Interesting notes from the banker world (credit news)

Percent of Ford Sales as "passenger cars:

• 26.21% (2014)
• 16.05% (early 2018)
• 16.05% (mid 2018)

Best Selling Ford Vehicles:

• 24.5% (Ford F-150 pickup truck)
• 11.9% (Ford Explorer SUV)
• 10.4% (Ford F-250 truck)

For the first time, a passenger vehicle is not among the top 5 models.

So A "F-150" is a "pickup". But a F-250 is a "truck". Begs question what is a "pick-em-up truck"? What is a F-350? ("Car cruncher")?

If you find credit rating interesting (I do), this was also interesting info on Ford Motor Credit.

The deal's concentration of “super prime” borrowers with FICO scores greater than 749 is 37.4%, which is consistent with REV transactions and amortizing FCAOT transactions. Borrowers with FICO scores less than 650 is 14.4%, which is at the bottom of range compared to prior REV transactions.

Pic of Ford Mondeo

It is rather ironic that Ford didn't try to sell the Mondeo (Fusion) wagon in North America.

July 11, 2018, 6:00 AM CDT

Bloomberg Business

"The Fusion name probably will live on when the sedan exits early next decade, according to a spokesman. It will be replaced in the showroom by a high-roofed hatchback built on the same mechanical underpinnings, said two people who asked not to be identified revealing future product plans."

And you thought it couldn't get worse..

I think Ford's engineering is tops. Even though I cringe when I leave my FFH [running] with the fob in my pocket and get the "honk honk reward", I still end up laughing remembering my friend at work who had just leased a $90,000 Tesla (waiting months to get it). His wife dropped him off and then drove off to her workplace (the routine). He got a call 15 minutes later asking if he had the Tesla fob. (He did). His wife was 15 miles away with no way to (1) lock her vehicle outside work, and (2) no way to start the car again.

The Tesla doesn't honk when someone walks off with the car's fob in their pocket (score one for Ford engineering). As seen in Amazon Prime Video's Grand Tour series reviewing a Tesla X, there is a mode on their fob where the car will drive to your position, and another where it lifts and "bird flaps" both rear gull-wing doors, flashes the lights and plays Beethoven's Ode to Joy on the speakers. If Ford had added a "celebration mode" and gull wing doors to the Fusion it might have survived.

(Yeah I cross posted this to the main fusion forum..)

No discussion of the spare tire compartment on a FFH is complete without a Cheech and Chong reference..

Ford Fusions were recently used as "mules" to smuggle marijuana in the spare tire compartment from their final assembly in Hermasillo..

https://jalopnik.com/1-million-worth-of-marijuana-found-inside-new-ford-fus-1796979822

Why oh why doesn't my 2017 FFH have an option to beep assertively if I attempt to change lanes with a car in the blind spot?

Of course I know about the light in the mirror, but a beep (like other cars have) is such an easy thing to add.

It confounds me that this car, equipped with all this tech (I have it all) cannot make an audible sound in that situation.

I am a little color blind and have some issue with light contrast -- the mirror light warning is inadequate IMHO

Yup. 2032 in my 2013 and my 2010.

 

A 2450 will be a little wider and a little taller. But, if it fits in there you are good no matter what. They are all 3V, and all will last for many years.

I tried to put the CR 2032 into my 2017 Ford MyKey fob. It wasn't even close to big enough.

Ford owes me $3.50 for that pack of CR 2032's I bought.

I just replaced my 2017 Ford Fusion MyKey Fob battery.

On page 50 of the manual ("Onwers Manual 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid") it states:

The remote control uses one coin-type three-volt lithium battery CR2032 or equivalent. 

-Try to get through the owners manual, it’s important to know things like: HVB disconnect, jump points, dead battery entry/start. I guarantee you’ll find something you didn’t know.

It's hard to believe you can't put gas in the car, nor open the trunk with a dead battery. But it's true.

Pay attention at the "walk around" by the salesman post-purchase. You may need to know about the jumper cable "points".

Heck .. you might want to note that you can't open the hood until you find the secret latch lever on the right side (facing the car)

(find and practice opening your hood NOW).

I did idiot proof myself. If you lose you $200 key fob and are miles from home in the dark you are more or less screwed.

But.. I've got you covered.

Wrap up your spare key fob in aluminum foil and hide it in the car. The foil will keep the fob from "talking" to the car.

(so it stays locked -- and unstartable). Just approach the car and touch the pillar over the drivers door. Enter your 5 digit code

and you can get in, unwrap the foil on the fob and drive home.

I thought my 2017 Fusion Platinum Hybrid had a huge defect on the drive home from the dealer (as the bright's turned themselves on and off seemingly on their own). I still laugh about it..

I studied the 2000+ options on the Ford Fusion and finally gave in to the Platinum trim. I love my 2017 FFH. Of course the price of gas went down, but it will head back up. The only negative is the weight on the brake pedal and the trunk. At least its not as bad as an Energi. I still go on youtube occasionally for a laugh (watching that poor guy who drove a Fusion Energi demo for a week and had to store his luggage in the back seat LMAO).

I found a new feature on the car every day during my "honeymoon month". I had the "fever" bad. Eliminating all competitors to the 2017 FFH as I lovingly read hundreds of articles and virtually "building" one on the ford.com sales site a dozen times a day for months. I found a new feature in the left display last week after 15 months. It's a crazy good car. Enjoy it! The exclusive-to-Fusion "stop-and-go assist" is like butter - the stress of a hard urban traffic jam melts away.

I love my Platinum trim. I love it every day. If you prefer leather interior grab a platinum while you can.

We might not see a leather wrapped dash again in a Ford for a long time (Lincoln of course will offer this).

About the only thing I could give up is the auto parking. With the Platinum trim you get to drive a Lincoln for pennies on the dollar.

Additional standard equipment has been added to the SEL and Titanium trim levels as well, while the top-end Platinum trim has been discontinued for 2019. Ford says the 2018 Fusion can be had in 2,000 different combinations, while the 2019 model has been pared down to 36 variations.

The Detroit News, January 3, 2018

CANCELED REDESIGN MUDDIES FUTURE FOR FORD FUSION
In a November letter sent to suppliers for the new Fusion program obtained by The Detroit News, Ford officials said the company is canceling the previously planned North American redesign program — named CD542N — for the 2020 Fusion. The decision does not mean Ford is axing the Fusion nameplate, but it at least temporarily kills a scheduled redesign of Ford’s best-selling U.S. sedan.



Looks like Dearborn has come to their senses. You can't improve on the design of my 2017 Fusion.

..to see it's [..] failures.

I have never needed to control the gas,..

Failures? I hope not!

Do NOT put your foot on the gas :)

I got it to work with a "one sided" perpendicular park the other day (two spaces open). Didn't know that would work.

Sue me, but I started a separate thread to discuss the SYNC 3 v2.3 update. Please share your experiences!

I successfully performed the SYNC 3 v2.3 update (UPDATE SYNC 3 v3.0 in addition April 2018) today (upgrading from the original v2.0).
I logged into owner.ford.com and was "steered" to download file JL1T-14G381-AJ.zip

I bought a 64GB USB stick off the shelf on Amazon for $17.86

[i tried for an hour to use my macOS machine. Then another hour with Parallels Desktop running Windows 10. Neither worked. I used a real PC with Windows 10 successfully]

1. Inserted it into my PC USB.
2. Open Windows File Explorer
3. Find USB Drive (D: for me)
4. Right click File Explorer and scan for viruses (yes factory USB's can have viruses).
5. Right click on USB Drive (careful!) and select "Format.." - click through warnings and make sure exFAT/ExFat/ExFAT, etc.
6. Find your download Zip file you downloaded from owner.ford.com. For the SYNC 3 v3.0 update for a FFH the file is "JR3T-14G381-AL.zip"
7. Right Click and unzip to the USB drive (now empty and formatted exFAT). I selected my USB drive as the location.

Once you are done, File Explorer on the USB drive shows this (precisely):

SyncMyRide [folder]
System Volume Information [folder]
DONTINDX.MSA
autoinstall.txt

If you see any other files it very likely won't work. You might peek at the autoinstall.txt after copying it to your hard drive (don't want a ".bak" version opening up beside it on the USB drive.

When I looked at autoinstall.txt I found this line at the top (top is v2.3 from November 2017 and bottom is v3.0 from April 2018)

 SYNC3 Consumer Assembly Upgrade - Release 2.3.10 - Only for MY 17 Nav/NA assemblies.

SYNC3 Consumer Assembly Upgrade - Release 3.0.13 - Only for Nav/NA assemblies.

Interesting.. Looks like the v2.3 update is specific to a 2017 vehicle and the 3.0.13 update is general.

Here are a few notes from my experience.

• I made sure to start the vehicle as directed and never turned it off until the end (when I let it sit for 5 minutes, after turning off the vehicle, opening/closing the door, and letting the display shut down).
• No macOS allowed. Even though I properly formatted the USB drive to ExFAT and loaded the unzipped files correctly, attempting to use the mac loaded USB stick in my vehicle failed immediately every time with this message:

          Installation Failed
         Error Code: LST_ERR05
  If error, please note code and contact 
           1-800-392-3674.

I believe the issue was SYNC 3 O/S "choking" on some hidden directories macOS places at the top level of any drive: (.Spotlight-V100 and .fseventsd). I then used Windows 10 to format the USB drive ExFAT and loaded the files without problem.

After loading the USB stick there was ZERO acknowledgement on the SYNC3 display of me inserting it.

I sat there for 10 minutes as nothing happened. The light on the stick pulsed - on for one second, then off for one second.

It was all I could do not to go crazy...

Then the pulse stopped and the light stayed on then off and on in non-regular fashion (good).

Suddenly, just as I was about to give up, at the top of the display this miraculously appeared:

Updating System Software...

This went on for 10 minutes or so and then I got

        Installation Complete
You may now remove your USB device.
  Updates will take effect the next time 
       you start your vehicle

At the end of the day I have not noticed any difference between v2.0 and v2.3.
(I went from Build 16074_PRODUCT to 17109_PRODUCT)

The versions for Gracenote and Navigation Maps did NOT change (?)
The value before and after are shown here:

Gracenote Version: 1.1.1.806 (NA-0010).
Navigation Maps Version: NA 1 15

I have seen on the sister forum for SYNC 3 that people are seeing different Gracenote data (album cover art and track names.). Ford is pestering me (in emails) to upload the "log file" which is placed on the USB drive at the end and formally let them know I did the update.

Looks like the SYNC 3 version 2.3 Update is Out. I can't find any release notes.

Has anyone had any luck installing it? Any comments on new features?

Sigh..

My Fusion says "SYNC 3, Software Version: 2.0" Build 16074_PRODUCT (from my delivery in December)

Of course the Ford owner web site tonight says I was updated yesterday (I wasn't)

I did reboot SYNC 3 but still no update

(hold the giant Power/Volume button in and [simultaneously] the right seek button for 5 seconds to reboot Sync 3)

I'll try the USB update soon.

I'm going to go way way out on a limb (1/8")..

"A Prius is a Prius". Group all 3 models (NOT including the plug-in) and it's an easy win for Prius.

September 2017
  
Toyota Prius (Liftback/V/C) 7437 total
Ford Fusion Hybrid          6326 total

September 2017
  
Toyota Prius (Liftback/V)   6487 total
Ford Fusion Hybrid          6326 total

Disclaimer: DO NOT TRY THIS (Go to your dealer to resolve any issue with your car involving malfunctioning equipment).

There are times when I might want to "reboot" the electronics on my Ford Fusion Hybrid (2017). The 12V battery is in the trunk (see picture). Under the hood are (+) and (-) "prongs", specified by Ford (in the manual) to be used to jump the car (page 229). This is needed since you can't open the trunk of your car without the 12V battery -- which is in trunk(!). Explain that to your old man.

What is the best way to disconnect your 12V battery? I did it by loosening the nut labeled "A - Negative Side" on the photo. The "washer" under the nut made an unsettling "crackle" sound (as it formed a circuit on and off a few times -- was I"frying something"?) This worked. The car was disconnected from 12V and solved a problem.

Attached are some reference 12V battery pictures from my 2017 FFH.

I got the dreaded "FORDPASS Deep Sleep Mode Activated" text message today ..

After using my trusty jump-pack to get my car started, SYNC3 is now exhibiting the dreaded "Radio Off" message.

Here are some tips to get your car out of "Radio Off" mode -- potentially saving you a trip to the dealer.

• Turn off your car. Open close your door. Turn car on.
• Try inserting a CD into the slot.
• Try Soft Reset (reboot SYNC3):

  ⁃ Hold down the power button and the right seek button for 5-6 seconds. The SYNC3 head unit will reboot -- takes about 20 seconds.

• [Do not do this. Tow to Ford and wait days for a fix] Try unhooking your 12V battery cables for a few minutes (you will lose some of your settings like clock). This is a bit desparate -- don't try this if you don't know your way around a car.

The last one worked for me. No trip to dealer. I did have to reset my clock, redo Bluetooth pairing with my phone, and (ugghh) re-register my car with FORDPASS.

Here are some interesting threads about "Radio Off" on a Ford SYNC3:

Why can't I get my [Ford SYNC3] radio or any audio to turn on? Related posts

https://www.torquenews.com/3768/what-do-if-your-2017-ford-f-150-falls-deep-sleep-mode

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/why-cant-i-get-my-radio-any-audio-turn-337907/

I got the dreaded "FORDPASS Deep Sleep Mode Activated" text message today (for the second time in a month). Both times the car sat for -- 2 days (wow. 2 days). This is a dealer-installed replacement battery.

After using my trusty jump-pack to get my car started, SYNC3 is now exhibiting the dreaed "Radio Off" message.

As others have described in this thread, there is no sound but some other SYNC3 things seemed to be working. Will the "Radio Off" issue from a dead 12V fix itself? (say, when the 12V charges itself back up)? I don't see an obvious fuse to check in the manual.

Elon Musk got a lot of laughs over that air filter claim .

Hilarious. This story broke more than two months ago on Alpha News MN April 24, 2017.

Today, July 14, 2017 essentially the same story is the marquee headline on Drudge Report. Don't they have Google?

Drudge Report

FORDS FROM MEXICO SMUGGLE DRUGS...

I sent a message to their Tip line 5 minutes ago informing them they were embarrassing themselves with a 11 week old story. It has now been moved way down.

i use all the driver assist features including parking. I have only tried vertical parking. A few notes:

1. Never use park assist if pedestrians are nearby or other cars are jockeying for spots nearby (like right out in front of Wal*Mart on Saturday).
2. Always make sure you have your full attention on the sync screen and your right foot.
3. Feather the gas pedal to move as slowly as possible.
4. The park assist has NO IDEA where the parking lines on the ground are. It will place you mathematically between two cars. If those two cars are not centered in their spots you could end up way out of center.
5. As you go into "search mode" (slowly trolling forward with blinker on the side you want to park), ignore any open spots where two vehicles are "sticking out" an uneven distance. Trying to park between an F-150 crew cab and a fiesta aint gonna work.
6. Most important! Never attempt this procedure with a mother in law in the vehicle (or anyone else who might freak out.

My friends with the other brands tell me they never use any of that tech. Especially Honda. Adaptive cruise is awesome. The exclusive 2017 stop n go is wonderful. Ease into it with some common sense and you will be a pro in no time!

There are discussions all over the web about this.

There is a 58 post deep discussion here. Included lemon law FFH story. I believe this problem is due to a drain involving the CD Player constantly turning on to see if a disc is present. This affects many 2017 models and is being discussed everywhere.

Deep Sleep Mode Activated.

There is another thread where 2017 FFH (I believe mostly Platinum or loaded Titanium trim models) are being delivered with bad batteries. The replacement battery should be installed by a Ford tech certified in Hybrid or Energi if possible (there is a special "marriage" procedure a tech told me about to replace a battery in a hybrid/electric 2017 (only ?) Fusion).

2017 Fusion Energi Dead Battery Issues - FFH

How is window 1 touch up/down doing?

Windows (1 Up/Down)