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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
Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2023
Engine

I purchased a 2018 Fusion in January with 118k miles. 6 months later the engine light came on sometimes it wouldn’t start. Misfires can cause fires and it was absolutely chugging gas. Took it to ford they diagnosed coolant intrusion and said I need the new updated cylinder block. Wasn’t covered under my extended power train warr…

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I purchased a 2018 Fusion in January with 118k miles. 6 months later the engine light came on sometimes it wouldn’t start. Misfires can cause fires and it was absolutely chugging gas. Took it to ford they diagnosed coolant intrusion and said I need the new updated cylinder block. Wasn’t covered under my extended power train warranty I had with the car and it was almost a $9000 fix. I’ve got a lemon on my credit now and ford needs to recall or compensate to this asap

NHTSA ODI #11534235

124,000 miles · Jul 24, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving uphill at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light remained illuminated with the engine temperature gauge showing that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving uphill at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light remained illuminated with the engine temperature gauge showing that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 124,000.

NHTSA ODI #11534016

59,000 miles · Jul 20, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on several occasions while shifted into gear, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the parking brake warning light flashed and remained illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The m…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on several occasions while shifted into gear, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the parking brake warning light flashed and remained illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact stated that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

NHTSA ODI #11533500

Mileage unknown · Jul 5, 2023
Engine

Engine stalling while driving and stopped, excessive coolant consumption, hard start, white smoke from exhaust. My vehicle has stalled while driving on the highway at 70mph with my 7 year old child in the car with me, my vehicle has also stalled while sitting at a red light or stop sign, this puts myself, my passengers and other…

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Engine stalling while driving and stopped, excessive coolant consumption, hard start, white smoke from exhaust. My vehicle has stalled while driving on the highway at 70mph with my 7 year old child in the car with me, my vehicle has also stalled while sitting at a red light or stop sign, this puts myself, my passengers and other vehicle at risk of an accident. I called the dealership today to inquire about my issues and was told there was a FORD customer satisfaction report that was put out on the issues I was having, I Googled the issue and found the 21N12 or 19B37 which expired in November 20, 2022 or 84, 000 miles. The dealership suggested I reach out to Ford. I did this today (7/5/23) spoke with CSR Jerrica who stated there was nothing they could do. I never received the notice regarding this issue and also was told they use a 3rd party to send those out. My engine light came on over the weekend along with the wrench light. I have mentioned the stalling to the FORD dealer previously who stated there were no lights on and could not get the car to recreate the stalling so nothing was mentioned or done. They are now saying since I have issues this falls under the expired customer satisfaction they issued.

NHTSA ODI #11530433

59,860 miles · Jul 5, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact self-inspected the vehicle and noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the engine needed to b…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact self-inspected the vehicle and noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Southfork Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (17725 South Fwy, Manvel, TX 77578); however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 59,860.

NHTSA ODI #11530405

Mileage unknown · Jun 6, 2023
Engine

Radiator failure. Causing engine to shut down. Check engine light appears.

NHTSA ODI #11525614

114,817 miles · Jun 6, 2023
Power Train

Overheating message displaying. For safety the car has a low power mode and it activates. Let’s vehicle sit for 20 mins. Adding coolant lifted the hood container appeared to be empty. Purchasing the ORANGE! coolant auto zone suggested. Added and started vehicle LOAD noises and car overheated again after 1 min. Paid my extended w…

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Overheating message displaying. For safety the car has a low power mode and it activates. Let’s vehicle sit for 20 mins. Adding coolant lifted the hood container appeared to be empty. Purchasing the ORANGE! coolant auto zone suggested. Added and started vehicle LOAD noises and car overheated again after 1 min. Paid my extended warranty silverrock for diagnostic so many times because this car have been nothing but issues but this overheating issue and belt situation is on going. The gauge isn’t holding pressure. Takes to shop everytime and maintains maintenance. I can provided all documents from the shop visits. My car is safe according to everyone else but I don’t feel safe I’m paying for a car that barely works. It’s always in the shop. Not fair.

NHTSA ODI #11525608

117,000 miles · May 31, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while parking, the vehicle failed to shift to the drive position. The contact opened the hood and pushed the cap back on the bushing. While driving, at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled. There were no warring lights illuminated. The contact called the local dea…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while parking, the vehicle failed to shift to the drive position. The contact opened the hood and pushed the cap back on the bushing. While driving, at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled. There were no warring lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer where it was diagnosed transmission bushing cap detached. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who provided case CAS-43077151-Q4R8H4. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA ODI #11524612

Mileage unknown · May 30, 2023
Wheels

lug nuts are swollen and lug nut wrench does not fit on lug nuts. Had to get special tool to remove flat tire and replace lug nuts

NHTSA ODI #11524400

Mileage unknown · May 26, 2023
Engine

My engines been leaking radiator fluid and I was told there was a recall on the engine block because of this issue. I went to ford and they said they had a recall on it but they didn’t tell me that it expired. Even after I was scheduled for an appt I had to get a flex location to diagnose it and they said that the recall for it …

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My engines been leaking radiator fluid and I was told there was a recall on the engine block because of this issue. I went to ford and they said they had a recall on it but they didn’t tell me that it expired. Even after I was scheduled for an appt I had to get a flex location to diagnose it and they said that the recall for it expired and they couldn’t do anything about it. Before I took it to ford I took it to 2 car repair shops and they told me the same thing that it was the engine block.

NHTSA ODI #11524022

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.