← 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
130,000 miles · May 15, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #11588922

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

Mileage unknown · May 14, 2024
Power Train

The flex plate is cracked at 87,000 miles and causing the vehicle to make a loud rattling noise near the bottom of the engine toward the back of the transmission. While driving the vehicle it drags while accelerating on turns and gives a hard shift in gears from park. The vehicle was inspected by Aamco transmission and several F…

Read full complaint

The flex plate is cracked at 87,000 miles and causing the vehicle to make a loud rattling noise near the bottom of the engine toward the back of the transmission. While driving the vehicle it drags while accelerating on turns and gives a hard shift in gears from park. The vehicle was inspected by Aamco transmission and several Ford dealers where i was told that this seems to be a common issue with the ford fusions according to several ford dealers but the ford manufacturer is refusing to place a recall for this matter. There is no warning indicating the issue is near or has occurred until the flex plate has already caused damage.

NHTSA ODI #11588808

Mileage unknown · May 13, 2024
Engine

Coolent intrusion cylinder 2 103000 miles car is undrivable sucking coolant in to cylinder within 30 minutes to an hour. paid 23,000 for a car I cannot drive. 2018 ford fusion out of warranty now for will not help or replace since no recall was placed on this vehicle. Something needs to be done there are so many others and car i…

Read full complaint

Coolent intrusion cylinder 2 103000 miles car is undrivable sucking coolant in to cylinder within 30 minutes to an hour. paid 23,000 for a car I cannot drive. 2018 ford fusion out of warranty now for will not help or replace since no recall was placed on this vehicle. Something needs to be done there are so many others and car isn't even 7 years old.

NHTSA ODI #11588495

113,000 miles · May 8, 2024
EngineFuel System, Gasoline

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving or while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was sputtering while driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was t…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving or while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was sputtering while driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the canister purge valve. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the canister purge valve was stuck. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI #11587633

Mileage unknown · May 7, 2024
Engine

2018 ford fusion 1.5 L coolant intrusion at 65,000 miles. Ford refuses to help us in this matter. Our vehicle was not placed under their recall list which was for 2013-2019 escapes and fusion 1.5 L ecoboost motors for design flaw causing coolant intrusion. Our car has that EXACT motor and exact problem. It has a cylinder 3 coola…

Read full complaint

2018 ford fusion 1.5 L coolant intrusion at 65,000 miles. Ford refuses to help us in this matter. Our vehicle was not placed under their recall list which was for 2013-2019 escapes and fusion 1.5 L ecoboost motors for design flaw causing coolant intrusion. Our car has that EXACT motor and exact problem. It has a cylinder 3 coolant intrusion.

NHTSA ODI #11587395

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2024
Power Train

Upon shifting the gear to put the vehicle in park, the shifter automatically put itself in neutral and the parking brake enabled. A warning came on the dash, saying SHIFT SYS FAULT Service Required. A wrench light was illuminated as well. The bushing securing the shifting cable was gone, as if it crumbled to pieces. I have repla…

Read full complaint

Upon shifting the gear to put the vehicle in park, the shifter automatically put itself in neutral and the parking brake enabled. A warning came on the dash, saying SHIFT SYS FAULT Service Required. A wrench light was illuminated as well. The bushing securing the shifting cable was gone, as if it crumbled to pieces. I have replaced this bushing a few times within the last year.

NHTSA ODI #11587051

125,000 miles · May 1, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the vehicle was low on coolant and failed to start. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact stated that there was an increase of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The local…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the vehicle was low on coolant and failed to start. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact stated that there was an increase of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ODI #11586364

76,000 miles · May 1, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to the de…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 76,000.

NHTSA ODI #11586323

131,768 miles · Apr 30, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed white smoke coming from the tailpipe. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a safe location and parked the vehicle. The contact checked the oil level and…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed white smoke coming from the tailpipe. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a safe location and parked the vehicle. The contact checked the oil level and confirmed that the oil level was adequate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak into cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 131,768.

NHTSA ODI #11586200

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.