2017 Ford Fusion engine problems

ENGINE

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious engine failure and safety issue involving my 2017 Ford Fusion equipped with the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. At approximately 79,000 miles, my vehicle experienced a coolant intrusion failure. While driving, the engine suddenly stalled in the middle of an intersection, leaving me stranded in traffic and at risk of being rear-ended by approaching vehicles. I was able to restart the vehicle and move out of the intersection, but the exhaust then produced a very large, thick cloud of white smoke. The amount of smoke could have significantly reduced visibility for other drivers and created an additional safety hazard. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership, where I was told the engine had coolant intrusion and needed to be replaced. I was also told this is a common problem with Ford EcoBoost engines, including the 1.5L, 2.0L, and 2.3L engines. My concern is not only the cost of the repair, but the serious safety risk. Coolant intrusion can cause misfires, excessive white smoke, engine damage, and eventual engine failure. A sudden loss of power while driving can create a serious crash hazard, as happened to me. I am concerned Ford has known about this recurring problem for years yet has continued using these engines in vehicles such as the Fusion, Escape, and Lincoln MKZ without adequately addressing the issue. I request that NHTSA investigate coolant intrusion affecting Ford EcoBoost engines and determine whether a safety defect exists that warrants a recall. I also believe affected owners should receive reimbursement for engine replacement costs when the failure is caused by this defect. My experience demonstrates that this is more than a normal maintenance issue. An engine that can suddenly stall in traffic and produce a large cloud of white smoke without warning poses a significant safety risk to vehicle occupants and other motorists.

NHTSA complaint #11763978 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle lost motive power, and the RPM became elevated. In addition, the contact became aware of an abnormal odor. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA complaint #11762700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

2017 Ford Fusion. Transmission replaced February 2026 at 98,175 miles by independent repair facility. Check engine light illuminated immediately following replacement and has remained on continuously since. Autozone scan showed emissions-related code only. On August 28, 2026 at approximately 120,064 miles, orange wrench light and "See Manual" message appeared moments after hot restart. Acceleration became heavy and hesitant. Drove approximately 70 miles home via I-15; heavy traffic required engine shutdown at multiple stops. Following morning, wrench light was no longer illuminated but hesitation persisted. Using manual paddle shift to select 5th gear improved drivability. Replacement transmission accumulated approximately 22,000 miles over 6 months. Ford Motor Company has issued multiple recalls for 2013-2016 model year Fusions involving identical transmission, shifter cable bushing, and torque converter defects, but 2017 model year vehicles with identical 6F35 transmissions and failure symptoms have been excluded from all campaigns. No crash, fire, or injury occurred.

NHTSA complaint #11760693 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

If i do not run my car for atleast 10 minutes before driving, my gas tank will start making a loud horn sound, and when this happens and i go to slow down, the car will shut off. Mechanics say there’s an issue with the purge valve and the charcoal filter. I’ve already had this issue fixed three times and it comes back less than a week prior to service

NHTSA complaint #11757803 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I am reporting a serious recurring safety concern involving a 2017 Ford Fusion SE with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine. The vehicle was purchased used in August 2022 with approximately 50,000 miles. Within months, significant coolant and engine problems began. In February 2023, at approximately 55,940 miles, the vehicle developed a coolant leak. A pressure test confirmed the water pump was leaking and it was replaced. At approximately 84,189 miles, the vehicle experienced white/gray exhaust smoke, coolant loss, very low oil, and rough-running symptoms. The servicing Ford dealership referenced Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2322 in connection with the diagnosis and ultimately replaced the engine short block. Despite this major engine repair, the problems continued. The vehicle subsequently experienced additional smoking, hesitation and loss of power and required replacement of the turbocharger. The vehicle was returned again because it continued to smoke and required additional repairs. I am concerned this is a recurring engine defect rather than normal wear and tear. The repeated engine/coolant failures, smoking, hesitation and loss of power create a serious safety concern because the vehicle may unexpectedly lose power or experience engine failure while being driven. Ford has been notified of the repeated failures but declined further relief based primarily on the vehicle's current age, mileage and expired warranty. This ignores that the problems began years earlier at substantially lower mileage and that major repairs failed to permanently correct the condition. I request that NHTSA investigate whether the 1.5L EcoBoost engine in this and similarly equipped Ford vehicles has a safety-related defect involving coolant intrusion, engine failure and loss of power. The vehicle is currently at approximately 101,000 miles, but the documented problems began at 55,940 miles and continued despite major repairs.

NHTSA complaint #11756818 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA complaint #11752388 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The vehicle in question has the coolant intrusion into cylinders 2 and 3 with rough idle on startup, P0300, P0302, P0303, and white smoke on startup. The vehicle now has 111339 miles on it and the out of pocket cost is more than what the vehicle blue books for in excellent condition. TSB 22-2134 speaks to all the issue and what the repair is. If this is a known issue then I feel this should be a vehicle recall by Ford due to the costly repair.

NHTSA complaint #11751941 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

ENGINE HAS COOLANT INTRUSIONAND IS MISFIRING. Engine light came on. The coolant system found pressure to be dropping significantly. Removed spark plugs and inspected cylinder bores using borescope. Verified coolant is leaking into cylinder 2 and needed to replace the engine at Ourisman Ford in Manassas VA. on July 11, 2026.

NHTSA complaint #11749828 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I am the owner of a 2017 Ford Fusion with 61,000 miles on the odometer. Please note that I have always taken good care of my car, having it serviced promptly when required. In recent weeks, I have had to replace my complete steering rack (cost $4,500) and two weeks later, my 1.7-liter Ecoboost engine due to a coolant leak into the number two cylinder at a cost of $6,700. Ford has known about both problems for years and they have resulted in both class action and small claims suits against the company. Regarding the engine, Ford issued Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12, Technical Service Bulletin TSB 22-2134 and Customer Satisfaction Program 19B37 - Supplement #4 to replace the car's engine short block. This covered cars for 7 years of service or 84,000 miles - with, as quoted in the Ford memo sent to dealers on June 9, 2022, "coverage automatically extended to subsequent owners," for presumably the life of the car. Since this is clearly a manufacturing error (as Ford admits in its June 9, 2022 memo to dealers) and not due to negligence on my part, I should be reimbursed for my expenses. The NHTSA should also open a recall case on this matter for owners like myself.

NHTSA complaint #11746906 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

1.5 liter ecoboost engine has a coolant intrusion problem into the cylinder to due a design flaw. Problem can cause several problems: loosing coolant and causing the engine to overheat, causing misfire in the cylinders, and can cause the engine to stallwhich has happened several time on me. The engine should be recalled as a safety concern for stalling, it has stalled on the I15 in Utah several times

NHTSA complaint #11745114 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My torque converter went bad on my 2017 Ford Fusion, it's the same problem the other 2017 Ford Fusions had with their torque converter however my vin is not on the recall.

NHTSA complaint #11741995 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Noticed that the coolant level kept going down with no apparent external leakage and was also getting a code for #2 Cylinder Mis-Fire, After adding a total 1 gallon antifreeze i made an appointment at the local Ford Dealer to see what is wrong. They Diagnosed the Issue to Coolant leaking in to Cylinder #2, there recommendation is to replace Long Block.

NHTSA complaint #11742109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I recently now am having to replace my engine a second time in 2 years due to a coolant intrusion problem

NHTSA complaint #11741186 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The car overheated due to coolant leaking. Found out vehicle has a coolant intrusion requiring a new engine now.

NHTSA complaint #11738437 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Coolant leak into engine block, ford dealership said $8,000 to replace engine cars only at 65k miles. Problem is from manufacturer defect in the 2.0l TT turbo engines in fusions and should be recalled as it’s not the owner/operators wrong doings.

NHTSA complaint #11736882 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Coolant intrusion, problem.

NHTSA complaint #11735021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Component/System: Engine — 1.5L EcoBoost short block coolant intrusion leading to catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: Vehicle overheated while in operation, creating risk of engine fire, loss of vehicle control, and stranding of occupant on a public roadway. Ford's own TSB 22-2322 acknowledges this defect creates a fire risk. Confirmed by dealer/shop: YES Inspected by manufacturer/police/insurance: Ford Motor Company was contacted on 17APR26 and opened case number XXX but denied coverage citing vehicle assembly location [XXX] ) despite the defect being present in all 1.5L EcoBoost engines regardless of assembly plant. Warning symptoms: Vehicle exhibited overheating warning prior to failure. Coolant intrusion into cylinder bores is a known documented defect covered under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program XXX and TSB XXX for identical engines in US-assembled vehicles. Mileage at failure: Approximately 65,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11731885 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Coolant light and check engine lights kept coming on. The car was diagnosed by the Ford Dealership as Ford TSB 22-2229, which is a design flaw in specific EcoBoost engines, where an "open deck" block causes coolant to leak into cylinders 2 and 3, leading to severe engine failure. To fix this issue, the TSB requires replacing the entire long block assembly with a redesigned version featuring enhanced sealing surfaces. The cost for this new engine was quoted as $8000 to $9000.

NHTSA complaint #11731651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Dec 2022 I purchased a 2017 Ford Fusion. In June 2023 the engine needed replaced which was covered under warranty. In March 2026, the flex plate breaks and now needs to be replaced. This is the original part for this car as I confirmed with the dealer that this part isn't required to be replaced when the engine is replaced. So it's not covered under vehicle warranty or the motor repair warranty. However, there is a known issue of these flex plates breaking and there is Customer Satisfaction Program 22N12 for Ford Fusions regarding this known issue that only covers years 2019 & 2020. I want the 2017 year to be added to this as a known issue.

NHTSA complaint #11731397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Engine failure due to coolant intrusion.

NHTSA complaint #11727564 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

2017 ford fusion started to drive rough and minutes later the check engine light illuminated. The car was immediately turned off and taken to a mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed it with coolant intrusion and advised to check for recall. There are no active recalls associated with the VIN. The car needs a new engine at 70,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11725476 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Coolant Intrusion caused my engine to be blown.

NHTSA complaint #11724301 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

2017 Ford fusion with the 1.5 L eco-boost engine with a coolant intrusion. Coolant links into the cylinders due to a flaw engine block design.

NHTSA complaint #11723702 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to a local dealer, and the transmission was replaced; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking abnormally while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer provided the contact with a rental vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinders #2 and #4, DTC: P0316; and associated the failure with Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact associated the failure with TSB 22-2322; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,322.

NHTSA complaint #11720654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Coolant intrusion into the engine causing my car to missfire going down the road. Car is sitting in my yard unfit to be driven. Dealership claims it had previously been remedied. The car has only been inspected by my mechanic. No prior warnings before the misfire occurred

NHTSA complaint #11714602 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Engine failed. Lost all compression. Evidently this is a known problem with this engine where the head, head gasket and block fail between cylinders.

NHTSA complaint #11713373 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

2017 fusion 1.5 ecoboost.(purchased at 128k) 148k miles- 1 time white smoke at start up no check engine light. All of a sudden while driving started to drive rough. Towed too mechanic, determined cylinder #2 has coolant intrusion. Conducted the TSB. For this defect. All symptoms confirmed for the coolant intrusion. Got Quoted $10k for engine replacement. Vehicle has been parked in driveway since 10/24/25 too expensive too repair for a defective problem from ford.

NHTSA complaint #11712797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My Ford Fusion has the 1.5L ecoboost engine. This engine has engineering issues that are known to Ford. My vehicle started producing white smoke from the exhaust and sluggish performance. At approximately 105,000 miles my vehicle went into limp mode due to a cracked head gasket. This was due to coolant intruding into the cylinders. Ford did a short block engine replacement and reprogrammed the PCM to try to fix the issue. At approximately 220,000 miles the vehicle started producing the same symptoms described earlier and the vehicle now requires a complete engine replacement. Ford refuses to fix this for me, even though it is well documented that this engine has engineering issues. These engines should last longer than 105,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11711277 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Coolant leaking into cylinder, causing sudden rough driving, engine overheating warnings that don’t match temperature readings and distract driving.

NHTSA complaint #11710371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vehicle is experiencing coolant intrusion from a crack in the engine block 3rd cylinder which is a known issue by Ford for my particular vehicle year (2017). Ford has issued a TSB/Recall for model years 2017-2019, I believe this issue should qualify for manufacturer recall as this is known issue.

NHTSA complaint #11707000 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.