Hi, Am thinking of buying a Ford Fusion Hybrid and am wondering about repair maintenance costs, etc. I live in DC so driving is hard on a car. any feedback on how these cars hold up, costs to maintain, etc.? I’ve heard they are more expensive to repair than traditional costs. I have a 2004 seibring that i’ve had to put a lot of money into and am trying to avoid that again. thanks.
They’ve only been out a short while, so long-term info is unavailable. There were the best-rated sedan by Consumer Reports.
And I bought one (well, the MKZ version).
Repair and maintenance costs compare favorably to the Prius.
I got a quick drive in a pre-production Hybrid Fusion at the factory in Hermosillo, Mexico…That was one cool car!! It’s way to soon to tell how they will hold up and few mechanics have a clue…Like all hybrids, the big maintenance hit comes when the battery needs replacement…
What took some getting use to, The key switch has no “start” position…You just turn it on and go, silently…At some point, the engine starts (and stops) by itself. The driver no longer controls the engine…
Hey, be the first one on your block!
A Chrysler Sebring is a car that does need a lot of repairs. The Fusion, and just about anything else, will do much better. So far the Fusion Hybrid is doing well. Time will tell as the car put on years and miles on how well they hold up over time.
Look at the battery replacement expense and warranty. I imagine from what I have heard 7 years or 100k is the norm. At $3000 to $4000 prices seen for replacing a battery on this board you could look at trading it in in 6 years but would think that cost would be figured into the resale value.
7 years 100k is not even the minimum. The GUARANTEE is 8 yrs/100k. Very few Prius batteries have needed replacement, many older than 7 years.
Ok, 8 years vs seven years is not that big of a difference, the price of a battery is!
The vast majority of batteries will last longer than 8 years. Very few problem reports on old Prius batteries. Where do you get your info?
The car is too new to know how well it will hold up over time, but things look good so far. Perhaps you would like to be one of the “guinea pigs” to see how well they hold up? The Sebring is sort of notorious for being a troubled car, so you will most likely have better luck with your next car, and I think the Fusion will be a good bet for you.
You may also consider the regular four cylinder Fusion. A similarly equipped four cylinder Fusion runs about six grand less than the Hybrid; a fully loaded four cylinder Fusion is over three grand less than a base Hybrid. It will take years to realize any real savings from having the hybrid drivetrain, assuming the hybrid system is completely trouble-free.
What is your estimate for battery lifespan and replacement cost?
If your battery fails and it is outside of the warranty period a replacement from the dealer is going to cost you a few thousand dollars.
However if you look around you’ll find that there are hybrid battery reconditioners popping up to serve this market. My 2000 Insight battery is requiring replacement now, the Honda dealer wants about $4k for this. I can get the battery reconditioned for less than 25% of that cost and the expected life of the reconditioned battery is about 5 years.
Remember that your hybrid battery is made up of a number of individual cells, normally the whole battery does not go bad but one of the cells does. Reconditioning involves dismantling the battery, determining which cell(s) is bad and replacing what is needed. On the Insight it takes roughly 3-4 weeks to recondition the battery.
Don’t be afraid of the battery in the hybrid.
Thanks, everyone. This helps a lot!