2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine1525.9%
- Electrical813.8%
- Steering58.6%
- Driver assistance58.6%
- Airbags46.9%
- Brakes46.9%
- Other / unspecified46.9%
- Powertrain (other)46.9%
- Seat belts23.4%
- Fuel system23.4%
- Interior & seats23.4%
- Visibility11.7%
- Suspension11.7%
- Tires & wheels11.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
Transmission in vehicle causes erratic engine behavior and has a grinding sounds
My vehicle is currently overheating. As I started checking and inspecting my car I noticed leaks into my cylinders. I went online and notices many forms of discussion as Ford owners requesting a class action to resolve this issue. This can be very expensive as I may have to repair my motor.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
I am submitting this complaint regarding an unrepaired safety recall on my 2016 Ford Fusion, Ford Recall 25SA9 / NHTSA Recall 25V695, involving the rear-view camera. The recall concerns a condition where the rear-view camera may display a blank or distorted image when the vehicle is placed in reverse. This can reduce the driver's ability to see what is behind the vehicle and increase the risk of a crash. The recall was issued in October 2025. I have been waiting for the recall remedy to become available, but Ford and the dealership have been unable to complete the repair because the necessary parts are not available. As of August 11, 2026, my vehicle's NHTSA recall status still states: "Recall Incomplete, remedy not yet available." This means that approximately 10 months after the recall was issued, I still do not have access to the recall repair for a known safety defect. I understand that parts shortages can occur; however, I am concerned that such a significant amount of time has passed without Ford providing a remedy. The recall information indicates that the remedy was expected to become available, yet my vehicle remains unrepaired. I am requesting that NHTSA review Ford's handling of this recall and determine: Why the recall remedy remains unavailable approximately 10 months after the recall was issued. When Ford expects the required repair parts to actually become available. Whether Ford is taking adequate steps to provide affected vehicle owners with a timely and effective remedy. Whether Ford has provided an adequate interim solution for owners while they wait for the repair. I have contacted the dealership regarding the recall and have been advised that they cannot complete the repair because the necessary parts are unavailable. I am requesting NHTSA's assistance and review because this is a safety recall that remains unresolved many months after being issued. Vehicle: 2016 Ford Fusion Manufacturer Recall: 25SA9 NHTSA Recall: 25V695 Defect: Re
Car has intermittent electrical issue that causes ECUs to reboot often times disabling safety systems such as ABS, Airbags, Collision Avoidance, Adaptive Cruise Control, power steering and power brakes. Ford dealer believes that it's a short in a wiring harness. They claim this issue has been seen in several vehicles like mine. Ford was able to reproduce the problem and recommends replacement of a wiring harness ($4k). To date, I have not had an accident, but do not feel safe driving the vehicle if the airbags and other safety systems become inoperable. Yes, all of the dashboard lights come on when this issue occurs - technician states that the whole computer system gets taken down. That's very uncomfortable when you are traveling at highway speed and no longer have safety system. Steering and braking do get impacted but are not inoperable. I can provide videos of the dashboard when these events occur.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was turned; however, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. In addition, the contact stated that the trunk latch was independently unlocked. The contact stated that the trunk failure had started in 2023. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.
I drove the vehicle 2 miles to a nearby shopping center. I came out 15 minutes later and tried to start the car. Immediately flashing on the console was a large yellow wrench, message telling me to stop the vehicle immediately, pull over, errors with steering system, errors with side impact system and various other errors flashed. I tried to put the car in drive and it automatically went back into Accessory mode and flashed the same error messages telling me to stop driving. The steering was locked and unable to steer. Had it towed to the Ford dealer. They let it sit for 4 hours and then called to say they could see no issue as it started just fine. The next day they called and said they saw the issue 3 different times and saw communication errors in the car computer. They cleared the errors and let it sit over the weekend. They called several days later and said they had driven it 25 miles with no errors seen. I do not trust this car as safe on the road. If I had been on the highway, I would have locked up the steering and lost all power. It's not safe to drive until Ford finds the cause. I filed a complaint with Ford headquarters and was given a case number with high priority. The regional service manager is being enlisted to figure this out. I've alerted the sales director that I won't be buying another Ford until we find the problem. I've alerted other dealer executives to get involved.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car has intermittent electrical issue that causes ECUs to reboot often times disabling safety systems such as ABS, Airbags, Collision Avoidance, Adaptive Cruise Control, power steering and power brakes. Ford dealer believes that it's a short in a wiring harness. They claim this issue has been seen in several vehicles like mine. Ford was able to reproduce the problem and recommends replacement of a wiring harness ($4k). To date, I have not had an accident, but do not feel safe driving the vehicle if the airbags and other safety systems become inoperable. Yes, all of the dashboard lights come on when this issue occurs - technician states that the whole computer system gets taken down. That's very uncomfortable when you are traveling at highway speed and no longer have safety system. Steering and braking do get impacted but are not inoperable. I can provide videos of the dashboard when these events occur.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while reversing, the back prevention camera display screen went blank and the warning message saying, "back camera unavailable contact the dealership." The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure and did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car has intermittent electrical issue that causes ECUs to reboot often times disabling safety systems such as ABS, Airbags, Collision Avoidance, Adaptive Cruise Control, power steering and power brakes. Ford dealer believes that it's a short in a wiring harness. They claim this issue has been seen in several vehicles like mine. Ford was able to reproduce the problem and recommends replacement of a wiring harness ($4k). To date, I have not had an accident, but do not feel safe driving the vehicle if the airbags and other safety systems become inoperable. Yes, all of the dashboard lights come on when this issue occurs - technician states that the whole computer system gets taken down. That's very uncomfortable when you are traveling at highway speed and no longer have safety system. Steering and braking do get impacted but are not inoperable. I can provide videos of the dashboard when these events occur.
MY AIRBAG IN MY STEERING WHEEL IS POPPED UP AND THE SYNC SYSTEM FOR MY RADIO KEEPS DISCONNECTING AND JUST WILL NOT CONNECT AT ALL. DID A FACTORY RESET WITCH SOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR ONLY A COUPLE DAYS AND WENT BACK TO NOT WORKING AGAIN
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
AS I WAS DRIVING MY CAR LOCKED UP AND I HAD TO HARD BREAK. I TOOK IT INTO THE SHOP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A WIRING ISSUE AND NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHY IT WOULD HAPPEN AND SUGGESTED I PLACED SOMETHING HEAVY ON MY PASSENGER DASH. IT SOUNDS SIMILAR TO ANOTHER RECALL I SAW BUT MY CAR IS NOT LISTED AS NEEDING THAT. *TR
OUR BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON SPONTANEOUSLY FOR SEVERAL SECONDS WHILE CAR SAT IDLE WITH PARKING BRAKE OFF (MY SPOUSE WAS IN THE CAR AND SAW THIS HAPPEN). WE TURNED THE PARKING BRAKE ON AND OFF, BUT THE LIGHT REMAINED ON. IT WENT OFF AFTER ABOUT MINUTE BY ITSELF. WE TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER TO CHECK THAT ISSUE AND DO AN OIL CHANGE. THEY DID A "VEHICLE CHECK-UP" (WE HAVE THE PAPERWORK) AND SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM FOUND. THREE DAYS LATER THE BRAKES FAILED. I WAS DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET, CROSSING STRAIGHT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WITH A GREEN LIGHT AT AROUND 10MPH (I AM GUESSING), AND WENT TO SLOW THE CAR BECAUSE TRAFFIC HAD SLOWED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT SOFT TO THE FLOOR, YET THE BRAKES BARELY HAD ANY FORCE (I AM GUESSING 10% STOPPING POWER). THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND A BEEP SOUNDED. I WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SLOW THE CAR TO A STOP. WE TOWED IT TO THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER. THEY, AGAIN, SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. THEY INDICATED THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM WARNING I HEARD, DESPITE THE FACT I HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR THREE YEARS... I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. FURTHERMORE, MY SPOUSE SAW THE BRAKE LIGHT COME ON EARLIER. MOST IMPORTANT IS THE FACT THAT THE BRAKES FAILED. WE ALSO CALLED FORD HEADQUARTERS AND INFORMED THEM OF THE ISSUE. WE WERE TOLD THEY INVESTIGATED THIS AT THE SERVICE CENTER, AND FOUND NO PROBLEM.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
I always have my tires rotated at every oil change. This particular time (6/18/2022) the Service Manager (Steve) stated that I needed to replace my wheel nuts because of them swollen and he was afraid that if he takes off the wheels, they might not go back on or if I needed to remove the wheels on a roadside emergency that the wrench that comes with the car would not fit. He stipulated that this is happening more and more and it should be on a recall. We had to pay $9/nut (x20) to replace something that is "obviously" a Ford suppler issue and not the end user. Get this the program, get these recalled and get a better substitution.
Went in for a oil change and tire rotation service writer came to tell me lug nuts were distorted and needed to be replaced.He also informed me that Ford was aware of this and they change a lot of lug nuts during the week. There should be a recall if it is a safety hazard. There are no warning lights to tell you you lug nuts are distorted and could cause a safety hazard. When you go in for routine maintenance it is a problem when they can't get the tires off your car because of defective lug nuts.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
I drive a 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid with approximately 105,000 miles. The transmission (HF35 hybrid) recently started making a whining noise. The vehicle was diagnosed at a Ford service center as needing a transmission replacement due to failure of the transfer shaft gear assembly bearings. Issues with premature failure of the transfer shaft bearings for this transmission are well documented online and in multiple Technical Service Bulletins (TSB 14-0214, 16-0105, 17-0039) spanning several years. Previously, a Customer Service Satisfaction Program 14B07 was established to replace transmissions with this issue, for 2013-2014 model years. The program expired; however, many vehicles were produced with the same transmission issues after this Customer Service Satisfaction Program expired (including 2015 & 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrids built before Aug 2015). It is clear Ford was aware of the transmission issue when these later year vehicles were sold. I have reached out to Ford for assistance in repairing this defect but they have not provided any support. These defective bearings will certainly fail in thousands of cars currently on our roads and highways. Transmission failures are unpredictable and could result in dangerous vehicle behavior and vehicle accidents. Repair of this transmission defect is cost prohibitive for many vehicle owners and will force them to continue to drive the cars with failing transmissions. Ford, or the NHTSA, should issue a recall or Customer Service Satisfaction Program, to repair/replace these defective bearings both for public safety and to value their customers.
i spoke to the Ford dealership service department tech about the recall (22S43/22V413) & was told that Ford stopped making repairs as of the end of July for the problem until the customer has an actual problem and has to have the car towed in - then & only then will parts be sent to the dealership for the repair - Ford repaired some cars in July but notified service departments that Ford will not ship out parts until a customer's car is towed in for repairs to be fixed....Ford will pay for the tow and all parts but cars are not to be repaired until they are broken! I spoke to a rep from Ford and their story was totally different - parts are not available until at least October, so my question is - what happens to cars that exhibit this problem? DOES THE OWNER HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER TO GET A FIX - that seems ridiculous - I asked to speak to a Supervisor and have been waiting for over 30 minutes so will hang up now since no one wants to speak to a customer......
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
Driver front seat belt locks into position making it difficult to pull out. It also gets locked once the seatbelt is in place. This is an ongoing problem and happens whether the vehicle is on or off.
DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKS UP, AND CONSTANTLY HAS TROUBLE RETRACTING.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
EVAP blocking valve failed and car immediately went into limp mode on the highway. By doing this it could cause a crash. EVAP blocking valve also should last the life of the vehicle.
TWO DAYS AFTER GETTING GAS MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT STAYED ON FOR ABOUT A WEE AND TURNED OFF. THIS KEPT HAPPENING EVERYTIME I GOT GAS S I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD SOMETIMES THE CAP STICKS AND IT'S A COMMON THING THAT DOESNT REQUIRE ANY REPAIRS AND THEY RESET IT. THIS HAPPENED FOR ALMOST A YEAR. I TOOK IT BACK AND THIS TIME THEY CLAIM I NEEDED A NEW VAPOR MANAGEMENT VALVE. OF COURSE MY CAR IS LESS THAN 36,000 MILES BUT THE 3 YEARS ARE UP AS OF TWO MONTHS AGO. I CALLED FORD AND THEY SAID IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE I HAD THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE 3 YEARS. WHEN I GET TO THE DEALERSHIP TO PICK UP MY CAR THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. I CALL FORD BACK AND ASK THEM TO SEND AN AUTHORIZATION NUMBER TO THE DEALERSHIP AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S NOT UNDER WARRANTY.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was turned; however, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. In addition, the contact stated that the trunk latch was independently unlocked. The contact stated that the trunk failure had started in 2023. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked, the contact’s husband exited and closed the front passenger's side door; however, the front passenger's side door latch fractured and failed to properly close the door. The contact stated that there was no impact to the front passenger's side door that could have caused the door latch to fracture. The contact had to firmly push the front passenger's side door to keep the door closed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the front passenger's side door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V775000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The drivers side sun visor will fall down in front of my face when I try to adjust it. It will dangle from its wires on the left side (main pivot point). This is very dangerous when it happens while driving. It cannot be put back in its place without stopping the car and repositioning it back in the whole that it fell out of. And it Will fall out again when moved. It has happened several times to me and my wife.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
TAKATA RECALL
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE OWNED 5 MICHELIN ENERGY SAVER A/S TIRES, SIZE 225/50R17. THREE OF THEM DEVELOPED SIDEWALL BUBBLES IN LESS THAN 40,000 MILES, SOME WITHIN 5000 MILES OF PURCHASE. ALL TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED SINCE DRIVING ON THESE TIRES COULD CAUSE DEATH. THIS TIRE IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .