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.

The Fusion Hybrid will never ever be the right vehicle for your goal. The battery capacity is very small compared to PHEVs/EVs and would probably charge your house for about 15 minutes before the gas engine would kick on and stay on until you run out of gas. Far more efficient to just buy a gas generator. You're contemplation about failure of the battery in your car is also irrelevant. It's not going to "entirely fail", it's not going to have the same issue as the previous gen that you reference and spending the money to replace it with something else like the one in the PHEV Fusion will never cost less than just going out and buying a PHEV Fusion (or something else). Lot's of Youtube videos out there on how hybrid vehicles work, the Fusion is basically the same as a Prius. But the basic concept of a hybrid is to allow the gas engine to operate in it's most efficient range, not to be an electric car that has a range-extending gas engine.

Anything is possible, but it would take a lot more work than you might think. Plus steering systems are tuned as a system to match the suspension tuning, so it's not going to feel as good as you think it should. You might also lose some of the features like stability control.

Ford designs every part on every car to last 150K miles. In the real world some parts last longer, some parts last less, but on the average, that's how long everything should last.

I guess the first question is if you're actually getting regen. When you lift off the gas, does it feel like it's coasting in neutral, or does it fell like the brakes are dragging a bit? Does your cluster have a battery state of charge display (they deleted that in later model years)? If it does, what do you see it doing? How often/long does it operate in electric mode? You should be able to cruise at light throttle on the highway for about half a mile with the gas engine off. I'm still getting 45mpg easily on my 2014, so no reason you shouldn't be much better than what you're reporting.

I can think of a dozen reasons why it might have one, but which one of those is the real reason would be just a guess.

It's in the SM for the Expedition as well, but I know for a fact that the inline filter is only installed on Expeditions shipped to "dirty fuel" markets, like many African countries, Chile, Ecuador, Philippines and so on. If you search in the as-built data, code GB1AB means "Clean Fuel" vehicle, and thus no inline fuel filter, GB1AA means "Less Clean Fuel" vehicle and will likely have the filter. But looking through the MKZ shop manual, it does specifically say the 3.0 AWD has a serviceable inline filter. The Fusion manual does not. Even the Expedition manual does not, even though it goes on to show a procedure for changing it. So in conclusion, I think it's safe to say that unless the OP lives in a "dirty fuel" market, his 2017 Fusion 2.0 does not have an inline fuel filter.

But has anyone actually verified they have the filter? On most Ford vehicles sold in certain export markets, there is an inline fuel filter used, but that filter is not present on North American vehicles. For example the link shows the fitment includes "Less Clean Fuel Fleet Vehicle". Clean Fuel Fleet Vehicle really means all vehicles sold in North America, so this part would not be used on North American Fusions.

You can find a few detailed threads about this over on the Fusion Hybrid forum. But bottom line is all Fusions used the same size spare tire, which is also the same size as the 2012+ Focus, so it's very easy to find them at salvage yards or online. But beware, one of the main reasons the Fusion Hybrid didn't come with one from the factory is because of crash safety. It's possible that the interaction of the spare tire and the battery during a rear-end crash could result in unfavorable outcomes.

Seriously, a recall for rocker panel rust? EVERY car from EVERY manufacturer is vulnerable to rocker panel rust and none of them have ever been recalled. It's not a safety issue, it's well beyond the warranty and it really has nothing to do with Ford's concern for client safety.

Would be pretty hard to have a 2021 Ford Fusion part since 2020 was the last year of production.