CONSUMER ALERT: 2016 Ford Fusion Sedan 2.5L models
This past week my 2016 Ford Fusion 2.5L sedan, died on the highway. The car only has 10,000 miles on it. There is no recall or safety warning that has been sent out by Ford Motor company on any issues with these vehicles.
I was driving down a superhighway at 65mph when all of the sudden the vehicle's RPM's raised in an unusually high manner. After that, an illuminated wrench (see service manual) message was demonstrated on the dashboard. Immeidately, after that, the airbag lights came on. What happened after that, should never happen with a brand new car. The car died. It had no ability to accelerate and slowed down to a crawl. THE RPM's went to 0.
While this was happening, I was driving through a construction zone. There was no way out. I had an 18 wheeler on my tail. The truck began honking his horn aggressively behind me. I really thought the truck was going to come through my trunk. Fortunately, all of the sudden there was a small area of shoulder that opened up for me to pull over safely.
A month prior to this event with my vehicle, a coworker had said the same thing happened to their vehicle. They said they took it in three times before the dealer agreed to change something in the car. It was the Throttle body that they eventually changed in the vehicle. The bad part of this system failure was that each time my coworker took their car in, there was nothing in the error codes to show why the service wrench came on. Their car died on the road three times.
After pulling into the emergency lane, I was able to restart the vehicle. I immediately drove it to the nearest Ford dealer. I shared with them what happened and what also recently happened to my coworkers car. I picked up a rental vehicle and off I went. That same day the dealer called me to say, "We cannot find anything wrong with you car, you can pick it up." I said," I am not picking this car up until you figure out why a new car died on the highway, there is no way I am getting back into that car until it is fixed." The dealer agreed to continue to investigate the issue. I told them to change the throttle body,for that what was done on another, and the car is fine now.
Later in the day, the dealer called again to say, they still cannot find anything wrong with the vehicle. I reiterated, " I am not taking the car back until you figure it out. The car is unsafe." I told them again, "Change the throttle body."
They agreed to have one of their engineers drive the car home that evening and take it out onto the highway to see if they could duplicate the issue. They were able to.
The day after I got my car back there was a safety memo sent out to all employees to get their vehicles in to have the throttle bodies changed. This is a potential safety issue that has occurred numerous times with the fleet that they have from Ford. The 2016 Ford Fusion 2.5L sedans, have demonstrated that they are susceptible to a throttle body failure, resulting in a significant reduction in maximum vehicle speed (with maximum RPM of 1,100). This failure may occur at any time, without warning, resulting in a sudden loss of power. The company did communicate with Ford regarding this issue and has taken expedited, proactive steps to address any potential safety risks and protect company vehicle drivers. What has Ford done for the rest of its drivers globally? If you own one of these vehicles, you need to have your vehicle checked immediately so that you do not have this happen to you.
What is a Throttle body? It is the throttle body cleaning and wiping of the bore and throttle blade. The service is important in order to keep the automobile running smoothly, efficiently, and safely.
What is it?
The throttle manages the flow of fluid and can increase or decrease the engine’s power. It does not control the power or the speed of the engine as is thought by many people. During a throttle body service, a technician cleans out or wipes the bore and throttle blade. When this is done and the air rate is checked and adjusted, a sensor does an idle that is computer controlled. If this is properly done, the car should operate in the idle mode as if it were new.
There is carbon and sludge that the PCV system deposits into the throttle body as the engine operates. This carbon and sludge is cleaned out during the throttle body service. How well the engine operates about a year after service is determined by the way the automobile starts, how well it idles when it’s cold or warm, and when accessories such air conditioning and heat are operating. The carbon and sludge will also affect the way the car starts from a total stop. A service such as this will keep the idle valve, which is computer controlled, clean. If it is left dirty and covered with carbon, it will have to be replaced and such a replacement can be costly.
An important part of the engine is the throttle body, which is part of the air intake system. The air intake system increases the amount of oxygen used for combustion with fuel. You can either gain or lose power with the air intake system depending on the vehicle’s ram. The throttle body is a part of this air intake system. Keeping the throttle body in good operating condition will keep the car running without costly occurrences.
Importance of the Throttle Body Service
Careful and regular throttle body service will keep the emissions from the engine’s exhaust system in check. There is also increased sound when the throttle is applied by way of the accelerator. If the vehicle is operated at lower speeds, there is less noise coming from the engine. However, at higher speeds, the engine tends to become very noisy. These two statements make the throttle body service important in itself, as it makes the automobile more environmentally friendly. A complete throttle body service is recommended every 15,000, 40,000, and 75,000 miles to be sure that the automobile is functioning properly.
It is most important to have the throttle body serviced regularly to avoid the high cost of replacement. The cost of throttle body service or replacing the throttle body varies with the year, make, and model of the car. But, no matter what that year, model, or make may be, replacement is not inexpensive. Excluding the cost of replacing the throttle body for the moment, what is perhaps even more important, is to have the throttle body serviced regularly to keep your car running smoothly and efficiently.
