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
1,110 reports, newest first.
Engine, Aug 8, 2024
I am unable to change gears on my vehicle because the bushing on the shifter cable has degraded and no longer holds the shifter cable in place. This has caused me to be stuck blocking traffic in busy shopping centers. I have to make sure to apply my parking break because I never know if my car really is in park. I have had the full shifter cable replaced 3 times and I have replaced the bushing 2 times all I'm a 16 month period.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where a code reader detected an engine misfire in cylinders #2 and #4. The contact personally replaced all four engine coils and spark plugs; however, the check engine light returned soon after the repair. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The diagnostic showed coolant intrusion into engine cylinders #2 and #4 which resulted in engine failure. The engine was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was given a case number. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
Power train, Aug 7, 2024
In regards to the automatic transmission and torque converter. On May 14th 2024, while driving in a school parking lot at a speed of less than 5 MPH, I attempted to reverse my vehicle. To my surprise, the car did not respond and failed to move. After this attempt, I shifted the gear into drive, and the vehicle initially moved for about five seconds before becoming immobilized again. This malfunction left my car stuck in the middle of parking lot traffic, creating a potentially hazardous situation. Despite the engine starting without any difficulty, the vehicle remains unresponsive and cannot be driven in either forward or reverse. This issue has not only caused inconvenience but also raised concerns about safety, as it has rendered the vehicle inoperable. There was a message on the dashboard with a wrench that stated "Powertrain: See Owners Manual"
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Engine, Aug 6, 2024
2017 Ford Fusion (87,000 miles): Check engine light was illuminated. Visited independent garage next day. approx $700 repairs did not fix the issue. Light came on a second time the following week. Took back to independent garage and was told it was a historical alert and not an active alert. Alert cleared. several days later the light came on again. Called to make dealer appointment. While waiting for the appointment, the overheating warning message came on. Stopped at the dealer who topped off coolant. 3 days later with almost no driving in between, dealer diagnosed Coolant Leak, misfire cylinder #2 - similar to information available online - coolant almost empty. All vehicle maintenance and 4 previous recalls properly maintained for vehicle. No known recall notice related to the Ford Fusion Coolant Leak known issues. Cost of repair quoted at $9,000 to replace engine. car not drivable and will take a month to repair. vehicle not repaired yet. I don't understand why my vehicle wasn't recalled if it's a known issue for this model.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking while idling, and then hesitated to accelerate. The contact stated that the engine overheated while driving at highway speeds of 50 MPH or higher. The check engine warning light was illuminated with a misfire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine. The engine was replaced under warranty. The contact stated that the failure became persistent. The contact stated that the failure occurred after driving approximately 5 miles or while driving 45 MPH. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion and that the engine needed to be replaced again. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was no longer covered under warranty. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case filed. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not covered under recall or warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.
Power train, Engine, Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission experienced rough shifting from first to second gear. Additionally, the engine was misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to two other independent mechanics, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced as well as the engine due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,790.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine coolant was present inside the cylinders, and the engine 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 76,000.
Engine, Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant leak and 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. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Engine, Aug 1, 2024
My car has been diagnosed with the known engine coolant leak issue with the 2.0L engines in the 2013-2018 Ford Fusions. It just now today, 8/1/2024, threw up a check engine light and I went to an ASE certified technician and they diagnosed it to be the same problem Ford has covered in their own technical service bulletins.
Engine, Jul 31, 2024
Coolant intrusion into cylinder causing spark plug corrosion and warping of head. Confirmed by dealer that this is a known common issue with the engine and requires the engine to be replaced. Only warning sign on my car was an occasional misfiring that I brought the car in for within a week of noticing. Told that there was a recall on the model but not my specific car and it has expired so nothing can be done.
Power train, Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to shift to drive(D), the gear shifter failed to move out of park(P) and required to be hit to move out of park(P). The power train warning light was illuminated, and the message "See Owner's Manual" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring daily. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 93,415.
Engine, Jul 26, 2024
Engine cylinder cracked, coolant intrusion into cylinder. Engine had to be replaced. Vehicle only had 54,776 miles.
Engine, Jul 25, 2024
My engine started to act up so I took it to the dealership. I was told that there was coolant intrusion in the cylinder head due to manufacturer known defect and that my vehicle was unsafe to drive and that the recall for this issue was expired. I was told my vehicle was unsafe to drive as it could hydrolock and cause an accident. This is a frightening issue that should not have a time limit given the fact that it can cause the engine to suddenly lock up which could cause a serious even fatal accident. This issue was confirmed by the dealer technician. There were no warning lamps untill the failure.
Engine, Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,730.
Power train, Jul 22, 2024
Shift cable bushing failed. I attempted to back out of a parking spot when the dash lit up with a Shift System Failure. Put on the emergency brake, turned off the car, and popped the hood. The bushing had broke and was laying on a piece of metal under the shift cable.
Engine, Jul 19, 2024
My car is a 2017 Ford Fusion with a 1.5 liter eco boost engine. 2 weeks ago my check engine light came on. I brought my car and there was apparently a coolant leak that caused my entire engine to cease and I was told by ford my entire engine needs to be replaced for over 8500 dollars. My car is under 67000 miles. The coolant problem was stated to me as something that is seen by a lot of these engines. I did research to find out that this has been a common occurrence with fords carrying these types of engines. The coolant leak could lead to engine stopping in the middle of driving! I have a [XXX] son and a baby on the way. Knowing ford is still letting people drive these cars is unsafe and on top of that making people pay for something that is their fault. Because of this I am financially struggling and am so angry that this could have resulted in something much worse. There is even a class action law suit relating to this happenings against ford and this coolant leak problem. I reached out to ford support and they have stated they are aware this is an issue, but nothing has been recalled yet. So now I am forced to pay for a new engine! Ford is at fault and i am now paying thousands of dollars I do not have. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle sputtered, and the engine overheated. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,500.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. The transmission was rebuilt and the failure was remedied. The vehicle later experienced engine failures causing the check engine light to illuminate, a slushing liquid sound was present inside the dashboard and the vehicle had experienced harsh driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine coolant was present inside the engine cylinders and the engine 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 78,000.
Engine, Jul 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle revved aggressively while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where two burned spark plugs were discovered and replaced. The contact stated that while driving away from the independent mechanic, the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Engine, Jul 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine light warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant leaking into cylinder #3. Additionally, there was a crack in the short block, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
Engine, Jul 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle accelerated violently. The engine temperature and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with cylinder #3 misfire due to a coolant leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,005.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, and smoke came out the exhaust system. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed; however, the independent mechanic was unable to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a coolant leak and coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The independent mechanic suggested to the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program 19B37. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,500.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 16, 2024
Shift system failure. 2023 replace plastic piece that was not a recall on 27 but was a recall on all other models. Last week shift system failure $706 to replace shifter picked up car Saturday. Today car is being towed back for shift system failure again. Car will not go out of park. I have all receipts and invoices from.
Power train, Jul 16, 2024
Faulty torque converter and transmission range control module. Repaired both and now the vehicle shifts hard while driving.