24th Dec 2011, 11:14
It's always such a hoot to try to figure out the reasoning of those who continue to defend Toyota. "My car was recalled NUMEROUS TIMES, but NOTHING WAS EVER WRONG". So?? Import fans jump on every tiny crumb of bad publicity to discredit American cars, but no amount of evidence can get them to admit that Toyota has dropped the ball on quality and customer safety. My domestics have been recalled, but NOTHING WAS EVER WRONG!! So what?? Twenty-three million plus vehicles recalled means a major threat to the public, even if only ten percent of those cars (230,000) actually HAD problems.
24th Dec 2011, 16:03
DRIVE WHAT YOU LIKE! Who cares about Toyota's recalls? They have never affected my ownership of a Toyota. So drive your choice of vehicle and be happy about it. I could care less what the recall stats are on your brand. Until a recall affects me or I have any problems whatsoever with any of my Toyota's, I don't really care. So far so good, and my money stays in the bank instead of in the dealer service shop's pockets.
I will continue to drive Toyota's because they are great quality vehicles that cost me nothing extra to own. If any domestic had that kind of record for me, I would be driving one of them. MOVE ON!!!
25th Dec 2011, 18:55
Interesting that even driving a car with the potential to kill you doesn't dissuade import owners.
13th Mar 2012, 10:32
Original reviewer here: Looks like the topic was hijacked. Anyways, I am in the process of treating/figuring out the torque converter shudder problem. About 2 months ago, I had the tranny flashed, but it did not help. So, today I have dropped my Fusion off at the dealer to have a little more in-depth look at it, and a transmission flush. The service guy said that on 2008's, faulty fluid could be the cause of the shuddering. That would be a completely ridiculous problem to have in the first place, but I hope that's all it is. I'll keep you all posted.
Other than that, I really like the car. I'll withhold judgement on the shuddering until later.
13th Mar 2012, 13:35
Keep us posted. Some gearboxes are fussy with gearbox fluid used. One example is the (non-US) Mitsubishi Galant, which does require the original Mitsubishi ATF, else it does funny things. This was verified by my ex-Mitsi mechanic friend.
14th Apr 2012, 10:13
Original reviewer again:
Well, the shuddering is still there. After the service tech looked at it again more in depth, went through service bulletins, called other dealers, etc., he still couldn't figure it out.
I did have a transmission flush done, and I will admit, it does shift a little smoother now, although the shuddering is still there right around 30 mph. I didn't want to wait for 150k like Ford recommends.
The next step, according to the local dealership, would be to open up the transmission. I'm not doing that. I guess I'll just hope it works and monitor it closely for another two years or so before I trade it off. It is a slight shudder, so someone who doesn't really care about their car may not even notice it, but I do, and it's something that I wouldn't care to have long term.
That is all I can report on that issue, unless something else goes wrong with it, other than that though, the rest of the car has been fantastic. I recently got 29.6 mpg on a 400 mile trip with mediocre cross-winds doing about 73 mph... for a V6 and a car full of things, I can't complain about that at all!
I'll try to update after a while again for those trying to monitor the Fusion's build quality after a few years of use.
4th Feb 2013, 11:22
Original reviewer here:
Well, not the best of news. A few days ago, I was driving home from work when I had a fairly abrupt "feeling" in the transmission/torque converter. I say "feeling", because it wasn't a clunk or anything, but just easily noticeable. Simultaneously, the wrench light on the dashboard came on. I pulled over, went through my gears, and couldn't replicate it. Getting back on the highway, I could tell that the torque converter wasn't locking up anymore. I got home, parked it, and it sat until this morning when I took it to the dealership. Naturally, the light on the dash went away, and the car performed normally. I could not replicate the problem. Even more silly, the code reader that Ford uses couldn't pull a code! They found nothing. Drove it - nothing. The only thing they suggested was that my described symptoms are pointing towards the main controller in the transmission, which is a $2,600 fix. No thanks. Seriously debating trading this thing off before my "intermittent" problems turn into permanent ones. Very, very disappointed in this transaxle.
5th Feb 2013, 10:06
It's a tough call to trade it in or wait until it finally gives out and fix it. The dealers are not going to give you much for it... probably 4000.00 behind Blue Book. Also taxes and funny fees on a new or used car might be from 1000-3000, depending on the cost of the next vehicle. That money alone might be enough to fix the problem.
Also consult your Consumer Reports annual auto issue that comes out every year in April. It has a lot of great used reliable vehicles that will fit any budget out there... with vehicles starting under 4000.00. Just have it checked out by a good reliable mechanic... there is a lot of lemons and abused vehicles out there now. Partly because the economy has forced many families to skip important maintenance... especially at the beginning of a car's life.
5th Feb 2013, 15:26
I had the exact same experience with my 2006 Fusion after driving through high water at very high speed. It apparently got some electrical component wet. It is great now with no recurrence in several months. I'd give yours a while and see if the problem returns. Had you, by chance, driven through any water prior to the problem?
22nd Feb 2013, 12:23
You may be right. I was, in fact, driving through slushy snow on the highway at about 45 mph (not high speed) when it happened. I'm wondering the same thing: if it was a sensor or something? The throttle body on these cars have also caused concern for some owners. I cleaned mine out shortly after, even though this one is electronically controlled and all. So far, it hasn't had a hiccup since the first issue. I'll probably just roll with it the way it is. I haven't skipped any maintenance, and actually do more than required. 150K recommended interval for trans flush? No thanks.
For the comment above about trading it in: My initial thought was that I would trade it since the light was off and it wasn't experiencing the issues. I don't have much sympathy for telling the dealership as I walk away after papers are signed for a different vehicle, that this problem exists. After all, they were the ones that couldn't find the code after it was on for 30 minutes, and then told me everything was fine! No sympathy. However, I would never sell it to an individual like that. Regardless of trading it or not (which I don't plan to as of now unless it does it again), this thing's drive train is not the smoothest of operators, that is for sure.
23rd Dec 2011, 17:59
You forgot about the other half million that were recalled last month.