← New search

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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

438 reports
90,000 miles · Jan 8, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact's son stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and white smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions and the coolant level was abnormally low. The vehicle …

Read full complaint

The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact's son stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and white smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions and the coolant level was abnormally low. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI #11634882

74,433 miles · Jan 3, 2025
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, and the transmission failed to shift into third gear. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be re…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, and the transmission failed to shift into third gear. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,433.

NHTSA ODI #11633919

Mileage unknown · Dec 26, 2024
Engine

The car was taken to the repair shop due to reduced speed and shaking. The repair shop mentioned that a bulletin for the car indicated that coolant could leak into the engine. They reported that the coolant had indeed leaked onto the engine, causing the gasket to blow. The dealer was contacted and was informed that it was an e…

Read full complaint

The car was taken to the repair shop due to reduced speed and shaking. The repair shop mentioned that a bulletin for the car indicated that coolant could leak into the engine. They reported that the coolant had indeed leaked onto the engine, causing the gasket to blow. The dealer was contacted and was informed that it was an extended warranty of up to 84000/ 7 years. so I was referred to NHTSA Case S3H0j5

NHTSA ODI #11632406

Mileage unknown · Dec 24, 2024
Steering

Shift system fault

NHTSA ODI #11632267

115,000 miles · Dec 16, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA ODI #11630991

Mileage unknown · Nov 24, 2024
Engine

During traffic on the highway, my car had a slight rumble to it but no warning lights were on and there were no weird sounds or smells coming from my car. After I cleared the traffic, the rumbling dissipated but as I accelerated my check engine light turned on and began flashing. I immediately exited and pulled over. After poppi…

Read full complaint

During traffic on the highway, my car had a slight rumble to it but no warning lights were on and there were no weird sounds or smells coming from my car. After I cleared the traffic, the rumbling dissipated but as I accelerated my check engine light turned on and began flashing. I immediately exited and pulled over. After popping my hood, it smelled of burnt oil and the entire engine bay looked like it had been misted with oil. Auto shop scanned the engine light and said I had a cylinder 2 misfire. Another auto shop had said my engine was out of commission and I’d need a new one.

NHTSA ODI #11627091

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 · Nov 20, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

While waiting at a red traffic light in drive and on a slight incline, engine shut off by itself and car started rolling backward with my foot on the brake pedal. The pedal felt harder than normal to push but didn't stop the car. A car stopped behind me was put at risk of impact with the rear of my vehicle. I could see I was ge…

Read full complaint

While waiting at a red traffic light in drive and on a slight incline, engine shut off by itself and car started rolling backward with my foot on the brake pedal. The pedal felt harder than normal to push but didn't stop the car. A car stopped behind me was put at risk of impact with the rear of my vehicle. I could see I was getting closer and closer to hitting the other car. As this was happening, i pushed the start button and managed to restart the engine and put it in drive to pull away just before impact. Problem hasn't been reproduced by anyone. Vehicle or components haven't been inspected by anyone. No warning light lamps or other symptoms of the problem prior or during remaining drive home. I don't know if this is related but the car does have a random no start symptom due to a battery discharge condition while parked overnight. This happens very rarely and is not reproducible when the battery is charged. Ford has a TSB ref.17-2192 on this failure that is applicable to my VIN but they will not cover it since my car is out of warranty (Time and 73K miles). The dealer further stated that there is no guarantee that this re-programming of the PCM will fix the problem. The Ford dealer gave me an estimate of $214 for the re-programming of the PCM and it does not include a new battery if it needs it. I have an appointment to get it done on 11/22/24 but I'm reluctant to pay for something that may not fix the parasitic PCM draw on the battery. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI #11626401

119,943 miles · Nov 16, 2024
Power Train

Transmission issues, I had my transmission replaced right out of warranty so Ford assisted 4 grand to assist the repair because the dealership took a mmtj to get my car in, i didn't know it was going to go over the trade in program replacements in miles. The car shifts weird, in drive the vehicle acts as if it was put in neutral…

Read full complaint

Transmission issues, I had my transmission replaced right out of warranty so Ford assisted 4 grand to assist the repair because the dealership took a mmtj to get my car in, i didn't know it was going to go over the trade in program replacements in miles. The car shifts weird, in drive the vehicle acts as if it was put in neutral randomly and it jerks you hard into gear throwing you and passengers into the back of the seat a,pay got hit two times it also when you start the car, put it in drive it throws it's self back into park then you put it back into drive or reverse and it grooms and goes as if I'm accelerating which i got hit once backing out of a sppt because of this i hagea friend who has the same issues why is theee not a recall on their ford fusions or them getting sued????

NHTSA ODI #11625722

110,000 miles · Nov 7, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering significantly and the engine overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving at 20 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering significantly and the engine overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving at 20 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced and related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12 and TSB Number: 22-2134. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI #11623938

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.