2013 FusionHybrid only getting 32 mpg after recalibration

[Lee Ann Collum]

Even after the so called "re-calibration" My Fusion Hybrid is only getting 32 mpg.....NOT HAPPY!! I called Ford and they told me to give it 30 days after the re-calibration to see if it helps, if not I am to call them back!!

 

One strike towards the Ohio Lemon law down!!

[Sleddog]

Sorry to hear about your issues, 3 times in 3 different threads, all posted the same way. Could you provide us with some addition information, like miles on your car, previous MPG, and lifetime numbers. With some additional info perhaps we can help.

Edited August 31, 2013 by Sleddog

[GrySql]

Even after the so called "re-calibration" My Fusion Hybrid is only getting 32 mpg.....NOT HAPPY!! I called Ford and they told me to give it 30 days after the re-calibration to see if it helps, if not I am to call them back!!

Mine has done a similar thing, the mpg's have tanked.

What I did was call my Dealer's Service Department and discuss this with them. Luckily I am privileged to have a Service Dept that will treats me with respect.

They are very concerned and are willing to try anything they can to rectify the situation, they expressed the view that Ford did not expect for some cars to have negative reactions to this TSB.

Next Wednesday my car will have the PCM software re-checked, the Li-on battery pack diagnosed, the battery software re-checked.

After that, we will see.

[Lee Ann Collum]

The car has roughly 2200 miles on it...Prior to the software upgrade we were only getting 34...As for Life time....I will have to go digging into car info for that tomorrow. I did call Ford company.....They told me to give it 30 days from the re calibration to see if it improved. We consonantly have to take our foot off the accelerator for it to go into EV mode, but then the car slows way down.... Even cruising at 55 mph( on a straight flat road ) the car stays on gas power. I know that when accelerating and going up an incline the gas power needs to kick in. But when I have reached a max speed between 55-60 the car simply wont stay in EV mode :(

[vangonebuy]

2 weeks since the software upgrade. Averaging about .2 mpg increase since upgrade.

Still around 37 mpg since the purchase.

 

 

BUT, Today I tried a different attack.

ECOcruise on!, all over town.

 

Drove normal speeds, But tapped the CruiseControl's "+" button anytime I got to driveable speed.

Basically used it as a gas pedal. ( +, -. hold it down everything) keeping with traffic.

Maxing the regen with every slowing or stopping as always.

Immediately the Battery was running @ 3/4 charge. Mileage was improving now.

I rarely get the battery past 1/2 full.

 

Rode the Nantucket Sleigh Ride (downhill gen button) down a good short steep hill also.

BAM! 100% battery.

Love the sound of the generator on the down hill.

 

For the day I averaged about 44.7 mpg over 85 miles.

Tomorrow, I have a 150 mile road trip. EcoCruise is planned again.

 

I still have much to learn of driving this car.

[GrySql]

The car has roughly 2200 miles on it...Prior to the software upgrade we were only getting 34...As for Life time....I will have to go digging into car info for that tomorrow. I did call Ford company.....They told me to give it 30 days from the re calibration to see if it improved. We consonantly have to take our foot off the accelerator for it to go into EV mode, but then the car slows way down.... Even cruising at 55 mph( on a straight flat road ) the car stays on gas power. I know that when accelerating and going up an incline the gas power needs to kick in. But when I have reached a max speed between 55-60 the car simply wont stay in EV mode :(

Hi, as you know we are not Ford employees, we volunteer our time on this Forum to help one another and try to keep the general atmosphere as informative and helpful as we can, politely.

These hybrids cannot be driven like a standard gasoline only vehicles to achieve anywhere close to the advertised MPG's.

The driver(s) have to learn to maximize the car's features, driving like 'you used to' will get you lower MPG's.

The Admins have prepared a page that welcomes new members and provides links to many commonly asked questions.

This is so that the new member can understand the terms, driving styles and other peculiar hybrid attributes.

Please take some time and review this Welcome page, it helps to start in a new forum knowing how we work.

 

I will not make excuses for Ford or how they build or service their cars.

Frankly, there are a small number of these new model 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrids (FFH's) that are under achievers.

However, unless you've had a hybrid before and know how hybrids work the new FFH owner has some things to learn before the car can be used optimally.

You have described 'taking our foot off the accelerator for it to go into EV mode', guess what, that is normal, it's called 'pulse and glide' and something we all do from time to time. Look at this acronym decoder for all the terms we use.

So, please look around, see the resources we have and the amazing amount of subjects we have discussed and we hope you enjoy our website.

 

Getting the Dealer's Service Department involved before calling Ford Customer Service is always a good plan, maybe there is something they can help you with mechanically.

This PCM Re-Calibration has affected some cars in a positive way, some in a negative way, some cars need more time to re-learn your driving style (usually 500 miles) after a major change in software, some drivers can improve their driving techniques.

 

So, welcome to our forum and I hope there is enough information here to help your overall experience with these very nice cars. :)

Edited September 1, 2013 by GrySql

[Lee Ann Collum]

Thanks for the info Gry :) I will go do some reading,,,,,Our salesman told up that the car would stay in battery mode up till 62 mph ( except for accelerating and inclines of course ) So I hope you can understand our frustrations with this issue :shift: But the car did get worse with the upgrade :banghead:

[GrySql]

Thanks for the info Gry :) I will go do some reading,,,,,Our salesman told up that the car would stay in battery mode up till 62 mph ( except for accelerating and inclines of course ) So I hope you can understand our frustrations with this issue :shift: But the car did get worse with the upgrade :banghead:

The FFH can stay in EV Mode up to 62mph, but will not if the computer senses too much load. It may even use EV and Gas if the load is high enough.

The re-calibration allows the car to travel up to 85MPH in EV mode, but it will never climb a hill in EV, the Li-on battery is just not strong enough to push a 3500 pound car up a hill.

Your salesperson sounds unskilled in hybrid driving techniques.

If you do decide to read the hybrid driving tips we have available and apply them, I think you will be quite amazed how your Trip mileage will improve, and eventually your Lifetime numbers will climb too. In addition, the reason the Ford Rep told you to wait a month was because it may take that long for the FFH's computer to adjust depending on miles driven, it is a very complex car and the computer controls most of it, except how hard you push the gas pedal.

Don't be too discouraged until you've given the hybrid driving skills a chance. Traveling on the highway at 75-80 will net you low mpg's, driving at 65-70 the numbers rise dramatically.

But be warned, you will be driving slower and enjoying it more.

Edited September 1, 2013 by GrySql

[corncobs]

With the PCM update it can go into EV up to 85 MPH but its very unrealistic at this speed only if you slow down or downhill.

 

The throttle is also very very sensitive and the slightest touch will kick in the ICE.

The time and speed the car will use EV mainly on the SOC in order to go into EV mode and stay there requires a higher SOC the higher the speeds are.

 

On the highway at 65 MPH you should drive for a few miles until the SOC is at 75 - 80 % with ECC on. Now reduce the set speed to 62 MPH and the car should go into EV and stay there for some time until the SOC has reached around 30% or the power demand is higher than the blue frame indicator in the Empower screen.

 

2200 miles is also quite young and as GrySql said it needs a decent amount of driving adjustment in order to get good gas mileage.

Edited September 1, 2013 by corncobs

[Lee Ann Collum]

ICE?? SOC??

[corncobs]

This link should help ;-)

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6885-acronym-decoder/

[Lee Ann Collum]

This link should help ;-)

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6885-acronym-decoder/

Thank you so much!!

[Sleddog]

This site contains the information you need to get the most from your hybrid. I also found the display you are using to monitor the car's performance can make a difference in how it is driven. If you use the empower screen it will give you a better idea where the EV threshold is depending on the state of charge (SOC). This in turn will allow you to keep the car in EV mode longer. There are times I keep the ICE running on purpose to increase the SOC so I can take advantage of the terrain or a long stretch of open road. I uses this technique when I'm close to home. I know where EV+ kicks in, so if I have my SOC at the right level, I can use EV and EV+ for over a mile and a half at close to 40 MPH on level ground, not too many hills here in Florida.

 

Unfortunately, most salesman have no clue on how the Fusion Hybrid operates. I know my salesman learned a bit from me. The information I provided him came from the members here. My salesman is now a member here and uses this forum as a research reference when customers ask him questions. If you have a question ask us! If we can not answer it, we may have a reference we can provide for additional information.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Sleddog

[terryb]

The BIG thing for new drivers to understand is that ALL energy in the batteries comes from the burning of gasoline in the ICE or from rolling down a hill. Also, once the EV mode kicks in it can only keep going until the battery charge has been used up. This EV mode distance/time can be made longer by driving gently, breaking gently to allow recovery of momentum into the battery by regeneration. When the salesman says the EV mode can run at up to 85 mph, he should say the the software has been changed to allow the EV mode to happen up to 85 (previously the software kept EV below 62mph) when conditions are right, UNTIL the battery charge is no longer sufficient to keep going. Then, either the ICE has to burn some more gas, the car has to roll downhill, or the brakes must reconvert some momentum into electricity by regeneration.

 

One other detail is that the amount of accelerator lift required to allow EV to kick in is very small. It needn't be all on or all off. Accelerate with traffic using the ICE and then release the accelerator a small amount to let the car shift into EV mode.

 

Just like striving to reach broadway, practice, practice, practice!

[Lee Ann Collum]

We played around with the car....We turned on the Eco Cruise and took a little road trip.....We actually were getting 38-40 MPG

[corncobs]

What kinda speeds, distance and AC on/off @ what temp in/out? If that was interstate at around 70+ MPH and AC on at ~76* with outside ~90* that's about right.

[alz]

I got my FFH in February and "wasted" the first 500 or so miles by driving my car as I always have. Since then I have learned a lot from some very generous contributors to these forums and with almost 4,000 miles my average is up to 45.9 mpg. In part because of where I live (quiet Northeast Ohio) and in part because my driving habits have changed, my average continues to slowly tick up. An interesting sidenote - I find myself much calmer when I drive. I wasn't an aggressive driver but I was impatient.

 

I hope that after spending some time on these forums you will find your mpg improving. If it does turn out to be car-specific, I hope that your dealer works with you to find a solution.

 

*** Side note - my husband is listed as the FFH Member on these posts but it's my car - and I'm a 63 year-old female. Just fyi.

Edited September 3, 2013 by alz

[JATR4]

We played around with the car....We turned on the Eco Cruise and took a little road trip.....We actually were getting 38-40 MPG

What's your tire pressure? I run my 2014 with 44 psi all-around and get 45 mpg. If you are at 36 psi your mileage could improve 2-3 mpg with an increase in pressure.

 

I ran 44 psi in my Honda Civic Hybrid for five years with no adverse effects on tires and with better mileage. I also run 44 psi on my Maxima and did on a Jeep Grand Cherokee also. Improved mpg for each.

[neod192]

What's your tire pressure? I run my 2014 with 44 psi all-around and get 45 mpg. If you are at 36 psi your mileage could improve 2-3 mpg with an increase in pressure.

 

I ran 44 psi in my Honda Civic Hybrid for five years with no adverse effects on tires and with better mileage. I also run 44 psi on my Maxima and did on a Jeep Grand Cherokee also. Improved mpg for each.

I used to also run mine at 44PSI, until I picked up a nail. Now it's back down to 36 and the ride is MUCH smoother. My mileage doesn't seem to be affected. Edited September 3, 2013 by neod192

[jeff_h]

I used to also run mine at 44PSI, until I picked up a nail. Now it's back down to 36 and the ride is MUCH smoother. My mileage doesn't seem to be affected.

 

I compromised and went with 40 PSI on my FFH, as I also did with the last one.

[djminfll]

We played around with the car....We turned on the Eco Cruise and took a little road trip.....We actually were getting 38-40 MPG

I also find that using the ACC helps keep acceleration pretty even and allows higher mpg than normal acceleration.

One thing you might also want to try is using the center button on the MFT. This will bring up a visual of the FFH and what is running on the car, accessories, ICE vs EV, and the reason for the car running in ICE mode instead of EV. Sometimes it will say "Acceleration", other times, "Battery charging", etc. When I do see that I am running on ACC at the speed I've selected but the screen says "Acceleration" as the reason for not being in EV, I release the ACC then Resume. This puts it back in EV mode again.

Hopefully, you will start finding additional tricks you can use to bring your numbers up over time.

Edited September 3, 2013 by djminfll

[vangonebuy]

We played around with the car....We turned on the Eco Cruise and took a little road trip.....We actually were getting 38-40 MPG

 

:) Stay with EcoCruise and you will improve further.

 

 

 

I'm test driving with EcoCruise in charge all the time.

Almost driving exclusively with cruise control running the show.

All over town. Less gas pedal input the better.

My better half is less ambitious so far.

 

I noted earlier about my 150 trip on top of my local driving (265.7miles) of "Eco in charge" test.

 

Fuelly recorded my 5.44 gal refuel of Eco in charge cruising at 48.9 MPG. A personal best for that distance.

 

My trip MPG is running at 45.1 right now. {Reset at the software patch.) Up from 37.4 before.

 

I cannot say for sure that it's the software patch or the "Eco in charge" driving style.

But, my results are really improving fast. I believe it's the EcoCruise.

 

Time will tell.

[acdii]

Great Post GrySql!

 

Lee Ann, chances are if you are driving it like any non hybrid, the results you see are pretty much what you will get. I see a lot of Hybrid owners driving like a normal car, jack rabbit starts, short braking, tearing up the road at well over the speed limit. Chance are they are NOT getting anywhere near 40 MPG, and complaining about it.

 

Rule #1, relax, give yourself a few more minutes of time for driving, leave a little earlier. It doesn't pay to race to a red light.

 

A few tricks to try, move your seat back a bit, so your feet aren't too heavy on the pedals. The brake and accelerator are very sensitive, you would be amazed at how little pressure it takes to go from 34 MPG to 47 MPG. Use Empower screen, keep the white bar under or around the 2 KW mark, and watch how the blue box climbs, and when it is around 1 KW, ease off the pedal a little bit, and you will see the two bars start to merge, and eventually switch to full EV. Dont force it to use EV all the time, let the car decide when it needs to use ICE or EV. Best thing I found is let the battery get to about 75%, then switch to EV and when it runs down to about 30% it will switch to ICE, let it, unless you are going to be slowing down to a stop soon, let the ICE do its work to power and recharge.

 

Here is the Most important thing, and probably the HARDEST thing to learn to drive this car, braking! Smooth slow stops work best. The brake coach is there to help you, and 100% is the goal. This is where you convert all your momentum into free energy. Dont waste it with heat. You have to start braking long before you would normally brake, and you want to ease into the pedal, applying more pressure as you slow down, but not so much as to use the actual brakes. It is also one of the most difficult to explain as it is all in the feel of the pedal. the more you can get the brake score near 100% the better your MPG will be. A brake score of 99 or 100 can mean a difference of 3-5 MPG vs a brake score of 95%, it is that important.

 

I know it is frustrating being sold a bill of goods that cant deliver, however, thats what sale people do, a friend of mine calls it the Synthetic Smile. These cars can deliver, but it is not easy to do. There are a few Job1(first run) cars that are under achievers, something is wrong with them and I hope Ford steps up and finds out why, I had one, but given I had a 2010 at the same time that did 5-8 MPG better and was rated 8 MPG lower, Ford could not tell me the car was normal. I have since replaced it with a Job2, and it is performing very well, not exactly as advertised, but then I also dont have a daily drive under perfect conditions, few of us do, (HB, Maine, Jeff).

 

It take patience, practice, and more patience. Once you find the sweet spot and can hit it more, you will start seeing much better results.

[hybridbear]

Even after the so called "re-calibration" My Fusion Hybrid is only getting 32 mpg.....NOT HAPPY!! I called Ford and they told me to give it 30 days after the re-calibration to see if it helps, if not I am to call them back!!

 

One strike towards the Ohio Lemon law down!!

Lee Ann,

 

Have you read the information in this thread? It has links to information about how to maximize fuel economy.

[corncobs]

Lee Ann your car might be a candidate for following "fix". It has already helped the original poster and GrySql improving their mileage greatly after the PCM update and this "hard reset".

 

Please see the Fuel Mileage section for more details.

 

I had the update done. My MPG got worse at highway speeds until I stopped and disconnected both the 12v and the HVB for about 5 minutes. I reconnected the HVB and the 12V battery (in that order), and viola! Immediately noticed that the HVB indicated a 100% charge, even though it was only at 50-60% when I stopped. I can only think that after the update, the HVB on some cars needs a new reference point as to what the HVB SOC actually is? Anyway, it worked.

Edited September 5, 2013 by corncobs