47 of the 574 complaints about the 2018 Ford Fusion are about the other systems — 8% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 40,000 miles.
47
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle would not recognize car being in Park. Displayed warning messages: Shift Sys Fault Confirm Park Brake Before Exiting Vehicle. Transmission Not In Park
NHTSA complaint #11749574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Shift actuator wouldn’t go into gear I was stranded a few times had to be towed twice. I’ve found a plastic bushing that showed a $4.00 part could be responsible. Deadly for us disabled Vietnam veterans . I can’t walk. Maine has 200 vehicles with the same issues nationwide who knows supposedly the actuator will not be made by ford motors until February 2026. I’m 76 years old this is a hazard I can’t afford to buy another car. Please help us. Or get stranded in the middle of nowhere freezing cold Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11703498 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) appears to have failed. The vehicle's infotainment/play screen is completely blank and unresponsive. This module controls key systems including climate control, navigation, hands-free calling, and the backup camera. The component is available for inspection if needed. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This failure compromises several safety-critical functions. I am unable to adjust climate settings, use GPS navigation, make hands-free emergency calls, or see through the backup camera. These features are essential for safe driving, especially in adverse weather or while reversing. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet confirmed by a dealer, but the issue has been consistent. I have attempted both soft and hard resets, and verified the fuses are good. All symptoms point to an APIM failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No formal inspection has been done by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps or messages. The issue started intermittently about two months ago. Resets worked temporarily, but the screen is now completely unresponsive.
NHTSA complaint #11694300 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Went to back up to park . The shifter would not properly work kept going back to park .I couldn't get it into neutral to push it. No warnings. Had to 1st pay for towing from where it happened to a parking space. Then called roadside service to take it to Bay Lincoln in Panama Beach.i will send the results from dealership. It could of been real serious and caused a bad accident maybe even death. I know ford had a recall on a earlier model fusion for shifter cable. If it's the same issue I want reimbursement.
NHTSA complaint #11692736 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car issued no warning, lights or messages prior to the damage. My [XXX] son was driving and the car started shaking which really scared him as he’s a new driver. I would say the safety of him and other drivers on the road were definitely put in danger. The vehicle has been inspected by a Ford dealership. They stated it had a broken flex plate and short block. Broken Flexplate; Diagnostic $210.00 Parts $1,345.86 (Flexplate, transmission fluid pump, filter, one time use parts) Labor $2,600.00 ($200.00 x 13.0hrs) Sales Tax $125.84 Total $4,281.70 Short Block replacement; Diagnostic $145.00 Parts $2,193.64 (Short block engine/kit, spark plugs, one time use parts) Labor $4,480.00 ($200.00 x 22.4hrs) Alignment $159.95 Sales Tax $205.11 Total $7,183.70 Tow Bill $140.00 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11677427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My dashboard cover is peeling, it is made from leather, it is interfering with the heads up diplat, automatic lighting system and forward braking safety components, I have brought this to Ford to try to have them repair it dash but I am always told that the piece is considered trim and is not under warranty, I have also checked with Ford Fusion message boards and it seems there is a TSB on the exact 2017 model. Ford has basically told me to have it repaired at a automobile leather restoration company, I have gone to 2 different repair shops and was told it can’t be repaired it has to be replaced. I called Ford Corporation customer service and because they have no outstanding recalls on my vehicle they told me to report this to you
NHTSA complaint #11673388 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Leaking coolant
NHTSA complaint #11673163 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
A frozen rear-view camera display image while in reverse
NHTSA complaint #11663563 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Unknown. Car will not start.
NHTSA complaint #11658676 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Unknown. Car will not start, dashboard says overheating, white smoke was coming out of muffler but stopped and etc.
NHTSA complaint #11658682 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The engine is losing coolant on a daily basis; I keep gallons of it my car to keep it from running out. The safety risk is the vehicle hoses burst while driving in rush hour traffic and causing a worse delay and maybe injury to myself and passengers. I had the vehicle checked by an independent service station and they recommend a head gasket replacement or engine replacement, and the dealer just brushed me off with the head gasket may need replacing but it is not a recall item. It has not been inspected by any other agency. The check engine light is an on and off again problem -- and that's when the coolant is low the light comes on and when I refill it, it goes off. The vehicle coolant system is losing coolant every two days -- as of this date 4/28/2025, smoke comes from the oil filler cap area but none from the tailpipe. This is a frustrating situation and lawsuit waiting to happen situation that could easily be avoided -- They know it's a problem and want the consumer to reveal this frustrating and potential mega colossal problem to grow out of control.
NHTSA complaint #11657303 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driver was driving at 55 miles per hour engine light illuminated. Car began to sputter and not drive. Ford Dealership mechanic,” DRIVEABILITY CONCERN, CUSTOMER STATES VEHICLE WILL NOT GO OVER 40 MPH AND HAS A MISFIRE PLEASE CHECK AND ADVISE. verfied engine is misfiring, hooked up scan tool and ran dets and found p0302 and p0316, #2 cylinder misfire and misfire and the first 1000 rev, ran a relitive compression test and found cylinder #2 is 25% diference than the other cylinders. pulled spark plug and put a boar scope in the cylinder and found a exhaust valve is missing a piece of the valve and the engine has ate the valve. recommend a ford long block” Owner was quoted $8553.37 for a used engine. Happened at 95,405 car is not drivable and unfixed. When owner asked what was the main cause the answers was “these cars just have bad engines”
NHTSA complaint #11655969 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car will crank, but will not move into gear. Getting an service message "Shift System Fault". Some days it will move and other days (like today) it will not. I believe the 2018 fusion (my car) was missed from the list of recalls for this service message. I contacted a Ford dealer near me. Either they don't have a transmission tech or it will take days before my car can be looked at.
NHTSA complaint #11650071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Was driving and car started overheating. Looking at coolant levels, they were low. Refilled coolant and car started fine. Next day driving the vehicle, the engine shut down completely. Took the vehicle to Parks Ford dealership in Hendersonville NC to find the problem. I received a call from a service representative and he said there is a coolant intrusion into the cylinder or cylinders and the engine needs to be replaced. I asked to check for recalls and he stated none were found. I did my own research and found many vehicles with the 1.5 liter Ecoboost engine have had this issue and have had a recall in the past. I. Short, Ford has said they will not have my vehicle fixed due to the fact the 3 year warranty has expired and or 85,000 miles have been passed. I have financed this vehicle starting [XXX]. As of now my vehicle has almost 110,000 miles. Doing more research into this Ford has offered a fix for this. A new midi small block replacement and head gasket replacement. Doing more research into this, I have found the vehicle engine could possibly catch on fire if the coolant intrusion is not corrected. The Ford dealership quoted me $9,000 without tax to replace the engine. This just isn't doable. How can this not be a safety issue if the vehicle can and will shut off while driving and potentially catch on fire? Ford should replace the flawed engine design that they have been very well aware of. I am still making payments on this vehicle to own and I cannot risk driving it because it is used to transport my children and my wife, not with the safety factors involved. Help to have the manufacturer flawed design fixed to the updated design, that has no issues of the same, would help blue collard individuals a tremendous amount. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11648211 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 4 occasions, the car has shut off while moving and in traffic. A dashboard message appears, saying "full accessory mode". After coming to a stop, the car will immediately restart. My obd reader shows no error codes. The car has 18,000 miles on it and this problem occurs randomly. It happened first when the car was a few weeks old. I took it to dealer and they found no problem. Ot has happened 3 times since then. This problem has been reported at least 15 times on the ford fusion sport forum.
NHTSA complaint #11640978 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
EVAP system leak. Vapor leak causes car to not start after putting gas in the tank. It takes several tries before the car starts up. Engine light stays on which causes car fob not to auto start.
NHTSA complaint #11626746 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated on the dashboard. Within 5-10 minutes, the vehicle began to lose power and struggled to maintain speed. Over the next 15 minutes, the vehicle's performance continued to deteriorate, eventually shutting down completely. Despite multiple attempts, the vehicle was unable to be restarted, the vehicle has not been inspected and the vehicle never gave any prior warning of potential failure this was the frist and only issue I had with this vehicle I had to have the vehicle towed home due to not starting
NHTSA complaint #11613377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Shift sys fault message appeared on screen. Car will not go out of park. Shifter bushings are no good. Was told if this had happened while driving my car could not be put in park and could result in a crash.
NHTSA complaint #11611508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle has an engine defect from the manufacturer Ford. I was told it is a coolant intrusion from the original design of the head of the vehicle engine. I have had it inspected by Bell ford in AZ however, they will not take responsibility of the defect and saying I am liable for repair. I am confused if it’s a defect in a design from a manufacturer how I am responsible for such said repair the check engine light came on, and I took it in for a diagnosis, no prior issues to the vehicle whatsoever ability wise I’ve contacted customer service and they said there is nothing they can do to contact you guys
NHTSA complaint #11601302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Went to store and placed vehicle in park Whe returned vehicle would not shift into gear Shift fault warning on dash see owners manual Had to have vehicle towed to dealer for repairs Informed bushing had failed
NHTSA complaint #11588829 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The entire computer system does not function. The screen, radio, everything has turned completely off in the middle of driving on the highway. It’s concerning what this will cause at some point. It used to do this intermittently, now it’s completely off and I’ve had it to multiple mechanics who have checked everything thoroughly and cannot find anything wrong. Two mechanics told me in 20-30 years as a mechanic theyve only seen this once or twice but couldn’t be fixed. I owe a ton of money on my car, it my only transportation for myself kids and elderly mother, my daughter is a new driver and having everything electrical shut down while driving is going to cause an accident and panic.
NHTSA complaint #11569367 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Trunk pops open randomly often. It’s popped open while driving and will cause accidents if items fall out, it’s happened multiple times without any possibility of button being hit.
NHTSA complaint #11569369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
car knob shifts into reverse or drive without being touched when sitting in park at random times, have nearly hit basketball pole due to being unprepared to hit break. The knob makes a robotic type sound, an automated turning type sound & switches without being touched, has happened several times but not every time
NHTSA complaint #11569370 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In November 2023, within 2 weeks of having all my oil/other fluids changed/checked/replenished for normal maintenance, the engine light to my 2018 Ford Fusion Titanium with EcoBoost engine came on suddenly. I let the car cool for several hours, then looked under the hood and could see I still had ample engine coolant. So I called my nearest official Ford Dealership/Service center, and their soonest appointment was a week or so away. The day of, I could not start the car. After dozens of attempts to start the car, it finally did start, but would not accelerate more than 5-10mph, and a warning message: "Reducing power to lower engine temperature" - but this made no sense as the engine had not been running at all for 12+ hours overnight. When I finally got the car towed to the Ford dealership, they took multiple days to diagnose, even though I had scheduled this appointment more than a week prior. Finally the Director of Service at this Ford Dealership texted me: "VERIFIED CONCERN. SCANNED FOR CODES AND FOUND P021D P0303 P0316 P06E9 P1026 P1285 P1299 P164D. LIVE DATA POWER BALANCE SHOWED DEAD MISFIRE ON CYL 3 AND MULTIPLE MISFIRE ON ALL OTHER CYLINDERS. FOUND COOLANT RESERVOIR EMPTY. REMOVED CYL 3 IGNITION COIL AND SPARK PLUG AND FOUND COOLANT INTRUSION IN CYL 3. WILL NEED TO REMOVE AND REPLACE LONG BLOCK ENGINE ASSEMBLY WITH NEW." The quote for this was over $12,000 and non-negotiable. Other texts from Ford's Director of service: "The 1.5 and 2.0 have a bad design... EcoBoost are known to have issues" ... "Even if you took care of the head gasket odds are the engine would still have failed down the road." Ford ADMITTED to me by text to foreknowledge of MAJOR engine design flaws, EXTREME safety concerns, likelihood of engine fires. As has been documented by thousands of other Ford owners, this INACTION by Ford could have cost me, my RideShare passengers, anyone in the car, OUR LIVES. I now have no car, no job, and no way to pay off my auto loan. HELP!
NHTSA complaint #11567788 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My cars coolant is leak and I don't know where it goes. It overheats and the coolant continually needs to be added. The coolant cap has cracked twice and its is hard to find a replacement cap and we can't drive the car. I have taken it to two auto repair shops, and they said the issue can NOT be fixed. I am in fear of it overheating all the time. This is causing me fear and I believe it is dangerous and I am stuck paying for a car I can't drive.
NHTSA complaint #11559280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rotary dial gear shifter has intermitantly malfunctioned for 6 months in two ways. 1) When the rotary dial gear shifter is put into park, very often it won't move out of park. Won't go to D, R, or N.In the beginning I was using the key to the car to stick in a slot in the center counsel and that would pop it out of park. This worked for a few months. Since then I need to hit it firmly with a fist to get it to pop out of park. Sometimes I need to turn the car off and wait 10, 20, 30 minutes before hitting it with a fist will get it out. 2) The second way it malfunctions is that when it is in park sometimes it moves to Drive all on its own. I will exit the car after putting it in park. When I come back it won't start because it is in Drive. I always make certain it is in Park when I exit. These things put me at risk because I live in Minnesota. I have been alone parking lots at negative 20 degrees in the dark and could not drive home. I would spend a long time (hour) turning it off and on, pushing on it etc. before it would move out of Park. A few times someone has had to come get me. Then the the next day take me back and it spontaneously works. This happens in moderate and hot weather too. ALSO Myself and bystanders and other cars are at risk when it keeps moving on it's own from Park to Drive -any bump or push to the car on a hill would send it rolling. I took it to Autonation in White Bear Lake where it was purchased from in 2018. The problem would not occur for them. They quoted $1500 to replace the rotary dial shifter. I have looked into this problem and discovered Ford Recalled a variety of models(vin numbers) for this same problem in 2013 -2016. They have not yet issued a recall for any 2017-2018 models. (vin numbers)I have discovered I am not alone. Other people on forums or videos on the internet with 2017 and 2018 have the same problem. I talked to Ford today and they wouldn't tell me how many complaints they have gotten.
NHTSA complaint #11543959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The transmission jumps, doesn’t want to shift gears, revs up on its own. The recall for the fusions year models 3013-16 is the same thing my car is doing.
NHTSA complaint #11512217 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving down the road the car suddenly flashed engine coolant is over-temperature warning and shut off and lost power. Inside of my vehicle the car was not showing it was running hot on the temperature hand. I was on a blind curve and barely made it to a pull off before the car completelyshut off. There have been no signs of over heating before this. There is a coolant intrusion in the cylinder and the engine block needs to be replaced. 120000 miles and out of warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11500595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When I stop to get fuel/gas for my car, I am unable to turn the ignition off because if I do, the car will not restart immediately or at all. There is also a jerking motion immediately after fueling and while driving. There is a "wailing" noise immediately proceeding the car shutting down. The check engine light is on.
NHTSA complaint #11500270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Dial on gear shift kept saying "shift fault, see manual " after investigating, bushing from shifter cable bushing was missing. Many other fusions have had this complaint and recall was issued for certain years. Possibilities are car going out of gear while parked and rolling away. This is a safety for the Ford fusion.
NHTSA complaint #11486156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.