Waldo

Yep, if you're "just beginning to get into car modification" then this is a WAY, WAY over-your-head kind of project. I agree with bbf, get yourself a 2017+ Sport and start from there. Even if the engine swap itself weren't too hard, there's a reason Ford only sold that engine with AWD systems.

The Fusions all used the same size mini-spare tire, doesn't matter the original wheel size. The 2012+ Focus also used the same mini-spare, so that's another option to target at salvage yards. BTW keep in mind if you're car is a hybrid (that didn't come with a spare, which is likely why you're asking), then be aware that putting the spare in may compromise the crash performance of the vehicle if you're ever rear-ended.

Might be time for a new 12V battery. If you still have the original battery in there, you're well overdue. My wife's Pacifica was doing the same thing, remote start would try and fail, even though starting it normally would work fine. Put a new battery in there and now it works every time.

Have you checked the brakes? Maybe one or more of them are dragging. Have you ever changed the fluid in the PTU?

While I won't jump into the battery load tester discussion, it's not relevant in this case as bbf is misunderstanding the pop-up message. This is the message that comes up when the vehicle can't detect the key fob after you've driven some where and turn the car off. Imagine the scenario where you're driving your spouse to the airport. You both get in the car together, but in fact you've forgotten your key, but your spouse has theirs. When you get to the airport, spouse hops out, taking the key. You turn off the car to get out and help with the luggage. This pop-up will warn you that you don't have your key and gives you a time window to restart. Otherwise your spouse runs into the airport with your key and you're stuck in the airport drop-off with a vehicle that won't start. It's almost certainly a result of declining battery in the key fob. Could be that the fob battery is right on the edge and after sitting in your pocket while you're driving it warms up enough to where it's not putting out enough signal. Could be the location of the fob inside the vehicle at the time you turn off the car that's causing the variability. Either way, replacing the battery in the fob is the first step to try.

Sounds like torque steer to me. Makes sense that it feels like the lane keeping, since both are essentially applying torque to fight against the torque that you apply to the steering wheel.

Give it some time. It may need to run through a cycle or two of rebalancing the battery and it may need to learn the range cycle based on the new parameters.

If you want to learn about how the hybrid system works, you can study the Prius, it really is fundamentally the same. But there's likely a lot more info out there related to the Prius.

No, the regen energy only goes straight into the HV battery. The 12v battery is then charged from the HV battery via the DC/DC inverter that's part of the HV battery pack in the trunk. There is no alternator.

I agree, seems quite probable that it's a 12V battery issue.

There's a recall out there for the shifter bushing, basically the transmission range selector doesn't realize the shifter is in P, so it won't start. It also might not actually be in P, meaning it could roll around as it is right now, so be careful and use the parking brake. You should call a dealer and ask them if they will cover the towing to bring it in to perform the recall. NHTSA recall 22S43.

When you got the new sensors, did they reprogram them to the vehicle? If not, the vehicle is still looking for the old sensors and after it doesn't seen them for a certain amount of time, it then trips the fault code.

The gauge and engine information is all on the left side screen in the cluster. Does your car have the left screen? The only things that ever go on the right hand side are the navigation, leaves, audio, phone or climate stuff.

In a 2016, the shifter is connected by a cable to the transmission. On the transmission end of that cable, your have the TR (Transmission Range) sensor, which is basically the switch that tells the computer what position the lever/cable/transmission is in. So it certainly could be an issue with that sensor. But it could also be there is something amiss in the shifter/cable itself. There's also a recall that was issued in June with the bushing on the transmission end of the cable that could cause the issue you are describing. I got that letter for my 2014 but it said there aren't enough parts to fix everyone yet. But if you haven't seen that recall letter, first thing to do would be to get in touch with Ford and/or a dealer.

Have you carefully checked the stabilizer bar links? Grab the link and try to move it around in different directions. Often the ball joints in them will wear out and be loose, even if the bolts are all tight.