Five Year Ownership Report - 2013 FFH

[B25Nut]

I finished by 5^th year with my 2013 FFH three weeks ago. I still love the car. My brother drove it this morning and commented on how it still looks new. I’ve had a frustrating year, however. In late October of last year, I had all the recalls and updates I had put off performed by my local dealer, since I could not get the vehicle registered in California again without taking care of recall 15E04 for the fuel delivery module. 14E02 for the PCM reprogramming was also done with three other minor recalls.

I had been getting mileage in the 43 mpg range for the past year and this continued for a week when my dealer called and said they needed to see the car again to check the fuel module. I got the car back the same day. I immediately noticed a drop in mileage, which went to 38 mpg. After a month I took it back to the dealer for them to check it out. They did what is probably their standard test drives to prove to new-to-hybrid customers that they just aren’t driving the vehicle correctly. Since I was seeing my biggest drop in my highway mileage, I’m sure their tests didn’t include any time over 62 mph or climbing of hills.

I was told nothing was wrong. When I picked up by FFH, the Engage mileage reading was 48 mpg (which the dealer probably achieved by carefully driving it pre-warmed for a few miles). By the time I drove two blocks, it was down to 44 mpg and 38 mpg when I got home.

I decided to give it time so there could be no doubt that something was wrong. Time flies, so it was almost another year before I made another appointment at the dealer. On November 7, the dealer agreed to do all the recalibrations over again to the current standards. They also discovered that my tire dealer had sold me the wrong Goodyear tires when I had them replaced two months before the original Ford dealer visit for the recalls. It’s strange that I did not see a difference in mileage during those two months, but I agreed that the tires were a factor in my mileage problem.

The re-programming seems to have worked, along with putting the tires at 39 psi. I have been averaging 41 mpg for the past three weeks. My tire dealer admitted his mistake. He had done the same thing to several Prius owners who complained about drops in mileage. He has agreed to give me my next set of tires at his cost.

This past spring I had a business trip to Oklahoma City. I rented a 2017 FFH Titanium. It averaged 43.6 mpg over five days. It also demonstrated to me that Ford has made all the changes I wish my 2013 had.

My overall experience for the past five years has been excellent. Everything has always worked and run smooth. I have no regrets and never wished I had purchased another vehicle.

[B25Nut]

Update: Took my first long trip in a while over this past weekend. Templeton to Oceanside, CA, 300 miles. Averaged 45.1 mpg. I made an effort to keep the speed between 68-72 mph, which seems to make a difference. Many long stretches of level road felt like the Fusion was using minimum effort to maintain 70+ mph. I think I have my old FFH back!