kjhansen

I have an update on this problem... My Fusion had a check engine light come on (due to some smog issue) so I had to take it to the dealer anyway to get that fixed. So, I decided to try and force the speaker rattle problem to show up by opening the power amp case and spraying "cold spray" on the circuits to see if I could get the problem to show up. (Note; I still suspect the amp is the problem; not the speakers). Before I did any of that, I noticed there was no sound at all coming from the rear deck lid speakers! I touched the cone of one of them and there was no vibration. Next, I moved the fader all the way to the rear, turned the bass to max and the treble to minimum. Still no sound is coming from those speakers. The rear door speakers were really cranking out the sound though and even viobrating the doors. The Ford service writer's verbal comment was "subwoofers don't have any sound coming from them"!!! I tell you, I don't know where they find these guys! The tech wrote up; "everything is working as it should, sound is coming from the speakers and the cones can be seen vibrating. What a lie! If I didn't have an extended warranty for this I would just fix it myself, but getting them to fix it is proving to be quite a challenge! Before a make a big stink about this with the service manager and possibly involve the CA Dept of Insurance (they handle extended warranties that aren't being honored), I want to ask the folks on the forum these questions... 1) Is there some way the subwoofer amp could (accidentally) be muted from the audio adjustment screen? 2) Shouldn't moving the fader all the way to the rear cause the subwoofers to produce sound? 3) Does the noise suppression circuitry only affect the rear deck speakers or all speakers? Thanks!

Murphy; here are two photos of whats under the foam insert, with appropriate labels.

Paul, I have never noticed the battery cooling fan(s) running for more than just a few minutes after the car has been shut off. What I have noticed is the following... When driving at normal freeway speeds (75 MPH!) I typically drive with "EV Later" selected because there will always be a slow down on the freeway or city driving which will make much better use of EV on a given trip. During the drive if the ambient temperature gets much above 95F say for an hour or more, the battery will be "soaked" at that temperature. Even though the battery gauge indicates plenty of battery left the car will not run in EV mode. This is presumably because the battery is too hot and EV drive mode is inhibited and thus defaults to ICE mode. An even worse example of this is if you charge the car when it is hot outside and then try to drive it in EV mode, forget it! The battery gets so hot because all the cooling air is trapped in the trunk and the hot outside air compounds the problem. Again; the car will refuse to drive in EV mode in these circumstances. What really bugs me is charging never gets throttled even in hot temperatures, which would help extend the life of the battery. Also, the car has the capability to run the cabin AC when plugged in (that's what departure mode is for). So, using software, the cabin AC could be turned on to cool the battery during charging. The battery cooling intake is on the deck behind the rear seats. Needless to say, I'm really disappointed with the battery cooling on this car.

Murphy and Jsamp; Well, I must admit; I "jumped to the conclusion" that it has a heat pump. This jump was for the following two reasons; 1) I can only see the electric (apparently only AC) pump with the orange HV wires going to it. I could not find where the typical canister type of resistance heater is located. (I know what they look like because my e-Golf has one). Given how tightly packed everything is under the hood of the Fusion I can see how I could miss it. It may even be located inside the cabin for that matter. 2) When the cabin heater has been on I haven't noticed a big drop in EV range. On the other hand we usually use the seat heat (another really nice and unexpected feature). Again, the EV range doesn't seem to be affected much by these. Have either of you fellows been able to locate where the hot battery cooling air exits the trunk?? I think not. Do you agree that is a STUPID design? Any suggestions on how to fix that? Do you see anything wrong with cutting a hole in the back or the bottom of the trunk past where the muffler is so the hot air can actually get out of the trunk? A duct extension could be added to the existing one on the left side. I was thinking of making it with a 3-D printer. If a CAD drawing can be made of it there are online shops that will print it and ship it to you. Also, a rubber flapper can be added outside the car body to keep weather from entering the duct.

Muzicman61; if you remove the black plastic piece at the rear of the trunk which holds the padded board in the bottom of the trunk in place you can tilt the back of the foam insert up (which contains the tire air pump and charging cable). This will allow the battery cooling air to actually escape from the trunk. I live near Sacramento, CA and on 100F+ days it really helps the battery cooling, since normally all that hot air is trapped in the trunk where the battery "lives".

Hi Murphy, Please show me a photo or diagram of where the hot battery cooling air is discharged "underneath the car". I cannot find any outlet for this hot air. Note; there are two cooling fans; the one on the right side (passenger side) of the car is for the Inverter. That fan either draws air in from under the car or inside the trunk (I suppose based on outside air temperature) via a short black plastic tube with a solenoid actuated valve (under the foam insert in the bottom of the trunk). The hot air is expelled at the back of the right rear passenger seat making that seat very hot. Look in the trunk and see for yourself. With the car charging you can easily observe all of what I'm saying by placing your hand near the places I've mentioned you can feel the hot air coming out. The left side fan draws air in from the rear deck lid then discharges it INSIDE the trunk under the thick foam insert (which contains the tire inflater and charger) in the bottom of the trunk. The only place I can see for air to escape the trunk is a baffle on the right side wall which is behind the trunk liner. I thought of cutting a hole in the back of the trunk and ducking this air out of the trunk, but this would undoubtedly void the warranty and it would bypass the Micky-Mouse battery heating scheme for cold weather. That probably doesn't matter for a CA car though. My car absolutely has this EV drive-ability problem at 100F+ outside air temperatures. The local Ford dealer even sent a technician out to witness the car kick into ICE mode even though the battery had a full charge. He recorded all the temperatures, fan speeds, etc, etc data and sent it to Ford. Ford came back indicating the car was operating properly. ARGH!!! Do you ever get 100F+ days in PA? So, I'm doing everything I can to preserve the battery, like pulling the foam insert out to let the super heated air out of the trunk and only charging when the garage is cool at night. Ford doesn't have a degradation clause in the warranty. Basically, the warranty only pays if the battery catastrophically fails. I only charge the car with a L2 charger, mostly in my garage. The shame of it is virtually everything else on the car is well engineered, such as; a Heat Pump to provide either AC and heated cabin air, departure time modes (allowing cabin air to be heated or cooled while the car is still plugged in), value charge mode, charge voltage selection, etc. Plus, my SE has many luxury features I didn't expect on a non-Titanium model.

Hi Murphy, How do you find out this information? I had no idea those "little buttons" in the headliner were microphones. I pulled out the one behind the rear dome light and indeed there is a small microphone in there. Anyway, do you know how I can get a schematic of the sound system to help me debug this problem? I have a PremiumCare extended warranty, and I've looked at the "1000+" list of what's covered and its not clear this problem is covered. As I mentioned in an earlier post it will likely be very costly to have this debugged at the dealer. (There is no check engine light for this issue). Thanks again for the help.

Hi Murphy, Thanks again, this is great information. Do you know which of the 3 microphones is for the rear deck lid speakers? Also, how do you gain access to each of them? The other day I noticed the rear dome light stayed on regardless of the switch position (or doors locked with key fob). I tried to determine how to remove the lamp bezel (without destroying it) but couldn't. BTW; that lamp problem has somehow healed itself. :p

Hi All, Sorry, I'm a bit late to this thread and I wish I would have known about the battery range degradation before I bought my 2016 Energi SE. Anyway, I'm seeing a similar issue with my Energi; when I 1st got it I would see ~6.5kWh registered on the Charge Point charger. Now, after 55K miles it only takes ~4.8kWh for a full charge. These readings are both at about the same ambient temperature. BTW; I read somewhere that the battery capacity is actually 7.6kWh so Ford must not be charging to full (but to ~85% of capacity) to help preserve the battery. When I 1st got the car I mapped out a route that was close to 21 miles. Interestingly, the car still can travel that same route without running out of battery during similar ambient conditions. Is there a way to more accurately measure the number of miles driven using battery only? I have simply been using the odometer (take a reading when you start and when the EV Mode automatically kicks into Auto Mode. Note; I include the mile or so the car will go once it switches into "Hybrid Mode". I have posted this information on this site before, but here it is again; The Energi is an excellent car in many ways, but one major failing is the forced air cooling system for the battery. The super heated battery cooling air is exhausted into the enclosed trunk. Of course the trunk is where the battery "lives"! When I charge the car in my garage, I open the trunk and pull up the trunk floor board as well as the foam insert that holds the air pump and L1 charger. This allows the hot air to escape. When it is 100F+ outside and the car has been charging outside, it will not run in EV mode, because the battery is too hot. I presume there is an over temperature mechanism that inhibits the EV Mode when the battery is too hot. However, that "safety mode" doesn't seem to kick in during charging in too hot a condition. I have placed thermo-couples in various locations on the metal battery housing and the maximum temperature I have seen is 113F (45C). 45C is the well published temperature above which Li-Ion batteries significantly degrade. So, Ford's poor cooling system at least keeps battery in a safe temperature range. You won't be able to drive in EV Mode during those conditions though.

Hi Murphy, Thank you for this information. Do you know exactly where the microphones are in the headliner? They may be what is causing the noise/ static coming through the left rear deck speaker. If the microphones have a connector I can disconnect them and see if the problem returns. Do you know if any other device(s) are connected to the amplifier or a reason Ford would have that amplifier continuously active even when the ignition is off? Thanks!

Hi Jsamp, Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, most of the junk yards near me charge nearly the same price as new. I thought of getting an aftermarket one from Crutchfield. But, first I have to somehow prove the amp is actually bad.

My 2016 Energi SE just started having the following problem; When the ignition is on (but not the radio) I hear an intermittent loud static noise coming from only the driver's side rear deck speaker. Of course when I unplug that speaker, the noise goes away. With the help of YouTube I was able to locate the amplifier for the rear deck speakers, which is in the right side of the trunk behind a black trunk liner. There is a connector on the rear of the amplifier that goes to the speakers (I confirmed that by the wire colors). On the front side of the amplifier is another connector. Using a multi-meter I was able to determine 1 wire is 12V and another is GND. There are 3 signal wires that have about 100 Ohms on them with the ignition off and about 5V on them when the ignition is on. The 12V is active with or without the ignition on!!! Yes, this amplifier is on all the time. Seems crazy on a plug in car. This can also be confirmed by listening to the speakers; there is a very slight hissing sound all the time; unplug the 12V from the amplifier and it goes away. This looks like it could be a debugging nightmare. My next step is to unplug the 12V when the noise reappears. I know the noise will stop but that doesn't guarantee the amplifier is bad. The only reason I can think of for this amplifier to be on all the time is if the rear speakers are used for some audible alert(s) or alarm(s). I have no idea how to determine that. I called the dealer and they said to bring it in and the'll debug it. Those guys are mostly black box replacers and they could replace a lot of boxes at my expense, so I want to narrow down the problem for them further before bringing it in. Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

From reading through all the responses on this topic, it is clear several owners have experienced battery overheating at outside air temperatures of 100F or greater. Specifically, if you fully charge the car when the outside air temperatures is 100F or greater the car will not run in EV Mode. Also, if you use EV Later Mode to save the battery for use later and the air temperature is 100F+ it will not work. I have measured the battery case temperature and it is 115F which is just above the maximum allowable temperature for recharging Li-Ion batteries before significant capacity degradation occurs. Note; this is case temperature; I'm assuming the batteries are much hotter. I suspect an over temperature cut off is being reached which is disabling EV Mode. I don't understand why Ford doesn't have an over-temp cut off for charging as well as discharging? Maybe, they do and it is a much higher temperature?? This is potentially a fire hazard. There is no information available (that I can find) regrading these temperature cut offs. I have taken my Fusion Energi into the dealer twice now for this issue and they haven't been able to duplicate the issue. So, as far as their concerned it is not an issue and thus not reportible to Ford. In Sacramento, CA where I live we have at least 20 100F+ days per year (probably more like 30 - 40 days this year), so this significantly limits the usability of EV Mode. Not to mention the degradation to the battery life. I have also written to Ford Customer Care about this with no satisfaction. Hmm, I guess I can try BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair), since I did try to have it fixed twice? I'm now relegated to only charging at 3:00AM when it is cooler and never charging during hot days which is pretty much all summer. I also, tilt the right rear passengers seat forward, open both front windows and open the trunk and pull up the foam form (that contains the air pump and 115V charger). This is to promote better air flow when charging. Since it appears there is no way to get Ford to fix this has anyone considered ducting the left side battery cooling fan outlet to outside the trunk? It could be routed similarly to the way the Inverter cooling inlet is routed (behind the muffler heat shield. I have looked on Youtube and Toyota has the battery cooling air exit the car that way on the Prius Plug In Hybrid. I'm looking forward to your responses.

Hopefully someone out on this blog can answer my questions. I have read through this entire blog and still have questions. I live in CA near Sacramento and we get several days of 100F+ in the summer, and I'm concerned my car isn't getting adequate battery cooling. Here is what I have observed regarding the battery cooling systems on my 2016 Fusion Energi SE; 1) The Traction Battery cooling fan is located on the drivers side in the trunk. It draws air from the U shaped inlet on the shelf below the rear window and expels it into the trunk. It has a high and a low speed. 2) The Inverter cooling fan is located on the passengers side in the trunk. It draws air from either under the rear of the car (outside) or inside the trunk via a flapper door and expels it behind the base of the rear passenger side seat back. It seems to have only one speed. Here are my questions; A) How can the battery be cooled adequately if the hot air from the battery is expelled into a closed trunk, in which the battery is contained??? This explains why the trunk is so very warm after a charging cycle.There appears to be no way for this super heated air to escape the trunk. I have been leaving the trunk lid opened and removed the black plastic "scuff shield" from the trunk so the hot air can escape. Why is there no flapper valve to direct the hot air out the bottom of the car or into the trunk? I'm assuming the hot air from battery cooling is used to heat the Inverter when ambient temperatures are cold. B) Why didn't Ford route the ducting for both of these fans such that it would free up more trunk space? Both could have been tucked under the battery cage, freeing up 3" - 4" of trunk depth. Not much you say; yes, but it would allow a standard carry on bag to be stood up in the trunk, allowing more bags to be placed in the trunk. Why must the Inverter fan draw air in from behind the muffler, why no ahead of the muffler? Thanks in advance for your response. Ken