Towing a Trailer

[jtoddk98]

Hey, So I've put 3600 miles on my Energi Titanium. Ive come to wonder if I can tow a jetski with the car. I am looking at getting a late 90s Yamaha 2 stroke model, much lighter than one of the new jet skis that are basically small boats. Id be towing using a light weight aluminum trailer. Could the fusion Energi handle the weight? Most of the towing would just be a few miles to the boat ramp.

[Texasota]

The 2015 owner's manual for the hybrid and energi warns not to tow a trailer (probably the same for the 2016):

 

 

TOWING A TRAILER
WARNING
Never tow a trailer with a
Fusion Hybrid. This
powertrain is not designed to tow.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Texasota

[jtoddk98]

I know the manual says that. But many passenger cars were never rated to tow either and I see a ton that still tow with no problems. My load would probably be under 1000lbs. That's less than filling the car with 4 fat dudes lol

[GrySql]

I don't recall anyone on this Forum towing with these cars but several have added a hitch and used it for carrying bikes on a hitch mount bike rack.

 

This is one of those things that you do because you want to and accept the risk of being denied warranty work if a costly component fails and the Ford dealer sees the hitch installed. Ford can't deny any and all warranty work, just something related to installing a prohibited aftermarket device.

It really is your decision.

[notgonepackin@gmail.com]

I put a bike rack hitch (from Etrailer) on my 2015 FFH and learned a few things.

The frame on a Fusion is LIGHT gauge steelformed into a hollow square frame.

These cars do not have 'old school' structural steel frames ...a big reason they get such good mileage.

Etrailer specs a 'class I' hitch for Fusions with tongue weights of 200 or 300 pounds and towing weights of 2000 pounds or less.

 

I installed the hitch and it was pretty easy. The receiver opening on a Class I hitch is only 1.25 inches...NOT the usual 2" receiver opening you see on full size SUV and pickup trucks. You cannot tow heavy stuff; period!

If you were going to tow anything do the math before buying and before hooking up ...I would NOT tow anything with combined weight (trailer plus everything you put on it) that comes close to the 2000 pound limit.

These are light weight cars; not SUV/pickups.

[FernMTL]

I know the manual says that. But many passenger cars were never rated to tow either and I see a ton that still tow with no problems. My load would probably be under 1000lbs. That's less than filling the car with 4 fat dudes lol

Actually, there's a big diffenrence for the car between carrying and towing. It doesn't work the same way.

[ElectricFan69]

Actually, there's a big difference for the car between carrying and towing. It doesn't work the same way.

 

Kinda-sorta, but not really. While there are structural and suspension loading differences that impact handling and braking, the weight the powertrain needs to move is weight.

 

The trick is to stay within the manufacturer's Gross Combined weight rating. That rating is typically derived by subjecting a vehicle to tests like theSAE test protocol that is quite rigorous, and necessary for the manufacturer to 'cover their assets' for warranty and liability claims. This protocol includes the ability to pull the specified load up long grades, in high temps, etc. Not necessarily something that pulling a jetski a few miles to a boat ramp correlates to.

 

My suspicion is that that the FFH has thermal management limits for the battery, the PSD, and the inverter, that a load substantially above the GVWR would cause the car to exceed. There's a good chance that a light towed load (< 1K#) towed at conservative speeds on flat land in moderate temps would cause no harm. The issue the original poster is facing is managing risk - if any of these components fail (for reasons that may have nothing to do with pulling a weight), there's also a fair chance the warranty claim would be denied, leaving the poster with a substantial expense. Kind of like the 'Dirty Harry' line - ' Do you feel lucky?'.

[JonL]

I had a 2005 Escape hybrid that I towed a small trailer to the transfer station on a weekly basis and I pulled a number of small sea craft and such as well.

The towing capacity on the Escape was limited to 800 lbs which was just enough for my purposes.

I've read some statements about the suspension on the FFH not being designed for towing. The suspension is pretty much the same for the hybrid as it is for non-hybrids. I think you can tow up to 2000 lbs with them.

The biggest difference is the drivetrain, that is, the "transmission". The CVT is not designed for towing.

With my Escape, it wasn't an issue at all. In fact, I installed the same hitch that I used on an another '05 Escape for a friend so she could bring back an upright piano on a trailer from her grandmothers home over 400 miles away.

It handled it with no issue.

I plan on putting one on mine so I can trailer our kayaks to and from the lake.

I feel pretty confident in doing it. My only concern for you would be pulling the trailer out of the water.

You might ask the service manager how it will affect the warranty if you towed that small trailer.

His/her answer might make up your mind about doing it.

 

[wr400f250]

I know it's years late, but I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I have a 2010 Fusion Hybrid with 192K miles for reference. I also tow much larger trailers regularly with larger vehicles (F-150, F-250, T300 pushback tug...)

Issue #1, not rated to tow:

       This is mainly due to Ford selling plenty of other vehicles capable of towing. It wasn't worth their time to rate the car, which brings on other liabilities. There is also a minor issue with reverse, being electric-only, being unable to move too heavy of a trailer up a hill from a stop. Overall, not anything that really means you can't safely tow a trailer (within reason).

Issue #2, Warranty:

       While the dealer will tell you otherwise, they cannot deny your warranty claim simply because you tow with your car. Your rights here are heavily solidified by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Essentially, the burden of proof is on Ford that towing a trailer is what caused a part to fail. Even if the transaxle itself were to fall apart while towing, they have to prove that towing is what caused it (which wouldn't be difficult in that situation). You are very much in a better position for warranty claims due to this act. Far too few people are aware of it.

Issue #3, Powertrain

       The hybrid powertrain is actually better suited for towing than just a gas engine / auto transmission. There are no wear parts, no clutches, no belts, nothing to slip, which means no added heat from friction. All gears are in mesh all the time. The eCVT allows you to be in the absolute best gear ratio at any speed, and the boost from the electric motor gets you off the line much easier than a normal car. By far the most underrated thing in the Fusion/Escape is the transaxle. As an added bonus, everything that can overheat in these cars is constantly monitored by temperature sensors. The car will shut down before any damage is caused by overheating. Your main limitation here will be reverse (in extreme cases, on older vehicles), and long uphill grades where the battery will be depleted. In this case, you will just have to maintain a lower speed. The worst damage you will be doing in the end is lower MPG and negligibly decreased battery life due to drain rates.
 

Issue #4:  Suspension

       This is probably the car's biggest weak point. When you compress the rear suspension from a couple feet behind the axle, you change the alignment on both axles. This is less pronounced on the front wheels thanks to the shorter distance from the rear axle to the hitch, but is present. The rear axle, when compressed, induces slight toe-in for handling reasons (understeer, since it's a family sedan). For long trips, this causes excessive wear on the edges of the tires. The best solution here is to add air bags to the rear coils, which is not really something most people would want to do. Also, you can very quickly exceed the tire or axle weight ratings. 200lbs on the tow hitch equates to more than 200lbs at the rear axle, as you are transferring some of the weight from the front wheels. Simply put, don't put too much stuff in the trunk when you tow.

So, in my opinion, you can absolutely tow with the Fusion Hybrid, within reason. I would put a realistic limit at 2000lbs, and you also want to stay away from box trailers if you're going to be on the highway.

Here's my Fusion towing our aluminum horse trailer (about 2500lbs). Yes, I did tow it around locally for the fun of it. It handled it fantastic. And no, I don't use the car to tow this trailer aside from moving it around the yard.

Edited June 23, 2020 by wr400f250
typo, add picture

[GDZ]

I use my fusion hybrid to tow a 6x10’ cargo trailer with a motorcycle inside. I have taken all  sorts of stuff to the dump, furniture, you name it. I have also towed an open trailer with a 700lb bike from south Florida to Arkansas and back without issue. The only concern I had was reduced MPG. I placed the bike on the axle to keep the tongue weight down. 
 

I would like to put air bags so it doesn’t drag the hitch at steep gas stations. If anyone has done this let me know. For any regular towing I’d use my truck, but in a pinch it does work. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by GDZ

[wr400f250]

GDZ, I actually did end up installing rear airbags in the fusion above. The hardest part about install was squeezing the old bump stops (you remove them) out of the coils. I ended up slicing them in half and they came out easily. Disconnecting the shock absorber also gives you a little extra room between the coils.

Functionally, they turned out great. The rear tended to sag anyway because I always had about 200lbs of tools and equipment in there, which was my main reason for adding airbags. The photo with the horse trailer was without airbags. Now with airbags, the car can be kept level even with the horse trailer connected. Minimum pressure at about 10psi does not noticeably affect ride quality, but is more than enough to keep the rear end from sagging even with weight in it. I used a T on the air lines, so both airbags are inflated evenly.

The car is no longer mine, I gave it to my sister as a birthday present. I just saw the odometer yesterday, and she has 205,000 miles on it. Still drives like the day it rolled off the lot.

[Renatte]

On 6/22/2020 at 8:58 PM, wr400f250 said:

I know it's years late, but I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I have a 2010 Fusion Hybrid with 192K miles for reference. I also tow much larger trailers regularly with larger vehicles (F-150, F-250, T300 pushback tug...)

Issue #1, not rated to tow:

       This is mainly due to Ford selling plenty of other vehicles capable of towing. It wasn't worth their time to rate the car, which brings on other liabilities. There is also a minor issue with reverse, being electric-only, being unable to move too heavy of a trailer up a hill from a stop. Overall, not anything that really means you can't safely tow a trailer (within reason).

Issue #2, Warranty:

       While the dealer will tell you otherwise, they cannot deny your warranty claim simply because you tow with your car. Your rights here are heavily solidified by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Essentially, the burden of proof is on Ford that towing a trailer is what caused a part to fail. Even if the transaxle itself were to fall apart while towing, they have to prove that towing is what caused it (which wouldn't be difficult in that situation). You are very much in a better position for warranty claims due to this act. Far too few people are aware of it.

Issue #3, Powertrain

       The hybrid powertrain is actually better suited for towing than just a gas engine / auto transmission. There are no wear parts, no clutches, no belts, nothing to slip, which means no added heat from friction. All gears are in mesh all the time. The eCVT allows you to be in the absolute best gear ratio at any speed, and the boost from the electric motor gets you off the line much easier than a normal car. By far the most underrated thing in the Fusion/Escape is the transaxle. As an added bonus, everything that can overheat in these cars is constantly monitored by temperature sensors. The car will shut down before any damage is caused by overheating. Your main limitation here will be reverse (in extreme cases, on older vehicles), and long uphill grades where the battery will be depleted. In this case, you will just have to maintain a lower speed. The worst damage you will be doing in the end is lower MPG and negligibly decreased battery life due to drain rates.
 

Issue #4:  Suspension

       This is probably the car's biggest weak point. When you compress the rear suspension from a couple feet behind the axle, you change the alignment on both axles. This is less pronounced on the front wheels thanks to the shorter distance from the rear axle to the hitch, but is present. The rear axle, when compressed, induces slight toe-in for handling reasons (understeer, since it's a family sedan). For long trips, this causes excessive wear on the edges of the tires. The best solution here is to add air bags to the rear coils, which is not really something most people would want to do. Also, you can very quickly exceed the tire or axle weight ratings. 200lbs on the tow hitch equates to more than 200lbs at the rear axle, as you are transferring some of the weight from the front wheels. Simply put, don't put too much stuff in the trunk when you tow.

So, in my opinion, you can absolutely tow with the Fusion Hybrid, within reason. I would put a realistic limit at 2000lbs, and you also want to stay away from box trailers if you're going to be on the highway.

Here's my Fusion towing our aluminum horse trailer (about 2500lbs). Yes, I did tow it around locally for the fun of it. It handled it fantastic. And no, I don't use the car to tow this trailer aside from moving it around the yard.

I didn’t see any tow questions on the 2017 forum, so I hope no one minds if I ask in here. 
 

Here’s the short version. I really want to tow a teardrop camper. I’ve read everything above and I’m not sure if you’d adjust the conversation for a 2017 FFH?

 

Longer version…

Left (Seattle) my cheating husband in November. Been living with my family in Oregon. Our “plan” to leave Washington and buy a house in Florida was never real. 
So I’m doing it alone. 
Well, I replaced him with a dog. 
I planned on purchasing a Class C and towing the FFH but someone turned off the spigot on our oil supply. 
The idea of half campgrounds, half motels made me happy. I just need an internet connection a couple days a week. 
Some of the new teardrops are so light. I’d even be willing to pull out some weight for the trip. But the last thing I need in my life is to be stuck on the road because I overloaded the FFH. 

 

I REALLY appreciated WR400F150’s thorough explanation. But since I wouldn’t be installing any of the equipment myself I’m nervous. 
 

I got rid of so much stuff over the last year to prepare to move. We were going to only take what we could fit into a small RV. 

If I’m just driving the FFH, and only staying in motels I would have to just go much faster than I want to. No real bucket list experiences. 
 

Okay, long story over. Cheers!!