Engine is loud when switching from EV to gas at lower speeds

[Stangtech]

Just wondering it this is normal!  I drive a 2016 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium.  I have had the car for just over a month.  As I am driving and the car switches from  EV mode to gas mod. The gas engine seems to slowly engages and get loud.  It sounds and feels like the transmission is slipping. My best way to describe the noise it is just like driving a stick shift when switching gears.  This seems to happen at lower speeds and at take offs.  On the freeway I don't even notice the noise.  Its not a super loud noise.  But enough for me to be concerned.  To me, it Just feels like the tranny is slipping until the engine fully engages. 

 

I called the dealer, they said the car would have error codes if the tranny was slipping or if anything was going wrong.  He further said, it is most likely normal. 

 

Any help is greatly appreciated

 

Mike

[mrmikel]

Hello, and congrats on the new car.  So, our cars don't have a standard transmission. We have a Continuously Variable Transmission or CVT.  Our transmissions can't "slip", though it may seem or feel like it is, especially under hard acceleration.  I have a 2013 Titanium Energi, and I have been noticing something similar to you, the loudness when the ICE kicks in.  Almost seems like a hole in the exhaust system somewhere.  Trying to avoid the dealership service dept if I can until I can pinpoint the symptoms a bit better.

[murphy]

There is no correlation between the engine RPM and the car's speed.  The engine is run at the optimum RPM for the load required.  It is an Atkinson cycle engine which starts to open the intake valve while there is still pressure in the cylinder from the power stroke.  That causes blow back into the intake manifold.  It doesn't sound anything like a standard Otto cycle engine.  There is a tuned resonator in the intake manifold to partially suppress the noise.  The active noise suppression system should be masking most of the rest.  If you have modified the audio system in the car, that will destroy the active noise suppression.

[Energized]

The new powertrain software changes to the 2017 addresses the "CVT effect".

 

It's still an eCVT but the new software in the 2017s makes an improvement in how the engine responds to driver input.

[zippoking]

In my 2014 FFE, I think the switch over is more noticeable the very first time it happens in a trip, when it is cold out.  But otherwise its very seamless.

[ChrisM]

I had the same issue, after insisting there was a problem, the service dept finally figured it out. The TSB is "extra bolt", you maybe one of the few who have an extra bolt lodged by the engine block.

Good luck!

[FFF]

Hello! I signed up for this issue as well. Just bought a 2016 44k miles energi.  Love the car but noticed the acceleration noise that OP describes.   Thought it was transmission revving higher than normal but what @murphy states sounds about right.  So @murphy I should not be worried about it?  I thought to take it back to dealer to have them check since it's still under warranty (blue certified).   Again, the problem does not happen all the time.  

 

Glad to join this community.