DaveM

There is also federal smog laws and hacking the software can defeat that. And your great uncle would go after Ford for allowing this to happen whether right or wrong it could cost Ford millions/billions in defence of it.

I don't even need one since my fob is black the same as my car. :-) Just saved myself $6.95

Just one question. If you owned a company that sold a product in this case Ford and it came with a 5 yr. 50K power train warranty would you want some idiot hacking the software and then blowing the engine in which case Ford would have to replace it? I don't think so.

All I know is I ordered mine on Aug. 27th and it was at the dealers on Oct. 3rd. It sure didn't take no month to get to the dealer as it only took about 5 weeks total. Plus I'm in Mich. so I'm farther away. Mine came into some town in Ohio by train and truck to dealer.

Maybe he is charging for the bi-directional remote which is far better than the one you get from the factory. A far longer reach plus it tells me if the car really started and as 2 added bonuses I got the longer run time plus it also monitors it to tell me if it is still running. If you are going remote start pay the extra $50 and get the bi-directional.

But it won't display her temp until she pushes the up/down button on her side. I just feel that it should automatically turn itself on when someone sits down without having to push it. You'd get kind of tired if each time you got into the drivers seat you had to turn on the heat/air because it couldn't remember what it was set at. If it is smart enough to turn itself on each time someone sits down and then turn itself off when no one sits down than it should be smart enough to turn itself back on the next time someone sits in the seat. Just poor programing on Fords part and only reason I say something is I'm betting Ford people monitor this site though they don't say anything. Should be a very simple fix on their part.

Updated a little while ago

Now that I have had my Hybrid for a month I still don't care for the way the auto climate works for the passenger. If there is a passenger sitting there I can turn on the dual temps and it displays both temps each time the car is started. But if no one sits in pass seat it only shows drivers as you said. But next time pass sits in seat we have to manually tell it to use dual in which as long as someone sits in pass seat it defaults to dual until the one time you start it without a pass and then you have to reprogram it again. Someone screwed up on this or mine isn't working correctly.

Great story but to blame every GM dealer for the stupidity of one is wrong. That same thing could have happened at any car dealer as I have had about the same thing happen at all of them. I emailed about a dozen dealers when looking for my FFH in the Mid Michigan area. I got back all kinds of prices and of course phone calls following up when they didn't hear back from me. One dealer near Grand Rapids quoted me $500 under sticker where as a couple were invoice. I took my 2 emails for invoice to my local Ford dealer who had been helping me and let me test a hybrid. I explained that I was pleased with his help and wanted to give him a chance to match the invoice prices I had been quoted. He talked with his manager and came back in about 10 min and said he could match it, we placed order and all is history now. When doing paper work I bought in a quote off line for extended warranty but finance guy played with his computer and came back with I can't match that.

Only thing I wouldn't worry about is the part on the climate control. I have towed many vehicles in the past but never had fumes come inside as I just make sure nothing is running. Also you may want to make sure you can get a towing setup for the Hybrids. It wouldn't surprise me if they don't have one as it is such a different vehicle. But I have heard tell that some of them will make it for you for free or a big reduced price if you bring YOUR vehicle there for them to make the first one on.

Here is what I cut out of the Fusion Hybrid owners manual I got on line. RECREATIONAL TOWING An example of “recreational towing” is towing your vehicle behind a motorhome. Note: Put your climate control system in recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust fumes from entering the vehicle. Refer to the Climate controls chapter for more information. Note: If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground, follow these instructions: • Tow only in the forward direction. • Release the parking brake. • Place the transmission shift lever in (N) Neutral. • Place the ignition to the accessory position (refer to Starting in the Driving chapter). • Do not exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) but you should always obey local speed limits. • Start the engine and allow it to run for five minutes at the beginning of each day and at each fuel stop. You also have the option of trailering the vehicle with its front wheels on a dolly, or trailering with all four wheels off the ground. For other towing requirements, refer to Wrecker towing in the Roadside Emergencies chapter.

1. No and I'm 6'3" and size 13 shoes. But I do have a problem somewhere along the line when I get out of the car part of my body must hit the headlight switch and turns off the foglights. Doesn't happen all the time but once in a while. 2. can't help 3. On my Nav sync there is a place to train it. You repeat all the words it tells you one at a time and takes a good 5 minutes.

If the 2nd worked for a while/few min. then I'd say you have a problem with what you are plugging into it as it sounds to me that the cell charger may be bad and blowing the fuses. I have also found that some items that plug into the cig. socket are often not of high quality and don't fit snug enough to make a clean circuit either just not working or in your case blowing the fuse.

Don't know, did you check the fuse to see if it is blown?

All they have done with the Prius is just plain try to get every last mpg out of it for bragging rights where as Ford designed theres to be a family auto with all the comfort of a luxury car at a decent price. MPG I believe was not Fords #1 objective. Beside does it really matter? I'm sure there are a number of things on the Fusion that Prius doesn't have like good looks and a rear window you can really see out of. Or a Nav. unit with a far supieror screen that looks more like the difference between regular Tv (prius) and HD TV (Ford)

$100 to install. No I don't think it looks bad at all. It is right down beside the fog light coming out of the lower grill. He has it tied off so only the head of the plug with cover sticks outside of the grill. No way is it like the pictures someone posted above. If you weren't looking for it you would most likely not even see it. If someone asks, I'm just going to tell them I have an expermental next generation Hybrid that is plug in :hysterical2:

I just went to my dealer and he looked it up. Here is what is printed on my receipt if this helps. AE5Z6B018B is the wire asy at 124.60. and YF1Z6A051AA is the heater asy at 51.65. It was for any 2.5 engine and named about 3 cars plus Fusion Electric.

whats really funny is you go into some new subdivions that are maybe 2 or 3 years old and the map shows a blank but yet it gives the name of the road you are on even though it isn't there. I think subdivions are the last to be updated. It isn't the map companies fault as it is my understanding until the government makes or gets the map from whoever it don't show up on our maps.

I got my block heater installed yesterday and it hangs out just past the end of the plug on the right side lower grill area by the fog lights. You really don't see it unless you are looking. Just the plug head is all that is sticking out past the grill so you can hold it while plugginn in the power cord. Of course last nigh didn't get very cold and I have a garage but as soon as I backed out of the garage I could feel the hot air coming out the dash vent.

I received my struts yesterday. I went with the more expensive ones as I figured I'd be keeping this FFH for a long time and extra cost spread over all those years equal pennies and gives it a nicer look. Like most projects getting everything together took longer than the actual job. Works great and not having to mess with the prop rod will be a plus even thought I really wasn't for it at first but futher thinking and I said what the heck there just isn't much else out there for customizing our Hybrids yet. I wish someone would come up with a nice graphic set for the Hybrid that makes the car look more sporty and I don't mean some dumb green leaves stuck on the side.

First I'd try to get as many miles on the car as possible before the trip but at least the first 200 I'd drive 55 to 60 and then after the 200 mile mark maybe 65 with a touch of 70 but I would keep it under 70 for at least the first 1K I feel more people abuse the brakes than the engine by hard stops etc. heating them up which warps the brakes and then you get the pulsating brakes and squeals. Mostly just common sense will do as I've had plenty of new cars without any problems that could have been caused by hot rodding a new engine which I don't do.

and if you have a Hybrid you haven't much choice in warming up the car. I turn mine on it the morning and it is in electric mode until I get out of my garage which is under my bedrooms and well insulated. It starts about the time I stop and shift into drive.

which don't make much sense since I can get the 5 day weather forecast and take my eyes off the road for quite a while if I wanted to study what the weather is going to be.

An update to this problem. My new FFH has been redesigned with just a round hole and NO cover so it is good to see Ford is on top of things.

Just came from the dealers as they just got in a white one for the lot and we looked at it. Just like mine, they have changed the hole to about a 2 inch dia. hole with the dipstick recessed below the gray cover so it looks like a redesign per the problems with the cover. Doesn't look as clean as before and looks like something is missing but good to see Ford moving fast to fix problems as they become known.