NHTSA Complaint #11234447 — 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID

WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AFTER DRIVING ON HIGHWAY FOR 20 MINUTES IN JULY, TYPICAL HEAT CONDITIONS. THE WRENCH LIGHT HAD COME ON FOUR PREVIOUS TIMES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS WITH NO LOSS OF POWER AND WAS TOLD BY FORD IT WAS LIKELY THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR ON THE HYBRID BATTERY INDICATING THE BATTERY WAS TOO WARM. THIS TIME THE CAR LOST POWER QUICKLY AND WE HAD TO TURN ON THE FLASHERS AND EXIT THE HIGHWAY. CAR WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 40 MPH. SHUT DOWN CAR AND RESTARTED BY LOSS OF POWER CONTINUED. ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON AT THE END OF THE TRIP. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY (FORD GENUINE PART DS7Z-9E926-D). THIS REPAIR IS COVERED AT NO COST FOR NON-HYBRID FUSIONS AS DESCRIBED IN "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 13N03." THIS WAS IN LIEU OF A FULL RECALL (THE NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING THESE SAME ISSUES). THE FORD REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THIS WASN'T COVERED ON HYBRID FUSIONS BECAUSE THE THROTTLE BODY PARTS WERE DIFFERENT. HOWEVER, THE SAME REPLACEMENT PART IS BEING USED IN BOTH HYBRID AND NON-HYBRID FUSIONS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. WHEN I POINTED THIS OUT, HE REPLIED, WELL I HAVE'T SEEN MANY 2010 FUSION HYBRIDS WITH THIS PROBLEM. THAT IS PROBABLY TRUE -- THERE WERE ONLY 31,000 SUCH VEHICLES PRODUCED SO ANY ONE REPAIR SHOP WON'T SEE MANY. REGARDLESS, THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE EXACT SAME PART IN VEHICLES FROM THE SAME YEAR AND HERMOSILLO PRODUCTION PLANT. THE REMOVED THROTTLE BODY IS COVERED IN BLACK CARBON, THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FAULTY THROTTLE BODIES IN NON-HYBRID VEHICLES. FORD SHOULD BE FORCED TO COVER REPAIRS ON HYBRID VEHICLES AS WELL. SURPRISINGLY THE REPAIR COST WAS ONLY $318 AND WAS DONE IN ONE DAY. CAR HAS ONLY 82,000 MILES.