Wrong Shifter?

[Jamone]

Hopefully it won't take long and they don't mess something up in the process.

 

I had my shifter replaced last week and it took around a hour. They said they had to disassemble the console to do it. It shocked them it was so complicated.

[hybridbear]

Hopefully they didn't break any parts in the process like my dealer did. Carefully check all of the trim pieces on the center console for scratches, gouges or cracks after they pried it all apart. After taking mine apart the tech commented about how that part of the car isn't designed to come apart as he broke 3 trim pieces trying to take it apart.

 

I had my shifter replaced last week and it took around a hour. They said they had to disassemble the console to do it. It shocked them it was so complicated.

[Eliotmal]

I got the wrong shifter letter also, I'm told to make an appointment to get it swapped. Is it worth changing? I like the way mine feels and I keep my hand on it a lot (This is my first car out of 6 that isn't a manual). I also got a letter to come in for Sync version 3.5. I've been waiting for that one since I have a Hybrid with Nav and they didn't have 3.5 for that combination until now. Might as well do both at once.

[Louisovich]

After speaking with a few different techs on the topic of Fords new Fusion, it seems there have been a few assembly line issues which Ford is trying to square away. One issue is the shifters, which should be leather and not this rubber IF you got the leather package... as posted below... This issue on my car, had been picked up by the service tech while having some other issues addressed (beware that your old iPod may crash the MS voice recognition in your car, resulting in it having to be reset); but it seems some of the shifters AS WELL AS some of the interior head liners on the 2013 Ford Fusions had been improperly installed. By "improperly", I refer to the color of the head liners did not matching the interior of the cars, i.e. beige leather and black headliner; or vise-versa... Some of these issues had been pickup up on before the sale of the cars, while others slipped through.

In regards to buying the Toyota over the Ford goes (as some had mentioned below) I say, just try finding a better designed, sporty looking car with a better mpg. Ford hit a home run with their new Fusion and I felt better buying an "American" car (yes some are assembled in Mexico) and supporting our economy while driving in style. Don't try telling me Toyota doesn't make mistakes after having some of the biggest recalls in auto history; recalling 7.43 million cars world wide, and you're ready to jump ship due to a rubber stick-shift, really?!

 

Well done Ford, now make it better!

Edited May 9, 2013 by Louisovich

[mmorri12]

I got the wrong shifter letter also, I'm told to make an appointment to get it swapped. Is it worth changing? I like the way mine feels and I keep my hand on it a lot (This is my first car out of 6 that isn't a manual). I also got a letter to come in for Sync version 3.5. I've been waiting for that one since I have a Hybrid with Nav and they didn't have 3.5 for that combination until now. Might as well do both at once.

I thought it wouldn't matter much to me one way or the other, but after getting the leather one, I do like it better. for both feel and looks.

[JSKershaw]

I had my leather gear shifter installed today. It's much nicer than I thought. I really like the smooth feel of it and how it looks with the silver accents. It definitely looks nicer too!

[thavil]

First post in this great forum. I purchased my 2013 FFH FE Luxury Ice Storm last Saturday and love everything about it! After reading this entire thread, I contacted my dealer about the leather shifter knob and they thought I was trying to pull a fast one over them. I convinced the guy on the phone to pull my VIN on their system and could tell that he had no idea how to respond about the customer satisfication program that he was reading.

 

After a few seconds of silence, I told him that they owe me the correct shifter knob along with every luxury car on their lot. He put me on hold for a few minutes and then came back asking when I wanted to bring the car in. Since I am getting my windows tinted this Friday, I chose the same day to get everything taken care of in one shot.

 

Thanks to everyone that contributed in getting this issue noticed by Ford!

[Nick P]

I hate to bring up an old topic but I've reached an impasse with Ford and am stuck. My dealer replaced the shifter under 13B03 but the replacement shifter is EXACTLY like the old one and is NOT leather. The problem is that now it's recorded as done and there is nothing more they can do. I spoke with Ford Customer Service and they confirmed that the shifter was changed and the new one IS the leather one. Their explanation for why it doesn't look like the one posted in pictures on this forum, and that you can see by looking at any Titanium model, is that not all the shifters look alike and mine just looks different but is definitely leather. By feeling it you can tell it is NOT leather.

 

So I'm stuck now and don't think I'll ever get the correct shifter. I did check the part number they ordered and it is the correct number for the replacement shifter. I think they simply had a wrong shifter in the right box. Unfortunately I can never confirm that. Any suggestions on what I can do? Or do I just live with it. Technically, other than not being leather, there's nothing wrong with the shifter at all.

[hermans]

Does yours have the chrome/plastic piece that travels up across the top? You might want to take the dealer out onto the lot and point out the correct shifter that is in an SE with the Lux package.That's what I had to do with mine.

Edited June 25, 2013 by hermans

[Nick P]

It does not have the chrome strip. I did show the Service Manager what it looks like on other cars and I also explained that to the customer service rep. That's when she told me that they don't all look alike and that mine is leather. I know she's basing that on the part number that was installed. I just think the wrong shifter was in the box.

[storksb]

I would call Ford back and ask to have this escalated to a regional customer service manager. Sounds like your dealer dropped the ball and its unwilling to satisfy a customer.

[JimArch]

It does not have the chrome strip. I did show the Service Manager what it looks like on other cars and I also explained that to the customer service rep. That's when she told me that they don't all look alike and that mine is leather. I know she's basing that on the part number that was installed. I just think the wrong shifter was in the box.

Hi Nick, my 2 cents: you paid for the luxury 505A package and you should get what you paid for. It looks like you and I are driving the exact same FFH-SE (color and features). If you want me to send you a photo of my gear shift, let me know. Go get 'em!

[Nick P]

I would call Ford back and ask to have this escalated to a regional customer service manager. Sounds like your dealer dropped the ball and its unwilling to satisfy a customer.

How do I reach a regional customer service manager? Do I go through the regular customer service number and just ask for a regional manager?

[Nick P]

Hi Nick, my 2 cents: you paid for the luxury 505A package and you should get what you paid for. It looks like you and I are driving the exact same FFH-SE (color and features). If you want me to send you a photo of my gear shift, let me know. Go get 'em!

We are definitely driving the exact same car. Thanks for the offer but I have pictures of the correct shifter and you can see it on other cars on the dealer lot. Unfortunately, the dealer's hands are tied because they reported to Ford that they changed the shifter already so they can't get another one.

 

How long have you had yours and what kind of mileage are you getting? I picked mine up on March 8 and have about 6400 miles on it so far. Yesterday my lifetime mileage clicked to 50.0 MPG! I'm stoked.

[hermans]

I would think the dealer would supply the correct part as part of their customer satisfaction program. The part is about $35.00 retail through Ford. Their cost is less.

 

Something like this may seem trivial, but would cause me to take my business to another dealer, both future sales and service. But then, I'm luck in the fact there are 3 dealers in my close proximity.

 

Like storksb said you can open a case with Ford and they can reopen the order and correct it.

Edited June 26, 2013 by hermans

[hybridbear]

It does not have the chrome strip. I did show the Service Manager what it looks like on other cars and I also explained that to the customer service rep. That's when she told me that they don't all look alike and that mine is leather. I know she's basing that on the part number that was installed. I just think the wrong shifter was in the box.

Is this dealer the one who sold you the car? I'd try going to a different dealer and say that you need the leathe shift knob. You can call the other dealer first so that they order the shifter and have it in stock before you show up. Then when you arrive and they out your VIN in the system they will see that it is marked as complete but they will also see that the shift knob in the car is NOT the correct one. This way you can hopefully get it straightened out.

 

If the dealer who replaced the shift knob already is not your selling dealer I'd try going through your selling dealer because they're more vested in keeping you satisfied. I hope it works out!!

 

Also...50.0 MPG lifetime is amazing!! What kind of driving do you do to have a 50 MPG average over so many miles?

[Nick P]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and ideas. Based on all your input I re-contacted Ford and told them of the situation. This time I must have connected with a better customer service rep. because she said she would contact the regional cust serv rep and would re-open the records so I can get another shifter. She also gave me a case number so I can call back if nothing happens in the near future. I haven't heard from them yet but figure I'll wait about a week and then call again if I haven't heard anything.

 

As for the 50 MPG, the 2 things I do that seem to impact mileage the most are: 1) Do not exceed 62 on the highway. If I set eco-cruise at 63 I almost never go into EV mode. At 62, I spend about 30% of the time in EV. 2) I keep the climate system off as much as possible (I prefer riding with the windows open). I noticed that if I turn the climate system on, the AC comes on immediately since it's summer. If I then turn the AC off, so the light on the control panel goes out, I still seem to get cold air through the vents. It's like the AC is not turning off even when the light goes out. I easily drop 7-8 MPG running with the climate system on. Has anyone else noticed this?

[GrySql]

I've been involved in this issue and had a little bit to do with getting the Dealers to acknowledge the 505A package error.
I'm at my terrific Dealer today getting the front axle shims installed, after our free Dealer provided breakfast they let my wife and I have a Enterprise Rental for the day while our car was being worked on - great Dealer.
The rental car was a new Ford Focus, what a disappointing car to drive!

But, guess what? It had the mysterious FFH 505A leather shifter installed!!!
No wonder there is confusion, it's a Ford Focus item!
Too funny!

Edited July 2, 2013 by GrySql

[gkinla]

 

 

As for the 50 MPG, the 2 things I do that seem to impact mileage the most are: 1) Do not exceed 62 on the highway. If I set eco-cruise at 63 I almost never go into EV mode. At 62, I spend about 30% of the time in EV. 2) I keep the climate system off as much as possible (I prefer riding with the windows open). I noticed that if I turn the climate system on, the AC comes on immediately since it's summer. If I then turn the AC off, so the light on the control panel goes out, I still seem to get cold air through the vents. It's like the AC is not turning off even when the light goes out. I easily drop 7-8 MPG running with the climate system on. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

 

What I do is when the climate control is in Auto, I press the Max/AC then press the A/C button and then the rec button because I don't like rec air being on all the time. All the lights will be off. This will turn off the AC pump but leaves the temp in the LO condition. I just push the + button until I get the temp I want. Or if I'm real busy I just hit the voice command and when asked I say climate temp 70 degrees. Then she says did you say 70 degrees and when prompted say yes and the temp will be changed to 70 or whatever temp you want. In this condition the A/C pump is controlled by you. If you hit Auto again then the A/C pump is controlled by MFT, then you need to repeat the process all over again. After you do this several times it becomes second nature. I probably do it several times a day. I think this is a bad design, when the A/C light is out then the pump should be off but it's not, until you go through the above procedure.

[neod192]

I can't deal with raising the temp from LO back to 72/74, so instead of using the Max/AC button to turn off the AC, I go to the Climate screen and redirect the air to the front or feet vents (or both), then use the AC button to turn the AC off. When the vent it not set to Auto or Defrost, the AC button will actually turn off the AC.

Edited July 2, 2013 by neod192

[milleron]

 

 

What I do is when the climate control is in Auto, I press the Max/AC then press the A/C button and then the rec button because I don't like rec air being on all the time. All the lights will be off. This will turn off the AC pump but leaves the temp in the LO condition. I just push the + button until I get the temp I want. Or if I'm real busy I just hit the voice command and when asked I say climate temp 70 degrees. Then she says did you say 70 degrees and when prompted say yes and the temp will be changed to 70 or whatever temp you want. In this condition the A/C pump is controlled by you. If you hit Auto again then the A/C pump is controlled by MFT, then you need to repeat the process all over again. After you do this several times it becomes second nature. I probably do it several times a day. I think this is a bad design, when the A/C light is out then the pump should be off but it's not, until you go through the above procedure.

 

It's very bad design, totally unlike every other car on the planet, but what I'm hoping is that it's actually bad programming. These controls are set electronically -- i.e., they're not simply hardwired to solenoids, as is obvious from the fact that in different scenarios, the AC button does different things. I'm hopeful that it's an oversight by the MFT programmers or a glitch in other firmware that can be corrected by a software update at some point. I hope that Ford is aware of their SNAFU here.

[Nick P]

Thanks everyone for all the excellent info. I'm going to try it on my way home and see what happens. Thanks again.

[Nick P]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and ideas. Based on all your input I re-contacted Ford and told them of the situation. This time I must have connected with a better customer service rep. because she said she would contact the regional cust serv rep and would re-open the records so I can get another shifter. She also gave me a case number so I can call back if nothing happens in the near future. I haven't heard from them yet but figure I'll wait about a week and then call again if I haven't heard anything.

 

As for the 50 MPG, the 2 things I do that seem to impact mileage the most are: 1) Do not exceed 62 on the highway. If I set eco-cruise at 63 I almost never go into EV mode. At 62, I spend about 30% of the time in EV. 2) I keep the climate system off as much as possible (I prefer riding with the windows open). I noticed that if I turn the climate system on, the AC comes on immediately since it's summer. If I then turn the AC off, so the light on the control panel goes out, I still seem to get cold air through the vents. It's like the AC is not turning off even when the light goes out. I easily drop 7-8 MPG running with the climate system on. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

So I finally heard back from Regional Customer Service and they still tried to tell me that they changed the shifter style and I had the correct leather shifter. I insisted I had the wrong one and they said the only way to be sure is to remove the shifter and check the engineering number stamped inside it. I made and appointment at my dealer and took it there this morning. Lo and behold they confirmed I had the wrong shifter and installed the correct one. At least I know I wasn't crazy. They also installed the axle shims and the popping noise is now gone as well. Hooray!!

 

Now I'll wait for the firmware upgrade recall and begin round 3 with Ford. And the beat goes on.....

[hermans]

It pays to be persistent when you know you are right.

[ajd]

Here's my new shift knob replaced under recall