2013 Energi; Tow behind motorhome?

[Sharon]

Hi,

 

I have been lurking for quite a while, learning what I can about this car. We will start shopping in September, but I have a couple of preliminary questions. Does anyone know for sure if the Energi can be flat towed? Does it require a lube pump? Blue Ox does not have the Energi on their website, so not sure if we will be able to get the tow bar from them. Any suggestions? I have actually been overwhelmed by the technology of this car. We are still driving our 1998 Camry, so this will be quite an experience for us.

 

Thanks

[murphy]

From the Owner's Manual

 

Recreational Towing
Note: Put your climate control system in
recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust
fumes from entering the vehicle. See
Climate Control (page ?).

Follow these guidelines if you have a need
for recreational (RV) towing. An example
of recreational towing would be towing
your vehicle behind a motorhome. We
designed these guidelines to prevent
damage to your transmission
You can tow your vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground or with the front
wheels off the ground by using a tow dolly.
If you are using a tow dolly, follow the
instructions specified by the equipment
provider.
If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels
on the ground:
• Tow only in the forward direction.
• Release the parking brake.
• Place the transmission in position N.
• Place the ignition in the accessory
position. See Starting and Stopping
the Engine (page 132).
• Do not exceed 70 mph (113 km/h).
• Place the transmission in position P,
start the vehicle and allow it to run for
one minute at the beginning of each
day (you may need to press the
accelerator pedal in order to start the
vehicle). After allowing the vehicle to
run, place the transmission back into
position N and the ignition in the
accessory position.
 

[Sharon]

Thanks Murphy. I just found the link to the owner's manual and read this. However, what I really want to know is if anyone has actually gotten this car prepped for towing 4 wheels down. I know on the 2012 hybrid it was believed to be able to be flat towed, but then had to have a lube pump installed after people had problems. I cannot seem to find info on the web if Ford fixed that. I know most dealers will not know this info, unless they themselves travel in a motorhome and know what they are talking about. Towing behind a motorhome is an entirely different experience, as we can be on the road 6-8 hours at a time. Before we jump into the expense of this car, it would be nice to have someone with experience in this.

 

Sharon

[Taylorjd]

Sharon, I have bought the Fusion Energi with plans to flat tow it. I have not yet done it, but it sounds like it will be the same as the 2012 Hybrid. I hope someone here can give you (and us) some first hand accounts. Thanks for asking :)

[cengel]

I recently purchased a 2013 Fusion Energi with the specific intent of pulling it behind my motorhome.  I have now done so on a complete trip of about 600 miles round trip.  I had the car outfitted with a Blue Ox system including a diode-based light kite, base plate, Alpha towbar and Patriot brake.  I can report that the car performs well as a toad.  It tracked very well.

 

I did install a charge line via the 7 to 6 pin connector after reading about many dead 12V batteries.  As a result, I did not have any battery issues.  Also, on the way out, I plugged the Patriot into the accessory 12V port in the center console.  It runs for 1 hour and then shuts off producing an alarm on the Patriot.  I had to pull over a couple of times to toggle the Fusion on/off to get another hour.  Upon reaching my destination, I went to a nearby Camping World and bough a 12V accessory plug for direct connection to the 12V battery.  It was less than $10 and provided 10 feet of cable with alligator clips to connect to the battery posts.  The 12V battery is in the trunk and it is very easy to route the wire from the battery to under the front seat while being completely concealed under the door plates.  On the way home this fixed the issue.
 

I have the push button start.  To set up for towing, simply start the engine, shift to neutral and turn it off.  A message remains on the dash the reads "Transmission Not in Park".  I take the key out, but left the doors unlocked until sure the battery would not die.

 

One interesting thing I noted is that while in neutral, the car can be started and run WITHOUT the key present.  Confirmed this via may tests.  So , for sure, LOCK the doors! 

[Griff]

Question: If the car is in accessory mode & neutral and you tow it, does it charge the battery?

[murphy]

Question: If the car is in accessory mode & neutral and you tow it, does it charge the battery?

No.  In neutral there is no connection between the power plant and the wheels.

[mergy]

Boy, all I know is the few times I have talked with tow truck drivers on my battery issues over the last couple of months, all the drivers do not want to tow this. They are very scared to do it because of the complexity. 

[Sharon]

Thanks for the info cengal. Unfortunately we did not purchase the Energi, but the FFH instead. We just could not justify the extra 12K for the plug-in feature, though it would have been nice. I am thinking towing the hybrid will be pretty much the same. Actually, someone from rv.net posted their towing experience with the hybrid, and I am confident it should be fine. They, too, warned about the battery drain, so a charge line has been installed. We are awaiting delivery of a Blue Ox base plate, and we are going to be able to use our current braking system, though I cannot recall the name of that just now. I will check with DH to see how it is connected in, per your warning. I would like to purchase a new tow bar. Right now we have a Roadmaster, but DH wants to see if it will work with the new base plate first. I also purchased a Protect-a-Tow hoping to alleviate so many rock chips from the road. 

 

I do appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions. Thanks again for that.

 

Sharon