2014 FFH transmission replacement

[Chris Campbell]

I'll update this thread as I learn more from the dealer.

 

My wife's car, a '14 FFH Titanium with 14k miles, started making an almost imperceptible noise from the front end last week. She had me drive with her and I honestly couldn't hear anything other than what I thought was typical road noise. Fast forward a few days and we went for a ride again. This time however, I could also hear a very slight cyclical grinding noise. It sounded like a break pad/rotor was grinding ever so slightly. It was easier to hear when in EV mode, but also seemed to occur when the gas engine was running. It happened consistently when accelerating, but I think I heard it occasionally when the car was coasting and breaking. It was definitely coming from the front/center of the car. No error codes or warnings on the dash and we did a vehicle health report which came back with green check marks for all items other than the recall section (sync warranty extension).

 

Since we had purchased the ESP with both first day and enhanced rental, I decided to take it by the dealership the next day. Called them up and they said they'd take a look. Dropped it off and they sent me off to the rental car company (without giving me the enhanced rental rate...)

 

Got a call from the dealership later in the afternoon and the service rep said that it was a problem with the transmission. They had hooked it up to the computer, went through the troubleshooting steps and then the computer told them to stop what they were doing. It said they needed to order a new transmission from Detroit and have the existing transmission sent back to the factory for inspection. Not what I wanted to hear for a car that's only 6 months old. But at least they are still making new transmissions and I wasn't getting a rebuilt one (or so I'm told.)

 

I'm curious, I've read the threads about leakage, but have others had to do a full replacement? How many miles?

 

I don't know the gritty details yet, but I'm hoping they'll share them with me and I'll make sure to post back.

 

PS. I did get the rental situation worked out. They claimed they didn't see enhanced rentals very often so they just gave me the $30 a day default allowance instead of the $75 that I paid for. Funny, since I mentioned both first day and enhanced two different times to the rep and he would only repeat back the "first day" option. I didn't notice they did the $30 allowance until the rental company was walking me out to the car. Once they told me about the transmission replacement they were quick to agree I should have the rental car upgraded asap ;)

[lolder]

There have been several early transmission failures reported here so there is a problem. We don't yet know what it is or how prevalent it is. It is very troublesome because this is a component that should outlive the rest of the car. Since they want it sent back, Ford is apparently still studying the problem. On the forum here we have suspicions that it is a lubrication problem but we don't know yet.

[acdii]

This has me concerned, Mine is over 41K now, and is about to be put through a LOT of miles, 120+ a day, and hearing of others having transmission failures is not something I want to see or hear. Mine makes a slight whine on and off the throttle, has done so for a long time, as if there is a gear lash misadjustment in the final. Good thing I have the 125K ESP, even if the trans is covered for 80 or 100K.

[Chris Campbell]

No word from the dealership yet, but I don't expect to hear anything until at least Tuesday or Wednesday next week. They estimated at least a week for the repair.

 

The car was driven very conservatively as we tried to maximize the MPG. That said, the average mpg tracked by aCar, since purchase, was only 36.5 MPG. Gas mileage has improved since purchase, and I'd say in the last 3 months it's averaged more like 38 - 39 MPG.

 

The car was driven about 55 miles round trip in it's daily commute. The commute route has elevation changes between 100 - 1000 feet. Speeds fluctuate between stop and go and 65mph. We noticed from the beginning that as it climbed the steepest incline the RPM would raise drastically. We honestly thought something was wrong (it would almost peg the RPM indicator) but we read in the manual that this was normal behavior. Without having other cars to compare against, we assumed this was normal. That said, I was worried what would happen if we had to take it over a real mountain pass with 4 passengers in the car. Is this typical behavior for a hybrid and the CVT?

[FordService]

I'll update this thread as I learn more from the dealer....

 

I don't know the gritty details yet, but I'm hoping they'll share them with me and I'll make sure to post back..

Please let me know Monday what the status is, and I'll check out some additional options.

 

Meagan

[hybridbear]

We noticed from the beginning that as it climbed the steepest incline the RPM would raise drastically. We honestly thought something was wrong (it would almost peg the RPM indicator) but we read in the manual that this was normal behavior. Without having other cars to compare against, we assumed this was normal. That said, I was worried what would happen if we had to take it over a real mountain pass with 4 passengers in the car. Is this typical behavior for a hybrid and the CVT?

The ICE RPM is not connected to the wheel speed. The ICE runs closer to the Atkinson cycle than Otto cycle normally which makes the ICE louder because air gets pushed back into the intake during the compression stroke.

Edited March 15, 2015 by hybridbear

[Chris Campbell]

We picked up the car from the dealership on Tuesday evening (a day earlier than expected). Our initial impressions are very positive. Nothing surprising with the work that was done. The dealership confirmed that this was a brand new transmission and not a refurb. No additional work done other than replacing the transmission.

 

The car however performs much better than it ever has before. In the past it was very rare for both the ICE and EV systems to work simultaneously. As I mentioned in the OP, when going up the daily commute grade, the ICE would run exclusively and it would just about peg the RPM gauge. With the new transmission, the ICE and EV are way more likely to run in unison. If you accelerate, instead of the ICE RPM's just increasing alone, the EV will kick in and provide additional power. It's like a new car and much more comfortable to drive. Getting up to speed to merge on to the freeway before felt like we were in a golf cart, now there's no problem at all. We've only done the commute twice so not enough time to determine if this will change the mpg. It appears to be at least the same so far.

 

The dealer still couldn't give us any clues as to the root cause. They were told by Ford not to crack open the transmission. They were shipping it back to the factory today for further inspection. They also told us that they hadn't seen this occur before and they didn't expect to ever get a post mortem on what went wrong.

 

Meagan, is this something you could help us determine after the investigation is complete?

[acdii]

Sounds like the trans was foooooked from the start. Glad to hear all is working now, and hopefully eases the minds of others. Hearing about a major component being replaced early doesn't bode well for others.

 

I am taking mine in today for that weird regen issue when turning. It feels like the car is slipping on ice, or surging. This is while braking in regen, could be the steering sensor because it seems to happen at the same point of the turn every time in both directions. Hoping it is, and not something in the trans.

[lolder]

May be a wheel speed sensor or wiring.

[ROB281]

My transmission went around 55k if I remember correctly, cleared 90k now, and beginning to worry about a repeat performance

[jeff_h]

Here is the link to the TSB thread with the one regarding transmissions in 2013-2014 models, sounds like it may be related to the above -

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9352-technical-service-bulletins-tsbs/?p=89122

[FordService]

We picked up the car from the dealership on Tuesday evening (a day earlier than expected). Our initial impressions are very positive. Nothing surprising with the work that was done. The dealership confirmed that this was a brand new transmission and not a refurb. No additional work done other than replacing the transmission.

 

The car however performs much better than it ever has before. In the past it was very rare for both the ICE and EV systems to work simultaneously. As I mentioned in the OP, when going up the daily commute grade, the ICE would run exclusively and it would just about peg the RPM gauge. With the new transmission, the ICE and EV are way more likely to run in unison. If you accelerate, instead of the ICE RPM's just increasing alone, the EV will kick in and provide additional power. It's like a new car and much more comfortable to drive. Getting up to speed to merge on to the freeway before felt like we were in a golf cart, now there's no problem at all. We've only done the commute twice so not enough time to determine if this will change the mpg. It appears to be at least the same so far.

 

The dealer still couldn't give us any clues as to the root cause. They were told by Ford not to crack open the transmission. They were shipping it back to the factory today for further inspection. They also told us that they hadn't seen this occur before and they didn't expect to ever get a post mortem on what went wrong.

 

Meagan, is this something you could help us determine after the investigation is complete?

I'm glad to hear everything's running smoothly! :) Since I'm not a technician or engineer, I'm unable to diagnose the root cause of symptoms, so I recommend keeping in touch with your dealer to hear if they have any updates.

 

My transmission went around 55k if I remember correctly, cleared 90k now, and beginning to worry about a repeat performance

Are you currently experiencing any symptoms related to your transmission? If so, I recommend heading to your dealer. Once you have an appointment set up, please let me know. I'll look into some options.

 

Meagan

Edited March 23, 2015 by FordService

[mje715]

I've not posted here before, but apparently my 2013 Fusion (60.5k miles) has the same issue. I was hearing a light whining or grinding noise when starting from a stop (like stop sign or traffic signal), and had been hearing this for a few weeks at least. I asked the dealer to check it at my 60k service. To my surprise (and I think theirs) they advised that it matched (perfectly) the conditions described in a service bulletin and that Ford instructed them to replace the transmission. Waiting now for the transmission to come in (they are back-ordered nationally, best case is that it arrives at dealer in 2.5 wks). Was told i could keep driving unless/until i experienced issues with drivability" ... just wondering how likely or not that might be. Anyone who has thoughts around this, I'm interested to hear. My commute is typically 80 miles total each day, alternately I am driving (for work) to another city about 200 miles away..... Not sure if i should use a rental until this is fixed (for the long haul trip) or not.

[lolder]

This has been an issue with some Ford eCVT transmissions and was apparently a factory problem. The new transmission should be okay if the dealer does everything right. They haven't issued a recall yet and we don't know if they are going to extend the warranty which they should. Good luck. Make sure everything works before the change so it will be the same afterwards..

[hybridbear]

Not sure if i should use a rental until this is fixed (for the long haul trip) or not.

Will the dealer provide you with a complimentary rental/loaner vehicle? If they will, then I'd consider taking it & letting the FFH sit while waiting for the new eCVT to arrive. If they won't, then consider finding another dealer that will provide one.

[GrySql]

Not sure if i should use a rental until this is fixed (for the long haul trip) or not.

You might also contact our Ford Customer Service Rep on this Forum, she can look over what is being done and possibly help you with this whole affair.

Click on the link below to send her a private message.

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/user/12405-fordservice/

Edited October 4, 2015 by GrySql

[Chris Campbell]

Very sorry to hear about you car. From what I recall, the grinding noise will continue to get worse but we never got to the point where the car exhibited problems driving.

 

No problems with our car since the transmission replacement other than a annoying rattle from somewhere in the dash when under acceleration. We're a little over 25k miles now.

[gadgetguy]

Hello again everyone.... My car has been at the dealer now for over a month waiting to get the transmission repaired/replaced. I had the same grinding noise start and get progressively worse. I hope they replace it and don't "repair" it.... I have 71,000 miles on my 2013....

[lolder]

This car model is still in production. This is an unacceptable delay.

[gadgetguy]

Tell me about it... I think some of the issue is the Hybrid certified tech is covered up and behind. Either way it's irritating.

[MTGilby]

Just went through the grinding noise situation with my 2013 fusion hybrid, just over 22,000 miles (we don't drive much), I guessed wheel bearings, the service guy wasn't sure, two different techs checked it out using "chassis ears" some kind of fancy microphones, they diagnosed drive shaft, just got off the phone, my service guy said they replaced the drive shaft and still had the noise, called Ford, and they are shipping a new transmission, hopefully won't take forever to get it fixed.

Again, thanks everyone on here for all the info, I don't check back as often as I should but if I have a question I can usually find the answers here.

Thanks,

Ken

[gkinla]

A few days ago with 34,000 miles, I started hearing an almost imperceptible noise, because our FFHs are so quiet, any noise out of the ordinary stands out. The noise kept getting worse, I thought a wheel bearing. Took the FFH in to the dealer today and they discovered its the transmission. I was told the transmission was ordered and will be in next Wednesday, with car finished Saturday. Ford gave me a Fusion SE, Eco-boost rental.

[gkinla]

A few days ago with 34,000 miles, I started hearing an almost imperceptible noise, because our FFHs are so quiet, any noise out of the ordinary stands out. The noise kept getting worse, I thought a wheel bearing. Took the FFH in to the dealer today and they discovered its the transmission. I was told the transmission was ordered and will be in next Wednesday, with car finished Saturday. Ford gave me a Fusion SE, Eco-boost rental.

 

 

Just a follow-up...I got the car back today. The drive home was uneventful. I've had a 2015, 1.5L Eco-Boost Fusion for 12 days, paid for by Ford. It was a good ride, I'm amazed by the acceleration when getting it on. This leads up to how damed quiet our FFH is. After 12 days in a standard ICE Fusion, it's like being home in your living room, with the TV off, just saying.

[MTGilby]

Figured I'd better report in. Was to get the car back last Fri., but was called and told they still needed some parts, so was to get it Monday. Went to pick it up, wife got in and the check engine lite came on and wouldn't go off. Mechanic came out and tried a few things, even had the shop foreman come and help. It was close to closing so we said take it back in and fix it in the morning. We thought that was smarter than trying to rush them at closing time. A little scary when the mechanic says "I've never and don't think anyone else in shop has ever replaced a hybrids transmission." Any way , got a call the next day it was some blown fuse, so picked up the car, no noise. Have driven it a couple of days and seems to be no problems will wait and see, have two big road trips coming up, will need it to function then.

Again thanks for all the info and help this forum provides.

Ken Gilbertson

[cincidaddi]

I'm experiencing a very similar noise as described in this thread on my 2013 Fusion Hybrid SE. Light grinding and thumping noise mostly noticable in EV mode. I thought it may be the electrical generator/motor. The posts on this thread are spot on and I've made a service appointment for next week. Hopefully the dealer will take the associated TSB and not waste any time in getting it fixed. This amazing forum has helped me cut through so many chases!