mjsparky363 Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Good morning all. I've been trying to find out when the 2013 Fusion will start being built at the Flat Rock plant? I also was wondering when it starts will there be a way to order one that is built there? I'm not in the market just yet, but getting ready. Thanks for any feedback.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Meh. Just go to the dealership and look for a VIN that starts with '1'. No idea when Flat Rock is coming on line though. Expect it to be very late 2013, not sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MineralstangGT Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 Meh. Just go to the dealership and look for a VIN that starts with '1'. No idea when Flat Rock is coming on line though. Expect it to be very late 2013, not sooner. Man, thought it would be at least job 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 Nah. They've got a lot of work to do there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleEye Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 According to an article i read on Freep over a month ago, Ford is planning on Fusion production at Frap for June as a model year '14. Hope this helps.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjsparky363 Posted November 18, 2012 Author Share Posted November 18, 2012 Ok, thanks for the replys. Right now all of the 2013,s are VIN 3, Mexico. So I will wait or if I have to get a new car before Fusion VIN 1 I'll go with an Escape or Focus ST!!!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 After the 2013 Fusion introduction in New York's Times Square in September, dealers were told that the Flat Rock Assembly Plant would be producing 2013 Fusions by late December. Since then I've been hearing that it will actually by 1st Quarter of 2013 although I have not seen any specific Job #1 dates for Flat Rock production. The increased Fusion production out of the Flat Rock plant can't happen soon enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Now you all know since the Fusion has been produced in Hermosillo, it's been rated tops in reliability by JDPowers...if they start building it here, and reliability drops, you just KNOW the door that's going to open up... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjsparky363 Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 That's fine that they are highly rated, but my feeling is that it is not totally because they are built in Mexico. New tooling and new technology definitely plays a big part in quality. Any new American made vehicle I've bought in the past 15 years have been much more trouble free than my foreign made ones except 1, an Olds. I'm talking little things like trim falling off, workmanship issues. I have much faith in the American worker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 It could be that job build processes are getting better, making the car easier to build to a higher standard, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Hermosillo has always been one of Ford's most highly rated plants for quality even when they were building the old Focus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Hermosillo has always been one of Ford's most highly rated plants for quality even when they were building the old Focus. This was true when the facility assembled Mazda BG platform Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, too. In the 1990 book The Machine That changed the World: The Story of Lean Production, the authors specifically mentioned that Ford's Hermosillo facility had very high quality ratings (the top ranking or very close to it in most areas) amongst a large sample of facilities operated by multiple companies in North America, Japan, Brazil, Korea, and Taiwan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 This was true when the facility assembled Mazda BG platform Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, too. In the 1990 book The Machine That changed the World: The Story of Lean Production, the authors specifically mentioned that Ford's Hermosillo facility had very high quality ratings (the top ranking or very close to it in most areas) amongst a large sample of facilities operated by multiple companies in North America, Japan, Brazil, Korea, and Taiwan. My '92 Escort (the first car I bought brand new) came from Hermosillo, and the only production-related problem I had was that I had to stick a screwdriver through the oil filter to remove it at the first oil change. (There was a blown speaker that the dealer fixed before delivery, but I attribute that to a bad part, not assembly.) Otherwise, it was a flawless vehicle; if someone hadn't tried to open the trunk with a Mitsubishi, I'd certainly have kept it longer... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 My '92 Escort (the first car I bought brand new) came from Hermosillo, and the only production-related problem I had was that I had to stick a screwdriver through the oil filter to remove it at the first oil change. (There was a blown speaker that the dealer fixed before delivery, but I attribute that to a bad part, not assembly.) Otherwise, it was a flawless vehicle; if someone hadn't tried to open the trunk with a Mitsubishi, I'd certainly have kept it longer... I pretty much have to do that with every new vehicle regardless of where it was built. It's like they put the damn things on with an impact wrench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I pretty much have to do that with every new vehicle regardless of where it was built. It's like they put the damn things on with an impact wrench. My understanding is that it has more to do with them being installed with a dry gasket. The last car I bought new (the LS) came with 12-month/12K mile "free" service (really? with a 5K oil change interval you do 12K miles?), so I let Lincoln do the first oil change; as a result, I don't know if the guys at Wixom torqued that son of a gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 My understanding is that it has more to do with them being installed with a dry gasket. I think you're on to something there. I always oil mine before I put it on the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hermosillo has always been one of Ford's most highly rated plants for quality even when they were building the old Focus. Then explain the Focus SVT. Only built in Mexico. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Big improvements came with changes to the build process, making those processes better enables the workers to build better vehicles. Hopefully, Ford has better managers these days capable of listening to improvement suggestions from line workers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Then explain the Focus SVT. Only built in Mexico. What is there to explain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Then explain the Focus SVT. Only built in Mexico. What is there to explain? being an owner of one of those "illustrious" cars...most of the issues where with subcompontents...not actual build quality of the car (which was pretty good)...there was issues with the SVT Focus (it was released 6 months late) and all the problems with it (at least what I had) had nothing to do with the general build of the car. Do keep in mind that they are "assembly" plants and the only thing they can be really accountable for are the actual assembly of the parts they are given (gaps in sheetmetal, poor fitting interior parts) and not how a powerpack is put together in another plant. I really do wonder how the ST Focus of the same vintage in Europe had the same issues as the SVT Focus did here, since mechanically they where identical. The Focus had really spotty quality from 2000-2004...some cars where really good and others where terrible, like my Focus SVT. Seems like the better Foci where the ones with the old SPI engine in them, my Aunt has/had one and she ran it into the ground with just recalls getting done on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project-Fairmont Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) My '92 Escort (the first car I bought brand new) came from Hermosillo, and the only production-related problem I had was that I had to stick a screwdriver through the oil filter to remove it at the first oil change. (There was a blown speaker that the dealer fixed before delivery, but I attribute that to a bad part, not assembly.) Otherwise, it was a flawless vehicle; if someone hadn't tried to open the trunk with a Mitsubishi, I'd certainly have kept it longer... I had a '92 Escort LX-E that was built in Hermosillo. Remember those? It had the same engine (Mazda 16v), brakes (4-wheel disc) and suspension as the GT wrapped in a stealthy 4-door sedan. Great car, tracked it a few times, dusted an '85 Monte SS from a dead stop twice (was he pissed). Wish I still had it for my kids... Edited November 24, 2012 by Project-Fairmont 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I had a '92 Escort LX-E that was built in Hermosillo. Remember those? It had the same engine (Mazda 16v), brakes (4-wheel disc) and suspension as the GT wrapped in a stealthy 4-door sedan. Great car, tracked it a few times, dusted an '85 Monte SS from a dead stop twice (was he pissed). Wish I still had it for my kids... My dad had 92 Escort LX with a stick and I did the same to my buddy's Monte he had LOL. That car was pretty much indestructible...he got rid of it with 120K miles on it and it just needed a sensor replaced on it...the guys kid who had it flipped it a couple weeks later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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