Defective mileage in my 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid Titanium

[Jacksonjd01]

I ought this car brand new with all the bells and whistles. I bought the car for commuting purposes because Ford told me I could get 47 miles per gal. I took it back after 25,000 miles and again at 45,000 miles only to be told give it time. I also received a letter in the mail saying that they owed Med money because they lied about the mileage per gal. I'm still getting 34miles per gallon. Who should I contact at ford to address this?

[md13ffhguy]

As you've seen here, if you've read through some threads, mileage varies per driver, conditions, climate, speed, etc... You can't just drive this car any way you please and get the best MPG. So, it might be your doing, or just the nature of your commute and where you live. Most likely, it's a combination of things.

[lolder]

There was at least one poster who never was able to get proper mileage whose plugs were sooty and was obviously defectively running too rich. If this poster has never gotten good mileage at moderate temperatures and speeds, maybe this is another case.

[hybridbear]

I ought this car brand new with all the bells and whistles. I bought the car for commuting purposes because Ford told me I could get 47 miles per gal. I took it back after 25,000 miles and again at 45,000 miles only to be told give it time. I also received a letter in the mail saying that they owed Med money because they lied about the mileage per gal. I'm still getting 34miles per gallon. Who should I contact at ford to address this?

It sounds like you already got your payment for the MPG issue, that was the end of the matter. Ford paid you for the excess gas you will have to purchase over the life of the vehicle versus if it got 47 MPG as originally certified.

[machoman1337]

34mpg when you live in a hot state like Texas? I'd think the lack of winter weather there would help things a lot.

 

While it's hard to do 47 mpg without a lot of hypermiling (downhill driving helps too), 37-40 mpg is very doable with regular driving. My current average (since I bought the car) is 6.0 L/100 km or 39.2 mpg. I bought the car preowned so the previous driver's scores affect my lifetime mileage but even that's pretty good at 6.3 L/100 km or 37.3 mpg.

 

Don't blast the A/C too much during a heat wave (just roll down your windows for the first 5 min of driving), don't gun it when the light turns green, try to anticipate when lights change so you can slow down gradually and get 100% energy returned on your braking, keep to the posted speed limit when cruising on freeways, etc.

 

If you're driving in snail-pace traffic a lot, you can expect generally terrible mileage, as low as the 20s (in mpg), though still much better than with regular cars. Hybrids do best in stop-and-go traffic, but the key word here is "go". If your traffic is 90% stop and 10% go, your battery will run down during the "stop" and the engine will turn on to recharge it without you going anywhere, which skews the mileage numbers.

 

If you do a ton of uphill driving, the low to mid 30s is to be expected, but you should be able to do 50+ on the way back down which evens things out quite a bit. Even during the winter I can get 4.2L/100km or 56mpg on my downhill commute back home (I should note that I'm very, very stingy with heating though).

[lolder]

If you run this car warmed up with no AC on 10 miles or more on a straight flat quiet road at a steady 50 mph with the temp at 60º F. and no wind. It should get about 49 mpg. Reset one of your mpg displays once established at the speed to get the reading. The SOC of the HVB has to be the same at beginning and end. Increased or decreased temperature affects the mpg +/- 2 mpg per +/- 10º F change.

Edited January 27, 2016 by lolder

[md13ffhguy]

I think the phrase, "Your mileage may vary," seems appropriate here.

[Griswald]

You need to contact your right foot, tell it to be much gentler.

 

This is a totally different way to drive, you MUST think about your efficiency for this vehicle to get over 40 MPG. If you follow a bunch of posts on this and many other hybrid car web sites, you will see that driving technique accounts for probably 90% of your MPG issues.

 

If you think a large, heavy car can get 47 MPG without any effort on your part, you bought the wrong car.

 

P.S. I just turned 23000 miles and my lifetime is 44.0 and I don't baby mine at all.

[lolder]

I mentioned the steady state road test to see if there could be a problem. There have been some lemons that Ford couldn't fix. I believe the poster was acdii. If the test yields 40 mpg instead of 49. something's wrong with the car. The conditions have to be as I specified.

Edited January 28, 2016 by lolder

[ptjones]

I ought this car brand new with all the bells and whistles. I bought the car for commuting purposes because Ford told me I could get 47 miles per gal. I took it back after 25,000 miles and again at 45,000 miles only to be told give it time. I also received a letter in the mail saying that they owed Med money because they lied about the mileage per gal. I'm still getting 34miles per gallon. Who should I contact at ford to address this?

Can you Post a picture of your Life Time Score when you shut off your car so we can get your ratio of EV to ICE miles? What speed do you usually drive at? Do you have 50 PSI in your tires? :)

 

Paul

[md13ffhguy]

Can you Post a picture of your Life Time Score when you shut off your car so we can get your ratio of EV to ICE miles? What speed do you usually drive at? Do you have 50 PSI in your tires? :)

 

Paul

I don't think it's proper to suggest such a radical increase in tire pressure to just anyone. That's not going to be an instant cure for him anyhow, and it could prove to be unsafe.

[Griswald]

Can you Post a picture of your Life Time Score when you shut off your car so we can get your ratio of EV to ICE miles? What speed do you usually drive at? Do you have 50 PSI in your tires? :)

 

Paul

I will do that later today. I run 36 psi, I drive a normal 9 mile commute with some 60 mph, some 45 mph and some stop-and-go. I also drive 19 miles across town to a high school every day where I mentor kids in mechanical engineering. The school is fairly inner city, so lots of traffic on that drive. I use an Ultragauge and I feel that is the single biggest improvement you can do to these cars. It gives me instant feedback on trip MPG and I use that to my advantage. It is relatively flat where I live, so I get very little help from coasting downhill, but with that gauge, I take advantage of every downhill grade, regardless of how small. I don't worry too much about brake score, but I seem to do OK on it. I also notice that it takes about 8 miles of 65 mph driving to be able to use the "full-battery" method of getting 50 MPG, so I don't get to do that one very often. It really does work, though.

 

Just to make this more real, I drove a 03 4.0 V6 Ford Sport Trac before this car and got 22 highway and 19 town, before that, 2 Mazda Tribute AWD SUVs (01 and 03) and I got just about the same 22 and 20, so you can see I'm not a hypermiler...I just pay attention.

[ptjones]

I will do that later today. I run 36 psi, I drive a normal 9 mile commute with some 60 mph, some 45 mph and some stop-and-go. I also drive 19 miles across town to a high school every day where I mentor kids in mechanical engineering. The school is fairly inner city, so lots of traffic on that drive. I use an Ultragauge and I feel that is the single biggest improvement you can do to these cars. It gives me instant feedback on trip MPG and I use that to my advantage. It is relatively flat where I live, so I get very little help from coasting downhill, but with that gauge, I take advantage of every downhill grade, regardless of how small. I don't worry too much about brake score, but I seem to do OK on it. I also notice that it takes about 8 miles of 65 mph driving to be able to use the "full-battery" method of getting 50 MPG, so I don't get to do that one very often. It really does work, though.

 

Just to make this more real, I drove a 03 4.0 V6 Ford Sport Trac before this car and got 22 highway and 19 town, before that, 2 Mazda Tribute AWD SUVs (01 and 03) and I got just about the same 22 and 20, so you can see I'm not a hypermiler...I just pay attention.

Sorry but I was referring to the OP, at this point I question whether he is real because He has 1 Post and hasn't bothered to respond. ;)

 

I don't think it's proper to suggest such a radical increase in tire pressure to just anyone. That's not going to be an instant cure for him anyhow, and it could prove to be unsafe.

I'm coming from experience with 122K mi. on my CMAX, 64K on first set and 58K on second set so far and tires are wearing nice and even. Michelin's Max Cold air pressure is 51, so what's the problem here? I know someone that has run 55PSI for along time, excessive to me. BTW there are alot of CMAX/FFH members using around 50psi in their tires and no one has commented on any problems. :)

 

Paul

Edited January 29, 2016 by ptjones

[Texasota]

I don't think it's proper to suggest such a radical increase in tire pressure to just anyone. That's not going to be an instant cure for him anyhow, and it could prove to be unsafe.

Running 50 PSI is unnecessary to achieve good MPG in these cars. I keep my tires between 35 and 38 PSI and after 23,000 miles the hand calculated MPG is a tad over 45 MPG.

[ptjones]

Running 50 PSI is unnecessary to achieve good MPG in these cars. I keep my tires between 35 and 38 PSI and after 23,000 miles the hand calculated MPG is a tad over 45 MPG.

There is no good reason to run your tires less than 38PSI, FORD's recommended tire pressure. From OM " The cold inflation pressure should never be set lower than the recommended pressure on the Vehicle label." Also from OM "Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure: Indicates the tire manufactures' maximum permissible pressure and/or the pressure at which the maximum load can be carried by the tire." Which is 51PSI. Like I said there is no good reason not to run 50PSI and it's free MPG's. :)

 

Paul

[Waldo]

There is no good reason to run your tires less than 38PSI, FORD's recommended tire pressure. From OM " The cold inflation pressure should never be set lower than the recommended pressure on the Vehicle label." Also from OM "Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure: Indicates the tire manufactures' maximum permissible pressure and/or the pressure at which the maximum load can be carried by the tire." Which is 51PSI. Like I said there is no good reason not to run 50PSI and it's free MPG's. :)

 

Paul

 

Well tires do a lot more than just create rolling resistance. How many racecars out there run 50psi? Less rolling resistance would give them higher top speeds on the straights. The answer is none, because lower tire pressures give you more grip. Running at 50psi you will have longer stopping distances in an emergency. The fact that you haven't encountered an emergency in 122K miles is likely part driving skill and part luck, but the fact that you don't care about safety doesn't mean that it is not a good reason to consider it.

[Hybrider]

Sorry but I was referring to the OP, at this point I question whether he is real because He has 1 Post and hasn't bothered to respond. ;)

...

 

Not only has the OP not bothered to respond, but also his/her last login was the very same day and time he/she made his/her one single post to this forum. So he/she hasn't even bothered to check back to see if any of us have posted any solutions for him/her. :drop: :banghead:

Edited January 29, 2016 by Hybrider

[ptjones]

 

Well tires do a lot more than just create rolling resistance. How many racecars out there run 50psi? Less rolling resistance would give them higher top speeds on the straights. The answer is none, because lower tire pressures give you more grip. Running at 50psi you will have longer stopping distances in an emergency. The fact that you haven't encountered an emergency in 122K miles is likely part driving skill and part luck, but the fact that you don't care about safety doesn't mean that it is not a good reason to consider it.

Fortunately, I guess I was lucky :) to have raced my 86 Comp. Delete SVO Mustang in SCCA Racing and it turns out I used 50PSI to keep the front tires on the track and not rolling over on to the sidewalls in the corners, the rears were only 20PSI, because of the front end being heavier than the back. :shift:

NASCAR also uses high pressures for the same reason. They start out with low pressures, the tires don't corner very good so they have to wait for the tires to heat up before they start handling good, you hear about this all the time during the NASCAR races. :)

Concerning braking I almost hit a deer Nov. 10, 2015 doing 35mph on a residential road. There is a thread on CMAX Hybrid Forum "CMAX Has Great Brakes" the car stopped in just a few feet or we would have hit the deer running in front of us. The stop was so abrupt that everything that wasn't tied down came flying from the back of the car to the front and our shoulders were sore from the shoulder belts, but MADMAX and the deer were OK. :drop: So the long and short of this is these cars have Great Brakes and 50PSI doesn't hurt it's stopping ability from my experience. :)

 

Paul

Edited January 29, 2016 by ptjones

[Iwejun]

I cant get over 38.2 mpg, if fact it has been 38.2 now for over a month no matter how I baby it. 42psi in tires, new air filter, full synthetic, when I get done with my drive it usually tells me I got mid 50's and a braking score from 96-98% efficient with no air on I cant figure it out. 38.2 ain't bad but I can usually get that on the highway without trying so after this last update it has me wondering. PS it's not the brakes stopping you it's the friction and grip of tire and 50 psi in a tire is not safe, wait for the hard stop on a cold rainy day you won't feel so smart.

Edited January 30, 2016 by Iwejun

[Texasota]

There is no good reason to run your tires less than 38PSI, FORD's recommended tire pressure. From OM " The cold inflation pressure should never be set lower than the recommended pressure on the Vehicle label."

The vehicle label on my 2015 FFH says 35 PSI and I assume that is what the label states on all FFHs. I cannot find anywhere in the FFH OM that states 38 PSI is the Ford recommended tire pressure.

[md13ffhguy]

I'm coming from experience with 122K mi. on my CMAX, 64K on first set and 58K on second set so far and tires are wearing nice and even. Michelin's Max Cold air pressure is 51, so what's the problem here? I know someone that has run 55PSI for along time, excessive to me. BTW there are alot of CMAX/FFH members using around 50psi in their tires and no one has commented on any problems. :)

 

Paul

That's exactly the problem - you're coming from experience. Increasing pressure, even to that level, may affect handling and responsiveness. You have no idea if the person reading this has that type of awareness of their vehicle's handling. Surprisingly, many people don't understand the effects, and may have no idea how to adjust or react. So, making such a recommendation seems a little reckless. That's all I meant. Please don't take it personally.

[Waldo]

So the long and short of this is these cars have Great Brakes and 50PSI doesn't hurt it's stopping ability from my experience. :)

 

Paul

 

You are drawing the wrong conclusion. If you wanted to say "the car still stops great with 50psi" I would accept that, but how can you know that it wouldn't have stopped even faster at 38psi? What if you'd been going 40mph? The difference between 50 and 38psi might then have made the difference between you hitting the deer or not.

[ptjones]

 

You are drawing the wrong conclusion. If you wanted to say "the car still stops great with 50psi" I would accept that, but how can you know that it wouldn't have stopped even faster at 38psi? What if you'd been going 40mph? The difference between 50 and 38psi might then have made the difference between you hitting the deer or not.

You could also say the inverse, the stop could be shorter at 50PSI. The Manufactures 38psi rating is going to be a compromise between ride quality, wet and dry stopping, wet and dry corning and MPG.

 

I just talked to the Michelinman Concierge Service and I told him that I was interested in the contact patch area change from 38 to 50psi of my Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires. He said he didn't know even know how to get that info, but the important thing was to get even tire ware across the tire which gives the maximum tire contact patch. He said the Michelin Energy Savers have a 55K warranty and I told him I was using 50psi and got 64K mi. out of my first set and 58k mi. on my second set so far. On my first set there was only 1/64" difference in ware from the outside edge to the inside edge which he said was very good and recommend keep using 50psi in the tires! :)

So there you have it, Michelin rep recommends 50psi! :) BTW his # is 1-888-633-3339. Also most members wouldn't notice a difference between 38 and 50PSI in their tires so try it out and let us know what you think. :)

 

Paul

[Texasota]

The Manufactures 38psi rating is going to be a compromise between ride quality, wet and dry stopping, wet and dry corning and MPG.

Can you please tell us where you found the "manufactures 38psi rating"? As I indicated earlier the vehicle label on FFHs indicates 35 PSI.

[hybridbear]

Can you please tell us where you found the "manufactures 38psi rating"? As I indicated earlier the vehicle label on FFHs indicates 35 PSI.

My parents' C-Max Energi door sticker says 38 PSI. The Focus Electric door sticker says 38 PSI. The Fusion Energi door sticker says 35 PSI. All are running the exact same model of tire on the exact same size rims. We keep our tires at about 44-45 PSI at 60 F. Since tire pressure drops about 1 PSI for every 10 F drop in air temp, we run around the 38 PSI door sticker pressure in the winter when traction is reduced by snow/ice & a higher pressure in the summer when dry roads & warm temps yield better driving conditions.