RAHTOL

Dealer "forced" me to bring in the car to see the part that needs to be replaced on February 28. Of course when the technician brought the car back out and I asked what was done he told me "nothing was necessary". Now the 3G modem is supposedly on back order and today is April 19. That does not sound right. Ford issues a recall but does not have the part for months, especially considering that this is a part used in all their current models - did they just halt the whole assembly line because of a part shortage? My question: Did anyone here have the modem replaced during the last 7 weeks or has been told they are on back order?

Similar issue here - loose overhead console. Dealer took pictures to send to Ford - warranty claim was denied (reason: I supposedly used excessive force on the overhead console and broke of tabs from the retaining bracket under the headliner.) Since I had already many other quality control issues and dealership service problems with this car, this loose overhead console was finally the reason to write a very long e-mail to the Ford CEO Mark Fields. After several phone calls to and from the executive office the result was a "goodwill" offer to reimburse me for 50% of the repair cost which would be $1,800 (to replace the headliner !). I am not sure why the whole headliner needs to be replaced when just the retaining bracket for the overhead console under the headliner is broken. Of course I am NOT happy with this offer. To howardbc : I do not think the overhead console is originally glued in (at least it is not in my 2014 FFE). More likely during the installation of your sunroof clips/tabs of the retaining bracket were broken off and instead of fixing/replacing that bracket the console was just glued back in - hoping that the owner would not notice. To shaggy314 : Reading your comment I am reasonably sure now that my broken retaining tabs also resulted from a not so carefull installation at the Ford dealership of my illuminated door sills a while ago. I am wondering what happened with your repair. Did the clips actually break off the console itself or the retaining bracket under the headliner? There is also TSB 15-0053 issued regading loose overhead consoles. You also find a lot of on-line comments about this overhead console easily breaking off, of course mostly from DIY projects but it seems to happen to Ford mechanics as well. This really seems to be a design flaw that Ford avoids to officially acknowledge.

Here are 3 pictures of the red leather interior in a sterling gray car (taken in underground garage with flash)

I factory ordered my 2014 FFE Titanium because the specific options that I wanted or did not want were not available at any dealer here on the east coast. No moonroof: since I prefer to enjoy the quietness of this car I usually drive with windows closed (and moonroof closed in my previous Camry Hybrid). Therefore no need for moonroof which almost all of the in-stock models had. Red Interior: I did not want a light leather interior since this will slowly "discolor" i.e. get dirty over time. A totally dark interior e.g. charcoal felt to dull. For me the red leather seats felt just right as a nice contrast to the sterling gray body color. They are not lipstick red but more towards burgundy - not too flashy. The headliner is a light more cream colored/off white color. People generally like the interior look of the car, especially since this combination is a little bit off the beaten path. Driver Assistance Package: The acc alone is worth the extra money. The other features are an added bonus - nice to have No Acitve Park Assist: I live in NYC and over the years I learned to squeeze into the tiniest parking spaces, i.e. the park assist would have been of no additional benefit to me. I just wish the front sensor would have been a stand-alone option which I would have liked to add.

Thanks for the link. I was not aware of the fact that the FFE only uses a 2G connection. That might explains the long wait for updating MFM when the car is in my driveway. I'm in Stamford , CT with full 2G and 4G coverage. Outside the office garage MFM can locate the car again. My only conclusion now would be that 2G is not only slower but also has a much weaker signal or the charging spot in the garage is in a coverage hole for 2G but not 4G - I'm not an expert on this subject. Would it have been so much more expensive for Ford to utilize 4G as well, like in cell phones?

Whenever I park my FFE in the second level (i.e. two levels down) of the underground garage at my office building - that is where I can charge the car - , MFM cannot locate the car anymore and therefore I am unable to check the charge level or change Go Times. My understanding is that Ford uses the AT&T network for their data connections. My cell phone (voice and data) on the other hand, also on the AT&T network, works well. Could it be that the data connection in the FFE is much weaker than on a cell phone? Does anybody else experience this behaviour or has any thoughts on this? Thanks

I also have the 2014 Titanium. My check engine light came on after 230 miles and then again after 700 miles. No other problems so far after ~4000 miles (except for some quality control issues). I love the car but I am extremely unhappy with the service from the dealership (rumors say that they will go out of business in December - maybe that explains the lousy service.)

I totally agree. In order to have a fair comparison of similar products manufacturers have to follow the same testing protocol. These ratings are only a benchmark for comparison. (I actually wonder how much of their testing tweaks were driven by corporate managament desire to upend Toyota.) Those here who meet/exceed the original numbers would have even better results if the original ratings would have been valid.

Congrats on your first fill-up - and hopefully not too many coming anytime soon :) I am commuting ~ 500 miles a week (NYC area, 50 miles and 1 1/2 - 3 hrs each way). Every 2 - 3 days I used to fill up my car. I got a Camry Hybrid in 2007 and filled up only once per week. Now with the FFE it's once about every other week - I can recharge at work. I don't know (yet) what to do with all the extra cash in my wallet.

Regarding a loaner car: After two days (219 miles) of driving my new FFE the engine light came on. At first nobody at the dealership responded to my e-mails/phone calls for several days. I finally got the direct number of the general manager who after hearing about my troubles (no responses, engine light on, accessories not installed and some other minor quality control issues) within 3 hours send out a truck to pick up my car and bring a loaner car. BTW, I drove that loaner car for almost 4,000 miles until yesterday - yes, it took them that long to fix the issues listed! Moral of the story: If you are unhappy with the service at your dealership try to go directly to the management. While everybody else is much more involved with the day to day operation of the sales/service department, the owner or general manager has a much bigger interest how their business is rated in order to attract new customers and retain current customers. If you are lucky and plead your case accordingly they might even throw in some extras.

yes, you're right - it just took a while before this was explicitly stated. (Look at early sales brochures.) But to come back to the point of my posting, I am not happy that Ford for the second time has to adjust mpg ratings. If other manufacturers would use the same flawed testing process their mileage ratings would probably look much better as well. The implication is that people bought cars under wrong premises (I hope that Ford was truely not aware of their testing errors, otherwise I see lawyers already salivating over a possible "coverup"). At least this is not a mechanical problem warranting a recall. But then again a mechanical problem might get fixed while FFE owners have to live with this flaw, i.e. lower mpg rating. As I said before, I can live with this flaw since mileage was not the main reason for buying this car.

You're right - it was the C-Max whose rating was reduced previously from 47 mpg to 43 mpg before this round of adjustments. Early 2013 FFE sales brochures did not state explicitly the mpg rating, instead referred to as the engine being the same as the Fusion Hybrid (which had at that point a 47 mpg rating)

Unlike most of my FFE friends here on the forum I am quite unhappy with this latest error. (Wasn't the original mileage of 47 mpg already downward adjusted to the previously stated 43 mpg?) These mistakes seem to occur mostly to the detriment of the consumer. I am still waiting for a press release from any car company saying "Sorry, we made a mistake, the actual mileage needs to be adjusted from 45 mpg up to 65 mpg. :)" Such a statement probably would be followed by "We are gladly charging retroactively each original owner an additional $1,500 :(". I understand that most members of this forum are very happy with their FFE and achieve mileages far exceeding the new and old FFE EPA standard, but if you look around you have people on other forums complaining of not coming even close to that original mpg. Now, who is right, who is wrong? Well, we all know that the individual style of driving will determine the individual mpg achieved. The efficiency rating is a mere measure of comparing mpg of different cars under like circumstances. If Ford's testing procedures would have correctly indicated 43 mpg for a FFE (in hybrid mode), maybe all drivers (mpg overachievers and underachievers) could have had an even 5 mpg better real world result. I usually drive my cars (previously a Toyota Camry Hybrid) for close to 7 years, about 200,000 miles commuting, less than half now in EV mode. Fuel efficiency was certainly a buying factor and therefore these findings are very disappointing for me! Gladly will I accept Ford's goodwill check of $850, although it is not even close to the impact that the difference of the original rating to the adjusted mpg rating will have. Would I buy this car again? In spite of my rant - YES! Like I said before, fuel efficiency was an important buying factor, but the advanced technology in this car was the even more important reason for this purchase.

You could also have a small trailer hitch installed (or do it yourself if handy) as was mentioned in some other post (forgot which one): http://www.thehitchstore.com/class-ii-trailer-hitch-receiver-p-5299.html suitable for attaching bike rack, small cargo carrier etc Also, ordered Sterling Gray FFE with red leather package (we seem to have similar taste, fatmike)

here is an informative article about chargers plus interesting user comments http://www.plugincars.com/quick-guide-buying-your-first-home-ev-charger-126875.html