Won't accept a charge and gives the message Charge Fault

[erickw]

On Saturday May 25th my Wife and I purchased our brand new Black Fusion Energi Titanium.  When we got the car there was no charge on the HV battery as it had been sitting on the dealers lot.  We drove it home the 10 miles from the dealer and put it in the garage. We immediately plugged it in so we could have fun driving it on electric the next morning.  It was plugged in for 12 hours over night. When I got in it the next morning I was disappointed to see it was only charged to 44% and showed a range of 8 miles.  On the charge page it showed FAULT.  I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in. Nothing. No blue circle light around the charge port or anything.  I drove it to Target and back which is about 4 miles each way. By the time I got to Target the HV battery showed 0%. So, it only went 4 miles. My top speed on the drive was only about 45mph and I was not very agressive.  When I got back in the car and turned it on the check engine light was on.  I took it back home and tried to charge it again. Nothing.  Green lights on the charger but no charging occured and still the FAULT message on the charge page.  Well, it was Sunday and no one was in at the maintenance department at the Dealer.  Monday was Memorial Day and again no one in the maintenance dept.  On Tuesday we returned the car for Service and that is where it sits.  The mechanics at the Ford Dealer say that they have never worked on a Fusion Energi and dont even have a Maintenance manual for it yet.  Not very impressed, maybe I should have gotten the Volt??

[Russael]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having issues with your new ride.  :(  The Ford techs do have access to other resources to begin the troubleshooting process.  They should've never said they don't have service manuals... doesn't do much to inspire confidence.

 

The only thing 'New' means nowadays is that you can take it back and get it fixed free because it has a great warranty.  Every brand has their faults.  Volts when they first came out were prone to catching on fire, so they had their issues to sort out as well.  Once the dealership resolves the problem (and hopefully the FIRST time), I think you'll be really, really happy with the car.  Hopefully it'll be something really simple like removing the service disconnect, letting the system drain of all energy, and plugging it back in (basically a reboot).  But if not, one way or another, they will make it right.

[pluggedin]

I agree with Russael, the dealer service personnel should never tell a customer they don't know what to do with new technology. Although I must say my local dealer (who is not "Certified") hasn't instilled confidence in me either, since this is my first Ford ever. Fortunately, I haven't had any major electrical issues like you have because it means a 40 mile, one way, trip for me to get to a Energi Certified dealer.

 

However, Ford Service will be able to walk your dealer's service department through the steps necessary to get your car straightened out and I too think it's a simple matter of rebooting the vehicle.

 

Keep us apprised of your progress.

Edited May 30, 2013 at 04:19 PM by pluggedin

[erickw]

Well, the dealer's service department called me today and said they "think" they have it figured out. They say it has a bad "onboard diagnostic monitor". Apparently they have been on the phone back and forth with Ford engineers and have tested many different things.  So, I guess I basically bought a test vehicle for the service department at Ricart Ford to "learn" how to fix these vehicles.  Not very happy.  I did not buy a brand new vehicle so that it could be torn apart and put back together by people who have never worked on one before.  I wonder how many left over parts they will have when they are done.  Is there anything I can do?  I would prefer that they just swap vehicles and give me a different one that works. Is that too unreasonable?  Oh and the best part is that they wont have the part until Tuesday the 4th and should have it completed on the 5th.....if that is actually what is wrong with it. 

[murphy]

I hope they at least gave you a free loaner to drive.

[erickw]

Yes, they did give me a free loaner.

[Russael]

Personally, I'd be OK with them fixing the problem and giving it back to me.  Granted, I would feel put out and disappointed that something was wrong with a brand new vehicle, but I have bought things that came with something wrong with it, and I will usually just fix it, or if it's cosmetic and something not visible (computer case front plastic cover tabs come broken a LOT) then I just work with it.  If it's completely defective and I can't make it work, then I have to exchange it since nobody repairs anything.  Most items are RMA and swap.

 

I'm also OK with people learning how to fix something on my items... There have been plenty of times where I've been the grunt who gets to learn a new process, procedure, etc.  I look forward to it.  Sometimes I have to fix someone else's mess.  Things happen.  I've worked in retail before and have worked in a customer service call center before, so I've learned to keep my cool and be a lot more easy going, and find that people I work with when I'm the consumer are much easier to deal with, unless I find something unfair or unreasonable.  I don't get mad at them (since most of them have their hands tied), but then I start escalating things up the chain of command until they make it right.

 

If you're really considering returning the car and just don't want to work with it, I BELIEVE most state laws allow 3 business days from delivery to return it and walk away.

[pluggedin]

Yeah, I have to say that I would be pretty disappointed with not being able to get my car to accept it's first ever charge.

 

My delivering dealer didn't charge my car either and I was pretty unhappy about that too but, fortunately, I haven't any problems at all. I've read other posts that said their cars were not charged at delivery either so I guess my question to those Certified dealers is how do you know the car is performing properly if you don't charge it during the dealer prep? In your case, a problem would have been detected before you took delivery, as it should have been.

 

If Ford is going to insist the cars are delivered through Certified dealers only then Ford needs to insist the cars be charged before delivery to the customer. It just makes sense.

[Rhyalus]

Not all Ford centers are authorized electric sellers or service providers.  If you supposedly went to one, then you need to speak to the franchise owner or at the very least the service manager.

 

If you dont like the answer, you need to contact Ford corporate and complain.

 

R

[lokicat]

If you want to see how bad new technology causes problems, go to the Tesla forums and you will see things like:

• Software update bricked my electronics
• Door won't open
• Car died with 10 miles left
• There are parts missing

What Tesla does well is fix their own cars. The whole concept of 3rd party dealers and auto manufacturers has been a roadblock to better customer service ever since the 50s. For example, North Carolina auto dealers are trying to sue Tesla and put an injunction on their cars due to their direct sales model. How well do you think a Ford/GMC auto dealer will fix your $100K Tesla? I've personally experienced auto dealers trying to do more "warranty" fixes then needed just so they could bill it to the auto maker. One time on my Prius, it was exactly 11 miles past my last complimentary maintenance and they wanted to charge me $200 for the scheduled maintenance. When I questioned why they were being so strict, a service manager came by and apologized and told me they would take care of it. When I got my invoice, I paid nothing, but they charged Toyota nearly $400.

 

My whole point is that it sucks that you had such a fundamental problem compounded by the long weekend, but your dealer is not providing a good experience for you. Your car will run fine once the problem is fixed.

[erickw]

Great News......The Dealer called me today and said they would exchange the car!  I am now the proud owner of a White Platinum Tri-coat Fusion Energi Titanium....and it will charge. Made sure before I left the dealer!

[Russael]

Wow.  That's awesome.  Hopefully this one will behave! :)

[pluggedin]

Congratulations, you smooth talker you :hi5: . I'm shocked, frankly.

[jeff_h]

Great News......The Dealer called me today and said they would exchange the car!  I am now the proud owner of a White Platinum Tri-coat Fusion Energi Titanium....and it will charge. Made sure before I left the dealer!

 

I guess exchanges do happen now and then... one of our regulars on the Hybrid forum ordered his first hybrid, it was damaged in transit and had to be reordered, so he ordered a Titanium Hybrid.  After 5 months it finally arrives, he had it for 3 days and then electronic parking brake came on by itself while he was on the road and stopped and wouldn't budge... now after the car has been at the dealer for 2½ weeks (though they think they have it figured out), a rep from Ford came to inspect it and agreed to take the car back and this owner is going to get one that arrived a couple days later at that dealer as a stock order, same color and config.   http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6669-electric-brake-came-on-and-hyti-wouldnt-budge/ 

[Gordonwrogers]

ERIKW - I'd sure like to know if Ford was able to resolve your issue. I purchased my Energi Friday July 5 and its been in the shop ever since the following Tuesday. The dealer has had the vehicle long than I have at this point and I'd like to know if their is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know the dealer has been in contact with Ford and they required several tests. The confounding thing is that the battery and systems have all passed the diagnostic tests. The original symptom was that the car would accept a charging cord (either 110 or 220), the blue lights would make two revolutions, and the first quarter circle would begin to slowly flash. Then about 20-25 minutes into the charge MyFordMobile sends me a text saying there is a charging fault. When this happens, the blue light circle flashes for about a minute and the charging stops. Also, on the "leaf" menu on the big screen, there are two selections, "settings" and "charge". When I select "charge" it says my last charging result was a fault.

[Russael]

Well, his problem was resolved, but not in a repair way - they customer serviced him a new car instead (they exchanged it).  So his original one stayed with the dealership.  Whether or not they ever got that particular one repaired is unknown.

 

You'll be the 4th Fusion Energi owner that I'm aware of that had an electrical issue.  It bites that it happened to you, but on a brighter side, 4 out of 1500 isn't bad.  Ford WILL get it fixed.  It's taking longer than it should because it's a new car with new tech and all new diagnostic stuff they have to do with it.  Ford is involved and if they still continue running in to issues, they will send specially trained techs to that dealership to find out what is wrong with your ride.  I'm also assuming they're providing you with a free loaner.

 

Should you choose not to want to deal with it, you may try proposing an exchange for another car.  Ford has done that twice (at least on the forums here that I'm aware of), and the 3rd person decided to sell the car right after he got it back, quoting that it was unsafe to drive and not giving it another chance.  Whichever you decide, I'm sorry that you're having issues, but I also hope that you'll give them the opportunity to make it right.

[mczajka]

I recently had my 12 volt battery go dead. We don't know why. I borrowed a friend's battery charger and got the car running again. I've disconnected the phone permanently because I don't know what else could have possibly drained the battery. SInce the weather has been hotter, the fans go on constantly...when I stop, and when I get near the car with the keyfob. I'm wondering if this is possibly draining the 12 volt. I would like an engineer to tell us exactly how and when the 12 volt gets charged (all the scenarios) and what is drawing power from it, other than the internal electronics. The 12 volt battery tested fine at the dealer by the way.

Edited July 15, 2013 at 12:40 PM by mczajka

[pluggedin]

I recently had my 12 volt battery go dead. We don't know why. I borrowed a friend's battery charger and got the car running again. I've disconnected the phone permanently because I don't know what else could have possibly drained the battery. SInce the weather has been hotter, the fans go on constantly...when I stop, and when I get near the car with the keyfob. I'm wondering if this is possibly draining the 12 volt. I would like an engineer to tell us exactly how and when the 12 volt gets charged (all the scenarios) and what is drawing power from it, other than the internal electronics. The 12 volt battery tested fine at the dealer by the way.

mczajka, if you leave the car plugged in, even after it is fully charged, the 12 volt battery should not go dead for ANY reason. If the car was plugged into your charger and the 12 volt battery went dead I would ask Ford to run some tests to find out why that happened.

[Gordonwrogers]

Update on my Fusion: My brand new Fusion Energi has been in the shop since July 8th, just three days after my purchase. It has now been two weeks and to my knowledge, the following has occured: 1) I was accused of using an extension cord to charge the vehicle and the vehicle was sent home unresolved. 2) Ford has asked my dealer to perform a significant amount of diagnostics including updating module sofware. 3) When that didn't work, they ordered a replacement module that took three days to arrive. They had a high degree of confidence that the module was the issue...after two days of repairs, it was not. 4) Now they are saying a local Ford Engineer will need to see the car. It will take a couple days for him to get to the dealership. If he takes a couple days ordering parts, etc., I will be staring at 3 weeks of driving a Toyota Camry rental after making a down payment on a new Ford. GO FIGURE!

 

Even though I am completely frustrated with this situation, the Ford Customer Relations people have been courteous. They offered to make my first lease payment and continue to pay for my Toyota rental. Here are some helpful phone numbers for Ford if you have troubles. Customer Relations: 800-392-3673 and Ford Electric Vehicle Team: 800-343-5339. Customer Relations referred me to the EVT who created a case number and put me in touch with my Ford zone rep. The rep. explained that Ford mirrors lemon laws in the state where the vehicle was purchased. In my case, California, the car must be seen three times with no resolution, or be in the shop for more than 30 days. Tick-tock!

 

If anyone from Ford wtches over this forum, I would encourage Ford to adopt a different policy for new cars where the problem cannot be readily diagnosed. STAND BEHIND THE PHRASE, "QUALITY IS JOB ONE" AND REPLACE A NEW VEHICLE WITH PROBLEMS LIKE THIS!

[larryh]

I am sorry to hear about your problems with your Energi.   Dealers should offer an exchange policy for cars if you are not completely satisfied. The dealer that I purchased my Energi from allows the customer to exchange a car within three days for another one of any value if they are not completely satisfied.  When buying an Energi, if one can find a dealer with a similar policy, it would allow you to exchange it if you find any serious problems within the exchange period.

 

BTW, I also given a Toyota Camry rental car when they needed to order a replacement block heater for my car.   The Energi was a much nicer car.

Edited July 23, 2013 at 11:30 AM by larryh

[Gordonwrogers]

The selling dealer Theodore Robbins Ford in Southern California has the same three day return policy. The challenge is that I live in northern California and took it in for service there. There was the issue of transporting the car 450 miles. Today, Ford engineers were able to diagnose and repair the problem. They are testing the car and want to cycle it though two charges prior to releasing the vehicle. I won't have it back for a couple more days. That will round out three weeks in the shop for a brand new car.

[jeff_h]

Today, Ford engineers were able to diagnose and repair the problem.

 

Did they say what they found? 

[Russael]

I'm curious to know what they repaired or replaced as well.

[mczajka]

I'm going on day 9 with my problem. Haven't heard anything from the dealer yet today. Since the car has been there, I've gotten two low 12 volt battery texts, the last one at 9 am yesterday, which I told them about, and they were aware of.

 

My fear is now that the weather is milder here, 80-85, the problem is going to somehow magically disappear and reappear when it gets hot again, or real cold this winter.

 

And as the saying goes...Have you driven a Ford lately?...No, it's in the shop.

 

I feel sometimes I'm just way too nice to these people. I can't imagine having a new car go bad after 3 days and having to deal with repairs. How did you handle it? I'm feeling like I need to put some heat on, but what's that going to accomplish?

 

What adds to the frustration is that I keep getting calls (2nd one) from my dealer's telemarketing people asking me how my service was, when the car is still there. I basically told the person she was very insensitive and hung up on her. They're asking you how your last service was before you had to bring the car in again...all triggered probably from some database.

Edited July 25, 2013 at 07:27 PM by mczajka

[Gordonwrogers]

There was a plug improperly left in the battery ventilation ductwork (during the manufacturing process) that blocked the airflow to the batteries. It was causing charging to fail after about 20 minutes due to overheating. The Ford Service Engineer arrived and ran a test on airflow and found that the air was being diverted to the cabin and not running through the battery compartment. Go figure.