2018 Ford FUSION

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Ford FUSION has 562 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 7.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (50% of all complaints), specifically: while stopped at a intersection for a red light the car completely died. i couldn't turn on the emergency flashers, roll down windows or unlock doors. everything was dead. i was idling at the stop light when this happened.. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 2 crash reports

562

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

7.0x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

280 complaints

50%

• WHILE STOPPED AT A INTERSECTION FOR A RED LIGHT THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED. I COULDN'T TURN ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS OR UNLOCK DOORS. EVERYTHING WAS DEAD. I WAS IDLING AT THE STOP LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
• I STARTED LOSING COOLANT AS A I DROVE WITHOUT ANY VISIBLE LEAKS AROUND THE ENGINE OR COOLING SYSTEM. I DECIDED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE IN TO MY DEALER ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE COOLANT IS LEAKING INTERNALLY AND THAT THE DEALER IS VERY USED TO SEEING THIS ISSUE ON 2018 AND 2019 FORD FUSIONS. THEY TOLD
• CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, LOTS OF WHITE SMOKE OUT OF TAILPIPE AND DARK BLACK SPARK PLUGS AT 15,000 MILES! DEALER SAID I GOT BAD GAS OR VANDALISM THEREFORE NO WARRANTY COVERAGE. I HAD TO PAY A LOCAL MECHANIC TO REPLACE SPARK PLUGS, PUMP OUT AND REPLACE FUEL. TWO WEEKS LATER I RECEIVE A FORD LETTER STATI

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WHILE STOPPED AT A INTERSECTION FOR A RED LIGHT THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED. I COULDN'T TURN ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS OR UNLOCK DOORS. EVERYTHING WAS DEAD. I WAS IDLING AT THE STOP LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

107 complaints

19%

• CHANGES GEARS ON ITS OWN EXAMPLE-AFTER GETTING IN THE CAR PUTTING SEAT BELT ON, PUTTING FOOT ON BRAKE AND STARTING THE CAR, PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE,CHECKING MIRRORS USING THE BACKUP CAMERA I LOOK ONE MORE TIME. I WAS IN A BUSY PARKING LOT. LET MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE WHEN IT WENT INTO PARK. AN OTHER T
• ON 3/6/2020 WE TOOK VEHICLE IN TO DEALERSHIP. THEY PERFORMED OIL CHANGE AND REPROGRAMMED PCM DUE TO RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED ON MY VEHICLE. 2 DAYS LATER WE STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH GAS MILEAGE SENSOR. DEALERSHIP TO US TO RESET. VEHICLE CONTINUE TO HAVE USSUES WARNING LIGHTS ARE ON, NOW WE HAVE P
• 2018 FORD FUSION SE 1.5L ECOBOOST 66K MILES- 8/27/2020 I WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT WHEN OUT OF NO WHERE MY CAR FELT AS IF IT WERE GOING TO STALL OUT, VERY ROUGH SHAKY IDLE, AND IDLING AT 800 OR LESS RPMS. ON GREEN, I ATTEMPTED TO GO AND MY CAR WAS HAVING TROUBLE ACCELERATING, A

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“CHANGES GEARS ON ITS OWN EXAMPLE-AFTER GETTING IN THE CAR PUTTING SEAT BELT ON, PUTTING FOOT ON BRAKE AND STARTING THE CAR, PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE,CHECKING MIRRORS USING THE BACKUP CAMERA I LOOK ONE MORE TIME. I WAS IN A BUSY PARKING LOT. LET MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE WHEN IT WENT INTO PARK. AN OTHER T”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

49 complaints

• WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GOES OVER 70 DEGREES, THERE'S CREAKING NOISES UNDERNEATH, SOMETIMES VERY LOUD WHEN TURNING, EVEN WHEN PARKED, MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT IT MAKES THE NOISE. LOOKING ONLINE, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS THAT REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM, MY CAR HAS ONLY 72K MILES
• AT A RENT-A-CAR FACILITY IN ABSECON, NJ, CUSTOMER RETURNED THE VEHICLE COMPLAINING THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED. CAR WAS PARKED, NO DOORS WERE AJAR (RENTAL AGENT MADE SURE OF IT), LOCKED VEHICLE, AND TRIED THE HANDLES. FOUND AFTER ONE OR TWO PUMPS ON ANY HANDLE THE VEHICLE WOULD UNLOCK ITS
• GEAR DIAL STUCK IN PARK MODE. GEAR DIAL I WILL NOT MOVE. WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST STARTED THEN TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF AND TRYING OVER AND OVER I WAS ABLE TO GET IT INTO GEAR. THIS LAST TIME THAT DIDN'T WORK. ATTEMPTED TO GET THE CAR IN NEUTRAL USING THE NEUTRAL OVERRIDE METHOD BUT IT FAILED. CAR H

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GOES OVER 70 DEGREES, THERE'S CREAKING NOISES UNDERNEATH, SOMETIMES VERY LOUD WHEN TURNING, EVEN WHEN PARKED, MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT IT MAKES THE NOISE. LOOKING ONLINE, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS THAT REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM, MY CAR HAS ONLY 72K MILES ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

30 complaints

• WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 IN EXTREMELY HEAVY TRAFFIC THE 2018 FORD FUSION SUDDENLY DECELERATED AND INDICATING LIGHTS CAME ON. IT WAS HARROWING AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO NAVIGATE THE DISABLED VEHICLE. THE FORD DEALER STATES THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS INTERESTING SINCE, THE CAR IS
• CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, LOTS OF WHITE SMOKE OUT OF TAILPIPE AND DARK BLACK SPARK PLUGS AT 15,000 MILES! DEALER SAID I GOT BAD GAS OR VANDALISM THEREFORE NO WARRANTY COVERAGE. I HAD TO PAY A LOCAL MECHANIC TO REPLACE SPARK PLUGS, PUMP OUT AND REPLACE FUEL. TWO WEEKS LATER I RECEIVE A FORD LETTER STATI
• I stopped at a gas station in 0 digit degree weather fahrenheit and when I tried to insert the pump into the capless filler, it was frozen guy the actual inner latch that opens to the tank itself. I tried to gently apply pressure and I could not get it to open after trying for 3-4 minutes. Luckily I

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 IN EXTREMELY HEAVY TRAFFIC THE 2018 FORD FUSION SUDDENLY DECELERATED AND INDICATING LIGHTS CAME ON. IT WAS HARROWING AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO NAVIGATE THE DISABLED VEHICLE. THE FORD DEALER STATES THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS INTERESTING SINCE, THE CAR IS”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

25 complaints

• WHILE STOPPED AT A INTERSECTION FOR A RED LIGHT THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED. I COULDN'T TURN ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS OR UNLOCK DOORS. EVERYTHING WAS DEAD. I WAS IDLING AT THE STOP LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
• AT A RENT-A-CAR FACILITY IN ABSECON, NJ, CUSTOMER RETURNED THE VEHICLE COMPLAINING THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED. CAR WAS PARKED, NO DOORS WERE AJAR (RENTAL AGENT MADE SURE OF IT), LOCKED VEHICLE, AND TRIED THE HANDLES. FOUND AFTER ONE OR TWO PUMPS ON ANY HANDLE THE VEHICLE WOULD UNLOCK ITS
• MY ELECTRICAL IN MY CAR DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK POWER STEERING WINDOWS ARE AFFECTED CANNOT USE MY IPHONE TO MAKE OR RECEIVE CALLS WINDOWS DON'T GO UP AND DOWN

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 562 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: WHILE STOPPED AT A INTERSECTION FOR A RED LIGHT THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED. I COULDN'T TURN ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS OR UNLOCK DOORS. EVERYTHING WAS DEAD. I WAS IDLING AT THE STOP LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: CHANGES GEARS ON ITS OWN EXAMPLE-AFTER GETTING IN THE CAR PUTTING SEAT BELT ON, PUTTING FOOT ON BRAKE AND STARTING THE CAR, PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE,CHECKING MIRRORS USING THE BACKUP CAMERA I LOOK ONE MORE TIME. I WAS IN A BUSY PARKING LOT. LET MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE WHEN IT WENT INTO PARK. AN OTHER T
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GOES OVER 70 DEGREES, THERE'S CREAKING NOISES UNDERNEATH, SOMETIMES VERY LOUD WHEN TURNING, EVEN WHEN PARKED, MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT IT MAKES THE NOISE. LOOKING ONLINE, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS THAT REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM, MY CAR HAS ONLY 72K MILES
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 IN EXTREMELY HEAVY TRAFFIC THE 2018 FORD FUSION SUDDENLY DECELERATED AND INDICATING LIGHTS CAME ON. IT WAS HARROWING AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO NAVIGATE THE DISABLED VEHICLE. THE FORD DEALER STATES THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS INTERESTING SINCE, THE CAR IS
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)