2013 Ford Fusion Electrical Problems

My 2013 Ford Fusion equipped with the 1.6L EcoBoost engine started blowing thick white smoke (Burning Coolant) while I was driving on the freeway. Engine coolant was leaking and my card died right there, that had blown the head gasket. I received no warning, no message. This was an incredibly dangerous situation because I was on the freeway and was forced to stop immediately. Ford Motor Company has refused to include my vehicle’s VIN in the applicable recall programs despite my vehicle experiencing the same issues described in NHTSA recalls 12V551000 (Ford Campaign 12S41) and 17V209 (Ford Campaign 17S09) The recalls identify issues involving coolant loss, overheating, insufficient warning of coolant loss, potential engine damage, cylinder head damage, and the risk of engine compartment fire. My vehicle exhibited these same symptoms and consequences which can be confirmed by the autobody shop where it was evaluated. The purpose of these recalls was to address a known safety concern involving the 1.6L EcoBoost engine cooling system. Despite this, when I contacted Ford and requested assistance and asked that my VIN be added to the recall population, Ford denied my request and stated that my vehicle was not included. I believe this decision fails to address the fact that my vehicle experienced the same defect and safety risk identified in the recall documents. The safety issue is not limited to the VINs currently listed in the recall population; rather, my vehicle demonstrates the same failure mode that prompted the recalls. My concern is that vehicles equipped with the same engine and experiencing the same defect may continue to pose a safety risk to drivers and passengers. A coolant loss event and overheating condition can result in significant engine damage, sudden loss of vehicle operation, costly repairs, and the potential for an engine compartment fire. respectfully request that this matter be reviewed and that Ford be required to re-evaluate their decision.

NHTSA ID

11749772

Incident

Apr 13, 2026

“Temporary loss service climate system ford fusion 2013” Ac turns on and off windows lock up when ac turns off. everything freezes up! I see online this should be a recall a lot of ford owners having the same problem!

NHTSA ID

11746938

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11728778

Incident

Feb 6, 2026

I own a 2013 Ford Fusion SE with a 1.6L EcoBoost engine. Prior to the incident, the vehicle displayed a “Check Charging System” warning and the engine overheated. After parking the vehicle and shutting it off, a fire started under the hood in the engine compartment. The fire occurred shortly after the overheating warning and while the vehicle was not running. The fire appeared to originate in the engine bay area and caused significant damage. There were no prior accidents or modifications to the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11722738

Incident

Jan 18, 2026

The power steering module/rack, passenger side air bag Safety is a risk due to steering not working properly/ seat belt constantly locking Yes Yes others inspected Seat belt sensor has been on several months Service steering assist/Lane keep system malfunction service required and steering assist fault - all came on when it got cold and steering won’t work now

NHTSA ID

11717152

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

Unknown and it's whole electrical system is failing and constantly keeps shutting the car off saying no key detected and strands me more places than I can count it's stalled out in the middle of the road and said no key detected and I had to wait for it to basically let me start the car back up after like being shut off for 20 mins or if I unhooked the battery and hooked it back up then it would start and only go for a day or so and the heat only works if it's raining outside

NHTSA ID

11698539

Incident

Aug 13, 2025

1. After vehicle is given gas it won’t crank. 2. Tire sensors won’t turn off. Even with brand new tires and mounts. 3. Random electrical malfunctions. (Flickering dash lights, delayed engine start after turning the key, light bouncing back and forth between gears, etc.)

NHTSA ID

11682758

Incident

Aug 24, 2025

The rear view camera of my Ford Fusion has started to sporadically function. It started out with an occasional blank screen showing, followed by a message that the camera is not available and to call the dealer. Over the past month or so (July 2025) it is erroring more than 50% of the time. I am afraid of backing up now as I'm so used to using the camera to properly make sure everything is clear behind me. I have already been in a near-miss situation because the camera was not working, and I didn't see the vehicle that was approaching my car in a blindspot. My vehicle has roughly 190,000 miles and only recently has the camera started giving out. I saw on the news a recall of more than 120,000 Ford vehicles within similar rearview camera failure issues and I wanted to make sure that my situation was also recorded with the NHTSA for my particular Year, Make, and Model. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11671819

Incident

Jul 4, 2025

The rear view camera will display a black screen or the image will be reversed causing confusion and dangerous reversal actions. Also the camera will go black in the middle of parking or not display at all. The transmission will slip without warning and the vehicle will have have to be shut down and restarted in order to drive correctly.

NHTSA ID

11671212

Incident

May 4, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 174,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 202,000.

NHTSA ID

11666315

Incident

Jun 11, 2025

Mileage

202,000 mi

Car will stahl and lock steering wheel when yielding into traffic or driving. The advance trak light along with auto hill assist will pop up on dashboard stating to repair the issue.

NHTSA ID

11642796

Incident

Oct 22, 2024

Low coolant light keeps coming on. Overheat light then comes on causing car to go into limp mode and causing me to almost get hit. I have had this happen almost ten times now and all Ford can tell me is my warranty ran out and it will cost more than car is worth, which is true. Ford knew the problem with these cars and they can't help us now. I don't know what to do, everyone with a Ford eco is having same problems,we need help!

NHTSA ID

11625766

Incident

Nov 1, 2024

Been getting a low coolant warning, coolant is not low ,is actually over limit. Car then says overheating service now,goes into limp mode. Engine light comes on. I cannot drive car until it shuts off, sit awhile and then go. Engine light on get a p1299 reading,have had that reading for years,they replaced motor while under warranty ,now four years later the exact same thing is happening and I have no warranty,I cannot pay for this . This is an Ecoboost 1.6 motor and needs recalling,I read where thousands of people are having the exact same problems,this is not new...Please help us people trying to help ourselves with the exact problems over and over again. The 2013 Ecoboost 1.6 has given me problems for years and it just now started again big time on Aug 12 2024.

NHTSA ID

11611137

Incident

Aug 12, 2024

The backup camera fails to show an image from behind the car over 75% of the time. The display in the car is black upon putting the car in reverse, within about 2 seconds a message displays “rear view camera is unavailable. Please contact your dealership.” The collision sensors (rear cross traffic) also does not work when the camera is not working. Looking at multiple online sites, as well as a friend who has a similar model Fusion as I do, there are many many reports of this issue . My car is low mileage (63,141). Ford also has multiple recalls for this issue on other models and years, this car should be included in the recalls.

NHTSA ID

11597740

Incident

May 1, 2024

My car has been flashing a “Power Steering Assist Fault” message since I bought it. Lately, it’s been flashing the warning more frequently. I purchased the vehicle new

NHTSA ID

11590362

Incident

May 22, 2024

Complete computer system is not working, won’t show me how many miles i have, won’t blow out any air. My windows won’t roll down. This happens at least 10 times a year. I put it in drive and it went BACKWARDS as i pressed on the gas pedal and the brake locked up. So i turned it on and off and SAME thing happened.

NHTSA ID

11588612

Incident

May 13, 2024

I bought my car in 2020 and immediately when I got home my car had died and I had to have it towed back to the dealership. Since then I have had 2 new batteries, 1 new lithium battery, and a new transmission. Issues with my vehicle include but are not limited to: 1. sporadically when I am driving all my dash lights come on and my power steering goes out and my car becomes difficult to steer safely. 2. my car has rolled back twice while I am in park. 3. Passenger airbag randomly will fault when I am driving. 4. My e-brake will randomly fault while I am driving. All of these issues happen very often and are happening more and more often. I have brought my car in a few times but I am told it needs to replicate the issues in order to be diagnosed but these issues happen sporadically and I cannot demonstrate them at will.

NHTSA ID

11583526

Incident

Apr 17, 2024

I bought from a dealer in live oak and told there was no recalls I only had car 2 months and the car transmission is acting crazy it smells like burnt oil or brake fluid leaking the radio has a major electrical problem it turns off and resets if I use the Bluetooth to talk through radio. This car all in all has been nothing but huge problems and here I am paying a car note on a car that's barely drivable.

NHTSA ID

11554473

Incident

Oct 19, 2023

As I was going down the highway my car started smoking dramatically. There were no warning lights so I assumed it might be a belt. I pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood to find flames coming from the backside of the engine. I have had it in the shop now for the last two months and the initial thought was that the water pump could have caused the issue. However, after that set of repairs it was burning oil. Further investigation has shown that the head is cracked.

NHTSA ID

11545435

Incident

Jul 11, 2023

Although this vehicle is 10 years old it has only logged less than 17k miles (near new condition). A few months back it was noted that the backlighting on the console, steering wheel, interior door panels and overhead console were inoperative under non-daylight conditions. At night, it's driving blind from an instrumentation perspective. Controls cannot be located as they cannot be seen. This backlighting has a mind of its own. Upon entering the vehicle all the lighting in question lights up and then times out (?) Activating outside lighting (headlights) when you expect and need the backlighting, it just isn't there. Disconnecting the battery for 12 hours (reboot) did nothing to solve the problem. Personally, I believe the slap-happy lighting engineers went way overboard with warning and flashing lights on this vehicle. The lighting in question is there, not just when needed. Due to this over-engineering I refuse to pay shop labor prices to troubleshoot or replace parts on a premium vehicle. As this car has become the "Recall Queen" I feel it was placed on the market well before its time and as a consumer I'm now the guinea pig in the field. Never another Ford. NOTE: Uploaded file shows console section and backlighting is ON. Ignition is off and if car is started the backlighting eventually turns off. Activating the headlights the console and all other backlighting remains dead.

NHTSA ID

11526372

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact veered into a parking lot where the contact pumped the brake pedal until the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact observed a moist patch underneath the front of the vehicle after moving the vehicle. The contact also stated that the windows failed to operate after the power window button was depressed. Additionally, the A/C unit was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The system was reset. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11518604

Incident

Jan 22, 2023

Mileage

144,206 mi

While driving my vehicle into the garage, I placed the car into the P(park) gear and the car continued to roll. I had to hit the emergency break to stop the vehicle. The fuel line keeps cracking although it has been replaced multiple times causing gas to be leaking from the vehicle even after filling the car up.

NHTSA ID

11505722

Incident

Feb 4, 2023

2013 Ford Fusion with 99,799 miles on it; went out to go start it after work one day, unable to get into car or start car as battery was completely drained. Did not leave lights on etc. Had someone jump car; on way to repair shop, car shut down and would not restart; thankfully I was NOT on a highway. Since that time, it has had 2 new batteries placed in it, will run for about 5 minutes then shut off and you cannot restart it again; it has also been to 2 repair shops and is presently at the Ford dealership as my shop was not able to determine what was wrong. Cooling fan also noted to be running after car died yet still not able to restart. Read on Ford forums that this has happened to other Fusion owners of the same year.Up to this point, intermittently the battery saver message would come across the dash however I had that looked at and was cleared out. With the car just shutting down without any warning on a busy street in the city, this could have ended a lot worse: I could have been hit or even killed. No warning lights appeared on dash aside from powertrain light after it was jumped but after that, there was nothing. Car was essentially dead and I could not get it to restart. When it was running I could not get the car to go over 10mph in a 35mph zone

NHTSA ID

11500779

Incident

Jan 4, 2023

THE CARS DASHBOARD LIGHTS KEPT LIGHTING UP AND NOT LONG AFTER I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR CAUGHT ONFIRE UNDER THE HOOD AND BURNT DOWN COMPLETE LOSS

NHTSA ID

11488892

Incident

May 18, 2020

-Electronic parking brake system (Brakes, Electrical) -If the Parking brake fails due to electrical component failure/premature degradation as well as the transmission bushing recall simultaneously, the vehicle could move on it's own while unattended causing accident/harm. -The vehicle is now in a dealer shop, work status has not been updated. -Inspection in progress by manufacturer dealership -Audible alarm with warning message "Electronic brake malfunction, Service now"

NHTSA ID

11488783

Incident

Oct 7, 2022