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.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 20, 2023
THE CAR WOULD NOT START DUE TO THE THROTTLEBODY FAILED TO OPERATE. LUCKILY, THE CAR WAS PARKED WHEN THIS OCCURED AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO NEAREST FORD DEALER. WHO INFORMED ME IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING AND IT HAD FAILED DURING OPERATION, CAR WOULD HAVE COME TO A DEAD STOP WHILE DRIVING AND/OR IN MY CASE FAILED TO START. THEY SAID THROTTLEBODY GIVES THE ENGINE THE AIR IT NEEDS TO PREFORM. WE WERE OUT OF TOWN AND DUE TO DRIVE ON A MAIN HIGHWAY FOR TWO HUNDRED MILES AT 70MILES PER HOUR! I HAVE INCLUDED INVOICES FROM THE FORD DEALER, INVOICE FROM AUTO DEALER- WHO HAD REPAIRS DONE ON CAR, AND THE CARFAX REPORT-THAT DID NOT SHOW ANY THROTTLEBODY RECALLS OR REPAIRS, NOR DID THE AUTO DEALER'S REPORT. THE CAR WAS CERTIFIED FOR 21,953 MILES BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND CARFAX. HOW IS THAT A CAR'S THROTTLEBODY WOULD FAIL AFTER 21,000 MILES, UNLESS IT WAS ALREADY DEFECTIVE IN THE BEGINNING!?? THE REPORTS INDICATE THE VEHICLE WAS A 1 OWNER CAR AND 21,953 MILES WITH PASSING THRU TWO SYSTEMS AND NEVER DETECTED. I HAD ONLY OWED THE CAR FOR 61 DAYS UNDER 24,000 MILES WHEN IT FAILED!
Engine, Mar 19, 2023
I had both a check engine light and wrench power train light come on. My vehicle was emitting white smoke from the exhaust and a sloshing water sound in my dash behind the steering wheel. My car has 96,000 miles on it and is serviced regularly. I had it at the dealership in Dec 2022 for an oil change and they didn’t indicate any issues. By Jan 2023 my car needs a new engine.
Wheels, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Mar 18, 2023, crash
Upon trying to stop at a stop sign my son was unable to stop in time and rolled into the roadway which caused a collision with another vehicle. He depressed the brakes and clearly heard a grinding noise and never felt the pumping feeling under his foot for the antilock breaks. He thought he couldnt stop due to ice on the roadway, but have since seen the brake recall on my vehicle. The accident caused the vehicle to become a total loss. The witnesses said my son stopped at the stop sing and pulled into the roadway in front of car going 50mph. That could not have happened by the angle of the car at the time of the accident. Had he stopped like the 'witnesses" said, he would have entered the roadway a couple second later and then become t-boned by the other car. He was hit on the rear quarterfinal coinciding with my sons story he could not stop. My son has held to his story that he tried to stop and the car would not stop. I have felt on occasion since Dec my brakes feeling a little off at times but never on a consistant basis to get it looked at. My vehicle had a small leakage in Dec which we could not locate and it never occurred since. We checked the brake fluid and all fluids routinely since. Never seen the leak since. I also put four brand new tires on my vehicle two days prior to the accident. It does appear in the photos after the accident there were new parts on the wheel in the area of the brakes. I only owned this vehicle for 9 months prior to this incident.
Power train, Mar 14, 2023
My transmission shift linkage is broken and keeps detaching from the transmission shift lever. According to the recall that is already out there for this issue, 2014-2016 Ford fusions are covered. My vehicle was manufactured in 2016 but is a 2017 model year. As such its using the affected parts but not part of the recall. The cost to repair it is well outside what I can afford.
Service brakes, Mar 13, 2023
While sitting in a fast food, drive-through line, I heard a pop and my brake pedal pressed all the way to the floor and the brakes completely failed and r he car started to roll forward. There was no warning. There was nothing wrong with the brakes whatsoever but all the pressure on the brake pedal and the brakes failed. after getting out of the fast food line, I parked in the parking lot of the restaurant and checked under the hood and there was brake fluid everywhere on the passenger side of the engine compartment. There was no brake fluid inside of the brake fluid compartment. On Monday, 3/13/2023. I had the vehicle towed to a mechanic shop to look at I have yet to get a response on what the problem is. Not less than five minutes before getting in the fast food drive-through line I was driving on the freeway. Had this had happened on the freeway. I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you making his complaint.
Engine and engine cooling, Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while having a routine oil change performed on the vehicle, the mechanic noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine, and that cylinders #2 and #3 were miss firing. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. On another occasion, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start, with the check engine warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the timing belt was worn and that the timing belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 139,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the coolant level was low, and the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was misfiring. The contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the coolant was leaking into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.
Engine, Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the short block needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 21N12; because the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
Seat belts, Mar 7, 2023
Front driver and passenger seat belts do not lock or retract. Mine and my children life are at risk because it’s a safety issue, and requirement to have a seatbelt worn while driving but as well having a proper working seatbelt. Yes, the car is currently at the dealer now which confirmed it does not work properly. No warning lights came on to let me know that the seat belt was malfunctioning.
Wheels, Mar 6, 2023
This is for a 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum. Lug nuts have deformed and have to replaced at ~63,000miles. Why? Shops do the regular rotation and balance. I had a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium and had the same results at different shops for the same rotation and balance. Why? My father's 1978 F100 had 430,000+ and were original. Quality is now poor. Les Schwab looked and said they needed to be replaced now. We can't check the torques.
Power train, Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the transmission selector could not be shifted from park to drive. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the transmission shift cable bushing had detached. The contact was able to reattach the shift cable bushing, but the failure persisted. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Power train, Engine, Feb 28, 2023
On July 21, 2022 I was driving my 2017 Ford Fusion I was driving on route 95 when my car started to over rev and began shaking, then I lost complete engine power. I nearly getting ran off the road from the cars behind me. Thank goodness I was in the right-hand lane when this incident happened. I had my 2017 Ford Fusion towed to Purvis Ford service center in Fredericksburg Virginia. The tech called me letting me know that my torque converter has failed and needs to be fixed. The cost was going to be $6,250 plus $200 diagnosis fee. I was made aware of the recall on the Fusions torque converter failure. I was told my Vin number isn't a part of the recall. I believe my car needs to be a part of this recall everything stated in the recall description my vehicle had done. What do I need to do to continue to get my vin number on this national recall.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Feb 24, 2023
The contact’s son owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and the engine misfired. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Electrical system, Feb 22, 2023
The TCM (Transmission Control Module) is faulty in this vehicle causing unstable gear shift that slow and stop the vehicle making it extremely unsafe to drive. I've been made aware Ford employees are familiar with this issue in the 2017 Ford Focus yet I have seen no attempt by Ford to contact owners (me) to address and fix this issue.
Engine, Feb 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, the check engine warning light then illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Power train, Feb 12, 2023
I was driving my 2017 Ford Fusion it lost power to the engine. The car just revs when you hit the gas, the transmission failed. I was nearly ran off the road on route 95 back in July 2022, thank goodness I made it to the shoulder. I had my car towed to Ford service center and was made aware of the recall on the torque converter, also was informed that my vehicle isn’t a part of the recall. I find it very odd that my car has been doing everything that the recall is explaining.
Power train, Feb 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when attempting to shift gear there was a warning light and a message stating that shifter failure and “Shift Assist Fault, See Manual”. The contact depressed the brake pedal while moving the gear shifter for the gear shifter to function properly. The failure reoccurred intermittently and had since increased in frequency. The contact stated that several attempts were needed for the gear shifter to properly register the desired gear. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally shifted into reverse independently. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V413000 (Power Train), 19V362000 (Power Train), 18V471000 (Power Train) and 18V169000 (Power Train) related to the shifter cable bushing. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recalls. The shifter cable bushing and cap was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 85,400.
Power train, Feb 5, 2023
The bushing that attaches transmission shift cables disappeared. The car flashed "shift sys fault" and kept turning on the emergency brake and disabled the engine from starting. After googling the warning, I found an article about the recall from ford and what the problem was. After finding a picture of the problem I was able to verify that the bushing was gone and cable was detached. Once the cable was reattched, the car functioned correctly. Unfortunately my car was not part of the 2022 recall for this malfunctioning part
Electrical system, Jan 26, 2023
Failure of shifter cable bushing, which has been documented as recall in 2016 model but not yet for 2017
Power train, Jan 25, 2023
The Shifter Cable Bushing disintegrated on my 2017 Ford Fusion, causing it to not shift into drive while parking my car. This did not result in damage or an accident, but the car was stuck in gear, and I could not move the car. I was told there is no recall for my car on this, but there is on others. I had to get it repaired at my own cost. The issue could cause more problems with similar cars like mine. A warning on my dash told me there was a problem with the shifter mechanism and that the car wasn't in gear. If the car had been in neutral at the time of the problem, it could have rolled away, with me thinking that the car was in park.
Steering, Jan 25, 2023
I got in my 2017 Fusion SE to leave my house. As I started out of my driveway, I noticed that the steering was hard and I had a " Steering Assist Fault, Service Required" lamp on. I did not drive the car that day. The car drove fine the day before. I called my local mechanic to take my car into the shop to have him check the vehicle. As I drove the vehicle to the shop, I noticed that it was very hard to steer and the steering made a grinding noise. The shop called later and advised that the rack and pinion sensor was bad and needed replacing. The shop advised that the only way to repair it was to replace the rack and pinion. My mechanic advised that he has seen this problem with other 2017 Ford Fusions. The shop advised that the cost would be $3000.00. I was shocked at the cost, but I authorized the repair. The mileage on the vehicle was 39,650. I am just thankful that I was not driving the car on the road at the time that this went bad. There was no warning with this. I did look on this web sight and found that this is not an uncommon problem with the 2017 Fusions. I believe that because the sensor cannot be replaced on its own, that Ford should fix this dangerous problem and do a recall. How long until this happens a second time? Should I sell this vehicle before it happens again? I just hope I am not driving the next time the sensor goes out.
Other or unspecified, Jan 24, 2023
DEFECT IN LEFT DRIVER REAR LIGHT.. WHEN IT RAIN WATER GOES INTO THE TRUNK TIRE AREA BECAUSE OF THE SEAL AROUND LIGHT
Engine, Jan 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle started shaking uncontrollably with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she was able to drive the vehicle to her residence and later had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2 and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 22-2134 which expired on November 30, 2022, and the contact experienced the failure on December 1, 2022. The contact stated that the dealer and the manufacturer denied the repair because the TSB had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 107,300.
Service brakes, Jan 17, 2023
My 2017 Ford Fusion suddenly has a brake fluid leak and all fluids have been previously checked on a routine basis. My brakes suddenly wouldn’t work while driving and trying to come to a stop and I had to pull on my emergency brake and then put in park as it will not stop completely while sitting at a red light or intersection. I have read the multiple complaints that have been reported with this problem and I am also reporting this issue with my 2017 Ford Fusion as well!