Mis-alignment between left side of dashboard and driver's door

[neod192]

This thread keeps reminding me that we're indeed buying a Ford and their build quality isn't as good as some of the order car makers. This will be my first Ford and I was really hoping they got their s*** together by now. It sounds like there's lots of room for improvement ... My dad bought an Accord a few months ago and he doesn't have any of these problems.

[jeff_h]

What's up with Hermosillo quality? Maybe waiting for Flat Rock production?

 

I don't know squat about the process, but wonder how much juggling different models and trims is a factor?

 

Fusion S, Fusion SE, Fusion Titanium, Fusion SE Hybrid, Fusion Titanium Hybrid, Fusion SE Energi, Fusion Titanium Energi, MKZ, MKZ Hybrid... and do they also build other models/trims for South America too?

 

Maybe it's a common practice in today's manufacturing, but sure seems like a lot of different variables into a process where standardization is key?

[fusionTX]

Is there anyone at Ford Corporate where all the quality issues can be sent?

How do we know they are even aware of all the issues that have been discussed in these forums?

[JSKershaw]

Problems with build quality happens to all car companies. When I bought my 2005 Mazda3, I waited until the second year of the model redesign. And even though I waited it still had build problems that I had to deal with. First was the front passenger door that sounded hollow and rattled when closing. There was a distinct sound compared to the other doors. Second was the drain holes in the B-pillars where water would collect and cause rusting from the inside out. They had to be replaced at year 3 of owning the car. Finally was the rear brakes. They changed the brake pad design and compound in the redesign of the 2004 Mazda3 and whenever reversing in cool to cold temperatures the brakes would squeal like a Son-of-a-B****. It was so bad that I had to make sure I was backed into my drive way at night so when I left the house at 6am I wouldn't wake the neighbors in the morning. When I say the brakes were loud it was really LOUD! There were threads all over the internet about those rear brake pads. It took almost a year after getting my car for Mazda to fix the problem.

 

Problems are always going to happen when companies mass produce these cars. Unless you get your car built by hand and by a small group of people you will always find problems with a new car (some fewer than others).

Edited February 22, 2013 by JSKershaw

[MSPFusion]

Back in the early '90s I had a Ford Taurus as a company car and I sold systems for shop floor data collection for quality (Statistical Process Control) to among, others, the local Ford plant. A few opinions, and I'm not claiming to be a big expert:

1. My Taurus did not have these glaring quality problems. I was impressed by how well bolted-together it was. Panels lined up, nothing rattled, it was dependable and I enjoyed driving it.
2. When a manufacturer does quality right, and Ford really preached this, they build it right the first time. All of the things Ford has been doing: shipping cars to Michigan for rework and so forth, are not good signs.
3. Quality problems are design problems, process problems, or both. They seem to be getting these wrong, consistently. Either they aren't designed well or their build process is off. *
4. The quality control guys in my local Ford plant always told me, "don't buy a car in its first model year". I wouldn't be buying this car until 2014 if I didn't need a new car badly.
5. Even a first-year Ford is likely to be a lot less hassle than an any-year Audi, which is what I'm getting away from. At least that's my hope.
6. If we don't complain they won't fix our individual cars and they won't know about their quality problems. I think we need to point out the problems and demand they be fixed. There is no excuse for this.

I'm getting nervous about buying this car. My current car has been a huge hassle and I want a car that is put together right, and is dependable.

 

* (Case study for you. Our systems were used to collect discrete statistics, like measurements, and more subjective attributes, like "scratch, hood, left side". One of the Ford plants started to see a random pattern of scratches on hoods. They were spending a huge amount of money on rework. After collecting data, which included time stamps, they determined that the scratches were happening late in the shift when one particular person was putting on the hoods. The analysts went down to the line and watched the worker and he seemed to be doing a good job. After further observation they found that he was wearing a big Harley belt buckle. As he got tired later in his shift he was slipping a little in handling the hood and the belt buckle was scratching the hoods. A million dollar belt buckle. The man had no idea he was doing it.)

[akirby]

It's not the factory - Hermosillo is one of Ford's highest rated factories with very few problems on the 1st gen Fusions and MKZs the last 7 years. These are engineering and parts supplier problems and those aren't brand or price specific. They obviously rushed the rollout of both vehicles too much and it bit them in the ass. I don't think they'll make that mistake again.

[MSPFusion]

Camride - thanks for posting your pictures and please let us know how it goes with your dealer. I'm glad you're pushing for a fix.

[MSPFusion]

akirby - I agree, its not the workers or the plant. They have built good cars. But the dashboards in these cars are being assembled, or made, wrong, consistently. They need to find and fix what is broken.

[Camride]

1. The quality control guys in my local Ford plant always told me, "don't buy a car in its first model year". I wouldn't be buying this car until 2014 if I didn't need a new car badly.
2. Even a first-year Ford is likely to be a lot less hassle than an any-year Audi, which is what I'm getting away from. At least that's my hope.

I'm getting nervous about buying this car. My current car has been a huge hassle and I want a car that is put together right, and is dependable.

 

I would not generally buy a car in its first year either, but I also needed something now and couldn't wait. And as for moving away from Audi, I had pretty good luck with my 2001 A4. I bought it for $12k in 2005 and put over 100k miles on it. Up until I started modding it (bigger turbo, etc) it was very dependable and didn't require any extraordinary amount of maintenance. I did all my own work and it wasn't any more expensive to maintain than any other car I've had (probably less so than my 94 Camaro as it broke all the damn time).

 

Honestly for the most part my Fusion has been perfect. The paint is very minor, it only annoys me because I expect something like that to be perfect (it really should be since it's all done by robots). The interior panels I only noticed after reading this thread.

 

It's not the factory - Hermosillo is one of Ford's highest rated factories with very few problems on the 1st gen Fusions and MKZs the last 7 years. These are engineering and parts supplier problems and those aren't brand or price specific. They obviously rushed the rollout of both vehicles too much and it bit them in the ass. I don't think they'll make that mistake again.

 

The paint defects I posted above would be 100% the factory.

[akirby]

There could be a learning curve with the new parts but I suspect most of it has to do with how the parts were designed and the suppliers which changed between 2006-2012 and 2013+.

[missileman88]

Camride, I have the same gap between the vent and headlight controls as you do. I agree with you that I find that more troubling than the alignment of the dash. Let me know what your dealer does to fix those issues for you. I've also got an issue with the sunroof where one side seems higher and not as flush with the roof as the other side does. I'm assuming that the sunroof can be adjusted but I'm not sure. I'll see if I can snap a couple of pics later today.

[MSPFusion]

Camride - I'm guessing your A4 didn't have the 2.7T. My 2001 A6 hasn't made it from oil change to the next without going back in for service. Glad you had good luck with yours. One thing I will say for Audi, the materials, fit and finish are superb.

[captinkirk]

There could be a learning curve with the new parts but I suspect most of it has to do with how the parts were designed and the suppliers which changed between 2006-2012 and 2013+.

 

 

This could be apart of it.. Also could they have changed equipment on the assembly line as a part of a new rollout. Maybe the equipment at the factory hasn't been calibrated quite right.

[pretzelogik]

Ok so here is my other question? Where does the buck stop? The factory, the workers, quality control, changed equipment, suppliers, 1st year car, Mr. Mulally, ?? Nobody? Fusion costs of up to low 30Ks is not chump change...at least for me...

[lmp180psu]

I'll be taking mine in for the same issue soon. I have another gap between the vent and the headlight controls that is more bothersome to me than the misalignment though.

 

 

Passenger side:

 

 

I also have several paint defects that aren't terrible but they annoy me because they shouldn't be there. They look worse in person. It looks like there is debris under the paint. These are in the rain channels on the roof. I also have a spot on the front bumper that I keep forgetting to get a picture of.

 

 

 

I checked out the paint along the rain gutter on mine because of your post, and saw and felt thw same exact issues. I am not sure if i should mention it to the body shop at the dealer when i take mine in to have the trunk relaligned in a couple weeks. I do have some issue with the door panel alignment too but it isnt as bad as most here. I didnt mention it to them at the time since i just forgot, but i do have a loaner car for the day, so maybe they can do something then. Edited February 23, 2013 by lmp180psu

[MSPFusion]

My car finally arrived this week. The dash-to-door-panel alignment on the left isn't perfect, but I can live with it. I will ask the service department about it in the future, I think they are going to be fixing a lot of these. For now, I am happy to have the car, it sure is a joy to drive.

 

[Camride]

Camride - I'm guessing your A4 didn't have the 2.7T. My 2001 A6 hasn't made it from oil change to the next without going back in for service. Glad you had good luck with yours. One thing I will say for Audi, the materials, fit and finish are superb.

 

Haha, no thankfully. The 2.7T is a great performing engine and has a lot of potential, but everything I've read says they're a maintenance nightmare. And I agree, the interior even on my 12 year old Audi is awesome. It's not even just the feel of the materials, it's the solidness. That's one thing I definitely notice a difference with the Fusion, is a lot of things just feel less substantial. Like thump on a piece of plastic in the Audi and it feels/sounds solid. Do the same in the Fusion and it has a more thin/hollow sound to it. It's not a huge deal or anything, but it does make a difference in the overall feel of the car. It doesn't bother me that much though, otherwise I would have gotten another used Audi (since I'm not willing to spend $40+ on a new one).

[MSPFusion]

Camride - yeah, with Audi you get a beautiful dashboard, but typically a lot of repairs. The 2.7T was one of the worst, no doubt about it. The newer Audis, at least the A4s, aren't what they used to be. IMHO, the balance and handling is better, but the quality of materials has slipped a bit and they have removed some content. Because my A6 was in the shop so much I got some dashboard time with the new A4s. I'll take the Fusion over the A4 and when you throw in the maintenance and purchase costs we are way ahead. If my Fusion is as reliable as I hear Fords typically are, we're in great shape.