Fuel economy decreased after Factory Software Upgrade

[cmreynold]

I have a 2013 fusion hybrid that I bought new. I have 50,000 miles on the car with a new set of tires. We had the latest factory upgrades completed in June. Before the upgrade I was averaging 42-45 mpg.. it was great. I drive about 65 mpg and mostly hwy miles. after the upgrade my mpg dropped instantly to 35-38 mpg. my engine runs more and the battery indicator never goes above 3/4. I took it back to the dealer and they said it was nothing they could do and to call Ford. I called Ford and they said to take it back to the dealer and said they would document my call. Anyone have these issues?

[hybridbear]

I have a 2013 fusion hybrid that I bought new. I have 50,000 miles on the car with a new set of tires. We had the latest factory upgrades completed in June. Before the upgrade I was averaging 42-45 mpg.. it was great. I drive about 65 mpg and mostly hwy miles. after the upgrade my mpg dropped instantly to 35-38 mpg. my engine runs more and the battery indicator never goes above 3/4. I took it back to the dealer and they said it was nothing they could do and to call Ford. I called Ford and they said to take it back to the dealer and said they would document my call. Anyone have these issues?

It's probably the tires. What kind of tires are your new ones? New tires have higher rolling resistance than worn ones because of more tread. But if you bought a different type of tires, they may also have significantly higher rolling resistance. The 18-inch Goodyear tires seem to translate into about a 10-15% drop in MPG versus the 17-inch Michelin tires, the two OEM options in MY 2013. If you replaced your tires with ones that aren't LRR you would likely see the drop in fuel economy that you are reporting.

Edited July 7, 2015 by hybridbear

[nv rick]

I recently had my '14 MKZ-h serviced at 16,000 miles after a long trip. Two TSBs were done along with the usual oil change and tire rotation.

My mpg has dropped quite a bit. I am assuming that the drop is due to the extremely hot weather we have been having lately (100+), but I got much better mileage right after I got the car last July. I'll see if anything changes when/if we get any cooler weather.

[hybridbear]

I recently had my '14 MKZ-h serviced at 16,000 miles after a long trip. Two TSBs were done along with the usual oil change and tire rotation.

My mpg has dropped quite a bit. I am assuming that the drop is due to the extremely hot weather we have been having lately (100+), but I got much better mileage right after I got the car last July. I'll see if anything changes when/if we get any cooler weather.

Did any of these changes call for updating the PCM? It's possible that the car is having to relearn the saved tables. Have you checked your tire pressure? Some dealers will let air out of your tires when in for service if you have bumped them up to a higher pressure.

[nv rick]

I don't know if anything was reprogrammed. Two recalls were listed as being addressed: Recall #15B16 (I believe this was a problem with the power trunk) and Recall 15R01. I tried to find out what this was but was unsuccessful. I checked Ford's site as well as doing a Google search. As far as recall 15B16, the service order stated that the "BCM" was reprogrammed.

[GrySql]

I don't know if anything was reprogrammed. Two recalls were listed as being addressed: Recall #15B16 (I believe this was a problem with the power trunk) and Recall 15R01. I tried to find out what this was but was unsuccessful. I checked Ford's site as well as doing a Google search. As far as recall 15B16, the service order stated that the "BCM" was reprogrammed.

15R01 is for the corroded steering gear motor bolt.

15B16 is for the MKZ with power luggage compartment lids - Body Control Module (BCM) Reprogramming.*

 

*(Had to look that one up special, I don't usually check the MKZ only Recalls)

[nv rick]

15R01 is for the corroded steering gear motor bolt.

15B16 is for the MKZ with power luggage compartment lids - Body Control Module (BCM) Reprogramming.*

 

*(Had to look that one up special, I don't usually check the MKZ only Recalls)

Thanks for the info.

I had a letter from Ford/Lincoln about the luggage compartment that I took along, but they apparently check for other recalls/updates. I am really satisfied with the service department at my current dealer compared to my previous dealer.

Regarding mpg, yesterday was a bit cooler (less than 100 degrees). Took a trip to town and then later to Las Vegas. During both trips, mpg seems to be back to the numbers I usually get. The decrease, I suspect, was due to heavier use of the a/c.

[VAuthor]

I had the same thing happen with my 2013 Fusion. Your description nailed my problems to a T. I was averaging about 48-50 mpg on trips and around 43-44 in the city. My gas mileage has dropped about 10%. I've also noticed that my battery doesn't fully charge, according to the gage.

 

I've been back to the dealership twice with this complaint. THe first time I had a long conversation with the new service manager. He suggested I put a can of Sea Foam in my tank. Did it, but it didn't make any difference. The second time I brought it back--roughly 5 weeks and 3000 miies later--I again reported a 10% drop in gas mileage and also that my battery wasn't fully charging. My service slip reported that my gage is working properly and that my gas mileage is within Ford's "normal" range.

 

I'm in the process of building a timeline history of this complaint and also recording mpg. I plan to schedule a meeting with this service manager, who seemed like a pretty nice guy, and pose the question, "What would you do if you were me?"

[lolder]

It is normal for the HVB to not always fully charge. It is controlled by a software controlled system. If the battery is fully charged, it cannot absorb regen braking energy. In weather over 95, the AC starts to affect mpg significantly particularly when cooling heat soaked cars. Maximum mpg occurs at about 90.

[DebZ]

I have a 2013 ford Fusion Hybrid, and after PCM reprogram my gas mileage went down. From 42-39.

[VAuthor]

Thanks for the posts. I drive my car for fuel efficiency, and so at 24,000 miles, my total mpg is 43.8 and that has dropped in the past 6 months.

 

I'm aware that the battery will not fully charge. What I've noticed is that the amount my battery charges has decreased. Now, it only charges to between 50-60%, much lower than previously. As for the A/C, I have more of a problem with the mpg dip in the winter months than I do in the summer.

[hybridbear]

Have you checked your tire pressure? It's not uncommon for dealers to let air out of the tires.

[GrySql]

Have you checked your tire pressure? It's not uncommon for dealers to let air out of the tires.

^^^ That just happened to me. They go by the door plate psi number.

[hermans]

I've had the opposite experience with the dealer I go to. I always run the recommended tire pressure and have repeatedly checked it before servicing. Numerous times when I get the car back it has 40+ pound in each tire. I now tell the dealer what tire pressure I want when I take my cars in.

[VAuthor]

My tire pressure is okay. I do keep an eye on it. I've also factored out any allignment issues and excess weight. On my last long-distance trip I even threw in two tanks of higher octane gas. I didn't think it would make a difference. And it didn't. My mpg was still down about 10%, from the normal 48-50 mpg to 43.3 mpg in good weather conditions.

[Hybrider]

Thanks for the posts. I drive my car for fuel efficiency, and so at 24,000 miles, my total mpg is 43.8 and that has dropped in the past 6 months.

 

I'm aware that the battery will not fully charge. What I've noticed is that the amount my battery charges has decreased. Now, it only charges to between 50-60%, much lower than previously. As for the A/C, I have more of a problem with the mpg dip in the winter months than I do in the summer.

 

Driving an FFH aggressively will cause the HVB to charge to higher levels than more conservative driving will. So maybe you're just learning how to drive more efficiently, which could be causing the HVB to not charge as high as it was before.

[RTimothy]

I have a 2013 ford Fusion Hybrid, and after PCM reprogram my gas mileage went down. From 42-39.

 

I have a 2013 ford Fusion Hybrid, and after PCM reprogram my gas mileage went down. From 42-39.

Hi, I had first oil change on our 2013 SE that we recently purchased. They also did two recall items. One was to a reprogram. also noticed a slight decrease in our MPG.

[Fos01]

Just took my FFH in for service and the recalls noted above. I too am getting 10% less mileage.

[groovnick]

Just curious as to whether you ever found a solution. You've described my problem exactly. I bought a used 2015 FFH about two months ago and immediately was getting 42-45 mpg on average. Occasionally getting up into the low '50s. Almost instantly last week it dropped so that my new average is in the 36-38 mpg range. After parking one day I noticed that some update was taking place on my screen. But I was in too much of a hurry to notice just what it was.

[lolder]

It may be due to colder weather. MPG decreases about 2 mpg for every 10º F. lower temperature.

[hybridbear]

After parking one day I noticed that some update was taking place on my screen. But I was in too much of a hurry to notice just what it was.

On the center MFT screen? That means MFT crashed & is rebooting. The car says "scheduled maintenance" when this happens. This is an APIM issue & has nothing to do with how the car drives.

[MrMikeL]

I have to laugh reading this post. I used to have a 2010 FFH, and now I have a 2013 FFE. I would always lament the onset of winter and the impending decrease in MPG. So a trip that used to be 41 or 42 MPG was now 34 or 35. And I'd get upset. Until I realized that DUH! I'm getting 34 to 35 MPG!

 

I understand, we all want to max out our MPG. But at the end of the day, we are getting better MPG than 80% of the vehicles we share the road with.

[CCalvinN]

I have to laugh reading this post. I used to have a 2010 FFH, and now I have a 2013 FFE. I would always lament the onset of winter and the impending decrease in MPG. So a trip that used to be 41 or 42 MPG was now 34 or 35. And I'd get upset. Until I realized that DUH! I'm getting 34 to 35 MPG!

 

I understand, we all want to max out our MPG. But at the end of the day, we are getting better MPG than 80% of the vehicles we share the road with.

 

THIS!

 

I was complaining the other day at work at how low my mpg had dropped in the last few weeks. Everyone agreed with me until I told them it was all the way down to 33 mpg. They angrily muttered under their breath that they were in the low 20s. So now instead of crying about it I brag that I'm getting 33 mpg!

[jgnfld]

I have to laugh reading this post. I used to have a 2010 FFH, and now I have a 2013 FFE. I would always lament the onset of winter and the impending decrease in MPG. So a trip that used to be 41 or 42 MPG was now 34 or 35. And I'd get upset. Until I realized that DUH! I'm getting 34 to 35 MPG!

 

I understand, we all want to max out our MPG. But at the end of the day, we are getting better MPG than 80% of the vehicles we share the road with.

Yeah...my old Ford Fusion V6 would skyrocket in the winter too...like up to 12.8 liters per 100 km (US 19mpg) given shorter trips and the cold. In my new 2015 FFH. I'm still getting 7 liters/100 km ( US 34mpg) even though a lot of my trips this time of year are, as I said earlier, short and the engine barely has time to get efficient. Went out to the shooting range 55km out of town yesterday in the lo 20sF and got 6.3 l/100km (US 37mpg) going out and 5.1 l/100km coming back (US 46mpg).

 

The range is up on the plateau about 300 meters up in altitude from my house and the long, slow climbout/descent really does make a difference.

Edited January 11, 2016 by jgnfld

[Daniel Schaefer]

I swear depending on what gas station I fuel up at really changes my gas mileage and it is very noticeable.