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2018 Ford Fusion

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Fusion do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 1,109.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

188 reports with mileage · 250 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 201 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 106 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 88 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

47 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 28, 2025
EngineUnknown 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 recommen…

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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 ODI #11657303

Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2025
EngineUnknown 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,…

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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 ODI #11655969

Mileage unknown · Mar 24, 2025
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 te…

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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 ODI #11650071

Mileage unknown · Mar 13, 2025
EngineUnknown 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 t…

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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 ODI #11648211

Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown 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…

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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 ODI #11640978

Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2024
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown 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 ODI #11626746

Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2024
EngineUnknown 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…

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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 ODI #11613377

Mileage unknown · Aug 29, 2024
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 ODI #11611508

Mileage unknown · Jul 11, 2024
EngineUnknown 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 de…

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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 ODI #11601302

Mileage unknown · May 15, 2024
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 ODI #11588829

Official recalls

2

23V162000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Mar 10, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.

18V167000 · Steering: Steering Wheel/handle Bar

Mar 12, 2018

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S08.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

RQ22004 · Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

Opened Aug 8, 2022 · Closed Mar 24, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 50 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging front brake jounce hose ruptures on model year (MY) 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A ruptured front brake hose results in a brake fluid leak. As a result, the driver may experience an increase in pedal travel and a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash. It should be noted that the subject vehicles identified fell outside the scope of NHTSA Safety Recall 20V-469, which addressed front brake hoses rupturing on certain MY 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The result causes a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needing to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.On March 10, 2023, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted to NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-162 (Ford Recall 23S12) to address front brake jounce hoses that may rupture. Ford found the rupture occurs from a localized failure of the internal reinforcement braid due to cyclic fatigue through tensile/bending and torsional inputs during suspension and steering articulations. The supplier for the front brake jounce hoses is Hitachi. This recall affects the subject vehicles equipped with non-hybrid engines and the suspect front brake jounce hoses (a total of 1,280,726 vehicles). The recall covers subject vehicles built from February 3, 2012 to July 19, 2017 when the suspect hoses were used in vehicle production. The remedy is for dealerships to replace both front brake jounce hoses with new hoses that have a revised braid material at no cost. The vehicles equipped with hybrid engines are excluded from the recall because the internal hose pressure is much lower due to the regenerative braking provided by the hybrid brake system. No failures of brake hoses on hybrid vehicles have been reported to ODI or Ford.Ford's actions address ODIs concerns at this time. Hybrid vehicles will be monitored for related failures. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by new circumstances.The 103 ODI numbers cited above can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ID numbers:11511014, 11510867, 11510318, 11509030, 11505993, 11504989, 11504400, 11502147, 11502082, 11501820, 11501283, 11498439, 11498296, 11496842, 11496335, 11494931, 11494851, 11494252, 11493001, 11492084, 11492070, 11491444, 11491274, 11488858, 11488027, 11487627, 11487416, 11487233, 11486150, 11484924, 11484526, 11484080, 11483948, 11483926, 11483739, 11483723, 11482773, 11482690, 11481077, 11480788, 11480294, 11480052, 11479338, 11479334, 11479252, 11479247, 11479187, 11479094, 11479048, 11478985, 11478953, 11478729, 11478216, 11476892, 11476282, 11470558, 11468994, 11467109, 11466294, 11462746, 11461217, 11456065, 11455367, 11444848, 11436419, 11436376, 11430685, 11428329, 11425083, 11421026, 11420738, 11420735, 11420298, 11418197, 11403926, 11397549, 11366991, 11366757, 11361016, 11359968, 11354569, 11352165, 11350344, 11348799, 11343929, 11343205, 11331947, 11329020, 11319596, 11310529, 11292271, 11288455, 11254787, 11253479, 11253244, 11234622, 11230669, 11230050, 11228240, 11221111, 11143630, 11129392 and 11120228.