinion they made the wrong choice!). His reasons are no more silly than yours - just different. It's all about personal preferences and there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to that.

Turns out the transmission I'm getting is from a '14 C-Max. One open but unrelated recall on the donor vehicle and the transfer shaft recall doesn't apply -- the donor vehicle was manufactured on 7/9/14 in Michigan which is outside the affected window. This should be "plug and play" although I know some re-programming will be required.

I do have the VIN from the car it was attached to and the assembly date. I'm going to see if my dealer can look up the history. Until I find out differently I'm assuming it hasn't been touched.

Just pulled the trigger on a used transmission - was able to find one with only 10K miles on it. I won’t be installing it until December but I’ll have it in hand in case the original lets go sooner. It is really loud now and there is an occasional slight slip but it does not feel like it’s in danger of failing imminently. I’m at about 153K miles on the original now. The replacement comes from a Fusion that was assembled in July 2014 so it's likely affected by TSB14-0214 so I'm considering an update of the transfer shaft while everything is apart. Does the damper housing and transfer shaft normally come as part of the transmission assembly or does that have to be purchased separately? If it's a separate part, has anyone purchased the transfer shaft kit referenced in the TSB? Wondering how much extra cost that would add. I got a 3-year warranty on the transmission incl parts and labor. It's not a Ford reman part but purchased from a very reputable salvage yard. I'll probably put another 15K-20K miles on the replacement transmission in the next year and then I'll be surprised if it sees more than 8K-10K miles/yr. after that over the next several years. If the transfer shaft comes as part of the transmission it will likely outlive the rest of the car. If it doesn't come with the transmission then I will likely go ahead and replace it. I'll also be checking to make sure it gets any updated seals per the recall for that problem. Am I missing anything?

Hopefully you got a good transmission out of the deal too! I test drove it by myself and never looked at the passenger side controls (I'm in it alone 99% of the time anyway). My wife and daughter sit low enough that sometimes the visor is useless for them. I don't know what Ford was thinking but I'm finding in my search for a replacement that some of the Japanese makes also aren't big on height adjustment for the passenger, even in the high end trims. Not even a manual adjustment. I could say something clever about it being shortsighted thinking but I won't.

That reminds me, if you have a significant other, have that person sit in the passenger seat. It sits very low and if it doesn't have power adjustments the height is not adjustable. My wife is on the shorter side and is not a fan.

There is a TSB (17-0039) published for the transmission. You'll find various posts about it scattered throughout this forum. If the TSB applies to that particular vehicle you need to verify if the transmission was ever replaced and if so, not with another affected transmission. Some of us have found out the hard way (after the warranty expired) how expensive it is to replace a Fusion hybrid transmission due to this issue. If the TSB applies and you can't verify the status I'd stay away. Othewise, my '14 is at about 155K miles and, except for the transmission issue, has been pretty good with regard to reliability. There have been some recalls but at least Ford made the effort to address them.

Ah, that makes more sense. I do wish the tank was a little bigger on my '14. With my commute I'm filling up every 2.5 days. Of course, bigger tank holds more fuel which weighs more and negatively impacts mpg.

I do 90% highway driving (70-75 mph) and I've never gotten over 600 miles on a tank and that was with LRR tires that I've moved away from. I'm lucky if I can get 530 miles from a tank now.

I just turned 150K miles and have not touched the plugs yet. Engine is still running well. Also have not flushed the coolant either. Still deciding whether to replace the transmission (looking like l will replace with a lightly used transmission) before I do any additional work to the car.

If you have a record of discussing it with your dealer prior to 100K shouldn't you still be able to get warranty coverage on it? I heard the noise before 100K too but it was not very loud then and just attributed it to age. I was going to be buying another vehicle next year and letting my daughter use this one but she doesn't get her license for another year. Looks like I'll have to accelerate that plan now. I'll probably pull it off the road soon and hope we can find a reman transmission in the next year. The reasons I bought this particular car in the first place haven't changed and because I've taken care of it I'd like to hold onto it. The car is worth more to me than its trade in or private sale value. I guess I'd have to look at it as it would be a very good used car for $6300 (and hopefully I can do better than that) but it stinks having to shell out that kind of money while still making payments. I had considered an MKZ hybrid as my replacement but that's off the table now.

Yes it is too bad. It's been a good car overall. I have an appointment with a local transmission shop next week. They said they would not attempt to repair it and there may not be many remanufactured or used units on the market yet as the car is not that old. Does anyone know if a transmission from the '15 or later years will work on a '14?

In case you're still interested, it's the transmission. Dealer quoting $6300 to replace.

Finally got it to the dealer today. It's the transmission. They quoted about $6300 to replace. Time to say goodbye to the Fusion. I was considering replacing it with an MKZ. Not any longer.

Me too! Will probably be another couple of weeks before I can get it to the dealer.

14 months actually sounds aggressive. 14 weeks, no way. There are thousands of parts involved and while there are many shared parts between models it can take a long time to get the supply chain ready for anything not already in production. And even just increasing the forecast for a part that is still in production and being used elsewhere doesn't happen immediately - there would still be lead time considerations for the additional raw material needed due to the forecast increase. For instance, custom logic chips have a 6+ month lead time and that's just to get the chip built, never mind not having it built into another assembly elsewhere. Sometimes you can pay premiums to reduce lead time but that's not always possible and it only takes one critical part not being available to keep a car from being built. Don't forget that Ford isn't the only company re-allocating production. In a booming economy, their suppliers and sub-tier suppliers will be shutting down their supporting lines and allocating that space to other projects too. They're not waiting around for Ford to change their mind. Even if it's an existing supplier relationship and they don't have to create new tooling, just bringing a line back up doesn't happen overnight even if Ford is paying them to keep the line available (which is possible but unlikely). Not to mention restarting a line can come with its own headaches (same workers may not be available or they can be working with inaccurate documentation that was compensated for previously through tribal knowledge but the documentation was never updated, etc.). Now coordinate that across many suppliers so that they're able to provide high-quality product at volume and have it all ready at the same time. 14 months sounds good to me.

I have 140K on my '14. I've replaced two front wheel bearings and one axle. License plate bulb harness needed to be replaced too. Other than that it's been very solid. My engine is now making a loud noise (I'm not sure it's the engine but it's in the engine compartment) that I've not had time to have the dealer look at yet. It started around 100K and has gotten progessively louder - it's very loud now. Depending on that outcome, I'm considering replacing mine with the Lincoln MKZ hybrid equivalent - my daughter gets the Fusion next year.

Trying to find time to get it over to the dealer - it's not something they can look at on a Saturday morning. Still on my to do list. I will post the results when I do - it may be a couple of weeks yet.

I'm scheduling an appointment with my local dealer. Hope it's unrelated. We'll see. Glad you were able to get yours sorted out and under warranty too.