2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid reliability

[dsv]

Hello all,

 

I'm considering purchasing a used 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid with 172,000 miles. I'm somewhat concerned that Consumer Reports showed lots of problems with the fuel system that year, and cars.usnews.com shows that year as having less than average reliability. Does anyone have any experience with that model year that could help me understand the nature of common problems?

 

There are a few 2010 models I am also considering, and cars.usnews.com seemed to think that year was particularly reliable.

 

Thanks!

 

D. Vickers

[tclemmer]

I have a 2013 Fusion and I have only had one item go wrong which was part of a recall (Door Latch). I only have just over 70K miles and I bought the vehicle new. So I am probably not much help as mine has been rock solid from day one.

[sschnath]

There is a TSB (17-0039) published for the transmission. You'll find various posts about it scattered throughout this forum.

 

If the TSB applies to that particular vehicle you need to verify if the transmission was ever replaced and if so, not with another affected transmission.

 

Some of us have found out the hard way (after the warranty expired) how expensive it is to replace a Fusion hybrid transmission due to this issue. If the TSB applies and you can't verify the status I'd stay away.

 

Othewise, my '14 is at about 155K miles and, except for the transmission issue, has been pretty good with regard to reliability. There have been some recalls but at least Ford made the effort to address them.

[ethermion]

We have one of the 1st 2013 - special order, delivered December 2012.

 

83k miles, easily the best car I ever purchased. My lovely wife does complain, from time to time, that it is dirty.

 

I dunno, but you should check kbb.com. My guess is that a '13 with 172k miles should not be that expensive.

 

I would favor the '13 over the '10. The '13 looks cooler, gets better mpg, and you can pick up a nav card on ebay for not too many coins ('10 - '12 need a cd/dvd burned just for that car)

Edited October 2, 2018 by ethermion

[sschnath]

My lovely wife does complain, from time to time, that it is dirty.

 

That reminds me, if you have a significant other, have that person sit in the passenger seat. It sits very low and if it doesn't have power adjustments the height is not adjustable. My wife is on the shorter side and is not a fan.

[lolder]

Do not touch a 2013 unless the transmission has been replaced. I doubt the fuel system problems apply to the hybrid. We haven't heard of many on these forums. There was also some HVAC duct mold on some early 2013s and transmission seam oil leaks, all expensive out of warranty.

[mwr]

 

That reminds me, if you have a significant other, have that person sit in the passenger seat. It sits very low and if it doesn't have power adjustments the height is not adjustable. My wife is on the shorter side and is not a fan.

That's one reason I waited until the 2015 FFH was available, to get the passenger seat height adjustment.

[sschnath]

That's one reason I waited until the 2015 FFH was available, to get the passenger seat height adjustment.

 

Hopefully you got a good transmission out of the deal too!

 

I test drove it by myself and never looked at the passenger side controls (I'm in it alone 99% of the time anyway). My wife and daughter sit low enough that sometimes the visor is useless for them. I don't know what Ford was thinking but I'm finding in my search for a replacement that some of the Japanese makes also aren't big on height adjustment for the passenger, even in the high end trims. Not even a manual adjustment.

 

I could say something clever about it being shortsighted thinking but I won't.

[dsv]

Thanks to all those who replied - all of your information is helpful. I looked at the carfax report for the vehicle, and it has been regularly serviced. At 160k miles, the transmission was inspected - I assume that was part of the TSB (17-0039). I plan to take it to an authorized Ford service center for a full inspection before I make the purchase final, just to be safe.

 

Thanks especially to those who noted the potential for transmission issues - Consumer Reports didn't mention that at all.

 

D. Vickers

[B25Nut]

My wife never liked my 2013 FFH primarily due to the low passenger seat. It is probably the primary reason I traded in the Fusion instead of her 2006 Lexus RX 330 when we purchased our new Acura RDX. Saving money on gas on long distance trips wasn't worth the complaints I'd get.

[md13ffhguy]

My wife never liked my 2013 FFH primarily due to the low passenger seat. It is probably the primary reason I traded in the Fusion instead of her 2006 Lexus RX 330 when we purchased our new Acura RDX. Saving money on gas on long distance trips wasn't worth the complaints I'd get.

Kind of funny that the comfort of the passenger seat in my 2013 FFH convinced my wife to get her own 2014, which she drives the heck out of. To each her own, I guess!

 

Plenty of long trips in either car, too, with no complaints from either of us about the passenger seat.

[ethermion]

???

 

We have one of the 1st 2013 FFHs to come off the line. Never heard such a complaint. Low passenger seat? Go to ebay and get an old phone book as a booster.

 

Silly trading in a car that way. Was the ashtray full too? The horror...

[sschnath]

???

 

We have one of the 1st 2013 FFHs to come off the line. Never heard such a complaint. Low passenger seat? Go to ebay and get an old phone book as a booster.

 

Silly trading in a car that way. Was the ashtray full too? The horror...

 

A phone book sounds really comfortable. You're certainly entitled to your opinion but maybe you should walk a mile in his shoes...for certain people the manual seat is very low and makes being in the car less than pleasant.

 

Everyone has different tolerances for dealing with car issues. One of the reasons you rejected another car in favor of the Fusion would probably be considered silly by someone else who ended up driving an Accord (although most of us on this forum would be of the opinion they made the wrong choice!).

 

His reasons are no more silly than yours - just different. It's all about personal preferences and there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to that.

[Texasota]

 

Everyone has different tolerances for dealing with car issues. One of the reasons you rejected another car in favor of the Fusion would probably be considered silly by someone else who ended up driving an Accord (although most of us on this forum would be of the opinion they made the wrong choice!).

 

His reasons are no more silly than yours - just different. It's all about personal preferences and there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to that.

Agree. I had a different take on the concern about low seat from B25Nut's wife. Rather than it being uncomfortable once seated in the car the concern may be about the difficulty of getting in/out of the FFH's low seat which is a common complaint about sedans. This becomes more of an issue as we age. This is also one of many reasons SUVs are popular - they are easy to get in and out of.

[B25Nut]

"This is also one of many reasons SUVs are popular - they are easy to get in and out of."

 

Whenever we visited my 92 year old mom, I chose to spend the extra money on gas for the 5 hour drive and took the 2006 RX instead of the FFH so that we'd have no trouble taking her places. People consider me to be in good shape, but since the RX has been my vehicle the past two months I really appreciate being able to slide into and out of the car, instead of falling in and climbing out.

I boosted the height of the passenger seat for five years on the FFH using a pad and seat cover, but the comfort (and especially the looks) just wasn't the same as the standard SE seat. I got tired of looking at it and went back to the standard, lower seat the last 8 months I drove the Fusion. Starting with the 2017 FFH (with a light colored, adjustable seat available) this issue went away.

[klatoo]

Besides the 10000 recalls, my only issue was one of the battery cooling fans went out which was replaced under warranty. Other then that rock solid little car.