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.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 13, 2026
Rear camera all of a sudden stops working and says "rear camera not available", creating unsafe conditions when backing up. Common issue on Ford Fusions, for which there's a recall recently announced for the 2016 model year but not for 2017, even though same signs and symptoms and vehicle otherwise. Could you please investigate.
Engine, Jan 30, 2026
Coolant intrusion into the engine causing my car to missfire going down the road. Car is sitting in my yard unfit to be driven. Dealership claims it had previously been remedied. The car has only been inspected by my mechanic. No prior warnings before the misfire occurred
Electrical system, Jan 30, 2026
My backup camera on my 2017 ford fusion failed causing a blue screen on my infotainment screen camera is faulty and is a common issue among other vin numbers using the same part
Engine, Jan 26, 2026
Engine failed. Lost all compression. Evidently this is a known problem with this engine where the head, head gasket and block fail between cylinders.
Other or unspecified, Jan 23, 2026
There is open recall for 2017 ford fusion coolant leak that may lead to vehicle fire i have the same issue with my 2017 ford fusion but my vin is not flagged now I’m scared to drive the vehicle
Engine, Jan 22, 2026
2017 fusion 1.5 ecoboost.(purchased at 128k) 148k miles- 1 time white smoke at start up no check engine light. All of a sudden while driving started to drive rough. Towed too mechanic, determined cylinder #2 has coolant intrusion. Conducted the TSB. For this defect. All symptoms confirmed for the coolant intrusion. Got Quoted $10k for engine replacement. Vehicle has been parked in driveway since 10/24/25 too expensive too repair for a defective problem from ford.
Engine, Jan 15, 2026
My Ford Fusion has the 1.5L ecoboost engine. This engine has engineering issues that are known to Ford. My vehicle started producing white smoke from the exhaust and sluggish performance. At approximately 105,000 miles my vehicle went into limp mode due to a cracked head gasket. This was due to coolant intruding into the cylinders. Ford did a short block engine replacement and reprogrammed the PCM to try to fix the issue. At approximately 220,000 miles the vehicle started producing the same symptoms described earlier and the vehicle now requires a complete engine replacement. Ford refuses to fix this for me, even though it is well documented that this engine has engineering issues. These engines should last longer than 105,000 miles.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 12, 2026
Coolant leaking into cylinder, causing sudden rough driving, engine overheating warnings that don’t match temperature readings and distract driving.
Steering, Electrical system, Dec 29, 2025
Car warning states “steering assist fault service required” total loss of power steering in the vehicle after sat parked for a week, vehicle started without issue, no warning codes can be found with OBDII scanner
Electrical system, Dec 26, 2025
In our 2017 Ford Fusion, the back up camera sometimes says "unavailable at this time" (or something close to that) when put in reverse. It is available for inspection upon request. Safety is put at risk for multiple parties - the driver/owner, individual(s)/property behind the vehicle, insurance companies, and potentially others as the total view between mirrors and the backup camera is compromised. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealership as it is out of warranty. I see where Ford has a recall on some of these, so I checked both NHTSA and Ford websites, and it says this vehicle is ineligible for repair. However, we are experiencing this problem from time to time, most recently 2 days ago when our [XXX] old was driving it. He called to let us know what the camera was doing. I believe having a safety device glitching is unnacceptable, and I would like to see Ford resolve this issue for not just my car but all of them having a KNOWN issue! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Dec 25, 2025
Vehicle is experiencing coolant intrusion from a crack in the engine block 3rd cylinder which is a known issue by Ford for my particular vehicle year (2017). Ford has issued a TSB/Recall for model years 2017-2019, I believe this issue should qualify for manufacturer recall as this is known issue.
Engine, Dec 23, 2025
Ford Fusion 1.5L Ecoboost engines are known to have a fault short block that causes coolant intrusion. This defect does not trigger a check engine light, so there is no way for a driver to identify the problem until it's too late. Ford issued a Technical Safety Bulletin informing mechanics of this issue but customers were not given an option to repair it. A Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) was initiated to replace some VIN models short blocks, but not all. Other Ford 1.5L Ecoboost engines are having this issue and were not properly informed or given the option to repair through the CSP and are driving cars that can have total engine failure without proper notification. I have taken my Ford Fusion in for all the safety recalls and was never informed of this issue. I was not part of the CSP that aimed to repair the defect because my VIN did not qualify. However, my Ford Fusion 2017 1.5L Ecoboost engine has this same defect and it wasn't caught until damage had been done to the engine and a costly repair was initiated. No check engine light or warning came from Ford to inform me of this issue. I fortunately started hearing noises and went to check it out before taking a long trip in the snow--which could have had disastrous safety consequences if engine failure occurred. I am not the only one with a ford 1.5L Ecoboost engine that has had this issue. Many people have either not been included in the CSP program or were unable to repair in their narrow CSP plan window. Ford is waiting for enough complaints to identify if the issue is more widespread, despite knowing that it is a design flaw. This should be a total safety recall as their is no way for consumers to take proactive action against this defect without extensive knowledge of the issues with these engines, which Ford is not communicating to its customers.
Engine, Dec 19, 2025
This Fusion has the same coolant leak as described in Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12.
Power train, Dec 18, 2025
Wrench light came on my car while driving 30mph, then the engine light. Had it diagnosed & I am told my car that went to the shop with code p0741 needs a NEW transmission!! 54, 618 miles only. Fix is $6800.00. I was told not to drive the car as it could seize up.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Power train, Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after shifting to drive(D), the vehicle erroneously rolled backwards up a slight incline. The failure had occurred on several occasions. Additionally, while driving down a hill and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes malfunctioned, the vehicle failed to stop, and drove through a 4-Way intersection and drove approximately a half mile before stopping. During the failure, the message "Transmission not in Park" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Other or unspecified, Dec 6, 2025
Vehicle display more often than not shows "Rear view camera not available" or a distorted image when reversing.
Engine, Nov 13, 2025
Recommended by dealer service CS replace long block assembly Using bore scope found coolant leaking into cylinder referred to tsb22-2229 long block recommended. Cost originally was $7923.77. After service manager was talked to price went to$7016.27. Install to be completed by 11/20/2025. Upset but what can I do. Car has 47183. 2017 Ford Fusion
Steering, Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the steering wheel was loose. The contact was able to rock the steering wheel approximately 3/8 of an inch in either direction. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering). The contact called a local dealer and was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was coolant intrusion into several cylinders, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Engine, Nov 10, 2025
Vehicles Engine has been affected due to a know manufacturing flaw with design that caused coolant to leak into the cylinder walls of the engine block causing a rough idle, white smoke out of the exhaust and cylinder 2 misfire.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 7, 2025
Have had to replace the same 2 coil pacs in last three months. Car will not accelerate properly will not shift into gears properly took to have information test done keeps coming back fouled 2 & 4 coils
Power train, Engine, Nov 4, 2025
Technical Safety Bulletin 19-2346; coolant infiltrating cylinder #2. Quoted $8350 for long block repair.
Engine, Nov 1, 2025
I was experiencing engine vibration while driving and lack of power when I pressed gas pedal. I took it to an independent garage first, and then to the dealer. Both told me there was coolant and water in the cylinders, and the dealer told me I needed a total engine replacement consisting of the long block and the head gasket. And it was going to cost me $14,000. my car only has 44,000 miles on it and Ford told me there was nothing they could do about it even though it was a known issue dating back several years.
Power train, Oct 17, 2025
The Transmission in the Ford Fusion 1.5 L engine just stop working. The car will go and then the transmission would just stop working. The you could turn the car off and it would drive again and stop working again. It took me turning the car off about 12 times to get it home. This was just a test drive after my daughter had it towed home after being stranded. This is a safety issue for not only young girls being stranded, but everybody being stranded without any warning! Ford knows there is an issue, hopefully the Ford Executives are warning their love ones not to buy a Ford Fusion Model that has this issue.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Oct 11, 2025
2 separate dealerships made me pay to replace faulty tires when the new ones blew out within less than a month of purchase. They also pocketed the mail in rebates I was promised for buying new sets of tires from their locations. I started taking my car to an independent garage for regular maintenance. My traction control light has been on since shortly after I bought the car in 2018 but I never imagined I'd be spending my entire savings on repairs immediately after the useless warranty expired. First it was a cracked flex plate which I'm lucky happened when I was driving on a side road as opposed to the interstate. I was going roughly 55mph when I lost my ability to steer, accelerate, or even cut power to the ignition. My car has been towed 4 times with total cost of almost 10K and it still isn't fixed. I reported everything to Ford they don't stand by anything Ford manufactures. I'll probably be living in this piece of trash soon enough as that savings I just wasted was a down payment for a house