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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

What owners actually said

438 reports
188,000 miles · Sep 7, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, the engine overheated. The temperature gauge increased to HOT. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The high-temperature indicator light was flashing, and the fan was engaged. The vehicle was running rough. There was white smoke comi…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, the engine overheated. The temperature gauge increased to HOT. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The high-temperature indicator light was flashing, and the fan was engaged. The vehicle was running rough. There was white smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the engine block and that cylinder #3 had a misfire. The engine block was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 188,000.

NHTSA ODI #11543212

51,000 miles · Sep 6, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the vehicle started to shake. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that while operating the air conditioning system, hot air started to blow from the vents. The contact stated that …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the vehicle started to shake. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that while operating the air conditioning system, hot air started to blow from the vents. The contact stated that she was concerned for her safety. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinders and the cylinder head was cracked; however, the contact then stated that she was informed by the mechanic of corrosion at an unknown location of the vehicle. The contact was unsure of what needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

NHTSA ODI #11542970

90,000 miles · Aug 31, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Coolant System Temperature Above" was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed a…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Coolant System Temperature Above" was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI #11541874

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the gear shift indicator erroneously showed that the vehicle was in reverse(R). The gear shifter warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repa…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the gear shift indicator erroneously showed that the vehicle was in reverse(R). The gear shifter warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11541619

78,879 miles · Aug 29, 2023
Electrical SystemPower Train

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted into park(P). Additionally, the contact stated that he became aware that the shifter cable bushing had detached after not being able to start the vehicle. The shifter cable bushing was attach…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted into park(P). Additionally, the contact stated that he became aware that the shifter cable bushing had detached after not being able to start the vehicle. The shifter cable bushing was attached, and the vehicle was able to be started. The brakes, engine, and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,879.

NHTSA ODI #11541486

Mileage unknown · Aug 28, 2023
Engine

Coolant leak into 4th cylinder head causing rough idle. Repair shop changed plugs and coil, and stated there was coolant in the cylinder. Stayed this is a known issue with Ford Fusion but no recall. My car only has 72000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11541190

Mileage unknown · Aug 26, 2023
Visibility/wiper

While driving on PA Turnpike westbound, in the rain, my windshield wipers suddenly stopped working. THANKFULLY, I was in the far left lane and able to pull off to the shoulder safely. Once rain stopped, I was able to take my car to my mechanic. Stated that my cars windshield wiper motors both failed AND melted, causing them to s…

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While driving on PA Turnpike westbound, in the rain, my windshield wipers suddenly stopped working. THANKFULLY, I was in the far left lane and able to pull off to the shoulder safely. Once rain stopped, I was able to take my car to my mechanic. Stated that my cars windshield wiper motors both failed AND melted, causing them to stop working.

NHTSA ODI #11540907

Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2023
Engine

There was a recall on my vehicle but I was never notified. When my car started having problems i was told i needed to purchase a motor. I took my car to the dealership Stivers Ford in Montgomery, Alabama and they performed a diagnostic which showed that there was a coolant leak due and my short block needs to be replaced. They…

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There was a recall on my vehicle but I was never notified. When my car started having problems i was told i needed to purchase a motor. I took my car to the dealership Stivers Ford in Montgomery, Alabama and they performed a diagnostic which showed that there was a coolant leak due and my short block needs to be replaced. They said the recall would not be used because it is passed the date. This is putting the safety of myself and my children at risk. I need assistance with these repairs as I cannot afford an $8,000 repair fee. I called customer relations and was told that they would cover the charges but come to find out a week later after several attempts to reach customer relations, I was told that the agent closed my case. The agent did not call me to say anything. Please help

NHTSA ODI #11540784

122,000 miles · Aug 24, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle hesitated while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer w…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle hesitated while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

NHTSA ODI #11540606

Mileage unknown · Aug 19, 2023
Engine

My car overheated due to a head gasket leak, which released coolant into the piston cylinders, causing the engine to overheated, resulting in engine block damage. My car almost blow up!!!! This is a lawsuit against fords ecoboost engines. They need to pay for this fully!!

NHTSA ODI #11539499

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.