21st Feb 2008, 12:10

Yes, Ford automatic transmissions do not have the silky smooth and precise shifting of the excellent GM automatics. It is one of the only (very minor) complaints I have had with my latest Ford products. On the other hand, I have never had a transmission failure with any Ford product, some of which made over 300,000 miles, so I can attest to their ruggedness.

All in all I feel GM has a more driver friendly vehicle in most respects. I currently own both GM and Ford products and neither have ever had any problems, but I have to say that my 8-year-old GM compact is far smoother and quieter than my 2007 Ford.

5th Apr 2008, 13:01

I cannot say this enough times. Every brand makes good and bad vehicles. The '07 Camry was recently rated "below average" by Consumer Reports according to an article I read, while the Fusion was rated higher. Go figure.

Mercedes is developing a reputation for problematic cars. I'm not sure they've ever been that good. Diesel engines needing replacment at 225k miles? Automatics failing at 100k miles? Junk.

Accord are infamous for bad automatics. They have been for well over a decade now. VW is highly touted, yet are infamously problematic cars.

People buy solely on name brand not realizing they can be junk too. Meanwhile a cheap-looking American or Korean car can have as good, if not better (in some cases) reliability.

It's not brand to brand, but model to model where reliability exists. All brands make both good and bad cars and you DON'T always get what you pay for. My $14k '92 Plymouth was a lot more reliable than my $30k '87 Mercedes.

7th Apr 2008, 22:47

Our family members have owned Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Cadillac, Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota. The best? It's a three-way toss-up between Ford, Chevy and Dodge.

The worst? A three-way tie between Mercedes, BMW and Volvo. You very often get a LOT less than you pay for.

27th Dec 2008, 09:51

I drove home a used Fusion from the car lot I worked at. It had a dash cowl vent or something open, and it let in a lot and I mean a LOT of engine buzz and roar! It was noisy otherwise and really had to be wrung out to give good performance. I noticed no abnormal shifting problems though.

The cruise was dead on accurate up AND down hills.. rare! The seat was flat and hard as a park bench... base model of course. It seemed roomy enough.

I drove a 2008 Dodge Avenger base model four cylinder and loved the way it drove. Quieter and more comfortable, but I do not think it was as roomy.. and had a bad blind spot at the right rear because of the door window design.

Sad to hear this Fusion owner has a problem.

28th Dec 2008, 11:14

Having driven 3 Fusions, I can't imagine them being described as "noisy". The ones I drove were very solid and quiet. Even the 4 was very responsive and smooth. I found the Fusion to be the second smoothest and quietest car I drove, second only to a Buick LaCrosse.

17th Jan 2009, 17:28

Based on rave reviews from virtually all major reviewers as well as all of our friends who own them, I just bought my wife a Fusion as a second car. We both absolutely love it, are getting over 27 mpg and have not a single complaint with it. I talked to several people who had traded Camrys for their Fusions and they said there was simply no comparison: The Fusion won them over in every category.

18th Jan 2009, 13:46

About the noisy Fusion, that is not normal for these cars. There are three or four TSBs for correcting abnormal noise on early Fusions, and they are simple, like moving an engine exhaust pipe bracket, bending a heat shield, rerouting a cable, etc. Do a Google search on Ford Fusion TSB and there is a good chance you will find your fix.

26th Feb 2009, 00:05

I recently bought a 2006 Ford Fusion with 21 k miles... got the SE 4 cylinder.. it is very sharp car... I love the great gas mileage.

I am commuter to school and work, and drives are always pleasant. Granted, it was more than I wanted to spend, the trade in rate for them holds their value and they run forever, great car all in all.. Would give it 8.5.

I miss my Jeep Grand Cherokees, but definitely don't miss the monthly mechanical breakdowns.

Would I recommend this car to other consumers? Yes, the Fusion has my vote.

I am also very OCD about my cars. Haha, hope this comment could help.

26th Feb 2009, 18:14

I made comment 17:28, and we still love our Fusion. Ours is very smooth and quiet. Whether it had any problems before we got it I have no idea. If so, it appears they were fixed. I certainly couldn't call it noisy by any stretch of the imagination. As (and IF) our sluggish economy improves, I plan to add some custom touches, such as a mesh grille. I have already added a factory-style rear spoiler with the integrated LED brake light and twin chrome exhaust extensions. I am hoping to find a set of SEL 17" rims or a good looking set of after-market rims when the tires require replacement (it is an SE and has the 16" rims). We are averaging 27mpg, which I consider very good.

25th Apr 2009, 02:31

Not sure if you've gotten rid of your car, but there was a TSB to update the Transmission Computer so that it shifts better. I had mine done a while back, now with 53K miles I've had no problems.

13th Sep 2009, 16:30

The problem is caused by the valve body inside the transmission. It causes the transmission to lock up which makes the car come to a very sharp stop. It is a common problem at the dealership my friend works at. Fix is to replace the valve body with an updated unit. $600 I think?

5th Dec 2009, 16:49

The 2010 Fusion is the "Car Of The Year". Consumer Reports likes it. I reviewed earlier in the comments on this post about NOISE. There was obviously an exterior fresh air door not shutting, so ALL the engine and road noise came in the car. I still remember the cloth seats being way too firm. Not a bad car at all though. Even with the four cylinder.

6th Dec 2009, 10:12

We just had to sell our 2006 Fusion due to the

economy (I'm out of work). We had just bought the car in January of this year with 18,000 miles on it. We put 11,000 miles on the car and found not a single flaw. The 4 had ample power and we found the car to be very smooth and quiet. I never check CarFax so I have no idea if it had problems before we got it. If it had had problems, they were obviously all fixed, so I could care less. These cars are in HUGE demand here (dealers can't keep new ones more than a day) and mine sold 30 MINUTES after the ad was posted. I highly recommend them. We actually made a profit on ours. When I get back to work and have more money coming in, I may buy another one.

6th Dec 2009, 16:18

In my area, Ford dealerships can't seem to get these Fusions off their lots. I've seen literally, hundreds of brand-new Honda Accords and Toyota Camry's driving around locally, yet I've seen maybe a dozen new Fusion's. While driving down the Automile yesterday, the Ford dealership had over 20 Fusions out in front with huge "SALE! SALE! SALE!" signs on them. The Honda lot had 3 Accords, and 6 Fusions on their lot. The Toyota dealer had 6 Camry's and 4 Fusion's on their lot. (The Fusions were in the used-car section.) Actually, the majority of the Fusion's I've EVER seen were on Honda and Toyota used lots, and on the Ford lot! (Also, I only saw the cars that were sitting out in front, for all I know, there could have been more out back.)

Perhaps in other parts of the country Fusion's are selling well, but not in my area. I personally am happy to see that my neighbors aren't falling for this "We've gotta help out the Big 3!" crap. The Big 3 got themselves into it, now let them get themselves out. And if sales are so high, then they shouldn't need any help from me anyways.

27th Oct 2010, 13:57

I'm not sure if anyone already said this or not, because I didn't feel like reading all the comments, but I have a 2006 Fusion and it also shifts hard, although my 6 month old's neck is fine. I read a notice or review that said the 2007 model has smoother shifting due to different programming, and that a 2006 can be reprogrammed. Mine isn't that bad though, and I hate the dealerships face near my house, so I haven’t looked into it any further.