KnownCarProblems2010 Ford Fusion Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 5,130 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Ford Fusion, most often about the steering (32% of complaints, typically around 101,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Fusion model year since 2000 and has 11 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory3 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2010 Ford Fusion problems
Steering
1,662 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 101,000 miles. Parts named most often: rack and pinion, electric power assist system, gear box (other than rack and pinion), hydraulic power assist system.
I was driving and all of a sudden the power steering went out. Then I noticed it read " advanced trac needs service" and " service power steering now." I had no warning prior too this. It cost at least $100 just to take a look at it and Ford service department says it may cost between 200.00 to 1000.00 + dollars to…
Upon starting my car in my driveway, a message appeared across the dashboard reading "power steering assist fault" also "service advance trac". I bought this car not even 8 months ago, the mileage being over what a warranty could cover. Twice I was turned away because the vehicle being too "new" the coding could not…
Transmission
894 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle hubs, axle assembly.
No crashes or injuries yet! I drive a 2006 Ford Fusion>>> well driving down the highway while on cruise control the cruise control totally stops and it the speed when from 70 down to I don't know what right away.. The reason I don't know is because the odometer error came up causing the speedometer to stop working.…
Ford Fusion 2010 - automatic transmission failure - can not trust this car to work properly - hard shifting - lurching forward - transmission tripping over itself like a 13 year old car at 1 month - 2 months acceleration problems - 3 months lurching forward and not moving when put into reverse - 6 months out of the…
Speed control
793 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, throttle.
Without warning the car lost all ability to accelerate. This occurred several times over the course of two days, sometimes at speeds up to 70 MPH. The car jerks, wrench light comes on, and there is no power from the gas pedal. A/c and radio work fine. After navigating thru traffic without power, we turn car off and…
Making a left hand turn from a complete stop onto a busy avenue when the "wrench light" on the dash light up, the car started to shudder & could not accelerate, and had to pull over to the side of the road. Turned car off and back on and it happened again within 1 mile. Drove to the home of a friend and had him go…
Engine
793 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 55,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact was traveling 70 MPH when the vehicle stalled. The contact safely maneuvered to the shoulder and stopped the vehicle. The check engine light illuminated during the failure. The contact was able to successfully restart the vehicle and continue driving. The failure…
Making a left hand turn from a complete stop onto a busy avenue when the "wrench light" on the dash light up, the car started to shudder & could not accelerate, and had to pull over to the side of the road. Turned car off and back on and it happened again within 1 mile. Drove to the home of a friend and had him go…
Fuel system
705 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 59,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage.
Driving up to a red light that had just turned green, the wrench light came on in my 2010 Ford Fusion, it began to jerk, I lost all acceleration, and my gas pedal would not respond. I was able to limp the car into a parking lot where I turned the car off. I waited a minute or so and recranked it. It shook/sputtered a…
On multiple occasions the car will just lose all throttle response, the car is still running, but will not accelerate. I have to find some place to pull over and shut the car off. Then restart the engine and then it will run good. The issue happens sometimes up six times in one day, and then you can go a week without…
Air bags
591 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles.
Airbag light issue light was was on when started vehicle. I brought the car to the deal and the error code was b0020-13. Issue was intermittent connection under driver's seat in the air bag harness.
The car dash warning lights started to come on one by one. The warning chimes also kept going off dash lights would fade in and out. The air bags would turn off as well as the ABS warning lights would come on. In addition to that the security systems would engage causing the car not to run. I brought car to the dealer…
Brakes
542 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 110,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, antilock, foundation components.
On june 28, 2014 while backing up my 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid in a parking lot I had complete brake failure. Brakes went to the floor. Warning lights did go on as I was backing up. The vehicle was towed. The repair that was done was an "overlay of harness and installation of a cutoff pressure sensor." the part was c…
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the brake line failed when she put her vehicle in drive. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic with the emergency brake on. The mechanic diagnosed that the brake line had to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
Electrical
324 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, 12v/24v/48v battery, instrument panel.
While traveling on the expressway with the cruise control on my engine returned to idle speed and there was no response from the accelerator pedal. I had to coast to a stop on the shoulder, put the car in park, shut it off, and restart it. The next day this happened again twice, the check engine light came on, I read…
At any given time, usually when we are driving the car over 25 miles an hour, the car will abruptly stutter and then stall. This is a very dangerous situation since when I am on the interstate, the vehicle will turn off while we are in heavy traffic. We have researched this issue and several hundred owners have the…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2010 Ford Fusion recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on april 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and november 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21s12.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 ranger, 2006-2012 fusion, lincoln zephyr, lincoln mkz, 2006-2011 mercury milan, 2007-2010 ford edge, and lincoln mkx vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began march 17, 2021. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21s05.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 mustang, 2004-2011 ranger, 2009-2011 mercury milan, 2006 ford gt, 2008-2012 fusion, 2007-2010 edge and lincoln mkx, and 2009-2010 lincoln mkz vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with dot 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the hcu will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the hcu as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began april 1, 2021. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s54.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 ford fusion, mercury milan, lincoln zephyr and mkz vehicles. The valves within the ABS hydraulic control units (hcu) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began february 13, 2019. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19s01.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2014 ford mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, ford is recalling certain 2011 ford ranger and mercury milan vehicles, 2011-2012 ford fusion and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles and 2011-2014 ford mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." ford is also recalling certain 2010 ford edge and lincoln mkx vehicles, 2010-2011 ford ranger and mercury mi
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: If the air bag does not inflate as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began november 21, 2018. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18s34.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2010 ford fusion, mercury milan and 2010-2012 lincoln mkz vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16v-384, 17v-024 or 18v-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air bag, the bracket that secures the air bag inflator to the module housing may deform, allowing the gas that inflates the air bag to leak out.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s01.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2013 ford mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, ford is recalling certain 2010 ford edge, fusion, mustang and ranger, lincoln mkx and zephyr/mkz, and mercury milan vehicles ever registered in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." ford is also recalling certain 2009 ford edge, fusion, mustang and ranger, lincoln mkx and zephyr/mkz, and mercury milan vehicles ever registered in the st
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on july 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s01.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 ford ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 ford fusion, mercury milan and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles, 2007-2010 ford edge, lincoln mkx vehicles, 2005-2006 ford gt vehicles, and 2005-2011 ford mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 ford ranger, edge and lincoln mkx vehicles, 2006-2008 ford fusion, mercury milan and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles, 2005-2006 ford gt vehicles and 2005-2008 ford mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana,
Fuel system: auxillary tank
Risk: The pressure changes may cause the tank to crack and leak fuel. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle powertrain control modules and inspect the vehicle for any diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) for this issue and perform a leak test on the canister purge valve (cpv). The fuel tank will be inspected for cracks. The cpv and fuel tank will be replaced as necessary. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on january 15, 2016. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15s34.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 ford fusion vehicles manufactured july 21, 2008, to march 4, 2011, and 2010-2011 mercury milan vehicles manufactured july 23, 2008, to december 10, 2010. The affected vehicles have fuel vapor canisters whose purge valves may not operate properly resulting in abnormal pressure changes in the fuel tank.
Wheels and tires: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Risk: While driving, multiple stud fractures could occur at the wheel location, and the operator may experience vehicle vibration and/or wheel separation, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear brake disc surface for flatness and replace the discs as necessary. Additionally, the wheel lug nuts will be replaced on all four wheels. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about january 24, 2012. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Full defect summary
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 ford fusion and mercury milan vehicles equipped with 17 inch steel wheels and built from april 1, 2009, through april 30, 2009, and from december 1, 2009, through november 13, 2010. The wheel studs may fracture, potentially causing a wheel to separate.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: A vehicle parked without an engaged park pawl and without an applied parking brake may have unintended movement which may cause a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on may 28, 2010. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332 and for the hearing impaired call 1-800-232-5952 (tdd). Representatives are available monday through friday: 8:00am - 5:00pm.
Full defect summary
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, milan, and escape vehicles manufactured from february 27, through march 26, 2010. The park rod guide retention pin may not have been properly installed which fails to conform to the requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention".
Seats: recliner
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before april 30, 2010. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Full defect summary
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, explorer, explorer sport trac, and mercury milan and mountaineer vehicles manufactured between december 15, 2009 through february 3, 2010 equipped with front seat manual recliners. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 202, "head restraint." the recliner gear plate teeth may be out of dimension specification which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Power steering failure
Summary
On september 28, 2016, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe16-011) to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year (my) 2010 ford fusion vehicles.â during the pe, odi received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at various speeds with no warning.â ford motor company (ford) provided 1,851 unique reports and 1,720 warranty claims related to the alleged problem.â it should be noted that as the result of investigation pe14-030, ford conducted a safety recall (15v-340) ofmy 2011-2012 ford fusion and other vehicles using the same electric power assist s
Power steering failure
Summary
On september 28th, 2016, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe16-011 to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year 2010 ford fusion vehicles.odi has received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at speed with no warning.during the pe16-011 investigation, ford motor company (ford) provided 1851 unique reports and 1720 warranty claims related to the alleged problem.as the result of investigation pe14-030, ford previously conducted a recall (15v-340) of the 2011-2012 ford fusion and other vehicles using the same electric power assist steering unit to re
Electric power steering failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate complaints of the loss of power steering while driving. The subject vehicles are equipped with a rack mounted electric power assisted steering (epas) unit.some of the complaints alleged that the steering assist failed and resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and in some cases a crash.the epas system was manufactured by trw automotive for ford and was designated as generation I.these units were first produced and put into vehicle production in july 2008 beginning with the model year (my) 2010 ford fusion and mercury milan.the system is comprised of a mechanical stee
Electronic throttle body malfunction
Summary
On february 21, 2013, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (etb) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (my) 2009-2013 ford escape, fusion, mariner and milan vehicles. During this investigation, ford identified a condition in subject vehicles equipped with 2.5l and 3.0l engines that may result in a sudden reduction of engine power.according to ford, the etb internal motor contacts may develop a high resistance material buildup condition on the commutator, resulting in intermittent electrical connectivity and reduced engine power. When this condition occurs, the ma
Floor mat interference with accelerator
Summary
On may 27, 2014, ford motor company submitted recall 14e-028 (ford recall #14s07) to correct a safety-related problem with certain driver's side ford optional all-weather floor mats sold for use in model year 2006 through 2011 model year ford fusion, mercury milan, lincoln zephyr, and lincoln mkz vehicles built at hermosillo assembly plant (hap) from november 9, 2007, to october 31 ,2010.NHTSA testing determined that the original accessory all-weather mat with a single retention clip (figure 1), may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle with the mat retained by the clip and rotated clockwise.both the single- and double-clip (figure 2) all-weather floor mats may interfere with the a
Wheel mounting stud fracture
Summary
To date, the agency is aware of 84 consumer complaints and 361 warranty claims related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.in total, 382 subject vehicles reportedly experienced one or more wheel stud fractures, resulting in 7 alleged wheel separation incidents.most of the reported wheel stud fractures occurred on subject vehicles originally equipped with 17 inch diameter steel wheels (368 of 382) as did all 7 alleged wheel separation incidents.of the 7 alleged wheel separation incidents, 5 reportedly involved a wheel becoming detached from the subject vehicle's rear axle.the subject vehicles are designed with a safety margin that requires validation of proper wheel joint function w
Wheel stud fracture
Summary
On january 21, 2011, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-003) to investigate alleged wheel stud fractures in certain model year (my) 2010 ford fusion vehicles.odi sent the manufacturer an information request letter dated february 8, 2011 and ford responded by letter dated march 25, 2011.ford provided a supplemental response by letter dated july 15, 2011.to date, odi is aware of 29 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles, which now include certain my2010 mercury milan vehicles that are the same or substantially similar to the subject ford fusion vehicles in regards to the alleged defect.in total, odi is aware of 4 reported w
Fleet vehicle recall completion audit
Summary
On november 18, 2010, NHTSA's recall management division (rmd) opened an audit query (aq10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.it was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.rmd queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (ford, chrysler, and general motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.the rental
Accel pedal interference - acc floormat
Summary
Unsecured mats may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle. A heel blocker in the floor pan provides a platform that may lift an unsecured mat into contact with the pedal. Ford introduced new pedals as a running change early in model year (my) 2010 vehicles. Analysis of complaints received by odi and ford show elevated rates of pedal entrapment incidents in my 2008 through early 2010 production vehicles. Incidents typically occur following hard pedal applications to pass slower traffic or when merging into faster traffic. Drivers allege continued high engine power after releasing the accelerator pedal and difficulty braking, including reports that the incident was controlled by shift
Questions about the 2010 Ford Fusion
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Ford Fusion?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (1,662 complaints, typically around 101,000 miles); transmission (894 complaints, typically around 51,000 miles); speed control (793 complaints, typically around 53,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2010 Ford Fusion have?
- 11 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 10, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2010 a bad year for the Ford Fusion?
- It is the most complained-about Fusion model year since 2000, with 5,130 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.