Problem after problem - quality/reliability issues

[Double-Tap]

Recently I purchased a 14 fusion, about a month old, and I was completely in love with this car. The interior is done nicely, it's extremely quite, the ride is brilliant, the tech is sublime, and topped off with a gorgeous exterior! My only concerns towards buying a Ford, were reliability and build quality.

 

About 2 and a half weeks in, these quality/reliability concerns started becoming apparent...

 

The problems I've been having (ranked in order for most importance).

1. Ongoing and persistent navigation issues. I get a popup stating "insert Nav SD Card" and ""navigation SD card fault". It sometimes occurs when I first turn on the car or it'll happen midway through driving the car. The problem seems to be exacerbated by cold weather and bumps in the road.

- I've taken it to the dealership and they can't really figure out what the problem is. They already swapped out some parts with another new 14 fusion on the parking lot, just to see if that fixes the problem. Well that didn't work out at all. They said that it might be fixed because they can't replicate the issue. Within 15 minutes towards my drive back home, it started acting up again. Spent $800 or so, for a navigation that is unable to function and/or function consistently.

 

2. Paint flaking/chipping off. The paint is flaking/chipping off the rear bumper, where the sheet metal body touches the bumper right next to the wheel arch. About an 1-1.5 inch in length on BOTH sides of the car.

- Dealership took it to an auto body shop and stated that it's probably due to "over tightening" of a bolt that connects the bumper to the metal body frame. Also my dealership is stating that any "paint" issues is covered usually only for 1 year, which doesn't build my confidence in Ford. Also, to fix the two areas, it'll take 3-4 days in the body shop... wow. :doh:

To top it all off, I was told it might or might not match the original paint, which was a kick to the gut when he said it. :cry:

 

3. Musty smell coming from AC. There's a pungent smell coming from the AC/fan of my car.

When I first turn on the AC, there's a musty smell that permeates through the car. It's quite inconsistent when using the AC. However, when I turn off the AC and just use the fan, the odor is extremely awful. It's a mix of plastic and a musty/moldy smell, much worse than the inconsistent AC smell :(

As foul as this smell is, it's the health effects that worry me the most. Others have had this problem, hopefully I can get some advise for this.

 

4. Noise coming from the trunk while braking/turning.

There's some noise that permeates from the back/trunk area. Sounds like something is moving in the back and is exacerbated by a full tank of gas. It's quite loud and pervasive.

- The dealership was able to replicate the noise on my car and another two 2014 fusions on their lot. I believe they will be contacting Ford for this issue, but they don't know if there's a fix for this or not. The dealership is stating that if there is no real fix from Ford, they'll try to ameliorate the problem as best as possible (maybe try some kind of foam or something), but there are no guarantees. It's quite disconcerting to know that your brand new car, less than a month old, might or might not get a fix.

 

 

I just feel demoralized and starting regret buying this Fusion. Don't get me wrong, without these flaws, it's a great car. Surpassed my expectations in terms of what I wanted from it. The car I have is just plagued with issues. :cry:

[hybridbear]

Recently I purchased a 14 fusion, about a month old, and I was completely in love with this car. The interior is done nicely, it's extremely quite, the ride is brilliant, the tech is sublime, and topped off with a gorgeous exterior! My only concerns towards buying a Ford, were reliability and build quality.

 

About 2 and a half weeks in, these quality/reliability concerns started becoming apparent...

 

The problems I've been having (ranked in order for most importance).

1. Ongoing and persistent navigation issues. I get a popup stating "insert Nav SD Card" and ""navigation SD card fault". It sometimes occurs when I first turn on the car or it'll happen midway through driving the car. The problem seems to be exacerbated by cold weather and bumps in the road.

- I've taken it to the dealership and they can't really figure out what the problem is. They already swapped out some parts with another new 14 fusion on the parking lot, just to see if that fixes the problem. Well that didn't work out at all. They said that it might be fixed because they can't replicate the issue. Within 15 minutes towards my drive back home, it started acting up again. Spent $800 or so, for a navigation that is unable to function and/or function consistently.

 

2. Paint flaking/chipping off. The paint is flaking/chipping off the rear bumper, where the sheet metal body touches the bumper right next to the wheel arch. About an 1-1.5 inch in length on BOTH sides of the car.

- Dealership took it to an auto body shop and stated that it's probably due to "over tightening" of a bolt that connects the bumper to the metal body frame. Also my dealership is stating that any "paint" issues is covered usually only for 1 year, which doesn't build my confidence in Ford. Also, to fix the two areas, it'll take 3-4 days in the body shop... wow. :doh:

To top it all off, I was told it might or might not match the original paint, which was a kick to the gut when he said it. :cry:

 

3. Musty smell coming from AC. There's a pungent smell coming from the AC/fan of my car.

When I first turn on the AC, there's a musty smell that permeates through the car. It's quite inconsistent when using the AC. However, when I turn off the AC and just use the fan, the odor is extremely awful. It's a mix of plastic and a musty/moldy smell, much worse than the inconsistent AC smell :(

As foul as this smell is, it's the health effects that worry me the most. Others have had this problem, hopefully I can get some advise for this.

 

4. Noise coming from the trunk while braking/turning.

There's some noise that permeates from the back/trunk area. Sounds like something is moving in the back and is exacerbated by a full tank of gas. It's quite loud and pervasive.

- The dealership was able to replicate the noise on my car and another two 2014 fusions on their lot. I believe they will be contacting Ford for this issue, but they don't know if there's a fix for this or not. The dealership is stating that if there is no real fix from Ford, they'll try to ameliorate the problem as best as possible (maybe try some kind of foam or something), but there are no guarantees. It's quite disconcerting to know that your brand new car, less than a month old, might or might not get a fix.

 

 

I just feel demoralized and starting regret buying this Fusion. Don't get me wrong, without these flaws, it's a great car. Surpassed my expectations in terms of what I wanted from it. The car I have is just plagued with issues. :cry:

The nav issues have been addressed by Ford extending the warranty on those parts. They had a bad batch of modules which caused lots of issues in 2013 Fusions and C-Maxes and possibly other models. It shouldn't be hard for the dealer to get authorization to replace that module with the issues you're having.

 

Paint issues are often hard to get covered under warranty. Be glad that the issues you have are being taken care of. The warranty for paint issues is usually very limited and full of exclusions to get the manufacturer out of paying.

 

Hopefully the AC smell issue will be solved soon.

 

Can you record the sound you hear from the trunk? Then we can hopefully help you determine if it's just the gas sloshing or if it is another issue.

[Riggo]

It worries me that the A/C smell issue is still a problem. Ford has not addressed the issue at all and it seems like there is no fix in sight. I plan on using my cooled seats this spring/summer and foregoing using the a/c as long as possible. If I do have to use the a/c I suppose I'll try the trick where you turn it off a few miles from the destination and run the fan only to try to dry out the coils. Ford really needs to step up and find a fix for this issue though. Too many people have had it.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Riggo

[corncobs]

Hopefully I'm not the next one with this problem. As part of the 15k service they replaced the cabin filter and I thought I smelled something unpleasant on my drive home.

I was thinking about all these problems and why some people expierience this and others don't.

 

Could this be related to the storage of the filters before they are installed? I don't know if they are kept in a plastic bag or just in a carton. But what if the filter collects moisture and starts to smell once it's installed?

[acdii]

One way to find out if it is the filter. Remove it.

[Double-Tap]

The nav issues have been addressed by Ford extending the warranty on those parts. They had a bad batch of modules which caused lots of issues in 2013 Fusions and C-Maxes and possibly other models. It shouldn't be hard for the dealer to get authorization to replace that module with the issues you're having.

 

Paint issues are often hard to get covered under warranty. Be glad that the issues you have are being taken care of. The warranty for paint issues is usually very limited and full of exclusions to get the manufacturer out of paying.

 

Hopefully the AC smell issue will be solved soon.

 

Can you record the sound you hear from the trunk? Then we can hopefully help you determine if it's just the gas sloshing or if it is another issue.

 

If those nav issues were addressed by Ford, why would my month old 2014 Fusion have these problems? :(

 

I'm definitely glad the paint is getting covered by warranty. I did read up on it and there's an exclusion for so many paint related issues lol. But my dealership acknowledged that it was due to the bolt being tightened too much. Regardless, I'm quite happy it's getting taken care of. I just hope it matches as close as possible!

 

The Ford regional manager that I talked to stated that he was not aware of any Fusions that have this AC problem. That's a bit disconcerting...

 

I'll try to record the noise from the trunk this weekend. I don't know how well it'll be recorded, but I shall try :)

[Double-Tap]

It worries me that the A/C smell issue is still a problem. Ford has not addressed the issue at all and it seems like there is no fix in sight. I plan on using my cooled seats this spring/summer and foregoing using the a/c as long as possible. If I do have to use the a/c I suppose I'll try the trick where you turn it off a few miles from the destination and run the fan only to try to dry out the coils. Ford really needs to step up and find a fix for this issue though. Too many people have had it.

 

It worries me too. I don't want no carcinogenic chemical sprayed into my vent as a temporary fix. The whole AC problem is probably the most concerning. I wouldn't feel safe letting my little nieces and nephews in my car with a vent that is spewing mold spores.

 

I honestly believe I will get most of these problems ameliorated by Ford, with the exception of the AC. The AC situation seems more like a design flaw...

[hybridbear]

 

If those nav issues were addressed by Ford, why would my month old 2014 Fusion have these problems? :(

 

I'm definitely glad the paint is getting covered by warranty. I did read up on it and there's an exclusion for so many paint related issues lol. But my dealership acknowledged that it was due to the bolt being tightened too much. Regardless, I'm quite happy it's getting taken care of. I just hope it matches as close as possible!

 

The Ford regional manager that I talked to stated that he was not aware of any Fusions that have this AC problem. That's a bit disconcerting...

 

I'll try to record the noise from the trunk this weekend. I don't know how well it'll be recorded, but I shall try :)

What I meant is that they recognize that there have been issues with nav units and are replacing those parts and extending the warranty on all cars with nav because of the volume of defective nav units.

[acdii]

This is the warranty part HB refers to

 

12M02 - SYNC WITH MYFORD/MYLINCOLN TOUCH - WARRANTY EXTENSION COVERING ACCESSORY PROTOCOL INTERFACE MODULE (APIM)

[Double-Tap]

Sorry for not keeping you guys updated with my situation, I've been very busy of late :(

 

Basically what is happening:

Ford regional manager is trying to fix all my issues at once. It'll take 3-4 days for the bumper alone and who knows how long for the rest. Unfortunately, the dealership I've been going to does not have an autobody place..so I have to wait until at least April 7th or so to get it looked at...

At least the Ford regional manger has been calling me every week or so and giving me updates of what will be going on. I will be provided with a rental free of charge, so that's good.

 

*Also I do want to add one more thing: One of my doors seems to protrude out more than my others. It tends to look kind of awkward when the car has been in the sun for a few hours. I might be nit-picking, but I haven't seen any of these kinds of body panel issues with other cars any of my extended family has owned...*