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Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Maintenance & Repair

143 messages,  Last post on Mar 08, 2013 at 12:24 AM

You are in the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Auto Repair, Sedan

    
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Messages Page 13 of 15

#119 of 143 2010 Fusion recall for 17" steelies stud failure by pod

Feb 10, 2012 (3:50 pm)

About 6 weeks ago it was reported that 2010 and 2011 Fusions and Milans with 17" steel wheels were to be recalled because some of the lug studs were shearing off. Two cars lost wheels (at low speed) and something like 28 other cars has some sheared studs. The recall was supposed to occur on January 28th. I have not been notified. Does anyone have information on the state of this recall?

#120 of 143 Re: 2010 Fusion recall for 17" steelies stud failure [pod] by bbear

Feb 10, 2012 (4:05 pm)

Replying to: pod (Feb 10, 2012 3:50 pm)
We were notified about a month ago & our '10 Fusion had it's studs replaced today. This recall also involves brake rotors. We had our original rotors replaced by our independent mechanic earlier because they were warped and our Ford dealer told us that Ford will reimburse us for our expense. That phone call is on my "to do" list.

#121 of 143 steel wheel recall details by pod

Feb 21, 2012 (7:57 pm)

I enclose a quote from inside-line re the recall. I have not been notified and will have to check the date of manufacture of my 2010 Milan I-4 with steel 17" wheels (which have plastic covers to make them look like alloy).
 
"Ford is recalling 128,616 2010-'11 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans equipped with 17-inch steel wheels because of a risk of wheel separation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
 
"The wheel studs may fracture, potentially causing a wheel to separate," said NHTSA in its recalls summary of the problem. "While driving, multiple stud fractures could occur at the wheel location, and the operator may experience vehicle vibration and/or wheel separation, increasing the risk of a crash."
 
Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans equipped with alloy wheels are not affected.
 
The recall also includes 2,940 service steel wheels sold to dealers.
 
Ford said as of September 30, it was aware of one front wheel separation and five rear wheel separations, according to documents filed with the federal government.
 
The affected vehicles were built from April 1, 2009 through April 30, 2009 and from December 1, 2009 through November 13, 2010.
 
Ford dealers will inspect the rear brake disc surface for flatness and replace the discs. In addition, the wheel lug nuts will be replaced on all four wheels. The recall is expected to begin on January 24. Owners can contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332."
 
That is an excerpt from an inside line story maybe two months ago.

#122 of 143 Nonlinear fuel gauge by pod

Apr 26, 2012 (6:26 pm)

I am curious why automobile engineers have not been able to provide a more linear fuel gauge. My experience in every car I have ever owned (including my present Milan 2010 I4) is obviously nonlinear. The mileage when the needle reads half full cannot be doubled to predict the mileage per tank. The mileage per tankful is markedly less than 2 x the half way value. It seems that the closer you get to the "E" marker the more quickly the needle drops. I think I understand why this happens if there is a float and the tank is narrower at the bottom but why haven't the same engineers who give blind-side warnings and lane crossing warnings figure out a way to electronically adjust for the shape of the tank. Or is there some other reason that I am missing?

#123 of 143 trailer hitch to fusion/milan by pod

Jun 07, 2012 (2:46 pm)

Occasionally I need more space to carry a large item, or one I don't want to put in the trunk. I am considering purchasing a small utility trailer with a 500# capacity and using that hitched to my 2010 Milan I4. The items would weigh only 200-350 pounds max so the added weight isn't an issue. These would be short trips at moderate speeds. My question is whether the plastic skirt and rear bumper enclosure makes installation of a standard trailer hitch difficult without making a cut out on the bumper enclosure which I would prefer not to do. I know some hitches have a bend in them and then come back up to the ball hitch. Does anyone have experience with putting a hitch on a fusion/milan? Any advice or product endorsements? Thanks.

#124 of 143 help with self dimming mirror knowledge by pod

Sep 16, 2012 (2:53 pm)

I have a 2010 Milan with the electrochromo-whatever, self dimming mirror. I'm not sure it works. When I cover the two sensors at the base of the mirror if a set of lights behind me is very bright, no change. I would expect it to get brighter. I shone a small flashlight into it the other night while driving, no apparent change. On the other hand headlights in the rear view mirror do seem less intense than in the side mirrors.
Does anyone know how long it takes for the mirror to change reflectance after a bright light appears. It may be designed to have a relatively long response time to avoid short cycling with every reflection.
One very unusual idea which I read in one of these forums is to rotate the mirror 180 degrees. This is done easily and puts the light sensors at the top of the mirror and the microphone at the bottom. I wonder which is the intended way. The side taper seems more correct in the microphone up sensors down position.
 
Does anyone have a recommendation as to how I could test the mirror to see if it is working as intended. I hate bright headlights. Recently Audi brightened thier taillights to a nuclear level which is a new problem: they are too bright to begin with but when the brakes come on they are blinding. What is this trend to get brighter and brighter lights? The national highway safety did a research project and concluded that highways are so well lit these days that headlight intensity could be reduced 40% with no issues (and this was before the HID, LED nuclear intensity fad appeared). I actually wear lightly tinted sunglasses when driving at night to reduce some of the retina-searing moments.

#125 of 143 autodimming mirror test and design by pod

Sep 23, 2012 (4:39 pm)

I was able to read some and speak to a service manager at my local ford shop. The autodimming mirror (in the 2010 models) works with three sensors. The one which faces forward (toward the dashboard) senses whether it is day or night. If it is bright the mirror defaults to a standard mirror with no dimming. If it is dark enough to simulate night, then the front two sensors determine how much dimming should be provided. To test whether the mirror is working (the effect is subtle on a well light highway) put a piece of black electricians tape over the front-facing sensor during the day, the mirror should obviously darken. The car has to running, not just on for this effect. If it doesn't darken it is broken.
 
I prefer extreme dimming so I have fashioned a little pull down blind over the front sensor which I pull down at night. The mirror works remarkably better at night this way.
I was unable to determine why there are two sensors facing the rear.
 
It turns out my mirror was operating and not broken but the subtle dimming was hard to see. Now with the opaque baffle over the forward facing sensor, it is dramatic and very helpful.
 
For reasons puzzling, putting your finger over the sensor does not work to "blind" it. The black electricians tape is specifically recommended by Ford or the manufacturer.

#126 of 143 Realization about tire sizes. by pod

Oct 16, 2012 (9:44 am)

I am not too bright. When I have heard about people going to wider tires I always assumed the difference was considerable. Then I thought about it. The width difference between a 215/17 tire and a 225/17 tire is 10 mm! That is one centimeter. That is approximately 1/3 of an inch.
 
In retrospect I now realize that adding 10 mm to the base of 215mm isn't even increasing the width by 5%. I did not appreciate the very small steps that tire width increments provide.
Yet, presumably, the gain in grip is considerable. Surprising.

#127 of 143 Re: Realization about tire sizes. [pod] by akirby

Oct 16, 2012 (10:09 am)

Replying to: pod (Oct 16, 2012 9:44 am)
If you consider that only a tiny portion of the tire itself is actually in contact with the road at any given point in time, an increase of 10 mm is a bigger increase in contact patch percentage wise.

#128 of 143 Re: Realization about tire sizes. [akirby] by pod

Oct 17, 2012 (6:13 am)

Replying to: akirby (Oct 16, 2012 10:09 am)
Whatever the area of the contact patch, increasing it's width by 5% would result in a 5% areal change (Area=L xW). In any case, I find it remarkable that the increase in width is so small from one size to the next. I guess my notion stems from my long history of cars with 16" wheels and narrow tires where 225s wouldn't fit in the wheel well or they would chide against the sheet metal on extreme turns. I always pictured them as being very much wider than my "little, thin" tires. I guess not so.-----

Messages Page 13 of 15

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