2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid Owner Complaints

While driving roughly 5mph leaving from being parked for over 1.5 hours the hybrid battery caught/ control module caught on fire. Causing part of the truck carpet to catch fire. Since there was someone in the backseat that quickly felt the heat they turned the car off and stopped. The fire was put out. We end having it towed to the ford dealership that could not identify the reason it caught on fire. This is a known issue but the recall only affected 2 days of production.

NHTSA ID

11661325

Incident

May 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while using the key fob to start the vehicle, the heat on the front driver's seat and steering wheel failed to operate as intended. The contact manually depressed the button to turn on the heat. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed that the instrument cluster and APIM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, White Bear Lincoln, Inc. (3425 Hwy 61 N, St Paul, MN 55110) who diagnosed that the instrument cluster and APIM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The contact was informed that the warranty had expired and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 11,768.

NHTSA ID

11648737

Incident

Dec 17, 2017

Mileage

11,768 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel made a complete 360-degree turn; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. Additionally, the horn and the buttons on the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact pushed up on the steering wheel, applying a lot of pressure, to steer the vehicle while turning. Additionally, when the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact believed that the failures were associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,600.

NHTSA ID

11611533

Incident

Aug 27, 2024

Mileage

21,600 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly. The message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The RED Triangle Symbol (Master Warning Light) was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission was leaking and that the hybrid system, battery, and engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed there were no open recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11598600

Incident

Jun 4, 2024

Mileage

180,000 mi

Airbags failed to deploy at 30-40 mph head on collision. Vehicle had an airbag light come up, was inspected by Ford and the RCM module was replaced as directed by manual. Airbags were also inspected at the time. Lights were cleared after the replacement. Was the car not reading the speed at the time of the accident? My wife and 2 toddlers were in the vehicle at the time of the accident. I have a wrist injury and whiplash. Injuries could have been worse if it was a vehicle of twice the size or a semi.

NHTSA ID

11580473

Incident

Mar 8, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission bearing and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed about TSB: 22-2396 however, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired under the TSB. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ID

11576027

Incident

Feb 19, 2024

Mileage

104,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that the steering wheel had fractured. The contact stated that due to the failure, the steering wheel had an abnormal up and down movement. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11575846

Incident

Feb 6, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

Brake service lights comes on. Noticed softer feel when pressing on brakes and longer distance needed to come to complete stop. There were no noticeable changes in driving habits before the maintenance light came on. Diagnostics were done 02/2023 at Sacramento Downtown Ford and was told to replace a brake hose.

NHTSA ID

11561680

Incident

Dec 8, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to move out of park. The vehicle had been towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission range control module had failed. The gear shifter was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the transmission range control module needed to be replaced but was not yet replaced. The contact learned that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

NHTSA ID

11556407

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

Mileage

94,000 mi

I purchased a used car from a dealership in Orlando, FL, on May 5th this year. The vehicle has been experiencing a recurring issue of a battery drain, and despite multiple visits to authorized Ford service centers and leaving the car with the dealership for repairs, the problem persists. My ability as a customer to work and move around has been severely affected. The dealership claims no liability, but evidence suggests they were aware of the issue before selling the car. The service advisor admitted the problem existed before the purchase, providing repair orders from a different Ford location as proof. Currently, Ford is requesting 15 additional hours of labor for diagnosis, but the dealership refuses to approve it, leaving me with a non-functional vehicle. I suspect the vehicle's Power Control Module needs reprogramming due to a recall (Customer Satisfaction Program 17B38), but the VIN lookup shows no recalls associated with the car despite the model, year, plant city, build dates, as well as the reason for the recall matching. I, as the customer, am unable to use the purchased product, and Ford refuses to provide me with a response or any resolution as they “will not do anything until those 15 hours of labor = $3000 are not approved”, at the same time, financial constraints prevent me from approving the needed labor hours for diagnosis. Customer Satisfaction Program 17B38 Reason for this program: In some of the affected vehicles, if the ignition is briefly powered on and off, the PCM may not complete the shutdown process. As a result, the PCM will remain powered which results in excessive current draw and can lead to a drained battery. Affected vehicles Vehicle: Fusion Model Year: 2017 Plant City: Hermosillo Build Dates: 10/16/2015 - 08/02/2017

NHTSA ID

11556260

Incident

May 5, 2023

Mileage

111,760 mi

CVT Transmission Vehicle purchased 4/15/19 with 38,000 miles Transmission was bad and was replaced under warranty by Ford on 8/13/2021 @ 77,099 miles. Noise is back and I took vehicle to dealer for diagnosis 10/10/2023. Diagnosis: Hybrid Electric Unit Motor went out/Transmission is bad and needs to be replaced @ 115,023 miles I have only driven the car $67,076 on this new transmission. This does not seem right. Dealership says I am out of "dealer warranty" and that I must pay out of pocket $7k

NHTSA ID

11549455

Incident

Sep 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound at the hood of the vehicle. No warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the contact stated that two years later the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no programs to assist with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11549452

Incident

Aug 11, 2023

Mileage

115,000 mi

Torque convertor weld studs fail the torque convertor will not be connected to the engine flexplate and the vechile will lose the ability to move, increasing the risk for a crash.

NHTSA ID

11548122

Incident

Sep 27, 2023

While shopping for Ford fusion hybrids, I notice they all displayed abnormal tire wear, specifically on the inside edge of the rear tires. After purchasing a 2017 fusion hybrid I have seen a significant tire wear issue on the rear inside edge of my tires causing premature tire replacement. I have had the wheel alignment checked and was told it was good. this seems to be an issue with this model. For someone that does not inspect or maintain tires this could lead to a tire blow out at speed. I have had put 3 sets of tires on the vehicle over the last 3 years.

NHTSA ID

11547030

Incident

Aug 18, 2023

1. Gear shift jammed (from 3 months of owning my car, until now -4 yrs). 2. Stop Safely Now Caution Light on. Vechile stops, then shuts off, can't turn it back on until about 20 minutes, Maybe Transmission? I am highly displeased! The transmission started to kick when this "Stop Safely Light" appeared. I could have been in a car accident.

NHTSA ID

11546979

Incident

Sep 27, 2023

While traveling down the road, suddenly the steering gets hard to turn and the antilock brake system goes out. Usually, you can correct the problem by stomping on the brake or turning the car off and back on. Several warnings come up including Advancetrac failure. It’s a very dangerous situation when your power steering goes out while traveling down the road. This same issue has occurred more than 5 times.

NHTSA ID

11537042

Incident

Aug 7, 2023

I BOUGHT 4 TIRES ON 05/13/2023 FROM DISCOUNT TIRE. EXACTLY 40 DAYS (06/22/2023) FROM PURCHASE, THE SIDEWALL OF PSSANGER SIDE REAR TIRE BLEW OUT DRIVING DOWN A BUSY STREET WITH CAUSING OTHER VEHICLES TO MAKE ADVASIVE MOVES TO AVOID A COLLISSION. DISCOUNT TIRE REPLACED THE TIRE WITH A DIFFERENT MAKE OF TIRE WHILE STATING THAT THE BRAVURIS 5 IS NO LONGER MADE NOR SOLD. EXACTLY 21 DAYS LATER (07/13/2023) THE SECOND TIRE (DRIVER REAR) BLEW OUT THE SAME WAY THE FIRST ONE DID. BOTH TIRES BLEW IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT ON THE TIRE - CLOSE TO THE "SAFETY WARNING" LOCATION ON THE TIRE. THE FIRST INSTANCE I WAS TRAVELING AT 35MPH AND LUCKILY AVOIDED A COLLISION, THE 2ND TIME I WAS TRAVELING AT 10MPH TURNING A CORNER-AGAIN LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION. FROM THE TIME THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED UNTIL THE 2ND TIRE BLEW OUT, THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 500-550 MILES TOTAL.

NHTSA ID

11532177

Incident

Jun 22, 2023

The lug nuts on the wheels swell nd tcannot be removed. This, in turn, causes an extreme danger when trying to change a flat tire on the side of the road.

NHTSA ID

11532094

Incident

Jul 13, 2023

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The component that failed is the vacuum pump in a ford hybrid car model 2017. Yes is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?Is a big risk for me and others because is related to the brake system Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes the problem was diagnosed and confirmed by Ford car agency in SLP Mexico Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No only by the Ford agency in SLP Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes a red message was showed indicating review brake system, and the brake hand be activated when I was driving, I got this message at April 18th 2023, I pay to the ford car agency to review and they indicated that it was a sensor that dos not work so they reprogrammed it, then on June 27th the warning message appear again, then I reach the ford car agency and now they are telling me that the vacuum pump is failing and needs to be replaced

NHTSA ID

11530389

Incident

Apr 18, 2023

Trunk unlatches itself when car is unlocked, has happened when backing out of driveway, it doesn’t do it for a few weeks then starts back up again,

NHTSA ID

11527289

Incident

Jun 17, 2021

SOME MONTHS AGO THE CHECK BRAKES LIGHT CAME ON. I WENT TO THE BRAKE SHOP AND THEY SAID THERE WAS A LITTLE WEAR ON THE REAR BRAKE PADS SO THEY REPLACED THEM AND CLEANED ALL THE BRAKES AND FILLED THE FLUID. I WAS FINE FOR A A WHILE THEN A FEW MONTHS AGO THE CHECK BRAKES LIGHT REAPPEARED. AT THAT TIME I SAW FORD WAS RECALLING MY CAR MODEL FOR FAULTY BRAKE LINES. I CALLED FORD AND THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY SAID MY CAR IS NOT RECALLED YET. I ALSO EMAILED FORD WITH THE SAME REPLY. NOW I NOTICE IS I PARK MY CAR WHERE THE FRONT IS ELEVATED THE BRAKES ARE VERY LOOSE AND I HAVE TO PUMP THEM TO STOP WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE.

NHTSA ID

11524752

Incident

Feb 15, 2023

On or about January 2023, I noticed the airbag light come on my vehicle's dashboard. I didn't notice anything else that may have suggested what was wrong or what caused the light to come on. On February 6, 2023, I took the car to a Ford dealership to be inspected (the car had less than 60,000 miles and was about 6 years old at the time). After an inspection, I was told that the "Restraint Control Module" (RCM) had failed and that the part I needed was on national backorder. I asked the sales person if this meant that my airbags wouldn't deploy in an accident. His answer was unclear, and he said that "the airbags would at least not deploy unintentionally". On May 6, 2023, I was involved in an accident and the airbags did NOT deploy. I am unsure if there was enough force during the accident that would have caused the airbags to deploy, or whether they should have deployed but did not due to the bad RCM component. Today, May 17, 2023, my car is currently being repaired at an auto body shop. I called Ford's customer service because I am concerned about driving with potentially non-working airbags. I was told that the part I need (HS7Z14B321H) is still on national backorder and may take at least two more months to be back in stock. Ford recommended filing a report with NHTSA. I feel that the car is not safe to drive and I am concerned for the safety of myself and passengers. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or recommend any solutions to resolve this situation. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA ID

11522539

Incident

May 6, 2023

The steering wheel has been loose for a couple years and seems to be getting worse. There is a lot of play in the steering wheel. I know there have been recalls on other models and it seems like my car is affected as well.

NHTSA ID

11520083

Incident

May 1, 2020

My FordPass app told me that the vehicle detected a misfire. So we took it to the auto shop to get an official diagnosis, and was informed that coolant is leaking and causing a misfire. They said it is a known issue in ford vehicles, yet there are no recalls or fixes for it. If the auto shop is unable to resolve the issue by replacing a seal, we will then have to have the engine replaced. If this is a common issue, then ford needs to open a recall and fix it. It is my main vehicle that I use and I have my 6 and 8 year old with me 99% of the time and would feel much safer knowing the issue is resolved

NHTSA ID

11517717

Incident

Apr 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while shifting into gear, the gear shifter defaulted back to park(P). The contact stated that the shift system fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be reprogrammed and the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be reprogrammed and the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the parts to do the repair were back ordered and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11506614

Incident

Dec 23, 2022

Mileage

80,000 mi