Ford Motor Company Lowers Fuel Economy Ratings For Six Vehicles

[erichFla]

Cool, I get $775.00 back too and I don't have the Problem of owning the car & going to the dealership any more.

They tried to play games with me on my refund check on my extended warranty money refund. They told me they Lost my phone number and couldn't call me to verify my mileage on my Fusion's last Odo reading. Really, all they could come up with was " Lost my phone number " LOL. Plus I gave them a copy of the Certified Odo certificate on the Sale of the car when I went to cancel my extended warranty at the dealership 8 weeks prior. I had my attorney send them a Fax and I had my money in three days later AFTER waiting almost 8 weeks in the first place. Yeah, I really believe them about my lost phone number, what $$$-Holes right up to the very end.

Our attorney didn't charge me anything for his service because my Wife works for him, LOL.

Edited June 16, 2014 by erichFla

[Texasota]

If it's mostly Highway for that much milage the manual gas fusion gets better on the hwy

 

Everyone's driving results are different but even with the new EPA numbers for the FFH (EPA highway: 41 MPG) it does considerably better than the 1.6/manual gas fusion (EPA highway: 37 MPG). Consumer reports also measured better highway MPG results with the FFH as compared to the gas fusions.

 

Ford's Ecoboost gas engines are not stellar performers when it comes to MPG or acceleration/power. They do not compete very well when compared to the top competitors such as Honda and Nissan 4-cylinder engines.

[Eddie Sessum]

I had a 2l turbo Saturn sky. I could get 45mpg at 70. It was rated way Lower than that. Needless to say in the city with almost 300hp I didn't get shit.. Like 20 tops.

[djminfll]

Nice, I plan to pick up my new 2014 Fusion H T this coming week after shoping and researching the car for two years and then waiting 7 weeks for special order Tianium. Wonder if it will have a new sticker or if I will get the $775.00... I agreed to the 47/47...

If yours is a "special order" for which you waited 7 weeks delivery, I would assume you would be eligible.

[Howie411]

My question about this is how does it effect resale value. 47/47/47 was a very high and there arent many cars out there that came close to it. But as technology progresses they definitely will. So in say 4-5 years all the cars are getting that or better, who wants a car now that is only rated at 41.

[acdii]

I know mine wont be worth much at the end of 10 years, not with 250K miles on it. My daughter will be driving it by then, so as far as resell, not worried about it. We have a 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis in the garage, still runs good and after a repaint, still looks good, and its going on 20 years old. Cheaper to repair and repaint than to replace.

[alpha754293]

 

I'm one of the happiest FFH owners around, but I'm disappointed that Ford didn't have a system that would triple check the figures that were input to create their engineering models. I don't feel someone intentionally entered wrong data, but when the results created such great EPA numbers, they didn't want to verify if the initial numbers were correct. Ford states that the models "are validated through vehicle testing, including physical track tests ". Why didn't this produce a red flag back then? And why wasn't this error discovered back in March, 2013 when the EPA discrepancies were obvious. Someone at Ford must have said "we need to double check all our numbers", and those who missed the errors back then should see some consequences.

The new EPA figures still would have put the 2013 FFH ahead of its main competition when it was introduced. I think Ford has learned a lot from this episode and has adjusted their culture, which is why I am now even more confident in Ford's long term future.

 

"Ford first found an anomaly in testing last October, but did not know if the issue was with the test or the vehicle, Nair said. Ford confirmed the problem in March and notified the EPA."

 

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20140612/BUSINESS0102/306120185/Ford-mileage-Fusion-hybrid-C-Max-Lincoln-MKZ-Fiesta-EPA-fuel-economy

 

AFAIK, it was March 2014. And as stated in the Detroit Free Press article, the error was first detected in October 2013, and it takes quite a bit of time to trace/track down the ultimate root cause (because you want to be very careful and systematic in your approach to rule out other potential causes first so that you don't end up with the wrong conclusion by trying to do things too quickly, in a non-systematic way.)

 

it's like any kind of diagnostic test right? You go through your list of possiblities and you start testing to see if they are those possibilities as you work your way through by process of elimination - know what I mean?

 

And in my experience pretty much everywhere I've worked - if there's a process issue, sometimes that's harder to diagnose/detect because a lot of times, people (in general) tend to be "results driven" so you know how when you're doing something - based on a prescribed process, and you're getting numbers, and people are always trying to figure out what is it with the answer, until some one goes "well...what about the process? has anybody checked that?" (I mean, it was the same thing in all my jobs, even when I was in undergraduate research).

 

The other thing that I will say though since I joined Ford last year is that they're quite an extremely data-centric company/culture. And I LOVE that about Ford. It's how I roll. It's how they roll. And it's great when the personal philosophy is aligned with the philosophy of the company. (And having worked in the supplier-base before joining Ford, I can tell you that the same cannot necessarily be said for other manufacturers - or not nearly to the same extent anyways.)

 

And it appears that the latest victim to Consumer's Reports re: fuel economy not meeting EPA estimates is the Honda Accord Hybrid, so it appears that no one is immune to it.

[alpha754293]

 

I agree, I think they have handled this issue is the best possible way. On the scale of mistakes car makers have made, this honestly is pretty minor and the correction seems to have been pretty swift. Especially when you compare it with GM's ignition switch issue.

 

What I really like is how simple the rebate process is. I put over 20,000 mi/year on my FFH, so I'm on the higher end of what the average person drives, but I like the simplicity of the one time rebate as opposed to how Hyundai requires annual mileage comparisons to determine the rebate amount. Ford's method is less hassle for everyone and allows the issue to be put behind them much faster. I am hoping that maybe they can find some more software fixes they can give us to help improve things, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

Yeah, I missed my annual estimate of 40,000 miles/year by about 10,000 miles. (Currently at around 30,000 miles/year).

[alpha754293]

There are thousands of people's only getting mid 30s like me. I bought mine the 1st week they came out. And I will bet any won there is no way on earth my car could get 47 mpg I could tail gate a trucker at 5mph and only get 38mpg every time the motor turns on I get 19th

 

Hybrids definitely are more sensitive to terrain and how you drive moreso than non-hybrids.

 

How many miles do you have on your FFH now?

 

When I first had my FFH, my commute to work only topped out at 37.3 mpg no matter how hard I tried/what I did and still stayed SAFE driving on Michigan highways (where people will pass you even if you're already doing 85). I hang out on the far right lane at 69 mph (110 km/h). But if I take the surface streets instead of the highway and I can hold betwen like 45-50 mph (70-80 km/h), I can hit 47 mpg (as long as I time the lights properly). But in hot or cold weather (A/C uses more power/electricity, and heater needs the engine to run to generate heat), the fuel economy gets worse.

 

You see a bit of a bump in the after 3000 miles. And then it progressively gets better past 5000 miles. And then it starts getting really good after about the first 10,000 miles. And my car (2013 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid) after 33,000 miles is still averaging 39.0 mpg (over it's entire lifetime), with 90% of the distance is highway driving at ~70 mph.

 

But if you accelerate out of a red light reasonably hard (i.e. if you go to the "Engage" screen on your left-hand-side on your instrument cluster) and you're using more than 50% power, or if you're braking late where your braking score isn't like 95%+, then that might help to explain why you're seeing what you're seeing.

[MaineFusion]

 

But if you accelerate out of a red light reasonably hard (i.e. if you go to the "Engage" screen on your left-hand-side on your instrument cluster) and you're using more than 50% power, or if you're braking late where your braking score isn't like 95%+, then that might help to explain why you're seeing what you're seeing.

 

Even if the brake calipers don't engage, one is still losing energy with regenerative braking so it is best to avoid braking as much as possible. I know the traffic light patterns in places a routinely drive and if I know the light will turn red before I get there anyways, I'll just let off the gas really early and slow down as much as possible without pressing the gas brake peddle. If I do it right, the light will turn green again just before I get to it and I can avoid having to stop completely.

 

edit: wrote gas peddle when I meant brake peddle.

Edited June 16, 2014 by MaineFusion

[Eddie Sessum]

 

Even if the brake calipers don't engage, one is still losing energy with regenerative braking so it is best to avoid braking as much as possible. I know the traffic light patterns in places a routinely drive and if I know the light will turn red before I get there anyways, I'll just let off the gas really early and slow down as much as possible without pressing the gas peddle. If I do it right, the light will turn green again just before I get to it and I can avoid having to stop completely.

 

Sounds like your lucky enough to be in a place where lights are on timers and stay at the same pattern. Here we have those stop strips that activate when a car hits them and after certain times alot of the lights change there pattern of who goes next. Its crazy.

[DetroitSunset]

Awaiting my FFHT, I will say that Iv'e never driven a Hybrid. But to those who think you should avoid the brake, your way off. As I undersatnd the FFH is equiped with a 2 stage braking system. The real brakes that stop the car kick in after the intial EGEN braking which charges the EMotor/ battery.

 

I feel prepared to get great mileage as I have taken many Smith System Safe Driving classes offered by two past companies I worked for. The premise is safety program developed long before Hybrids. Space Cusion driving allow people to increase reaction time...

 

In other words when driving, avoid packs of traffic and allow space for your vehicle to avoid impact with any other vehicles. Sounds silly but if you stay away from traffic with skilled slow light braking and slow steady excelleration you will not only save gas but also keep your car away from accidents and insurance claims.

 

Another tip always back in to a parking spot when you arrive as the enviroment can change while your parked. This will keep you from backing out of a spot into something new. Its all about awareness and defensive driving. These habits will help all of get the MPGs we are looking for and also reduce collisions...

[Eddie Sessum]

Awaiting my FFHT, I will say that Iv'e never driven a Hybrid. But to those who think you should avoid the brake, your way off. As I undersatnd the FFH is equiped with a 2 stage braking system. The real brakes that stop the car kick in after the intial EGEN braking which charges the EMotor/ battery.

 

I feel prepared to get great mileage as I have taken many Smith System Safe Driving classes offered by two past companies I worked for. The premise is safety program developed long before Hybrids. Space Cusion driving allow people to increase reaction time...

 

In other words when driving, avoid packs of traffic and allow space for your vehicle to avoid impact with any other vehicles. Sounds silly but if you stay away from traffic with skilled slow light braking and slow steady excelleration you will not only save gas but also keep your car away from accidents and insurance claims.

 

Another tip always back in to a parking spot when you arrive as the enviroment can change while your parked. This will keep you from backing out of a spot into something new. Its all about awareness and defensive driving. These habits will help all of get the MPGs we are looking for and also reduce collisions...

 

Once you drive it for a little bit you will notice you can feel slight rear brake grab if you apply too much pressure and it starts to switch from egen to friction. I dont know for sure but i believe the friction brakes are applied in a formula like older cars have. Front first than some rear, but in our case the front stays in egen untill the backs engage to a certain point. Just considers the egen as the friction on the front.

[DetroitSunset]

Ed,

 

Not sure any of us can help you. What I would like to mention is that automobiles are a transportation tool and should never be considered an investment. It seems from your posts... that your looking for more than Ford/ Lincoln or any of us can ever provide?

 

Understand Im not attacking you, but it sounds like you have a beuatiful Lincoln. I can't afford that model and make the best of what I can drive. You need another vent for your frustrations besides a Hybrid community interested in Auotomotive Performance.

[MaineFusion]

 

Sounds like your lucky enough to be in a place where lights are on timers and stay at the same pattern. Here we have those stop strips that activate when a car hits them and after certain times alot of the lights change there pattern of who goes next. Its crazy.

 

Ours do goofy things like that as well, but their goofiness is predictable to a degree. For instance one light will always turn red before I get to it unless it is already red. If it is green I know I'll have to stop. If it is red and I time my slowdown right, I won't have to stop. A lot of our lights are controlled by cross traffic so I watch for that. If I see cross traffic waiting at the light I know they will turn red before I get to them if I'm X distance away from them. Other lights alternate flows of traffic in the same pattern every time so I know which direction will get green next. At one light, for instance, I make a right where I only have to yield to cross traffic. The right turn is kind of like an off ramp so I have a long approach and I can tell well in advance if I'll have to stop based on who has the green light at the time. When I time it right, I barely have to slow down.

Edited June 16, 2014 by MaineFusion

[Eddie Sessum]

What help am I looking for?

[billford]

I have a copy of the Canadian goodwill payments.

 

A summary:

 

A purchased FFH is $925, leased is $600

A purchased MKZ is $1800, leased is $1200

A purchased CMAX is $725, leased is $475

 

Payments will be mailed out between 5 and 15 weeks from today and be mailed directly to the customer.

 

Cars on order can be cancelled if requested with a full refund on the deposit.

 

There are aprox. 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. and 13,000 in Canada.

 

Current and previous owners will get the payment.

 

CMAX owners, it says, already received $895 last August, they will receive an additional $725, for a total of $1620

 

MKZ owners will receive a separate gift.

[GrySql]

MSL's control most of our local stoplights and it is almost impossible to anticipate them.

[Eddie Sessum]

I have a copy of the Canadian goodwill payments.

 

A summary:

 

A purchased FFH is $925, leased is $600

A purchased MKZ is $1800, leased is $1200

A purchased CMAX is $725, leased is $475

 

Payments will be mailed out between 5 and 15 weeks from today and be mailed directly to the customer.

 

Cars on order can be cancelled if requested with a full refund on the deposit.

 

There are aprox. 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. and 13,000 in Canada.

 

Current and previous owners will get the payment.

 

CMAX owners, it says, already received $895 last August, they will receive an additional $725, for a total of $1620

 

MKZ owners will receive a separate gift.

 

Sounds like us Americans with mkz are getting screwed. Current exchange rates put that at 1660usd

[MaineFusion]

MSL's control most of our local stoplights and it is almost impossible to anticipate them.

A lot of ours are controlled in a similar fashion, but something I learned driving tour buses nearly 20 years ago still holds true for most any traffic light. The longer a light has been green the sooner it will turn red.

 

With a MSL controlled light if a car pulls up on a cross street to a red light, there is a very high probability that your green light will quickly turn yellow and then red. If there is solid traffic in all directions, even an MSL controlled light will kick over into some form of timed light giving each direction their turn at green. How much green each direction will get will usually be some factor of typical traffic density in each direction. Being observant of what traffic lights are doing along with everything that the traffic around you is doing is instructive in being able to gauge if you will get caught by the traffic light anyways so you might as well let off the gas early.

 

In a tour bus being observant in this way to traffic lights and surrounding traffic was this was the difference between having to stop short and possibly throw a passenger off their feet and providing a consistently smooth ride. In a hybrid it is the difference between mediocre MPG and stellar MPG.

[md13ffhguy]

Something I thought about well before this whole payout issue. Ford really painted themselves in a corner with 47/47...

 

For those of us used to conventional, 100% gas-powered vehicles, MPG ratings always looked very similar in format to the 2014 Fusion SE (non-hybrid) - 22 city/34 highway (just as an example). Customers (like me) surely look at these numbers and assume that there are variables at play other than just city or highway driving (and who just does one or the other?). Surely, the highway mileage was calculated at 55, or something close (please don't quote me the actual test procedures here - I'm just suggesting this is what many people assume), and no one would expect to apply a lead foot and still get the highest MPG. But, the beauty of these "conventional" MPG ratings is that they imply a range of fuel efficiency - 22-34 MPG, in this case - and I would guess that 80%-90% or so of owner's actual MPG results likely fall into this assumed range.

 

Whether it was the result of Ford engineering, or just the nature of the FFH and the EPA tests, 47/47 was doomed to be a nightmare for Ford, since it suggested that there might not be so much variability in the FFH - i.e. no matter how, when, or where it's driven, the results will be the same... And yet, we know that these vehicles are uber-sensitive to variables that affect fuel efficiency - ambient temperature, speed, driving style, passenger load, climate control, hills or lack thereof, etc...

[Waldo]

Sounds like us Americans with mkz are getting screwed. Current exchange rates put that at 1660usd

 

Sure you are. Bet you didn't have to pay 13% sales tax when you bought it...

[Eddie Sessum]

 

Sure you are. Bet you didn't have to pay 13% sales tax when you bought it...

Nah.. 9%.. But sales tax is expected no matter what you buy and I doubt Ford took sales tax into consideration

[SteveB_TX]

Sounds like us Americans with mkz are getting screwed. Current exchange rates put that at 1660usd

 

What is the cost of gas per liter in Canada? We already know Ford used $3.54/gallon to figure our payments...

[hermans]

I very recently paid $4.04 a gallon in Niagara Falls, Canada. I only bought a couple of gallons to get me out of the country.