Originally Posted By: Whimsey
Thanks for the report. I was going to do an UOA on my fluid but now I think I'll wait to do a couple more drain and fills first. The fluid from this transmission at 12,000 miles comes out a lot darker than the Mercon V in our other Explorers, even when they were changed at 25-3000 miles via a pan drop with a filter change.
Whimsey
No problem. I've heard that this fluid gets dark quickly and that it is normal. These transmissions in the Fusions have rough shifts from 1-2 and 3-4. It is a common complaint. My car never had rough shifts, but they were noticeable. After draining and filling a couple of times, the transmission shifting has smoothed out. Now, at 70k, it shifts like cutting through warm butter. Most of the Fusion owners that I know thru forums try to change their fluid at around 30k and they haven't had any issues. I do mine every 15k because it's easy and it's cheap insurance. I agree about Mercon V being lighter than Mercon LV. We have a 2001 Focus and 2000 E250 and both use Mercon V and both come out lighter than Mercon LV.