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Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan New Owner Reports

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Comments

  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    Koho955: I was in the same boat as you. I am 46 years old and have not owned an Domestic car since 1994. I have a 2008 Toyota Tacoma Crew cab and had a 2008 Honda Accord till last Saturday when I traded it in for a 2010 Fusion SEL. I was upset with Honda because they would not back the major rear brake problem that all 2008 Accords have and my wife never really liked that Accord anyway. I researched and thought what is all the hype about a Ford Fusion? Well I went to a ford dealer and test drove one and I could not believe the value factor. It rides much better than my Accord and has a ton more options. I will tell you that the Ford employees are very grateful that I bought a Ford and I like buying from a domestic company that did not need a bail out from our tax money. I hope if / when I do have problems with this car that they treat me better than Honda did with that Accord
  • wayne21wayne21 Member Posts: 259
    I hate to burst your bubble, but I believe the camry is the most american car sold in the US and it is built in the US. The accord is made in Ohio. The fusion is assembled in Mexico with few US parts.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    Your not bursting my bubble. The Camry and the Honda Accord are still poorly built cars no matter where they are put together. The Mexican made Ford Fusion still drives way better and I'm giving it a try no matter who put it together.
  • wayne21wayne21 Member Posts: 259
    I was replying to the mentioning of the fusion as a domestic car. I would not own another honda - too many transmission issues throughout the years, road noise is pretty bad, wind noise from the a-pillar has been the same for many years and continues today (they apparently never thought of putting a thicker seal in the doors) and now they have VCM issues with the 6 cylinder and brake problems with 4 and 6 cylinders.. Toyotas can be a hit or miss. I don't know much about the new fusion. I wanted to buy one 2 years ago and one drive convinced me otherwise. I understand they've improved greatly, though. I don't care where a car is made, but am interested in the best value I can get to fill my needs.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Here is where you may THINK you are bursting a bubble, but you are not. Just because the Camry and Accord are "built" in a US plant, doesn't mean the money Toyota makes on the sale of the car stays here, on the contrary, the money goes directly to Japan, whereas a Domestic car, whether it is built in the US, Canada, Mexico, or even Australia, the money on each sale comes directly to the US. It is the location of the Parent company that determines if it is a Foreign or Domestic car, not where the actual assembly takes place.

    I can tell you as a fact, the 2010 Fusion is a far better built car than the 2009 Camry Hybrid I had, whether or not Toyota made any significant improvements on the 2010 model, without me driving one, I cant tell, but the Fusion Sport I have is a far better riding, handling, driving car than the Camry I had. Material quality is better, fit and finish is better, and the car is Quiet, even at 110 MPH.

    I can see why Ford is using Mexico to build the car, the Mexicans are hard working people who seem to put their pride into what they make, unlike the unions in this country.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    I believe the camry is the most american car sold in the US

    Not that it really matters to me where a car is designed, assembled, and/or where the parts are manufactured, but I don't think you should define "american-ness" by where the parts happen to be put together. Surely there are still cars that were designed in the US by a US based company and are assembled only in the US from mostly US parts that would be more American than a Camry.
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    Wayne21:
    Like I said I researched and found the Ford Fusion to be the best value for me and yes I do realize that it is assembled in Mexico and has 50% American parts. I took a lot of heat from my family when I was the first one to purchase a new "foreign" 1986 Toyota 4X4 pickup. I was in a union and it was not well liked there either but I wanted the best value for my money. Now looking at my family my Dad is the only one to have a Ford The rest have Honda and Toyota. I just thought it was a bonus that Ford has in my eyes the best sedan for my budget and they refused bail out money from our government. As far as making things in Mexico I think if they have robust Quality systems in place that they can build a great car and have bigger budgets to buy higher quality materials. I would like for them to be built in the USA to give Americans Jobs but ultimately the car companies have to build the best value for the consumer or they will get eaten alive from competitors like the Korean car companies.
  • wayne21wayne21 Member Posts: 259
    It probably is a wonderful car and I'm glad they've improved on it. Like yourself, I do not care where a car is built. I don't care about the country of origin, but am looking for the best value for the buck. However, for me, the disqualifier is union-built. Without exception, each time I've bought a UAW or CAW built car I got burned and thus I've learned my lesson and wouldn't consider another one. Just my personal preferences, though, as my family members are all union members. And I do hope ford turns around. Although they did not take bailout money, they did take massive government loans a few years ago and it would be nice to see them pay it off - and I believe they will. I'm not sure that GM or Chrysler will ever repay their money.
  • 2010_ffhowner2010_ffhowner Member Posts: 4
    I bought this car in June of this year. Have had no complaints about it. I love the car. It just hit the 10k mark a few weeks ago. The vehicle health reports said everything is okay, oil changed when recommended, check the fluids etc.

    Tonight my wife, 2 yr old daughter and I were going to meet relatives for dinner. We pull into the restaurant's parking lot and hear a ding ding. I look at the dash board and there is a red message saying to check the brake system. We are still moving at around 3 miles an hour I press the brakes and nothing. It was like you never even touched them. I put on the emergency brake and slowly coast into an open space. I turn off the car, restart it and everything is back to normal. No check brake system message and brakes work. I did not want to leave my car at the restaurant, so I had my family ride with someone else and I cautiously drove the car about 5 miles to a friend's house and had no problems.

    Since this is the eve of Thanksgiving. I will say that I'm thankful for the fact that my family and I were only going 3 mph instead of 65 when the brakes went out. Needless to say I am very concerned that this may happen again at any time.

    Has anyone else experienced this? I will be contacting the dealer after Thanksgiving and keep you posted on the outcome.">
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    I just picked up my 2010 V6 Fusion yesterday. You scared the crap out of me with this story. What did the Ford dealer/service dept. say???
    You had 100% brake failure, I would be scared to death to drive the car without a good exam and explanation from Ford as to what happened!
  • 2010_ffhowner2010_ffhowner Member Posts: 4
    I'm not sure if the V6 has the same breaking system as the hybrid. Sorry didn't mean to scare you. But that's exactly how it happened.

    "You had 100% brake failure" If it wasn't 100% it felt like it was. There was no slowing down.

    I finally found some other people that have had the same problem on another
    forum There has been a TSB (technical service bulletin) on it and its due to a faulty connector. So Ford is aware of the problem.

    I'm calling the dealer tomorrow to get it checked out.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    Let me know what you find out after speaking with the Ford Dealer. I have found very little info out there about this brake problem on the web!
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    http://www.mycarstats.com/reports/Ford/Fusion/2010/tsbs.aspx

    I think this is the site for the official Ford TSB notices. As of 11/26 there are none listed for the 2010 Ford Fusion????????
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    I doubt you had 100% failure, you probably lost all boost, and the regen failed. It is impossible for brakes to fully fail and then work again due to the hydraulic system, the thing is when boost fails, the pedal requires extensive pressure for the brakes to apply in any car. I think in the hybrid, the boost is electric instead of vacuum as in non hybrids, so if there is a faulty electrical connection, that would explain it. If this happened at 65, you would have brakes, you just would have to really step on the pedal to slow down, like I did with an old 67 Chevy pickup that had no power at all to anything. Thankfully it was a stick, otherwise my right leg would be twice the size of the left one! :D
  • 2010_ffhowner2010_ffhowner Member Posts: 4
    I brought it in to the dealer ship today. Might be able to look at it tomorrow or Monday. From what I gathered from talking to them. They don't know anything about it. Told them about the TSB and they said they would run a scan on it.
    As a side note: Dealership said they don't do rentals. Said that Ford does not allow them to do rentals anymore. Said they would call enterprise for me and I could get a rental for $23 a day. First brand new car so don't know if that's the norm. Got the Ford Focus. Miss the Fusion already.

    Acdii you are right. After doing some more research I learned the first half of the break is electric and the bottom half would be ABS. So I didn't press down hard on it enough. But even then, still not something I want happening again.

    Koho955 I found this information in another forum which there is a link in a earlier post. I had a hard time finding it too. I then did a search for TSB Number: 09-12-13 and found it. The link is above under TSB. Says the defect is for models made on or before 5-15-09.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Regarding loaners/rentals, I don't think there is a norm. Long ago, with a new 1997 Ford I was entitled to a free loaner only during the first year. With my wife's 2005 VW, we are entitled to a loaner, only if they have to keep the car for more than a day for a warranty repair for at least the 4 year bumper-to-bumper warranty, not sure if that would happen during the fifth year power train only warranty. With my 2007 Mazda, I seem to be entitled to a free loaner anytime I even think there might be a warranty issue...again at least for the 3 year bumper-to-bumper.

    One of the Mazda dealers did not have their own rentals, and so I had to be carted over to Enterprise and have them try to upsell me on insurance coverage, as Mazda only paid the rental charges. The other dealer (Mazda/VW) had in house rental/loaner service and was far more convenient, when I used that option.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    I did stop into the Ford dealer to see what they knew about the brake issue. There are no TSB's out for the Fusion. He explained to me what a TSB is. It is just a "note" so if I go into the service dept. with a problem, they can look it up without putting a ton of time into the car to discover what the problem is. if someone else has already put in the time to discover the problem, the dealer saves time.
    Also, my dealer promised me that as long as they do the service and it takes more than 90 minutes they will give me a loaner or rent me a car. It must be the dealer I purchased the car at though.
    The 2010 Ford Fusion has no recalls yet!
  • 2010_ffhowner2010_ffhowner Member Posts: 4
    There is no recalls and don't think I said there was. But there is a TSB on the 2010 Ford Fusion and Milan Hybrids regarding the electric brake system made on or before 5-15-09. This is the TSB Report Click Here and the next page has more details

    I'm going to have to look into other dealerships around here and see what their rental and loaner policies are. All the dealerships should give some type of rental or loaner for when a car purchased from them is under warranty. Not just say sorry we don't do it at all.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    In the cases I mentioned, Mazda and VW, it was the manufacturer picking up the cost of the rental that made it a free loaner. It had nothing to do with the dealer (and most of the time I was even going to a different dealer than the one we purchased the vehicle from), except that if they did not have in house rentals, you had the inconvenience of having to be carted over to enterprise.

    I don't know what Ford's current policy is, though.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Sounds about right, the Ford dealer I got my Fusion from also does not have loaners, they have the same deal, $23 a day rental. I think to have the free loaner, the dealer needs to be rather large, where they have multiple brands, or are really big in the brand they sell.

    Keeping my fingers crossed that my car will never see the inside of the service bay! :)
  • xmechxmech Member Posts: 90
    A little late in here, but I've had my 4 cyl Fusion for 4 months now, and I can swear it seems way quieter than when I first got it. OK, it very well could be that I got used to it, but I doubt it. When I first got it, I almost felt embarressed when mashing the pedal from the racket.

    Anyone else experience this? I know it doesn't make mechanical sense: engine parts loosen up and get quieter? You'd think it would get louder.
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    I bought my Fusion 2.5 SEL last week and it is pretty noisy when you mash on the gas. I hope you are correct when you say it has been better since the engine has broken in because that is the only thing that I do not care for on this car. Other then that this is the best sedan I have ever owned.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    4 bangers are all noisy, you get used to them over time. The Camry Hybrid was noisy too. When you think about it, you have these 4 little pistons pulling a ton and a half of weight, imagine how much noise you would make trying to do that! :D
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    I have a 2009 Sonata and my car is fine but when I go to the Sonata chat room most people are complaining about Brakes and Thumping noises. I have been monitoring this site and the only posts I see are "New Owner Reports". Very few complaits are listed.
    I almost purchased a Milan in September of 08 but it was a little more than I wanted to spend.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    I bought the 2010 V6 Fusion about a week ago. It is way quieter than the 4 cyl. model. I do think that all engine noise does go down SLIGHTLY after the break-in period and your first oil change. I do have a good imagination though!
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I've found the Ford's I've owned tended to have louder engines and bit lower fuel economy than some of the competition. However, I've also found Ford to have very durable power plants that can take a beating. I'm sorry to hear that the new 2.5L 4 is still noisy. That was the problem with the 09 and prior 2.3L, although that engine was pretty darn reliable.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    I have driven my new 2010 Ford Fusion V6-SEL for 10 days now. Overall, the car drives great and is super quiet as far as road and wind noise go. The radio/SYNC system are great and the car has a great feel when driving.
    There are a few things that I don't like about the car that I didn't notice until I drove it on a daily basis.
    -They put an exit handle above the window on all the doors EXCEPT the drivers.
    - No button on the trunk to open it....you need to push the button on the key fob.
    -The buttons on the key fob are tiny and they are impossible to use at night in the dark.
    -I am not overweight and I find the driver's seat to be very uncomfortable on a long drive (20 minutes or more). The bottom seat is very hard on the butt. The headrest is not adjustable and it really needs to be.
    -The position of the wiper/turn signal arm is too high

    I know I am sounding really picky about now but you have to wonder how some of these things get by the Ford "professional test drivers"?
    Anyone else have any complaints?
  • savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    I drove Fusion for a week and also found that key-fob is difficult to use and at night almost impossible to figure out buttons.

    The handle is not for exit, its purpose to let passengers to hold to something when car is on the move. Driver holds steering wheel so he does not need that handle.

    I found seats at Fusion very comfortable and head rest is also very good designed. It is close to head unlike in other cars and will better protect your head from damage in case of rear end hit.

    Agree about stalk position. And also all dashboard controls are very low.
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    koho955
    We have had our Fusion SEL for 14 days and here is a response from the Boss (my wife)
    *She uses the steering wheel to help exit the car.
    * There is a trunk release button left of the steering wheel and you can open with the key fob or the old fashion way of using the key in the hole on the trunk lid.
    *Yes the key fob has small buttons but she hopes that she can remember the positions soon.
    *Headrest does adjust up and down.
    Turn signal arm is higher than last car but does not bother her.
    When I asked her about the hard seat she just looked at me with no response (maybe too many questions at once)
    Our salesman took 1.5 hours to go over every little adjustment, programmed her phone to the bluetooth and sirius radio and even put CDs in the changer. I was about ready to kill him but now I see the benefit. Other than too many buttons and ours is a 2.5 L 4 banger which has plenty of power but a little noisy when you mash on the gas we do like this car alot. I have been told by other 2.5 owners that the noise does go down when the engine breaks in. We have 700 miles on it now and averaging 26 MPG per computer read out
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    I went from a Camry Hybrid to a Sport, I got so used to the Smart Key system that it took a while for me to get back into using the standard key system. By now I have memorized all 4 buttons on the key, and don't even need to take it out of my pocket to either lock/unlock the doors or pop the trunk, I cant say the same about my Hyundai Veracruz, nearly two years later and I still have to look to use it. The Ford key is not nearly as bad as others I have had, the trick I use is have the key part in the palm, buttons up, fob towards fingers, trunk release left top button, press twice, door unlock, left bottom button, lock, bottom right button, scare kids button top right.

    Not all cars have a Holy S*iT bar on the drivers side, so non issue on the Fusion.

    Head rests are specifically designed to prevent whiplash injuries in a crash, and adjust up and down, but could use a bit of refinement, or take a page from Hyundai and make them adjustable front to back. They don't bother me or my wife, but my mother doesn't like them.

    I find the wiper stalk just right, it is about the same position as the Toyota, and Hyundai, but much higher than say the F350 or Panther cars. You get used to it after a while, it just feels in the wrong place after driving other cars with it much lower, and coming from the Camry which has the lights on the left and a stalk on the right for the wipers, it takes a lot more getting used to that, than its height.

    Seat comfort is more of a personal thing, the seats in the Sport are more comfortable than the SEL, but the cushion in the SEL is a bit wider, the corner on the Sport is directly under my left thigh behind the knee, but a little leg adjustment and the seat is fine. Compared to the Camry seats, these are much much better in comfort.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    Acdii,
    great input and suggestions on key fob.
    I do miss my Holy S*it hand bar though. Every car I have ever owned has had one and I love to hold it while driving on the highway for some reason. When I went to grab it on day one.....something was definitely missing but I will get used to it.
    Maybe I will break the habit for my next car!
  • xmechxmech Member Posts: 90
    I had issues with the seat at first too. I finally adjusted the front of the seat-bottom up, and the back of it way down, seat back a little more vertical than I was used to in my Grand Cherokee, and put in a lot of lumbar support, now I'm fine on a 6hr drive!
  • xmechxmech Member Posts: 90
    Well, I just drove from San Diego to Phoenix and back over Thanksgiving weekend. I saw lots of Camrys, Accords, Camrys, Malibus, Camrys..... I saw 1 other Fusion.

    Today, in an unusual occurance, I actually saw 2, one was the same color as mine, and you know what? It looked good! :shades:

    (I know, I know, beauty is in the eye...)
  • lehrer1lehrer1 Member Posts: 54
    Koho, I liked your message. People tend to overestimate cars they bought.
    Best regards, Lehrer 1
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    "People tend to overestimate cars they bought"
    Hey give Ford some credit for the great reviews the Fusion gets. If you think people over estimate the new car that they buy jump over to the Toyota forum and look under the 2010 Camry tab and you will find 9 out of 10 people complaining about their recent purchase.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    Hackattack5, I agree with you about the Camry complaints. I was between the V6 Camry XLE and the Ford Fusion and I went with the Ford for many reasons. After driving the Fusion for a month and about 1,000 miles, I feel this car is a great driving car and my low lease prices are the really nice (same as the Camry) compared to the Acura MDX I am coming from. The Sync System is awesome!
    I do feel if Ford makes a few very minor changes to the Fusion, it can't be beat in this price range.
    Ford needs to tighten the steering on non-sport models and change the position and height of the center arm rest and the left side door arm rest as well. Also it would be REALLY nice if they added a button on the trunk so you don't have to use the key-fob or dashboard button every time you want to open it.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    When I got my 2009 Camry Hybrid, within a week I started finding things I didn't like about the car, like poor quality of materials, so-so handling on certain roads, wind noise, and rattles.

    I have had my 2010 Fusion Sport for 3 months now, 7000 miles, and my only complaint is the position of the buttons, BUT I knew about those before I even bought the car, so it is a non issue. I have ZERO complaints about the car, the tires leave a little to be desired, but those weren't made by Ford. :D

    I really like the seat and back warmers now that the weather is cold. My bum is toasty warm in minutes, and when I over work my back, they work wonders in relaxing the muscles on my way home. If Ford added a smart key system like that on the Camry, it would make the Fusion an even better car, that is the only thing I miss about the Camry.

    When I bought my Fusion, there was only one flaw I found, the drivers door panel around the handle was puffy and bulged out. The dealer ordered a new panel, I brought my car in after work, and 15 minutes later had a new panel installed which was perfect. At first I thought the car had a sync issue, turned out to be my Ipod. For the first time ever, I cannot think of a single gripe about a car I own. Every car I ever bought had something wrong with it that really irked me, and I had LOT of cars, but I cant think of anything on this car, I got used to the button locations so it's not an issue. The performance of this car is outstanding, the handling is amazing, it turns flat around curves, the acceleration great, would be even better if it had some good tires on it, but next year that is on my list. The car is comfortable, the seats very supportive, plenty of leg room, could use a bit more storage, but that would also mean more junk in the car:) The looks, the color, all meld together into a good looking car, I got the Sport that is the same color as the one you always see in ads, in Sport Blue.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    Acdii, I also thought the 2010 Camry had a ton of road and wind noise to the point that when stopped at a red light you could hear the traffic whizzing by as if the windows were open. That alone would drive me nuts especially when it gets cold outside and the rubber door seals seem to not work as well.
    I have gotten used to the button stack on the dashboard of the Fusion and kinda like it. I drove a ridiculously expensive 2007 Acura MDX for 3 years and I still had to take my eyes off the road to hit the rear defroster without hitting 18 other buttons. They all looked and felt the same. Also, the buttons on the Fusion steering wheel (especially the cruse control) are way better than the MDX.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    "Also it would be REALLY nice if they added a button on the trunk so you don't have to use the key-fob or dashboard button every time you want to open it."

    I'm not sure I understand this comment, wouldn't this mean anyone could come along and press the button and open your trunk? :confuse:
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I think he means a button that would only open it if it was unlocked. I have that on my Edge with the power rear hatch.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    90% of all cars these days have a button so you can open the trunk from the outside. The doors do need to be unlocked for this to work. I'm not talking about an electric auto open/closing trunk....just a button on the trunk handle.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Thanks for explaining. I've never heard of or seen anything like that for a trunk. I was only aware of that being done for things like hatches and tailgates on wagons, minivans, hatchbacks, and SUVs.

    Our minivan has that but, then it does not have the equivalent of a trunk unlock button on the key fob. I'm satisfied with just the button on the remote, myself, but at least now I understand what you are talking about. :shades:
  • rhawkrhawk Member Posts: 4
    I have been reading all your thoughts and opions on the Fusion, its helped a lot. I called my dealer tuesday, told him to find me a red SE v6 automatic, no other options. I picket it up this morning and I love it. Thanks again to all of you for your help.
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    "opinion on the Fusion"
    rhawk: I traded an 08 Accord and looks like some others have traded newer Camry's in for the Fusion and have been happy so far. I wish you luck on your purchase and hope Ford is really on the right track for a long time. I am in my mid 40s and have to tell you that it feels good to buy from an American company with so much heritage
  • lehrer1lehrer1 Member Posts: 54
    Dear rhawk
    you bought exactly the same car I am looking for. Is it 2010 model? How much did you paid for it?
    Best regards, Lehrer.
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    If you know anyone who works for ford or retired from ford you can get the family and friends discount program which is the X-plan. I bought my Fusion SEL for $200.00 over invoice and they hold the fees to $75.00 max. They had a $1500.00 rebate also and I was able to get a 60 month loan from a local bank for 3.6% for 60 months
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    I leased a 2010 V6 SEL with the reverse sensor and BLIS package for 39 months, 15,000 miles per year and 0 down with all the taxes rolled in for $380/month. I live in Illinois which is 1 of 2 states where you have to pay 100% of the taxes in your lease.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    Tell me something. Are the Fuion, Flex, Edge & Five Hundred not all on the Mazda6 platform? The Milan & Mariner are not available in Canada. Will Ford in 2011 models (Fusion, Flex, Edge, Five Hundred) change scinificly (spelling??) now that Ford no longer owns Mazda?
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    The Fusion is built off the CD3 platform which started as a mazda6 platform but was stretched and widened considerably (note the pre-2009 mazda6 was much smaller than the Fusion). The Edge was built off a highly modified CD3 platform. The Flex and Five Hundred and Taurus are all built off of a Volvo derived D3/D4 platform that has nothing in common with the Fusion and Edge.

    The 2011 Edge gets new styling tweaks outside and new dash inside. The others just get minor changes.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Flex, 500 and new Taurus are on a Volvo platform. Ford will still be keeping close ties with Mazda despite the stock sale. if Volvo is sold to Chinese, that situation is not as clear right now.
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