Oman

Does make you wonder... There was no 2009 Hybrid. I hate how expensive the real-deal manuals are but if he is just selling illegal copies he should be shut down. Jon

The software is designed to get the ICE up to the target RPM as fast as possible so it mostly has the torque from the main traction motor when you tromp on it until it hits the proper rpm. When you are used to a geared transmission that will put out the torque earlier in the cycle it will feel like something is slipping. Essentially you hear the ICE starting to rev without actually having the "feel" of the associated acceleration at the exact same time. Then when the ICE is near the desired RPM the eCVT will start to resist and the torque from the ICE will be applied to the wheels, joining the power already being put there from the HVB. This feels like a sudden "grab" after the "slip". The eCVT is actually extremely efficient, more so than a standard CVT. The only loss is in the fact that when the eCVT is converting RPM to Torque (high demand) it is consuming/generating electric power that is then put back to the wheels by the main traction motor. This motion to electric power to motion conversion has loss. The traction motor can consume quite a bit more power than the HVB can put out because at high load times both the HVB and eCVT are contributing electrical energy. Jon

You have a bad battery or an unusual (and likely non-factory) power draw. Make sure you have NOTHING in the 12V ports - they have no cut-off protection. The dealers are not used to the fact that there is no draw-down to start the car and this is usually how they diagnose this issue if it is a bad battery. If you have and have had nothing plugged-in accessory wise in the car then the battery is bad. There is continuous DC/DC converter diagnostics running on the car which would immediately error out if there was a 12v high or low voltage condition. The dealer can place a low current meter on the battery when the car is off and measure the draw. If it is excessive then they should be able to track it down. If it is not then they should replace the battery. Jon

The auto-dimming mirror works great for me. My wife's van has dimming side mirrors too - I wish the Fusion had them. The colored interior lights are the most useless thing for me... I would prefer something whiter and brighter to actually light the interior floors when needed. I'll also add the LOUD simulated turn signal clicker to the list. I actually LOOK at my dash regularly and therefore don't leave my signals on. Give me an option to turn that darn thing off. I'll second the vote for the sunglass holder. Don't bother putting one in if nothing fits in it. Jon

I can always tell when my lights are on because my dash dims way down. Sometimes if I am in a "grey zone" of weather the lights will go off/on 3 or 4 times during my commute. Jon

yes, but inquiring minds want to know... please share.

I have found that I get better cold weather mileage if I park the car with the HVB drained, rather than over 1/2, if I choose to warm the car up before starting out. This seems to be due to the fact that the FFH will charge the HVB and warm up at the same time. If the HVB is more than 3/4 or so it seems to have to waste some of that warmup energy. It also warms up faster if the HVB is low... I think it works the ICE harder to warm up faster if it knows that the energy is not going to waste. Jon

I can't find anything in the wiring diagram about an electric heater. I wish it had one though. It seems the climate control needs a much higher engine temp in the cold than the emissions parts do. I would guess that electrically assisted heat might give more mileage in the Winter. Jon

Unlike a normal car the 12V battery does not start the hybrid. All the 12V battery has to do is engage the high voltage relay. Once the relay is engaged the DC to DC converter will be charging the battery immediately (without the ICE running) and supplying the 12V needed to run the car. So a completely dead battery won't let the car start but if there is just enough left in it to get the converter running then you will have full 12V. Have the battery load-tested. All auto parts stores and dealers will do this (most for free). The alternative is to turn the car off and leave the headlights on for 15 or 20 minutes. Since the hybrid does not start using the 12V battery this should indicate a reasonable battery state if the lights stay bright for that long. There are battery drain time-out protection circuits on just about everything - except the accessory 12V outlets. 2 weeks is far too short a time for a dead battery unless you left something plugged-in. I have had cell phone chargers that eat 500ma of current even when no phone was plugged into them. That will kill the battery in a few days. Jon

The hybrid installation guide is different. I have a copy but I have to see if I can find the link. I don't see it at the link posted. Jon

Ford actually has found two problems, and has TSBs for both. One is the errant noise issue (fixed with the com line re-route) and the other is a harness connector issue. Both result in brake error lights whenever anything is wrong. Now if I understand the Q part of the post, it seems that sometimes you don't see a regen indication when you thing there should be one. In the diagnostics guide there are about 9 reasons that you won't see a regen indication when braking (you never see one when using simulated engine braking - lifting off the accelerator even though it is the same thing) that are not error conditions. There are about 100 conditions that are error conditions and will cause a brake error light on the dash as well as a refusal to use regen mode. There simply isn't a condition that causes the regen to not engage that is either not "normal" or represented by an error light. So the question seems to be "Why isn't it happening when I think it should". Without having an expert tech go on a drive with you hand having him try to establish in each instance why regen is not happening - there isn't a real way to answer your question other than to list all the normal reasons why regen is not happening. The only time I have seen regen not engage when I think it normally does is when (twice now) the battery has been in its refresh mode. It would be nice if they gave a dash indication about it but they currently don't. The one time it happened I was on the highway and the car did not drive jarringly differently. The other time I was doing a few very short trips and it took much longer and was much more noticeable. Jon

It is a little speaker. Unfortunately it is used for a number of different things it seems. I think it is distractingly loud but I guess Ford has to deal with all the morons that leave their turn signals on all day. Jon

I partially agree. I use a Garmin and I have the PC mapping application for it. Before I leave for a trip I locate all the places of interest we will be going to and add waypoints for them (this makes it MUCH faster than address or name searching). Then I let the map app create the routes I will be using. I can look online or call someone I know in the area to get the "scoop" on the best roads and I make the adjustments to the routes. I then save it all to the Garmin and I get the best of everything. It even gets the traffic updated real-time and I can avoid it automatically or (more commonly) manually. When you create routes you have a number of options (faster, shorter, avoid this or that - and Eco Routes which give the best economy based on the data from your vehicle that you can input). I never actually use the paper map any longer, but I keep one around. Jon

They have pretty regular updates to the main computer system. Ford will likely not alter anything that does not have to do with fixing an issue. There have already been several (depending on when your car was built). There were a few issues fixed after my car was built and I was thinking about bringing it in for an update. Usually the dealer won't just "update" your car because you want them to. The time and service bay cost money so they want to bill it out to Ford. In order for that to happen you have to report and issue that is fixed by one of the updates. I had my dash display flicker on and off once - and when I called they said there was a service note on it so I can get it updated. I'm waiting a bit longer as usually they just update to the latest. Jon

There is a cellular type receiver in the SmartStart interface unit. The iPhone app contacts the server which sends a signal out to your car, where ever it is. As far as I understand it the system is two-way as it can tell you if your alarm went off - but it won't tell you anything else like the temperature inside the car. After 1 year you have to pay an annual subscription fee. Jon

I agree with everything here, except maybe one thing that could be clarified. In "L" the car is designed to "lose" energy through the ICE. This energy is lost, as it is not converted into energy in the battery. So the ICE can actually dissipate energy from the system but this isn't a normal mode. As far as I know the "B" mode of the Prius works the same way. If you want higher mileage you get a Prius. Lighter car, poorer acceleration and ride, better mileage. They are technically equivalent but made different trade-offs. I have been in a Prius a number of times and I certainly made the right decision for me. The 10MPG is no where near worth what I would be giving up. 10MPG over 40 is nothing compared to 25 MPG over 15 (Prius over FFH vs. FFH over my old truck). Jon

I didn't mean to sound annoyed... I'm not really. I think Ford did this for several reasons. First off "L" in a traditional car is used to keep the car in a low gear. This is done for two reasons: 1) keep the torque high and the wheel spin low and 2) if at a higher speed to use the resistance of the engine to aid or save braking power. Ford gave the Fusion the exact same behaviors. Their #1 design consideration was to make a hybrid that drove like a car. They wanted the opposite of "look - I'm a hybrid, look at all these things will will work differently". Secondly I think that they had safety in mind. When you are intentionally slowing down you *should* have your brake lights on. Dropping to "L" in conventional car without using the brakes is a sure way to get rear-ended, even going down a hill. Thirdly (is that a word?) "L" is not controllable. You can not control "extra" regen that will be applied. Using the brake pedal for generative braking allows you to precisely control the amount of energy being reclaimed vs. what is applied to your forward motion. Lastly it could save your life. If "L" just increased regen then it would only have 2 options once the battery charged... either stop doing anything, which would suddenly make you go unexpectedly faster or 2) start to switch from regen to friction braking, causing your brakes to heat up and get that much closer to fade out when you don't even have your foot on the brake. Quite frankly both are bad in my book. Jon

The remote start isn't made by Ford. It is a "Ford Approved" accessory. When I purchased my Ford Expedition they told me I would have two keyfobs if I got the remote start. I got the model # and talked to an aftermarket installer. They said that the exact part # from Ford is an Audiovox programmable unit and they could install it and set it up differently than the default settings. They set it up so that I had lock, unlock, and start on the single keyfob. By default it doesn't work that way. I'm assuming the Fusion is the same way. I'm just going to go aftermarket with the correct "Ford Approved" unit and have them program it to work the locks and the start. The funny thing is that the Ford dealer that was going to sell me the remote start actually used the aftermarket place to do the installation. The factory techs don't like doing it. So I payed less, got more, and the work was from the same place. Jon

Speaking of wind - this will really annoy some folks here on the board... On the Fusion a at 55MPH a 20MPH headwind is *less* costly to drag/mileage than a 20MPH crosswind. Got a chance to talk to a Ford Aero engineer (funny what happens when you work at a place that does data collection work for large corporations). As for the heater I have little difference in the cold ( < 10 degrees F) between having the heat on or off. The computer monitors the exhaust system temperature and starts the ICE to keep it hot. Usually in the Winter I keep my heat down around 60 degrees because I have a Winter coat on but I thought I would play a bit with it. The other consideration is that the battery is run at cabin temperature. The ability for the battery to take a charge is directly related to the cell temperature. When you suffer in the cold the battery won't charge well and you are just wasting juice. Jon

When you hear the noise press the fan control down one notch. This will put the system into manual. Then increase the fan to max. If the squeel/whine is there when the fan is at max and then goes away as you decrease the fan speed then you have the blower whine that is driving everyone crazy. Seems to be worse in the cold. No one is sure yet if a blower replacement will help as it will be the same one that the car came with. It could also be a whistle induced by high velocity air moving through some portion of the ducting system. That would be even harder to fix. Jon

Actually the "L" selector on the gear shifter enables real engine braking. Engine braking by design and intent "wastes" energy. That is the point. The brakes on the FFH are the energy recovery mechanism. They will recover 100% of the energy until 1) The battery is fully charged, 2) The speed is less than 5MPH, 3) The braking force requested is more than can be created by the force restistance of MG1 and MG2. Using "L" will not force the car to recover more of the energy - the brake pedal does that. Ford designed it this way on purpose. Use "L" only when you want to simulate very low gearing or you want to siphon off energy through the ICE. The brakes can be carefully modulated by the driver. Ford intended for the driver to use the brake pedal, which is the most natural and controllable method available. Jon

Wow, 8K is way higher than what it listed at when I purchased my FFH. In any event I calculated the battery replacement cost after 8 years. I added up the gas savings at current (low) prices and then added a battery replacement cost factor based on my commute. I came out WAY ahead. I plan on keeping the car until it dies. Full coverage for the battery for 8 years (non CA). What math are you using? Jon

When I select '10 Fusion, the only vehicle sub-types listed are AWD and FWD. No Hybrid. Do you have a direct link? Jon

I'm pretty sure it is different - but now I'm not sure if it is what I am looking for either. I want a essentially a mat with at least a 1" lip on all sides that covers 100% of the trunk floor. Jon

You might want to take your car into the dealer to have it checked. Mine does 47MPH on EV regularly. There are several level and slight downhill 45MPH road segments on my commute and if I hold to the speed limit I can do them all in EV mode only. The Prius can *NEVER* do 47MPH in EV mode, no matter how slight you are on the gas. Fords marketing claim is exact and honest. It does up to 47MPH in EV mode. Just accelerate to 47MPH and stay there. You Unless you are going uphill or have already discharged the HVB you will be in EV mode. I'm not sure what the problem is. Ford claims the car is a PZEV - Partial Zero Emission Vehicle. This is a pretty specific classification. It gets the classification because it can run at times without creating any emissions - EV mode. Even the Volt will be a PZEV because it will have emissions after the battery drops to a certain charge level. I don't remember any claim about being able to drive around town with full time zero emissions. Jon