What DON'T you like about your Fusion?

[2011se25]

As hard as it may be to believe, our cars aren't perfect. What is it about your car that you wish was better?

 

In my 2011 I have a few minor complaints:

 

-I hate the manual HVAC control, for several reasons. I hate the buttons used to control the direction. It makes it a lot harder to control by feel, just give me three knobs! Also simply by feel you can't tell the position of the temp or fan knobs. It seems there's wasted space higher up on the centre stack, a lot of space is spent on the radio, and the HVAC is crammed on the bottom, to the point that even in drive the gearshift gets in the way of adjusting the temp knob.

 

-Trip computer in metric will show fuel economy with no decimal places (7 L/100) and in English mode it shows US MPG and it shows them with one decimal place (eg: 36.2MPG). The car is being sold in Canada, and gets good economy! Show some decimals and show Imperial MPG (in Canada).

 

-Headroom in the middle seat in the back is tight, mainly due to the location of the rear dome light (even with no sun roof!)

[intobed]

I don't like the idea that I have to turn on my headlights when it gets dark. My 1991 (20 years ago!) Chev Lumina had automatic headlights, and so did my 2003 Impala. Since Ford can build a car with SYNC, why can't they make automatic headlights?

[xmech2k]

I don't like the idea that I have to turn on my headlights when it gets dark. My 1991 (20 years ago!) Chev Lumina had automatic headlights, and so did my 2003 Impala. Since Ford can build a car with SYNC, why can't they make automatic headlights?

 

They did, you just didn't get one with it. I think it's standard on the SEL?

[2011se25]

They did, you just didn't get one with it. I think it's standard on the SEL?

 

My 2011 Canadian SE has automatic headlights..

[xmech2k]

My 2011 Canadian SE has automatic headlights..

 

OK, and optional on the others.

[strongline]

- water always drips onto the bar on the door where the window control buttons are located while/after raining. I didn't remember having this problem with my 2000 Focus. Ford should design the roof edge so water can be directed gracefully

 

- Too many buttons jam into console and the layout could have been much more thoughtful. E.g., climate control buttons are a bit fancier than traditional ones, but really less intuitive

 

- I never like TPMS. What's wrong with just visually checking your tires everytime before/after you drive? No to mention the annoying alert when you have snow tires that don't have sensor

 

- Windshield (inside) gets foggy too easily.

 

- This is just me - MPG is well under my expectation after reading others.

[Larryh86GT]

The rear window is smallish and with the 2 rear seat headrests sticking up sometimes it obstructs the view. I'll probably get used to it.

[tsetse51]

It's obvious that the seats were built for someone much smaller than me. OK most of the time because my wife is the principal operator of our '10 SE. But the seats are too narrow for a larger physique. And the latch for the seat belt angles into my leg, making it difficult to fasten.

 

Rear center headrest blocks a clear view in the mirror, as Larryh86GT has stated.

 

The HVAC controls need to be placed ABOVE the entertainment crap. They're more important, and need to be more easily accessible, instead of hidden under an overhang.

Edited December 22, 2010 by tsetse51

[tsetse51]

- I never like TPMS. What's wrong with just visually checking your tires every time before/after you drive? No to mention the annoying alert when you have snow tires that don't have sensor

 

I don't like the TPMS, either, but visual checks aren't adequate with 17" wheels. The low profile of the tires prevents them from "squatting" visually, even when 8-10 PSI under-inflated. Have to use a decent pressure gauge, about every two weeks.

[xmech2k]

1) Agree with the center stack buttons/controls can be difficult to deal with. It's hard to tell which defrost button is for front or rear when moving, unless you want to take your eyes off the road way too long. In bright sunlight, it can be hard to see if your AC and/or recirc is on or off, as the tiny yellow led's aren't bright enough.

 

2) Along similar lines, I hate that the trunk opening button on the dash is right next to, and almost identical, to the dash light dimmer rocker switch. While I guess the trunk won't open while you're moving, I have hit that by accident when I went to adjust the dash lights sitting at a stop light. Chinese fire drill!

 

3) Hate the extra wipe the wipers give after doing a windshield wash cycle. While I guess some people like a car that will wipe their nose for them, I think I'm big enough to decide if I need that extra swipe of the wipers or not...

 

4) I don't like the chrome accents on and around the shift knob. They can reflect the sun the wrong way in the right circumstances. Looks cool, but functionally... blah.

[XRB]

I can't order heated seats in any car with a manual transmission.

[_8508]

I absolutely hate how hard it is to shut the trunk. I often have my hands full with whatever I've just taken out of the trunk and I have to set it down to be able to shut the trunk -- and I'm not a small guy either. After 15,000 miles, the rear headrests have never bothered me but I can see how they could bother some people. I love the look of the chrome grille, but I can't stand how dirty it looks after rain. It seems like Ford could find some kind of coating to put on there to prevent that from happening. I've waxed it to no avail. I also think it's ridiculous that my 2010 Fusion Sport with every option available doesn't have an auto-down passenger window or HomeLink, both of which became available the very next year.

[akirby]

I don't like the TPMS, either, but visual checks aren't adequate with 17" wheels. The low profile of the tires prevents them from "squatting" visually, even when 8-10 PSI under-inflated. Have to use a decent pressure gauge, about every two weeks.

 

And don't blame Ford for TPMS - the government requires it on all vehicles now.

[KO_KJ]

The rear seat area is very bouncy on my SEL. It makes me almost car-sick sometimes. Other than that, I really don't have any complaints.

[jazztrumpet216]

My big gripe with the car is the stupid cap for the windshield washer reservoir. That sucker always pops off of that plastic tab and ends up falling down into the engine compartment. On a car with no skid plates, it's not a big deal- just pick it up off the ground. But in the Fusion, it is at least a half hour of profanity-laced insults directed at the poor mother of the engineer who designed that stupid contraption.

 

Why does the Fusion have skid plates anyway? Where am I going to off-road this thing, my front yard?

Edited December 27, 2010 by jazztrumpet216

[akirby]

My big gripe with the car is the stupid cap for the windshield washer reservoir. That sucker always pops off of that plastic tab and ends up falling down into the engine compartment. On a car with no skid plates, it's not a big deal- just pick it up off the ground. But in the Fusion, it is at least a half hour of profanity-laced insults directed at the poor mother of the engineer who designed that stupid contraption.

 

Why does the Fusion have skid plates anyway? Where am I going to off-road this thing, my front yard?

 

It's for airflow, not protection.

[dabige]

My big gripe with the car is the stupid cap for the windshield washer reservoir. That sucker always pops off of that plastic tab and ends up falling down into the engine compartment. On a car with no skid plates, it's not a big deal- just pick it up off the ground. But in the Fusion, it is at least a half hour of profanity-laced insults directed at the poor mother of the engineer who designed that stupid contraption.

Glad to see that I'm not the only one that had that problem. Said the same thing after the damn cap fell when I was attempting to open the reservoir. There are some holes in the plates, but of course the cap couldn't fall through one of those to make my life easier.

Edited December 28, 2010 by dabige

[strongline]

I don't like the TPMS, either, but visual checks aren't adequate with 17" wheels. The low profile of the tires prevents them from "squatting" visually, even when 8-10 PSI under-inflated. Have to use a decent pressure gauge, about every two weeks.

 

I heard that TPMS is even less accurate - it warns you only when the tire(s) are really flat, by then it's very visible to human eyes.

[rfruth]

A TPMS is better than nothing so the government mandated a idiot light on the dash (wonder how they got they got that nick name ...) anyway on my hybrid no folding mirrors not even an option !

Edited December 28, 2010 by rfruth

[xmech2k]

I forgot to mention how on the non-hybrids, I hate how the instant MPG display is just a bar graph, so instead of knowing your instant MPG, you know it's lots or none...

[5150mikey]

I do not like the MPG right now bar graph either. I believe that a digital read out would of been better. Also would it be so hard to put a outside temp gauge in the car. I live in Alaska and I'd like to know how cold it got while I'm out driving. Another thing I don't like which I'm not sure many other people would ever discover is with traction control off the car still mellows out and stops spining the tires. Maybe this is due to my snow tires, I'm not sure, But I have the Sport AWD fusion, and besides those few things I LOVE IT!!

[Moosehead]

. Also would it be so hard to put a outside temp gauge in the car. I live in Alaska and I'd like to know how cold it got while I'm out driving.

 

There is an external temperature gauge but only if you get the automatic climate control option (comfort package))

[5150mikey]

There is an external temperature gauge but only if you get the automatic climate control option (comfort package))

 

 

That's good to know. Not sure about what packages I have. Not sure of the code either as I see alot of others have like 502a or what not. All I was told is it's the AWD Sport. But I do have leather, 6 disc cd sync mp 12 sony speaker system.

[Jayhawk]

I heard that TPMS is even less accurate - it warns you only when the tire(s) are really flat, by then it's very visible to human eyes.

My experience is varied-- the sensors in my '09 Vibe were accurate within 4 psi but when my '10 Fusion had a sloiw leak, the pressure dropped from 33 to about 20 before the light came on. In both cases it was hars to see any physical change.

[jazztrumpet216]

My TPMS thingy fired off when one of my tires hit 28 PSI.