2018 Ford Fusion
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 440 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 15 Fusion model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 9 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 6 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
Representative owner complaints
440 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Oct 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and hesitated to come to a stop. In addition, there was fuel leaking from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who confirmed that the brake fluid was leaking from the hose. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.)The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe; there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-2346. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the failure; the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,700.
Engine, Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart on the third attempt however the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine and the cylinder heads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 13,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started sputtering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the engine. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12; however, the vehicle was not covered due to the mileage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a notice for Ford Campaign Number: 21N12 was previously sent; however, the contact had not received the notice. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his wife was driving 60 MPH, the wrench symbol became displayed. The power train fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle started to shake with the check engine warning light illuminated. The power steering was inoperable. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Engine, Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle took approximately three minutes to start. The vehicle started after several attempts. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the vehicle needed a tune up and an oil change. The vehicle was repaired but the power train warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
Power train, Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the transmission independently shifted into the park(P) while driving at speeds of 30 MPH or exceeding the speed. The gear shifter had detached from the vehicle while driving over rough road surfaces. The contact had to manually maneuver the gear shifter to move the gear shifter to the desired position. The wrench symbol was displayed on the instrument panel, indicating that the vehicle needed to be serviced. The vehicle had been taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the gear shifter had a detached that needed to be repaired. The vehicle had been repaired; however, the failure persisted. The dealer had been contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Engine, Sep 24, 2024
Driving down the interstate and lost power due to rough running engine. I barely made it to the emergency lane before someone hit me. Coolant intrusion in the cylinders cause the engine malfunction. Ford is fully aware of this problem and refuses to help.
Engine, Sep 19, 2024
The car overheated and threw the code p1299, pulled over and there was no visual coolant leak. Put coolant in it and drove it to the garage a few days later, they told me coolant has leaked into the block and that I will need a whole new cylinder block and head gasket. Looked up recalls for my type of car and it showed 2013-2018 ford fusions have recalls about my problem and showed the symptoms and my car has every symptom of that recall but yet there is no active recall for my car.
Power train, Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced twice. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The power train warning light was illuminated. The messages "Shift System Fault”, “See Owner’s Manual" and "Take Vehicle to Service Center Immediately" were displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that while shifting to drive(D) or to reverse(R), the gear shifter independently shifted back to park(P). The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure milage was approximately 89,000.
Engine, Sep 16, 2024
Engine has misfire in cylinder one from coolant intrusion. TSB 22-2229. Engine coolant leak can cause many problems for the engine and other components to fail and even break. Dealership confirmed, they’re are other fusion models and same engines with the same problem in the 2.0l. There were no previous lights on the dashboard the car is maintained well.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was smoking with the engine overheating. The wrench symbol was displayed and was flashing on and off. The engine warning light was illuminated and flashing on and off. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat housing was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact that there was no recall coverage for the failure. The contact was referred to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 76,422.
Power train, Sep 14, 2024
After reversing out of my driveway I could not get me fusion to go into drive. After getting the car back into my driveway my fusion starting putting the emergency brake on I would take it off and it would automatically put the parking brake back on. After looking at a video of problems with the shifter I popped my hood and found that the shift cable had come off. There is a recall on fusions for this issue but my year is not included.
Engine, Sep 10, 2024
2018 fusion ecoboost with no lights or warnings would not start. Took to ford to repair, took them several weeks and several of the same part to fix crankshaft position sensor. Was given a clean bill of health on car. Everything was I'm good condition they said after I paid the 1500.00$ repair bill. Less than 1 week later the car dies while on highway going 65 mph without warning. No lights, nothing. Just sputtered and died. Done all I could to get out of the way so I would not be hit on highway. Catastrophic engine failure resulting in engine locking up had occurred. This car has been taken care of, less than 75k miles on it and the engine is garbage. I lost my job, almost lost my life, lost my home, over half of my possessions all as a direct result of this faulty car that was designed to fail. Ford knows about this engine problem, they continue to sell these cars and refuse to pay for repairs or recall them.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced rough starts and there was a slushing liquid sound coming from inside the dashboard. Additionally, while operating the vehicle the check engine warning light remained illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine block was cracked and causing coolant to leak into the engine. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 9, 2024
While driving, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated on the dashboard. Within 5-10 minutes, the vehicle began to lose power and struggled to maintain speed. Over the next 15 minutes, the vehicle's performance continued to deteriorate, eventually shutting down completely. Despite multiple attempts, the vehicle was unable to be restarted, the vehicle has not been inspected and the vehicle never gave any prior warning of potential failure this was the frist and only issue I had with this vehicle I had to have the vehicle towed home due to not starting
Engine, Sep 4, 2024
It was losing calling but no coolant leak, rough idle/driving and blows white smoke out of the exhaust and threw the code p1299 so I took it to a garage and they told me it was the cylinder head gasket but my car has no recalls on it and I looked up my problem and it said 2013-2018 ford fusions with the 1.5l built before June 2019 and mine was built in feb 2018 and I haven’t received any mail about a recall.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The dealer determined that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Engine, Sep 3, 2024
Coolant leaked into engine cylinder #4, requiring a new engine.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire, and the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 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 but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Power train, Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, jerked, and experienced hard shifts while responding. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with internal transmission damage that caused clutch B to fail. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,559.
Other or unspecified, Aug 29, 2024
Shift sys fault message appeared on screen. Car will not go out of park. Shifter bushings are no good. Was told if this had happened while driving my car could not be put in park and could result in a crash.
Engine, Aug 23, 2024
Summary: I purchased a 2018 Ford Fusion from Reliable Chevrolet on [XXX]. After driving the vehicle a little less than 15,174 miles the check engine light came on. The Ford dealership concluded there was a coolant leak into cylinder 2 and suggested a long block replacement. After further investigation it appears this vehicle falls under NHTSA CSP 21N12, 19B37 and TSB 22-2229. The Ford dealership and Ford Motor company refused to assist in providing financial assistance for the needed repairs. We were also not notified by Ford, Reliable Chevrolet, or the extended warranty company (purchased through Reliable Chevrolet (MPP Co)) that this vehicle is subject to multiple NHTSA CSPs or TSBs before the purchase (possible violation of Section 17.46 of TBCC and Section 17.41 of DTPA). Ford Motor Company Customer Ticket - [XXX] Auto Nation Ford (Frisco, TX) Invoice Date July 24, 2024 It is my opinion one or more of the parties mentioned above should be held accountable for the needed repairs as this is a documented defect that should have been disclosed before purchase or at the minimum before out extended warranty expired in March of 2024. Please let me know what other information is needed to help complete this complaint. Best Regards, [XXX] Frisco, Texas [XXX] email - [XXX] mobile - [XXX] Supplement Details: Culpable Parties Manufacture Ford Motor Company 1 American Road, Dearborn, MI 48126 PO Box 6248 Dearborn, MI 48126 Called and opened a case on 08/24/2024 Case [XXX] Seller Reliable Chevrolet 800 North Central Expressway Richardson, Texas 75080 Extended Warranty Company (provided by dealer) MPP Co., Inc P.O. Box 634, Shawnee Mission, KS 66201 Vehicle Information 2018 Ford Fusion VIN- [XXX] Manufacturer: FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO Series: SE FWDTrim: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)Drive Type: FWD/Front-Wheel Drive Cylinders: 4Primary Fuel Type: Gasol INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the engine started to overheat, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The message "Vehicle Temperature Overheating" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact pulled to the side of the road several times until arriving to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the PCM had failed. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed there was coolant intrusion in the engine cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 181,000.