2017 Ford Fusion transmission problems

POWER TRAIN

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.

POWER TRAIN

I was coming home from work and when I tried to shift the gear from drive to park it was stuck on drive and Neutral I contacted the car dealer and they said ford has had this issue that it was a recall on it so I researched and found out that Ford issued major safety recalls (Recall 22S43 and 18S20) for 2017 Ford Fusions regarding a degraded transmission shifter cable bushing. This defect can cause the shifter cable to detach. Consequently, the car may roll away unexpectedly because the transmission isn't actually in Park, even though the shifter says it is.Recall DetailsThe Problem: The underhood shift cable bushing can degrade and fail over time.The Remedy: Ford dealers will replace the transmission shifter cable bushing and add a protective cap over it free of charge (parts and labor). It my VIN# was not coming up as a recall and this is an ongoing issue for this car and I would like to get this resolved as soon as possible with ford recall please thank you

NHTSA complaint #11752546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

On 7/8/2026, the vehicle became undriveable. Placing the vehicle in reverse on the shidfter dial using registered a conflicting direction on the dashboard indicator. The vehicle was towed to a dealership and the repair consisted of replacing the shift cable bushing. This was the same fix required in recalls 18S20 & 22V413. On 7/9/2026 the issue was verified by a Ford dealership tech. I was advised that the protective cap is now contained in the repair kit with the shift cable bushing. A brief fleeting warning on the screen indicated a "Shift Fault - See Manual" or words to that effect. The manual only seemed to reference a "Steering Fault" Ford HQ was notified - Reference No: CXH-08533100

NHTSA complaint #11749428 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Upon starting my car, the check engine light illuminated. Took my car to my mechanic and they confirmed an engine issue. Also stated the Ford 2.0 Liter engine has a high failure rate. My 2017 Ford Fusion SE (2.0 L Turbo Engine – VIN # [XXX]) with only 82,300 miles, which was purchased new, that has developed a water intrusion issue as identified in the Ford TSB 19-2346. After two separate requests Ford has stated it is out of warranty and will not provide and assistance in repairs, however based upon numerous reports this is caused by a design flaw. Previous recalls on the 1.6 L engine confirm the issue is across this engine family. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11744002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The rotary gear shift knob occasionally gets stuck and refuses to rotate back to Reverse (R). This intermittent failure has occurred 3 times within this month. The dashboard does not show any warning lights or error codes during the incident. This is a severe safety hazard as it could leave the vehicle stranded in traffic or unable to back away from danger. Took the vehicle to the Ford dealership(Citrus Motors Ford) for inspection, but they returned it as "Could Not Duplicate" because no active diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) were stored. However, the physical shifting malfunction remains an active threat.

NHTSA complaint #11739517 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While pulling into my parking garage at work I put my 2017 Ford Fusion into park to open the door and scan my card. When I tried to shift out of park the gear shifter indicated a shifting fault that required service. The car was towed to a Ford Service Center where the problem as diagnosed to be the shift control linkage, specifically the shift cable bushing. I have come to understand that this part has had issues in the 2013-2016 Ford Fusion models resulting in a recall. This issue appears to also be in the 2017 Ford Fusion as the results of the fault are identical to those of the 2013-2016 models. The component has been diagnosed by a certified ford service center. There were no warning lamps or prior indicators of this issue. Warning lamps only turned on after the issues occured.

NHTSA complaint #11739535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I was driving and the car just stopped it wouldn't let me put in park or drive it just stayed in neutral. And I was stuck it kept the the emergency break on. Then it wouldn't turn off all the way which caused the car to drain battery.

NHTSA complaint #11737001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle unexpectedly locked up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle became inoperable and was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V102000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA complaint #11733558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The bushing on transmission cable to transmission is missing. We cause shift lever not to work, not being able to put transmission in gear or out of gear. Same problem as earlier ford fusions with automatic transmissions

NHTSA complaint #11722809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I pulled in and got gas. I put the car in drive but it wouldn't stay in drive, it went back to park. So I had it towed.there were no warning before this happened!no it wasn't inspected. No it has been reproduced. I was stuck in an parking lot. The bushing for the shifter cable was missing. U would have to contact the dealership for the parts.

NHTSA complaint #11721019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Wrench light came on my car while driving 30mph, then the engine light. Had it diagnosed & I am told my car that went to the shop with code p0741 needs a NEW transmission!! 54, 618 miles only. Fix is $6800.00. I was told not to drive the car as it could seize up.

NHTSA complaint #11705988 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after shifting to drive(D), the vehicle erroneously rolled backwards up a slight incline. The failure had occurred on several occasions. Additionally, while driving down a hill and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes malfunctioned, the vehicle failed to stop, and drove through a 4-Way intersection and drove approximately a half mile before stopping. During the failure, the message "Transmission not in Park" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA complaint #11705282 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Technical Safety Bulletin 19-2346; coolant infiltrating cylinder #2. Quoted $8350 for long block repair.

NHTSA complaint #11697426 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The Transmission in the Ford Fusion 1.5 L engine just stop working. The car will go and then the transmission would just stop working. The you could turn the car off and it would drive again and stop working again. It took me turning the car off about 12 times to get it home. This was just a test drive after my daughter had it towed home after being stranded. This is a safety issue for not only young girls being stranded, but everybody being stranded without any warning! Ford knows there is an issue, hopefully the Ford Executives are warning their love ones not to buy a Ford Fusion Model that has this issue.

NHTSA complaint #11694091 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

2 separate dealerships made me pay to replace faulty tires when the new ones blew out within less than a month of purchase. They also pocketed the mail in rebates I was promised for buying new sets of tires from their locations. I started taking my car to an independent garage for regular maintenance. My traction control light has been on since shortly after I bought the car in 2018 but I never imagined I'd be spending my entire savings on repairs immediately after the useless warranty expired. First it was a cracked flex plate which I'm lucky happened when I was driving on a side road as opposed to the interstate. I was going roughly 55mph when I lost my ability to steer, accelerate, or even cut power to the ignition. My car has been towed 4 times with total cost of almost 10K and it still isn't fixed. I reported everything to Ford they don't stand by anything Ford manufactures. I'll probably be living in this piece of trash soon enough as that savings I just wasted was a down payment for a house

NHTSA complaint #11692641 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

In 5/2025 I had the transmission light come on my dashboard, then it went away. 2 days later I could not shift my car into drive only reverse or neutral. When I popped the hood the Shifter cable was detached and the bushing was in pieces. I purchased the ford OEM parts and replaced it. Today 10/8/25 The light appaired on my dash again. When I got home I popped the hood and the bushing was in pieces. Luckily I had purchased 2 replacement parts in May. I replaced it and it seems to be working. But I should not have to replace them this often. Today 10/8/25 I am purchasing 2 more just in case. But can we get this fixed with something more sturdy.

NHTSA complaint #11692215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

BUSHING FOR SHIFTER BUSTED, PERVIOUS RECALLS ON 2013-2016 MODELS, NUMEROUS REPORTS KNOWN FOR THIS HAPPENING ON 2017-2019 MODELS AS WELL. CURRENTLY HAVING VEHICLE BUSHING REPAIR AFTER CAR BEING IN THE SHOP FOR OVER A WEEK AFTER HAVING FRONT LINE BRAKE HOSES REPLACED AS WELL.

NHTSA complaint #11691816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Vehicle purchased used at Simmons & Rockwell on [XXX] Mileage 16,323. Mileage 38,559 First Engine Failure & replaced "NEW" July 2019, *** indications & doc of 2nd engine failure about 70k mileage) Mileage 121,163 Second Engine Failure & replaced "NEW" August 2022 and finally Mileage 189,323 with Third Engine Failure Sept 2025 This vehicle had regularly interval oil changes. ALWAYS Serviced & maintenaced regularly INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11691457 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While changing my car from park to drive my vehicle got Stuck in reverse and wouldn’t come out even after turning car off which usually force vehicle to go into park. This was most likely due to the shifting cable bushing no longer being there and possibly disintegrating. Due to left over residue in the general area. I saw this was a recall for fords from I believe 2013/2014 up 2016 for the same issue. I go online and their are a couple of pages claiming this has happened to them as week or to check it to make sure it’s still on.

NHTSA complaint #11688698 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

When turned on airconditioner car shuddered engine light came on started blowing white smoke alot and blow buy engine oil in crank case

NHTSA complaint #11687392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated and hesitated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and three independent mechanics, and was diagnosed with torque converter failure. The contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V390000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 145,000.

NHTSA complaint #11680880 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Car just stopped moving, transmission . There is a recall on this year but not this vin but seems to be the same problem alot of having from researching

NHTSA complaint #11681008 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:SHIFT LINKAGE/CABLE/ROD

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon reversing out of the driveway and attempting to shift to drive(D), the message "System Fault - Consult Manual" was displayed. The contact was not able to shift to drive(D). The contact looked underneath the vehicle and noticed that the shifter cable was loosened. The contact was able to insert a screwdriver into the end of the cable, and the contact was able to shift to drive(D). The contact drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the shifter cable bushing had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an undisclosed recall however, the model year was not included. The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was not covered. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA complaint #11678715 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Torque converter is gradually failing. Started at 50,000 miles. No warning lamps, messages.

NHTSA complaint #11678750 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, during acceleration or deceleration, the transmission was shifting roughly. The contact stated that at slow speeds, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V427000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

NHTSA complaint #11676661 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the parking brake had unintentionally activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the transmission shifter cable bushing had failed, causing the shifter cable to detach. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA complaint #11675520 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), the message "Shift System Fault" was displayed, and the gear shifter erroneously shifted back into park(P). The vehicle was undrivable and was later towed to the local dealer who replaced the shifter cable bushing, and the vehicle was repaired. The contacted stated that the failure had recently reoccurred. The contact was able to reconnect the shifter cable bushing and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA complaint #11675418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and service warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed torque converter clutch and a failed transmission. In addition, the contact was informed of metal found in the oil. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware but provided no assistance. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V427000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA complaint #11673387 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

In July 2025, my 2017 Ford Fusion SE (EcoBoost engine) was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #4 by Sunrise Ford in North Hollywood, CA. This is a known issue with the 1.5L and 2.0L EcoBoost engines and is addressed in Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 19-2208. The vehicle had only 76,000 miles at the time and had been regularly serviced and well-maintained. Over the past 1–2 years, I received repeated warnings during oil changes that my coolant levels were unusually low, though no leaks were found. In July 2025, the check engine light (CEL) appeared. The vehicle exhibited rough idle at cold start, but otherwise drove normally. I immediately brought the car to the dealership, where they confirmed the problem through diagnostics and plug inspection. The dealership quoted me $11,000–$12,000 to replace the engine (long block). Ford Customer Relations (CRC) was contacted and denied financial assistance, citing the age of the vehicle. They also acknowledged this is a known issue and suggested I file a report with the NHTSA, which I am now doing. This engine failure presents a serious safety risk. The CEL appeared without warning during normal use. A driver unfamiliar with the signs of internal coolant loss could continue operating the vehicle, risking a sudden loss of engine power, stalling, or further engine damage while in motion. In my case, the failure occurred quietly and was only caught because I acted quickly. Had I ignored the CEL or rough idle, engine failure could have occurred at highway speed. The issue was confirmed and documented by a Ford dealer. I am no longer in possession of the vehicle, as I was forced to sell it at a loss due to the cost of repairs. The vehicle is no longer available for inspection, but all related documentation has been retained.

NHTSA complaint #11673109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The contact stated that the transmission returned to park(P), and the gear shifter detached. The contact stated that someone nearby was able to reattach the shifter, and the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence at slow speeds. The contact learned of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train); however, the VIN nor the model year was not included. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer opened a case for the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 67,793.

NHTSA complaint #11671539 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.