Model record
Ford Fusion Years to Avoid: Reliability and Recalls
Every Ford Fusion model year in NHTSA's owner complaint file, 2010 to 2020: how many complaints each year drew, the problem owners named most, and the recalls to check before you buy.
NHTSA owner complaintsChecked Oct 2, 202618,153 complaints11 model years
Three Ford Fusion years drew more than 2,000 owner complaints each: 2010, 2011 and 2012. Owners named the steering most for 2010, 2011 and 2012.
It's a count of reports, not a failure rate, and the newest years have had less time on the road to collect them.
Complaints peak with the 2010, at 5,126, and the three years before Ford's all-new 2013 design carry more than half of all of them.
Ford Fusion complaints by model year
Every Ford Fusion model year in NHTSA's owner complaint file, 2010 to 2020. Years with 2,000 or more complaints are dark; beside each bar is the system owners named most that year.
- 2010Steering32%5,126
- 2011Steering50%2,783
- 2012Steering57%2,513
- 2013Engine21%1,785
- 2014Steering24%1,324
- 2015Engine27%990
- 2016Engine27%1,608
- 2017Engine35%1,103
- 2018Engine46%434
- 2019Engine49%309
- 2020Powertrain35%178
Best Ford Fusion years by complaint count
Of the years with at least five years on the road, these drew the fewest owner complaints. Fewer reports is not a clean bill of health: check the recalls for the exact car.
- 2020Powertrain · 3 recalls178
- 2019Engine · 3 recalls309
- 2018Engine · 2 recalls434
Most common Ford Fusion problems
The systems owners named most across all 11 model years, counted from each year's six most-named systems.
- SteeringNamed most in 4 of 11 years5,514
- EngineNamed most in 6 of 11 years3,170
- PowertrainNamed most in 1 of 11 years2,680
- Airbag systemNever the top system in a year1,323
- Electrical systemNever the top system in a year1,108
Our guides for these problems
Check engine codes Ford Fusion owners name
The OBD-II codes owners wrote into their complaints for the Fusion years we have read in full (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016), one count per complaint. Tap a code to read our guide; grey codes have no guide yet.
Ford Fusion years to avoid by generation
Ford called the 2013 Fusion all new, so the years in the file fall into two groups. NHTSA's file starts at 2010 and the Fusion ends with the 2020.
2010–2012
Last years before the all-new 2013
2010 most complaints · steering
10,422 complaints · 3 model years
2013–2020
All-new for 2013
2013 most complaints · engine
- 20131,785
- 20141,324
- 2015990
- 20161,608
- 20171,103
- 2018434
- 2019309
- 2020178
7,731 complaints · 8 model years
Ford Fusion recalls by year
Recall campaigns NHTSA lists for each model year, read Oct 2, 2026. A campaign that covers several years counts in each of them. Recall repairs are free at the dealer; check one car with its VIN.
- 2010Most often: airbag system13
- 2011Most often: airbag system9
- 2012Most often: airbag system6
- 2013Most often: powertrain19
- 2014Most often: powertrain19
- 2015Most often: powertrain13
- 2016Most often: powertrain13
- 2017Most often: steering4
- 2018Most often: steering2
- 2019Most often: electrical system3
- 2020Most often: electrical system3
Ford Fusion crash test ratings by year
NHTSA's overall star rating for each model year, with the frontal, side and rollover stars beside it.
- 2010No overall rating—
- 2011Frontal 3 · Side 4 · Rollover 4–54/5
- 2012Frontal 3 · Side 4 · Rollover 4–54/5
- 2013Frontal 5 · Side 4 · Rollover 45/5
- 2014Frontal 5 · Side 4 · Rollover 45/5
- 2015Frontal 5 · Side 4 · Rollover 45/5
- 2016Frontal 5 · Side 4 · Rollover 45/5
- 2017Frontal 4 · Side 5 · Rollover 45/5
- 2018Frontal 4 · Side 5 · Rollover 45/5
- 2019Frontal 4 · Side 5 · Rollover 45/5
- 2020Frontal 4 · Side 5 · Rollover 45/5
Federal investigations
NHTSA's defect office has opened 14 investigations into 13 problems that cover Ford Fusion model years from 2010 to 2020. An investigation looks into a possible defect; it is not a finding.
Common questions
What are the Ford Fusion years to avoid?
The years with the most owner complaints are 2010, 2011 and 2012. Treat them as the years to inspect hardest, not as a verdict on every car: run the VIN for open recalls and have the systems owners named checked before you buy.
What year is the most reliable Ford Fusion?
Complaints can't name a most reliable year, because the file counts reports, not failures per car sold. Of the years with at least five years on the road, 2020 drew the fewest complaints: 178. Newer years have fewer still, but they have had less time to collect them.
What is the most common problem with the Ford Fusion?
Across every year in the file, owners named the steering most, in 5,514 complaints, then the engine, in 3,170.
Which Ford Fusion years have the most recalls?
2013, 2014 and 2010, with 19, 19 and 13 recall campaigns.
What the complaint record can't tell you
Sources
Show all 3 sources
Counts by system and year cover vehicles with at least 10 complaints.