Opinion, what would you do

[fusionTX]

After my drive yesterday with such poor MPG returns, I posted this on the Ford FB page. If no response after this, not sure what to do. Customer Service is not returning my calls.

I'm not sure a FB page is the appropriate venue. That's more of a marketing thing.

[acdii]

Well not returning calls, ignoring emails, that's the last place. It worked in the past on the F150. I did a test in my 2010, drove it on I90 with cruise set at 65 for about 30 miles and got over 36 MPG, right smack dab on the nose for EPA highway MPG for the 2010 Fusion Hybrid. When I got home it was at 39 MPG, right smack on EPA combined. Like I have said before, pretty sad that a 3 YO car can outperform a brand new one that is rated 11 MPG higher. My overall displeasure is not with the Fusion, in general I like the car, my displeasure is with Ford.

[camelot]

Acdii If it was me I would ask to speak to the "area rep."Get an appointment I had a similar problem like yours on my 84 tbird. I admit they changed a ton of parts and never solved the problem. It would start out at 25mpg hwy after the work and inside of 2500 miles my mileage would be down to 13. My mistake was not to push the issue using the corporate ladder. I let it ride till the warranty ran out then got rid of the car. I had plenty of ideas what to check and always got "We changed that but had to turn the old one in for warranty" Basics are air, fuel and spark It shouldn't be that hard to figure out. To have a dtc you have to have some sort of electrical input or factor that the computer reads. If its not showing up then it probably doesn't have an input or its lieing to the computer. Fouled plugs don't lie!Get the old ones!Get a good paper trail, and draw the line in the sand before the warranty runs out.

[acdii]

Going in to the dealer tomorrow, and going to get a copy of what was done so far. My gut tells me Ford is pushing this out so it goes past the LL statute.

[acdii]

I got my paper work on this. Flumuxed is all I can say. When I asked about a zone manager, all I got were blank looks and shrugs. I guess this is the first time they have ever had an issue like this. All I know is that I enjoy driving the car, but not knowing when the next CEL might happen, and it will, and if it does will it become a drivability problem, and the fact it is using 32% more fuel than what the EPA rating is, just leaves me with this, WTF do I do hanging over me. I already have 6100 miles on the car, and instead of it getting better its getting worse. My 2010 needs a new set of tires, and I just dont have $700 to dish out on those now since I busted a bearing hitting a curb, Repairing that ate up more than half of my tire budget, so I only have enough for 2 tires. The busted bearing cost me $429. :(

 

I guess at this time, just wait and see, and study up on the LL here and find out what that will cost to get resolved.

 

EDIT: OK did that, I have 12 months or 12000 miles, if it goes beyond that I can no longer file. Which means that if it takes another 4500 miles before the plugs foul again, there will be 9000 miles on the car, and if they dont find a solution but return the car, then the next instance would be after 12,000 miles. So I put an inquiry in to a law firm that handles Lemon laws for a review. Time isn't an issue here, mileage is since I rack up a lot of miles each week, considering I got the car 11-23-12 and it is 1-23-13 with 6100 miles on it from 22 the day I got it.

Edited January 24, 2013 by acdii

[cnsheets]

acdii

 

any updates? Hows the MPG?, CEL?, plugs? double check your LL requirements, usually its based on the mileage from the first date of the reported problem. Hear anything back on your inquiry with a lawyer?

 

I currently have a LL case going on right now against Ford regarding a 2011 Explorer. California LL is pretty consumer friendly. I hope to have mine wrapped up within the next few months. If you can go the LL route, its certainly the best way to go for your pocket book rather than losing a crap load on trade value.....

[acdii]

Well, after the plugs were replaced I got 2 days of 41, though now it was more likely 39 after getting a scangauge. It has dropped downhill since then. Today I got 39.1 with warmer temps, and my wife got 43 in the 2010. This was taken at the last stop light out of Crystal Lake. I had the HVAC turned off since I started the car. The rest of the trip was driven at 2100 or lower RPMs, and finished out at 39.1. Still waiting on Ford to see if they are going to do anything or sit. It wont be much longer before the next CEL is thrown, I can fell the engine getting rough again.

 

[TX NRG]

Still waiting on Ford to see if they are going to do anything or sit. It wont be much longer before the next CEL is thrown, I can fell the engine getting rough again.

 

acdii, sorry to read about your car's continued problems. If you haven't already, it may be worth reaching out to Samantha and letting her know of your situation. I'd hope she wants to be aware of and help get to the cause of potential issues with her product line. Samantha Hoyt: ‏@sammyhoyt (Ford Fusion Marketing Manager)

[acdii]

My dealer has been in touch with Ford direct and requested they contact me, so if I dont hear anything soon, I will give it a shot. I forwarded my logs and photos of my two cars screenshots for comparison, and he forwarded them to Ford.

 

Apparently there are a lot more than what we are seeing here.........

 

We shall see. My patience can only go so far, and my dealer knows it and is kind of surprised I held onto it this long. He is willing to take a hit on the car to get me into another one, but we both are thinking, what if the next one is also bad. The general consensus between the Dealer owner, my sales guy, and the service manager is, this car is Fooked Up and they would like nothing more than to see it either fixed or replaced as much as I do. He also listed all the cars I bought from him since the day he opened the doors and sent that to Ford.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Oh, and my wife had to hit me with a zinger. I called her when I was there, asked what was the MPG she got in the 2010, and she had the nerve to say, oh, it was crappy, only 39 MPG. :banghead: I got 35!

[HenryVIII]

Looks like you own one of the "runts of the FFH litter". It happens unfortunately. There's some over-achievers and under-achievers.

 

My recommendation, if you aren't satisfied get another car. Have it tested and verified by the dealership before taking ownership. Have it in writing. I think it's awesome that your dealership is willing to work with you. They value you as a customer above all else.

 

Understand it's also really hard for Ford to do something about it right now when the car is still very much new and they are still gathering real world data. Try to look at it from their shoes. We all know that's why they have TSBs and recalls. So if you want to keep your car, I think you'll just have to be patient as much as it sucks.

[acdii]

if you aren't satisfied get another car. Have it tested and verified by the dealership before taking ownership

This is exactly what I said to my dealer. If they can get one in and have it certified that it gets at least 42 MPG @ 60MPH, then I would be satisfied. It would also need to be certified not via the dash readouts as they have been doing, but by equipment design specifically for this task. My Scanguageii does a good job of reporting close to accurate readings, but isnt a true method either. There must be some way of real world testing it to see what it truly gets that is documented.

 

I also told him, that if Ford can take my car to their lab or wherever they do testing, I would be more than willing to let them have it. If it helps find the problem so others can get fixed. Right now, all I ask for is that Ford contacts me and doesn't leave me hanging in the wind. A rumor that, "they are working on it", doesn't satisfy me, since how could they work on it, when I have it?

 

The general consensus is none of them believe this car can achieve the numbers Ford claims, which is sad too since they are the ones who are most impacted by it. They have to sell these cars and one of the marketing tools Ford uses is the over 40 MPG claims.

 

Ford needs to take a page out of the Hyundai/Kia fail book and step up so that it doesn't happen to them.

[coach81]

so sorry for your continued problems with your vehicle... I continue to hope and pray it somehow gets resolved...

[acdii]

day #4 and still no call from Ford. If no call by next Monday, I will try that link TX posted the other day.

[acdii]

Maybe it's time to trade it in ... You will lose some $ on it, but this car will never make you happy.

Weighing heavily on my mind. Even though it doesn't get what it should, it still does get better than any other Ford except Cmax. The dealer is willing to work with me on this and absorb some of the loss, only because I have been a regular customer, but how far are they willing to go on the replacement vehicle is another matter.

 

Example, on a 2013 Focus hatchback, one that I have had my eye on since the day I got my Fusion, in Race Red, with the sport package, Sony stereo, and other options, for $439 a month. List is 27K, A Cmax at $539, currently I am at $553.

 

The worst part of this is I really like driving the Fusion, but at only 33 or so MPG, it irks me to no end, I would like more power if I am only getting that, so if I were to get a Titanium without the adaptive cruise, park assist, and nav, I would still have a good car, have plenty of giddyup to make it even more enjoyable, pay more for gas, but less for the car. It just doesnt really work out, and it is causing my head to hurt.

 

What would make this all go away is if Ford were to say, we are replacing the car with another one that is performing as it should, and just pay for the miles you used, which works out to a little over $1000.

 

The other side of the coin though, and the main reason I now have the Fusion is taxes went up, first it was the Mortgage Escrow going up $100 a month, OK, dealt with that, reduced my car payment by trading in the truck, and getting a more fuel efficient vehicle, well that only partially worked as the gas savings hasnt fully added up. This morning went over our bills and found we are now $144 lower in income between the two of us with the increase in Federal, dont really care where it comes out from, its $144 less than we had last month, so now its not $100 less, its $244 less per month. That can buy a lot of gas. The 2010 needs tires, and with my dumb ass busting a rear bearing when I slid on some ice, which cost us $429 to repair, there went the tire fund.

 

Coulda Shoulda Woulda, we have all been there, done that and cant go back for a redo. This has been bugging me since the first week of owning the new F150. I should have kept the F350, would have the dealer just do the repairs, could have sold our Flex, and then $500 buys a lot of diesel fuel. Would still have a truck to haul things, large enough for the whole family, and have new tires on the old Fusion.

 

I was hoping with the new Fusion that it would be the last car that I would be getting for a very long time, and would have been had it lived up to its calling, but it isn't, and with 5 people in the family, its a little tight when we go out together, the Focus would be worse we would not be able to all go in one car. I need something big enough for all of us, that can carry more than 4 bags of horse food without removing car seats, be fuel efficient, and enjoyable to drive. I can find plenty of vehicles that meet 3 of those criteria, the fuel efficient part, that one is very hard to find. The only one that comes to mind would be something like a Highlander Hybrid, the Escape is just a bit too small when you put 2 car seats in it, less room than the Fusion, which can fit one adult and 2 car seats, but its tight, and would not work for a long trip.

 

A crap load to think about, and it makes my skull ache.

[fusionTX]

You are in a tough spot, no doubt. A huge disappointment for you.

While your MPGs are not where they should be, they still are decent for a midsize car.

It's the fact that you know better, and that your old Fusion is outperforming the higher rated one, that makes it hard to live with.

We've seen some with worse MPGs than you, but there is always the question of how they are driving it and do they really understand that they have to make a few adjustments to make it work.

The thought that some of the cars may be under-performers is quite disturbing. Do they even know why this might be the case?

As someone who has a car on order, I can only hope that this is a rare occurrence.

[acdii]

You are in a tough spot, no doubt. A huge disappointment for you.

While your MPGs are not where they should be, they still are decent for a midsize car.

It's the fact that you know better, and that your old Fusion is outperforming the higher rated one, that makes it hard to live with.

We've seen some with worse MPGs than you, but there is always the question of how they are driving it and do they really understand that they have to make a few adjustments to make it work.

The thought that some of the cars may be under-performers is quite disturbing. Do they even know why this might be the case?

As someone who has a car on order, I can only hope that this is a rare occurrence.

Without them actually having the car in their possession to find out the cause of the issue, I highly doubt they are actually working on a fix, and from what I gather so far, even if they are, it will be months down the road before a possible fix is even in the works, which means by then I will have put another 6000 miles on the car, and if that still doesn't fix it, I am even further behind on it. It appears that only cars that were built prior to the second week of November are affected, as it appears that so far everyone who has been getting expected MPG has a build date 11-4 or newer.

 

What I bolded out is EXACTLY the issue, For the kind of MPG I am getting I could have purchased an older used Camry and got this. Would have been a whole lot less expensive in the long run.

Edited February 3, 2013 by acdii

[terryb]

Hopefully the reson they aren't asking for your car to test is because they DO HAVE a tst subject in the lab with the issue. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

[acdii]

Well if Ford doesnt step up soon, I may just bite the bullet and get something else that we can truly use(and just saw another Fusion commercial with the usual lies), Last year I traded in a 2010 Flex Ecoboost and F350 Dually for an F150, and 8 months later, found that it was an expensive RC hauler, so thought, well, save some money all around and get the new Fusion, which worked out perfectly, until I found out the gas savings didn't add up to the additional cost over a 2012.

 

Well now that we no longer have an F150 or the Flex we discovered just how much we used them for and can no longer do what we used to. To get the same amount of horse food we did in the Flex takes 3 trips in the old Fusion, 4 in the new. So have been looking at options, first to lower the monthly payments, and second to get rid of this headache. I considered finding a 2012 FFH, and those are hard to find, or another Flex, with Ecoboost, again hard to find. BUT, I discovered the Lincoln version of the Flex, the MKT, and found one that is shouting out to me. Its in the same color as the Flex we had, and whats more, has the features the Fusion has.

 

http://whitebearlincoln.dealerconnection.com/TWIN-CITIES/For-Sale/Used/Lincoln/MKT/2010-w-EcoBoost--Car/13300890/

 

Has everything we need in a vehicle, towing, adaptive cruise, BLIS, HID, and does not have that stupid MyFord Touch or Lincoln touch, but the old school NAV with Sync.

 

SO going to show this to my dealer and see what they can do, and if they can do a deal on something like this before Ford gets back to me on the Fusion, then there is a good chance the Fusion will go away. Tomorrow is an early start day for me, so i have the afternoon off to work with them on this and see what can be done.

[hermans]

So....you're looking at buying a hearse?

[acdii]

oh very funny...I got the same impression when I saw it from the rear.

[acdii]

On another thought, I tried another method of getting some answers from Ford and guess what, got the same BS, its your driving! I don't know of any other way to get them to understand, it is not my driving, its the car.

[hermans]

oh very funny...I got the same impression when I saw it from the rear.

There are some funeral homes using it as a hearse. I've seen one in Ohio and another in PA.

Edited February 5, 2013 by hermans

[Riggo]

On another thought, I tried another method of getting some answers from Ford and guess what, got the same BS, its your driving! I don't know of any other way to get them to understand, it is not my driving, its the car.

I'd just sit back and wait for the class action lawsuit, it's surely coming. It seems that your main concern is the gas mileage though. If that's the case, why not get a Prius? The gas mileage was a major factor in me wanting to purchase this car, but in the end it was the technology and looks of the car that really won me over.

[acdii]

I had a Prius, NEVER EVER AGAIN! YUCK ICK, Disgusting, gives me the creeps thinking about it. And it is not about the MPG, its about what I paid a premium for. A $36K car that is advertised to get 47 MPG combined that only delivers 35 MPG or lower is no bargain. Especially when for $4,000 or more less I could have found a 2012 FFH and got better returns in fuel economy. I drive a lot of miles each year, and that consumes quite a bit of fuel, and while 33 in this car is not bad, it is not what it should be getting, and the only people who will benefit from a CALS will be the lawyers filing it.

 

What gets me is what part of I get EPA and beyond in my 2010 Fusion Hybrid dont they understand?

[Riggo]

I had a Prius, NEVER EVER AGAIN! YUCK ICK, Disgusting, gives me the creeps thinking about it. And it is not about the MPG, its about what I paid a premium for. A $36K car that is advertised to get 47 MPG combined that only delivers 35 MPG or lower is no bargain. Especially when for $4,000 or more less I could have found a 2012 FFH and got better returns in fuel economy. I drive a lot of miles each year, and that consumes quite a bit of fuel, and while 33 in this car is not bad, it is not what it should be getting, and the only people who will benefit from a CALS will be the lawyers filing it.

 

What gets me is what part of I get EPA and beyond in my 2010 Fusion Hybrid dont they understand?

Why not do the lawsuit yourself :). Then you can cash in and maybe get a free car out of it.