2017 Ford Fusion
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 1,110 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 15 Fusion model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 37 involved a crash and 8 involved a fire. 30 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsMar 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.
A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V162000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, steering wheel/handle barMar 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.
A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 18V167000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, torque converterJul 6, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Edge and Fusion vehicles. On vehicles with 2.0L gas engines and six-speed automatic transmissions, the torque converter weld studs may have been inadequately welded.
If the torque converter weld studs fail, the torque converter will not be connected to the engine flexplate and the vehicle will lose the ability to move, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford or Lincoln will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque converters, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S16.
Campaign 17V427000 on NHTSA.gov
Seats, mid/rear assemblyDec 5, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured September 27, 2016, to September 28, 2016. The left rear seat backs pivot pins may have been improperly welded.
During a crash, the improper welds may fail, allowing any stowed luggage to move into the passenger compartment, increasing the risk of injury.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left hand, second row seat back frame, free of charge. The recall began January 10, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S43.
Campaign 16V874000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
312 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while reversing out of his residence and attempting to move the gear shifter from reverse (R) into drive (D) position, the vehicle seized. The contact stated that the transmission failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact was able to manually shift the transmission shifter cable and pushed the vehicle out of the road. The local dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was repaired on 08/22/22 at the owners expense.
Power train, Aug 5, 2022
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11477872*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Power train, Aug 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after reversing the vehicle and then shifting to drive(D), the vehicle rolled backward with the transmission failure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped, stalled, and could not be restarted. The contact disconnected the battery and waited for several minutes before restarting the vehicle and driving to the residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted but offered no assistance. The contact was notified that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was 91,000.
Power train, Jul 5, 2022
Transmission failure while driving causing a safety issue for myself and others while immobilized in traffic. While stopped at a red light on a highway, my car failed to move forward when pressing the gas. There were no warning lights. Eventually after several tries the car lurched forward. A warning light finally came on when I reached my destination a mile away. The car was taken to a dealer who diagnosed transmission failure. The car has 63K miles on it and now requires a 5K repair to the transmission. The vehicle is still not repaired due to parts shortages.
Power train, Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while shifting into reverse, the gear shifter inadvertently shifted into park(P). The contact also stated the gear shifter was seizing continuously. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the gear shifter. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Power train, Jun 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving on a local roadway at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into drive(D) or reverse(R). The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact called and had the vehicle towed to his son's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
Power train, Jun 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was park(P), the instrument panel indicated that the transmission was in drive(D). Due to the failure, the contact's husband called for a tow; however, the tow truck driver was able to instruct her husband over the phone on how to correct the failure. Once the vehicle was able to be driven, the contact's husband called the dealer where he was informed about the defect. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the defective part was replaced. Approximately six months later, the same failure recurred while the vehicle was in neutral(N) but the instrument panel showed the vehicle in park(P). The contact's husband was able to perform the same repair to correct the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Service brakes, Jun 15, 2022, crash
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in her driveway on a hill without the emergency brakes, the vehicle rolled down the hill and bumped into her husband's parked vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer but was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated on April 2022, while she was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began to shake and failed to go over 50 mph. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V427000 (Power Train), however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and transferred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. The consumer stated she should be reimbursed for the repairs.
Power train, Jun 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while shifting the vehicle into drive(D), the vehicle shifted into park(P) and the “Shift System Fault” and "Service Required" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the gear shifter bushing had deteriorated. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact had purchased the bushing. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 76,872.
Power train, May 30, 2022
As I was driving my shifter cable bushing came off in the parking lot and my cable came loose. I couldn’t switch gears and I had to shut off my car. It put my car into automatic parking brake but I checked under the hood and my shifter linkage was detached and the bushing was missing. Had this happened on the open road it could’ve caused a wreck.these bushings are made poorly.
Power train, Apr 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his daughter was reversing out of the driveway at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift into gear. There was no warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable bushing had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
Power train, Apr 6, 2022, crash
My 2017 for fusion stopped changing gears and when trying to change gears it sounded awful and was very rough. Sheehy Ford said it was the torque converter and found numerous office issues with in the transmission. Repairs were $5k. Thank goodness for Ford customer support( my awesome rep Kiara) who provided financial help for the repairs. I have lots of articles about the same issue and am shocked that the SE model wasn’t included in the recall.
Power train, Mar 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the gear selector was in the park (P) position, the gear indicator displayed the neutral position instead. Also, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. On one occasion while driving over a railroad track, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission shift cable bushing had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 90,800.
Power train, Mar 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon reversing on a roadway, she depressed the brake pedal and shifted into drive, but the vehicle failed to respond and would not move. The contact stated that the vehicle remained in the middle of the road blocking traffic. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. An independent mechanic arrived at the scene and diagnosed that the shifter cable bushing had detached. The independent mechanic tied a cable around the cable bushing and he was able to drive the vehicle back into the parking space. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable bushing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle was out of warranty and the VIN was not included in a recall associated to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,758.
Power train, Engine, Mar 23, 2022
3/22/22 Check engine light illuminated and had cylinder 3 misfire code P0303. This was around 4 PM. Car was driven home and sat in driveway until 8 PM. Went to go pick up dinner, and rough idle began and interior heat was not working at all. CEL was still illuminated but car was driving fine. Did notice a sort of "vinegar" type of smell that quickly went away after driving. 3/23/22 Remote started vehicle to go to work and then I realized billows of white/blueish smoke were coming out of the exhaust. Ran outside and shut the vehicle off. Towed to McGovern Ford of Framingham in Framingham, MA. Complete engine failure due to coolant leaking into the cylinder. This all happened very quickly. The second the engine light came on, I scheduled the first available appointment on April 18, 2022. Less than 24 hours later it resulted in complete engine failure. There were no warning indicators other than the check engine light. This is a known manufacturing defect on Ford's part and they have yet to support their customers in resolving this issue. I have a 2017 Ford Fusion, with 63,000 miles on the clock, and it was purchased as a certified pre-owned in December of 2020. It has the 2.0L 4 cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine. McGovern Ford has no loaner vehicles available until the April 18th date, and Ford/warranty company will not cover a rental cost. I need a vehicle to commute to and from work, and now I am without a vehicle for the foreseeable future due to a manufacturing defect knowingly sent off the production line by Ford Motor Company - of which they refuse to rectify.
Power train, Mar 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle would intermittently hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning while in either in the drive (D) or reverse (R). The contact initially took the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN and was offered no assistance. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where an extensive diagnostic test was performed and it was discovered that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V427000 (Power Train) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that her vehicle was not included in the recall; she was then referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. ADDED COMMENT: Before the complete break of the transmission, I was noticing some hesitation with changing gears and going dead from a stop. Going down a hill on coast the back of the car made a roaring sound. At these moments, the car gear shift would be slightly hard to turn to park or drive. The transmission would also seem to slip. NOTE: The actual odometer was 189293 when the issue happened and repaired. Even though this was not on the recall list, it should be added because I experienced the same issue with my transmission as the others. I have attached my invoice for the repair. Not included are the 2 prior wrecker bills from having it towed to my house, and then had it towed to Lonnie Cobb's Ford for repair, which the car sat for weeks with no repair. Third wrecker bill is included on the Repair Invoice. from Clement Automatic Transmissions. THE CONSUMER STATED BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, THERE WAS HESISTATION WHEN SWITCHING GEARS. THE VEHICLE WOULD DIE FROM A STOP. WHEN DRIVING DOWN HILL THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A ROARING SOUND. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, AS IT DISPLAYED THE SAME FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE. AT THE THE TIME OF THE FAILURE AND REPAIR THE ODOMETER READ 189293.
Power train, Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while reversing, the electric gear shifter failed to shift from Park to Reverse. The contact stated that the electric gear shifter would shift into reverse but rotate back into the Park position. The warning message "Shift System Error" illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact stated that he maneuvered the electric gear shifter and was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable bushing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
Power train, Engine, Feb 4, 2022
THE CAR STALLED A FEW TIMES WIHILE ON MY WAY HOME WITH NO WARNING HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE SO AS I NEEDED TO ACCELERATE OR SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE WOULD START SHUDDER AND JERK AS IT FELT LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. I HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY HOUSE LOOKED UP ISSUES IT SAID IT MAY BE TRANSMISSION SO THEN I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BUSINESS AND WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER THAT THERE WERE 2 RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH MY VEHICLE THE RECALLS WERE THROUGH THE NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY REPORTS. (POWER TRAIN) AND (TORQUE CONVERTER). HOWEVER MY VEHICLE WAS THE 1.5 VERSION AND WAS HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS AS THE 2.1 VERSION BEING COVERED THROUGH THE VEHICLE RECALLS. SINCE MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED I DID NOT HAVE IT REPAIRED. THEY INCLUDED BOTH ISSUES IN THE QUOTE WAS OVER 6000 DOLLARS BUT LESS IF ONE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS IN JUNE/2020 and the car had 97 k miles on it.
Power train, Jan 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact’s grandson stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission failed to shift as designed. The contact’s grandson stated that the vehicle was driving like the transmission was slipping. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission replaced however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
Power train, Jan 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle failed to shift out of PARK. Additionally, the wrench warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the actuator replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
Power train, Jan 12, 2022
Multiple times, the car will not change gears. Turning the knob to reverse or drive, and the light indicates a gear for one second, then goes back to park. It has happened in parking lots a few times switching from reverse to drive and I need to stop the car and restart it a few times when I am blocking traffic. No warning lights and the car otherwise acts normal. I called Ford, who said they were not aware of any issues and asked me to take it to a dealer
Power train, Other or unspecified, Dec 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle failed to shift into park and neutral without warning. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 44,469.
Power train, Nov 1, 2021
I have 61,000 miles on this Ford Fusion 2017 and the Rotary shifter module needed to be replaced already. I was unable to put the car into gear or get it out of Park. It simply would not rotate and move. I had to take the car to South Bay Ford to complete a repair. They replaced the rotary shifter assembly and upon my research I found that other owners are having similar issues.
Power train, Oct 29, 2021
Unable to place vehicle in park or shift vehicle with reliability. Vehicle does not safely reflect the gear that it is in (i.e. Lever in Park, transmission is actually in Reverse). While vehicle is in a gear, it may not actually move at all. Currently displays error message: Shift SYS Fault, Service required.
Power train, Oct 28, 2021
Shift linkage bushing disintegrated causing the shift linkage to separate completely from the transmission. Lost all ability to put car into any gear, including neutral. Couldn't even override the transmission selector lockout to put car into neutral as entire transmission was disengaged. Car was immobilized in the middle of the road while my girlfriend attempted to parallel park. Whole front half of car was left stuck in the traffic lane. Incident happened around 1pm Pacific time on 10/25/21. Dealer said my specifc VIN isn't covered under recall affecting similar Ford Fusion/Edge models. There were warning lights that appeared on 10/22 or 10/23. I can't remember for certain. At that point the car still shifted fine. I thought it was some kind of electrical malfunction or malfunction with the gear selector dial.