UniversalD

Very nice looking car and congrats. Enjoy that manual transmission, that's what sold me on mine.

Thanks for the follow-up. It is very good to know that it hasn't happened again. I just had mine changed earlier today and asked them to check the trunk and tail lights to make sure they were properly aligned in case it happened when the trunk was closed. They seemed surprised by the request like they never considered the trunk could have caused the chip. But when I picked it up, they did say it was adjusted because it wasn't quite in the center with a larger gap on the driver's side. I'll probably continue to be extra gentle with it in the future though and will report back if it happens again in my case. The invoice I signed was right about $185 but it was completely covered by the warranty.

Strangely, this just recently happened to mine. I'm still waiting on the call for the replacement tail light to arrive. I'm very glad I found this thread and the one drolds linked to, and I will ask them to make sure the trunk is centered and the tail light is properly adjusted so it won't happen again when the new one arrives. jeifei, I was also concerned that they would say it was my fault, but they approved the replacement under the warranty despite me honestly saying I had no clue how it could have happened.

I've always heard and thought ceramic pads were best. I've heard from several mechanics that they're more expensive and more effective, especially if you live in a mountainous area or somewhere you brake often and might generate heat. My on-line research seems to indicate the same thing but I'm not claiming to be an expert, just passing along what I've heard. Non-ceramics are older technology, mixed are more difficult on rotors, and ceramic is best. I'd go with a good brand. Most of the brands sold at Advance or Auto Zone are cheap pads from overseas. I would invest in either Motorcraft from the dealer, Raybestos (I've heard Raybestos makes the OEM equipment for Motorcraft and AC Delco but cannot confirm it's true), or even a premium NAPA brand which I've heard is good. I just prefer to have good quality brakes. But then again, some people prefer the cheap brands such as Wearever. They're probably less expensive overall and stop the car fine, they just need to be changed a little more often and generate more dust.

First of all, congratulations on the purchase. It's a great car! This also happened to me after buying the car. I also didn't know to research these items before-hand and went ahead and got options 1, 2, and 3 for a package price of $899 after they took off $100. 1. I would add that I wouldn't have time to wax the car consistently anyway. And I've used Meguiar's and Mothers and other waxes, and they generally wear down and fade within 3-4 months. So it seems like a good idea if you don't plan to or aren't able to wax consistently. I'm sure it won't last forever, but it seems to offer good bead protection for 6 to 7 years based on reviews I could find on-line. I know I wouldn't have the time to wax anyway so I don't regret getting it. **Also, we may be talking about a different product here. My dealer used "Auto Armour" materials and not "Auto Butler". According to my information, it was suppose to be a one-time treatment that was suppose to provide lifetime protection for the car, making it to where it never needed to be waxed and the car was warrantied from rust on the exterior body. 2. If you have a dog or kid, the second option was helpful in that it repaired replaced any tears or stains. But I don't have any reason to believe the stuff is better than a leather cleaner/conditioner or scotch guard for cloth seats. 3. It seemed helpful if you live in an area with a lot of rain or especially snow where the roads get salted. I've not heard of any problems arising from it in my research. I did not go for Ding MD or Remote starter. Ding MD also struck me as overpriced for what you get. The dings/chips can be repaired for a price, so that's basically like an insurance policy. And the remote starter seemed nice, but nothing I would have unless it was standard on the car. Just my opinions on the options after I tried to look up some information after getting them.

Except the manual is contradictory in areas and difficult to understand on this topic.On p. 140 it states "The front passenger sensing system will disable the front passenger's frontal airbag if: -The front passenger seat is unoccupied, or has small/medium objects in the front seat." So from this section, it seems logical to think the light should be on, and the system disabled if the front seat is empty. On p. 141, it eventually continues saying: "When the front passenger seat is not occupied or in the event that the front passenger frontal airbag is enabled, the indicator lamp will be unlit. .... -When the front passenger sensing system disables the front passenger frontal airbag, the indicator lamp will illuminate and stay lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal airbag is disabled." This part is the most contradictory, but it eventually continues... "The front passenger sensing system is designed to enable the front passenger's frontal airbag anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the front passenger seat. -When the front passenger sensing system enables the front passenger frontal airbag, the indicator lamp will be unlit and stay unlit." This is at least confusing to understand when exactly the light should be lit and when it should not be lit and at worst it's contradictory. It's especially worrisome if it's something as important as a front airbag and it has not been working properly before. The graph on p. 142 does seem to clarify nicely and is very helpful, I actually didn't notice it until now. But I also don't understand why they listed it on the next page after talking about troubleshooting the system if it lights up with somebody in the seat. It just seems like a confusing system to have the system unlit if either the airbag is on with a passenger, or if the system is detecting the seat as empty. ... and then finally on the chart on p. 143 it does say that if the passenger seat is empty and the seat belt is buckled it should light up. Hopefully this section can be made a little easier to understand in the future without combing through page after page. But in any event, thanks for clarifying what other Fusions are doing as it now makes more sense to me.

Great. Thanks so much for letting me know that's normal. I feel a lot better about it now and can quit being paranoid! We're loving the new Fusion btw.

Hello everybody, I'm hoping to get a little guidance from other Fusion owners. My 2010 Fusion was originally part of the seat recall with the gear plate that was changed before we even got the car. We picked it up in April and noticed that the "Pass Airbag Off" display on the dashboard was always on, it didn't matter if somebody was in the passenger seat or not. We took it in yesterday for the first service appointment and mentioned the issue. They apparently reconnected some wires and it worked. It sounded like maybe they were accidently bumped when the seat recall change was made. Now, the display shortly lights up when the car is turned on but then goes off, meaning that the Passenger airbag is activated. But now we've noticed yesterday evening and this morning that is actually happening all the time. It doesn't matter if there is a passenger in the front seat or not, the "Pass Airbag Off" light goes off and the passenger airbag seems activated. Is that normal operation and what other Fusion owners are experiencing? Reading the owner's manual, it seems to indicate that the passenger airbag should remain deactivated if nobody is in the passenger seat, or if there is a smaller kid or car seat, and the dashboard light display should stay on in that case. It's not a huge deal as we don't have any car seats or small kids that ride in the passenger seat now, but you never know if there will be a relative or a future child in that seat so I do want to make sure it is eventually working properly. Before I give the dealership a call back about this issue, I was really hoping for some input on what your Fusions are doing in regard to the "Pass Airbag Off" light on the dashboard. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences.

I just recently got a 2.5L 2010 Fusion SE at 0% over 60 months and have been browsing these forums. The last concern for me was also the possible residual value being less in a Fusion, but I've been encouraged by recent news articles such as this one: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-14/ford-leads-resale-value-gains-auto-lease-guide-says-update1-.html which did state "The Fusions resale value after three year is now $1,600 higher than that of Toyota Motor Corp.s Camry, according to Automotive Lease Guide." Over the next few years, I only see more used car buyers trusting Ford more and more while Toyota's recent troubles may have turned a significant percentage of buyers away from even considering used Toyotas for years to come.