Won't run in EV mode, ICE kicks in immediately.

[KDWyman]

My 2010 Fusion Hybrid ran as designed for about 9 years (only 87,600 miles) with a few hiccups along the way, then this year It has stopped working as designed in Hybrid EV mode...now ICE only stops when foot on brake at red light in warmer weather, Battery remains full unless getting motor assists at highway speeds then it might drain to half full and you can see that charging of battery is occurring... Ford reconfigured the HEV batteries and retrained the car which worked for about two days abnormally in colder weather, ICE never stopped. (Car has never been in storage unless you consider the two weeks recently that it was at Ford while they tried to figure out the problem) Engine only now stops at red light when warmer weather has arrived this spring but never works as EV mode at any speed now... Had to take car back to Ford when recently got the red triangle "of engine death" ie pull safely over when you can, because the engine doesn't work, this is abit harder and less safe when the EV doesn't work, and I had to pull over on a bridge with no shoulder one time that was not fun. Car has already had the throttle body replaced. Ford has determined that the batteries no longer can provide the power to run the vehicle in EV mode, but say they haven't "failed", so they will not honor the 10 year /150K mile warranty that the batteries are suppose to have in the state of New Jersey. Very disappointing to say the least. Ford says they can configure the EV system to "think" that the batteries are like 2 years old and the car then runs in EV mode as designed, but whats remaining of the batteries will fail if left in this 2yr mode, and don't recommend it. My battery warranty ends at the end of July this year so I don't want to do anything Ford recommends against. Apparently, Ford has fixed my engine problem that caused my car to stop on the road, saying that some control valve had to be replaced...we will see if it is really fixed or not.

[beastrow]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone played around with Forscan to see if it has the ability to perform the re-balancing that the Autel MD 808 can supposedly do? I have a new USB OBD scanner coming this week that can toggle between MS-CAN & HS-CAN to open up more of the Ford specific diagnostics and tools and I'd love to initiate a re-balancing if it's in there somewhere. Otherwise, I'll do some digging and report back on what I find.

[Automate]

Forscan can't currently do a re-balance on 2010-2012 Fusion Hybrids. It does support re-balance on older Escape Hybrids. The developers are working on adding this functionality to the Fusion.

[PaulGo]

My 2010 Fusion Hybrid ran as designed for about 9 years (only 87,600 miles) with a few hiccups along the way, then this year It has stopped working as designed in Hybrid EV mode...now ICE only stops when foot on brake at red light in warmer weather, Battery remains full unless getting motor assists at highway speeds then it might drain to half full and you can see that charging of battery is occurring... Ford reconfigured the HEV batteries and retrained the car which worked for about two days abnormally in colder weather, ICE never stopped. (Car has never been in storage unless you consider the two weeks recently that it was at Ford while they tried to figure out the problem) Engine only now stops at red light when warmer weather has arrived this spring but never works as EV mode at any speed now... Had to take car back to Ford when recently got the red triangle "of engine death" ie pull safely over when you can, because the engine doesn't work, this is abit harder and less safe when the EV doesn't work, and I had to pull over on a bridge with no shoulder one time that was not fun. Car has already had the throttle body replaced. Ford has determined that the batteries no longer can provide the power to run the vehicle in EV mode, but say they haven't "failed", so they will not honor the 10 year /150K mile warranty that the batteries are suppose to have in the state of New Jersey. Very disappointing to say the least. Ford says they can configure the EV system to "think" that the batteries are like 2 years old and the car then runs in EV mode as designed, but whats remaining of the batteries will fail if left in this 2yr mode, and don't recommend it. My battery warranty ends at the end of July this year so I don't want to do anything Ford recommends against. Apparently, Ford has fixed my engine problem that caused my car to stop on the road, saying that some control valve had to be replaced...we will see if it is really fixed or not.

I believe it is a programming error on the part of Ford. According to the owners manual the HV battery should last the life of the car. The HV battery on many Ford Fusion (and Milan) cars seem to go into this mode after 9 years. This does not seem logical. As I previously stated on this forum my two 2010 Mercury Milans with 43,000 miles each have the same problem after coming out of storage due to the air bag recall. Since your car is still under warranty I believe you should contact your state officials (and perhaps through your Congressman) about Ford not honoring their warranty. Another option is to PM me and I will give you the name of my attorney who is in the process of filing a class action lawsuit.

Edited April 28, 2019 by PaulGo

[beastrow]

Forscan can't currently do a re-balance on 2010-2012 Fusion Hybrids. It does support re-balance on older Escape Hybrids. The developers are working on adding this functionality to the Fusion.

 

Great info, thank you! Will keep an eye out for the add, but it's at least nice to know it may be coming.

[Rodney]

I have the exact experience with my 2010 FFH, won't coast anymore below 47 miles per hour, engine shuts off only when the brake is pressed, and engine starts right after the brake is released. I bought the MD808Pro tool and rebalanced the HV battery, but it did not fix the problem. Also, the tool tells me the voltage of the cells, and they were very close. I called my local Ford dealership in Steinbach Manitoba, and they are aware of the trick to fool the computer to fake down the age of the battery. In fact, they had recently applied the fix to an ford escape hybrid that had the same issue. I will take it in on May 30, was told it may cost $90 for the programming. I am getting the airbag fix at the same time. Unfortunately they are not handling the recall the way they did in the USA, and do not offer loaner cars... The fellow told me that the fix restored the escape hybrid capability but not 100%; we will see how effective faking the age of the battery is. I will post once they apply the fix at the end of May. My FFH has 210,000 miles on it, and has been a great car until this EV curtailment in software.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Rodney

[markwilson66]

Good luck @Rodney,

Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.

[Edward]

Purchased my Fusion Hybrid in 2009, love the car, but this winter electric motor would not kick in. Then one rare warm day it worked perfectly, but not after the cold weather returned. The EV battery refuses to discharge, accd to dashboard. Just had it to the dealer's, diagnosis performed, said engine not getting to temperature so the engine kept running trying to get to it. Thermostat stuck open, replaced it and reprogrammed, test driven, ok.

 

Not ok. Drove around a couple days, same problem as before, until yesterday when the temp exceeded 80 degrees and the hybrid worked as supposed to. Will have to take it back to dealer, what a waste of time. At least on my Fusion, the problem is temperature related, has to be.

[amayiri]

I am new member here, same issue Milan Mercury hybrid 2010 , seems electrical engine never kicks in, and no error codes as well as terrible mileage

 

one local mechanic here told me to do this to force re-calibrate the HV batt

start the car and then switch to N , try to consume all the power on the HV battery by starting lights , AC etc , the gas engine will not start since it is on Neutral position

after the HV depleted switch the gear to Park, this will force the ICE to calibrate the HV batt , and problem solved " but should leave gas engine working until HV battery is fully charged around 10 min"

 

i haven't tried that myself but soon i will do it

what i am missing here and afraid to do because

1- will the HV batt if depleted has enough power to start the engine ?

2-if the HV was completely depleted how can we charge it ?

3-have anyone tried that ? ,

 

can any one ask ford dealer in USA ? ford dealer in middle east jordan , reported this issue as unknown cause and unknown procedure

regards

Edited May 27, 2019 by amayiri

[murphy]

The car will not let the HVB be discharged to zero or anything close to zero. Zero on the dash display is zero for the normal use portion of the battery. It is not zero for the whole battery.

 

There is no provision to charge a completely depleted battery by the customer since it is supposed to be impossible for that to happen.

 

I am not familiar with this procedure. I traded my 2010 Fusion hybrid in on a 2013 Fusion Energi so I can't verify but I would expect the engine to start when the HVB gets low no matter what gear it is in. The car is supposed to protect the battery and the only way it can do that is to start the engine when the battery gets low.

[lolder]

In N the ICE will not start except it will be motorized if over the max EV speed on a steep downhill. If you leave it in the accessory "ignition" position, the DC to DC converter will keep the 12 v charged until the HVB is well below the normal ICE start point and then the HVB will be shutoff. The 12 v then eventually dies. After you charge the 12 v and turn the car on the ICE instantly starts and charges the HVB.

 

It sounds like this problem may be three-fold; some deterioration in the HVB, a time/cycle software glitch and stuck open thermostats. Seems like Ford would be able to figure it out and help the 70,000 owners of these cars. The Owners Guide said the HVB was expected to last the life of the car. They're only 10 years old.

 

I have a Tesla Model 3 now. It's the Revolutionary Future Here Today.

Edited May 28, 2019 by lolder

[DiNGoD]

I live close to Rodney so I am excited to hear of Rodney's results. Good luck! Fingers crossed.

[Rodney]

Great news! I just got the car home. It worked! The ford dealership in Steinbach Manitoba Canada reprogrammed my car to think it is brand new, and the EV is back completely! Back to hypermiling tomorrow! Best $60 bucks I ever spend at a dealership!

Its just about the age of the car/battery, not condition of the battery. As I said before, balancing didn't fix it, nor unplugging/plugging, etc.

Note I have 342K on this car and hope for 200 more! Its the best car I have ever had, sitting in heavy traffic, with a/c inching along on EV without wasting gas!

Yahoo!

It now has the EV section in Green, plus two more sections above it. When it was without EV mode it would only light the EV section.

 

The fellow's name is Michael, a service manager in Steinbach. Fairway Ford, Phone: (204) 326-3412

Edited May 30, 2019 by Rodney

[markwilson66]

That's great Rodney!

Did they tell you what the technical procedure was called or provide any kind of service bulletin number?

[Cnaroach]

Great news Rodney! So, here's my question for anybody. I just bought my 2010 FFH a few months ago and had problems with EV right away. Now that it's warm out, I'm getting about 35 mpg, mostly city driving. EV comes on most anytime I let off the accelerator, and will maintain some speed, but won't accelerate in EV at any speed, no matter how gentle I am on the pedal. Is that how it's supposed to work, or should I be able to gently accelerate in EV up to 47 mph?

[Rodney]

There was no service number involved, I believe this is only the 2nd vehicle they have had to fix for this EV age related problem. The first vehicle was a ford escape Hybrid.

It sounds like the techs were playing around with programming and found that setting the age of the vehicle to new fixed it. This is all I was told. The service manager is hoping enough people complain about this so that Ford would issue a recall to reprogram these, as it seems like a software blunder in this day of reduce-reuse-recycle....

[Rodney]

If it is a warm day, and the car is warmed up, it should be able to accelerate on level ground to over 40 miles per hour, but you have to really feather the accelerator. This is only for kicks but not very practical for everyday driving. I use my car for commuting with 3 others for about 110 km per day. We drive 109km/hr on the highway portion, and drive about 50 km in the city. I always get better mileage in the city, as I can coast quite often on the route without wasting time. Hope this helps

[Cnaroach]

Thanks Rodney. It seems like mine is performing almost normally when it's hot outside. I can't accelerate or even maintain speed in EV on level ground, but at least I'm getting decent mileage overall. When it's cold out, totally different story. No EV other than at a full stop, and only that after the engine has run for 10 minutes or more.

[PaulGo]

Rodney,

 

I have read other posts about restoring the HV battery by doing a computer procedure similar to what your dealer did. Some of the dealers have stated doing this could shorten the life of the HV battery. I am very happy that your dealer has found a solution that works and restores your car to a fully operational state. I believe every owner who has this problem should contact Ford Motor Company and have them come up with an "official" fix to the computer program that will restore functionality based upon the condition of the HV battery, not based only solely on the age.

[lolder]

You should be able to accelerate to maybe 35. Get it fixed as noted.

[jake1110]

This is fantastic news! I suppose I'll have to schedule service and if they can't figure out how to perform this fix, I'll have them contact Fairway Ford. If the local dealer can't/won't do this for me, I may just get really ambitious and take a drive up north...though it might be like a 9 hour haul.

[beastrow]

For the record, if anyone is in the Los Angeles area, the Galpin Ford on Roscoe in the Valley is useless and all but refused to do this. The technician I spoke with kept insisting that if there was an issue, the check engine light would be on. All he offered was that he could run a diagnostic for $195 dollars, but even admitted that it wasn't going to show anything if the check engine light wasn't on. What was interesting, though, is there were several people in the room where their consulting mechanics sit, and they were all looking at each other with an, "Oh crap" look on their faces, like this wasn't the first time this had happened to them.

 

I was so encouraged to see Rodney's post and am now right back to being incredibly frustrated. Also, having bought the vehicle at a fleet vehicle auction, I really have no leverage with Ford when it comes to things like warranty or the potential of a class action suit.

[fun4u]

Great news from Rodney. I'll beat my dealer over the head with it when I take my 2010 FFH in for inspection next week.

 

On the subject of driving conditions, I just returned from a week-long trip the South Carolina and experienced 98 degree conditions on the return trip, but the hybrid performance did not change even in the high temperature environment.

 

I'm looking forward to getting the dealer to use the date-reset procedure to see if it works.

 

I've written to the Vice President & Director of Safety at Ford Motor about the unsafe condition caused by the engine hesitation, but no response yet. I'm not surprised, but I'll send another letter by Registered Mail in a couple weeks. (Maybe with copies to other Ford executives as well)

[beastrow]

Agree with fun4u. We've had some 80+ days in Southern California since I bought my 2010 FFH and it hasn't changed the performance, other than staying in EV more often in braking and downhill, non-accelerator conditions, (although, never going above the base line).

 

fun4u: Can you please post your results after you visit the dealer next week? Also, if you don't mind, can you post their info if they perform the adjustment and it works? I'm going to try a different SoCal Ford dealer in the next couple of weeks and I think it will help to be able to refer them to another dealership in the states.

Great news from Rodney. I'll beat my dealer over the head with it when I take my 2010 FFH in for inspection next week.

 

On the subject of driving conditions, I just returned from a week-long trip the South Carolina and experienced 98 degree conditions on the return trip, but the hybrid performance did not change even in the high temperature environment.

 

I'm looking forward to getting the dealer to use the date-reset procedure to see if it works.

 

I've written to the Vice President & Director of Safety at Ford Motor about the unsafe condition caused by the engine hesitation, but no response yet. I'm not surprised, but I'll send another letter by Registered Mail in a couple weeks. (Maybe with copies to other Ford executives as well)

[markwilson66]

I reached out to the Ford Dealer Service Advisor that helped Rodney and here's what he told me.

"What we have done is to reset the vehicle to “1 Year” in the personality settings. This has to be done with the Ford scan tool. I hope this helps. If you need any more information let me know."