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.
Steering, Dec 27, 2021
On the highway we lost the steering assist function. The dash lit up with steering assist failure. Due to this system failing on the highway, I almost had an accident while in a turn, I went across the rumble strips toward the wall and just barley missed hitting the wall. When the power assist failed this made the vehicle harder to control then a standard manual steering car, it took a great deal of force to control the car.
Wheels, Dec 26, 2021
Swollen lug nuts that can’t be removed because they have swollen to be too large for the included jack as well as any other 19mm socket. My 2011 fusion had this problem and I spent approx $200+ to fix for all wheels inc labor (was labor intensive to strip off outer casing of swollen lugs), now my 2017 fusion has the same issue and I cannot out on a spare to replace my completely flat tire- will need to get towed to fix
Engine, Dec 17, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the engine. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer where the diagnostic test result was confirmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
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.
Steering, Oct 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering assist Fault" and "Service Advance Track" messages illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the steering wheel lost power steering and was significantly more difficult to steer. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for diagnostic testing. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 34,886.
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.
Other or unspecified, Oct 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that a crack had formed over the passenger’s side dashboard which caused the air bag to be exposed. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact called the dealer about the failure and was informed that her vehicle was not covered under recall or warranty. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The contact was referred to NHTSA for further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 22, 2021
Loses power .. Cylinder misfire P0301 Diagnostics
Other or unspecified, Sep 28, 2021
I was in my neighborhood heading to the store at the top the street I heard something like a clunky noise sounded like something fell out the bottom then it stopped immediately after no light or anything on to make me think of any issue with my car it started leaking like something broke kind of a burning smell then it wouldn’t move it would come on shift gears but not move at all it’s now been at Ford since last week they are trying to find the problem I guess seems to me like it’s part of the recall with torque converter they left me a voicemail saying it was a lot of metal and maybe the engine not sure
Wheels, Sep 25, 2021
Lug nuts on 2017 Ford Fusion SE swollen/distorted and very difficult to remove from tire. It is available for inspection upon request. There is potential for safety risk due to driving with these damaged lug nuts as one may break, causing the added weight to shift to the other lug nuts, breaking them as well and worst case scenario my wheels comes off while I’m driving. Problem was identified/presented itself during the process of attempting to get state inspection when car failed for rear brakes and independent service member was trying to charge $300 to replace, attempted to change out brakes on own as well as through personal mechanic, which is when true problem with lug nuts came to fruition. Even unable to take them off with included lug removal tool that came with car as well as universal lug wrench. Now in the process of going to get lug nuts inspected, extracted and replaced via professional, independent service center. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and the issue first appeared on August 14, 2021.
Engine, Sep 24, 2021
Coolant leak to the engine.
Engine, Sep 13, 2021
Timing cover oil leak. Dealer said this is a know issue on Ford Fusions, but warranty expired at 60,000. My vehicle has 69,902 miles. $2,800 repair estimate.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, he became aware that the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an engine misfire. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic replaced the spark plug; however, the failure recurred. On another occasion, while driving, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact pulled over and added coolant in the reservoir and waited for the engine temperature to cool down before driving to his residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the spark plugs were replaced however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,561.
Engine, Sep 12, 2021
The engine overheated with no warning. The first time this happened was in traffic, and luckily the warning quickly went away. It seemed like a bug or maybe a faulty thermometer. Then it started running rough on startup and I noticed the coolant was empty. White smoke from the tailpipe. It was affected by the coolant intrusion TSB 19-2346, confirmed by the dealer. No CEL or other malfunction indicator besides the overheat warning. As the car was out of warranty at 80k miles, I was made to pay $3k (normally $8k) for a new engine.
Electrical system, Sep 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while moving the middle driver’s side air condition vent, the vehicle would suddenly shut off. The failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Engine, Aug 27, 2021
The light keeps going on and off to check engine and there is a code for misfire in cylinder 2 and I had the spark plugs change and had the coil packs check and also constantly filling the antifreeze up my mechanic says to call Ford because of the issue that was posted and I tried but they are giving me run around and saying there’s nothing out there for this problem but there is and I only had the car 3 years and less that 60k on it what do I do now to fix it
Electrical system, Aug 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 FORD Fusion. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle it requires a jumpstart. The contact stated no warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Other or unspecified, Aug 17, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where a mechanic was able to reset the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was then notified by the dealer that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V427000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Aug 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that gear shifter failed. The contact sated that when the driver attempted to shift the gear shifter from reverse into drive, the gear shifter failed to shift into the drive position. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic informed the contact that the gear shifter cable was fractured. The dealer replaced the gear shifter cable. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Power train, Aug 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the gear selector failed to shift from the PARK position. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the gear selector module was faulty 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 41,000
Engine, Jul 8, 2021
Have had engine light on for months, have taken it in to be fixed and finally I was told it is from coolant intrusion into the cylinder 3 that i would need a new engine. Ford refused to fix it because it has 80k miles on it (bought it used at 56k) I have an extended warranty through the place i boughr it but its been weeks waiting on their decision to fix it or not. 6k to fix a car ive had less than 2 years and this is a know. issue, so well known the warranty place is only allowing new engines to approved cases and the new engines are the same price as rhe rebuilt ones!! Ford knows rhis is an issue, every mechanic i have spoke to knows this is an issue, theres service bulletins but no recall on the 2.0l ecoboost, just the 1.5.. why? Im told recalls dont hit til over a million people are affected or complain? how messed up is that?? meanwhile people like me who have not had the car long either pay or are out a car. Ps there is a class action lawsuit against ford for the 2.0 l so if you own a fusion maybe look into joining! i know i am!!!
Power train, Jul 8, 2021
Cracked Flexplate on 2.0L EcoBoost motor. Apparently this is a common issue on those Ford motors and it is not a recall, what I think it should be once it is a manufacturing defect and a repair will cost about 4K.
Power train, Jul 5, 2021
My 2017 Ford Fusion 2.0L AWD with ~ 70k mileage car started to show an acceleration hesitation when starting from a stop on Thursday and Friday of the week. The following Monday morning, my car would start to vibrate when at a stop sign or traffic light when in drive. Over the following couple days, the vibration became excessive to the point that the car would vibrate excessively and stall if left in Drive when at a stop. When one is at a stop and puts the car into Park, the engine RPM's immediately surge and then settle down to a normal RPM. There were no warning lamps or messages on the dash. I took the car to my local Meineke on Friday of the same week and they determined that it was a Torque Converter issue and that is something that they could not do. I then took the car to my the nearest Ford Dealership in which they confirmed that the Torque Converter was indeed the issue. They said that they did get Warnings from their obd reader but there are still no warning lamps on the dash. The Ford Dealership filed a claim with Ford as a Torque Converter and/or Transmission are a known issue at this time. My car is the same model year, made at the same factory in the same assembly time as a known recall. My issue is similar to Recall no. 17V427000, but not exactly the same yet. Reference: https://auto-recalls.justia.com/ford/fusion/2017/17v427000/ I drove the following few days while waiting for Ford's approval to proceed with the repair/replacement but now feel the car sporadically surge at highway speeds and it's getting more noticeable over time. Ford declined my car for a recall. If one Googles the same model and issue, there are a LOT of people with the same issue around the same mileage. I'm continuing to hesitantly drive as I need to get to/from work. I'm proceeding with getting the Torque Converter/Transmission replaced via the Ford Dealership at at a cost of ~ $5k as I have no other options at this time.