KnownCarProblems2011 Ford Fusion Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 2,794 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Fusion, most often about the steering (51% of complaints, typically around 89,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Fusion model year since 2000 and has 7 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2011 Ford Fusion problems
Steering
1,435 complaints · 51%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, rack and pinion, gear box (other than rack and pinion), hydraulic power assist.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic testing where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer…
I turned on my car. The powering steering assist fault light came on and it was hard to turn. I turned my car off and on again. The light was still there.
Air bags
330 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Nothing has happned but I currently have my car at mcree Ford in dickinson tx for another recall fix and mentioned the air bags and get told yet again that they do not have the parts - is this ever going to be solved? I do not just have the funds to purchase another vehicle for my child - why is this taking so long?
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. While the vehicle was stationary, the air bag covering lifted up from the steering wheel about a quarter of an inch. Kendall Ford in anchorage, alaska was made aware of the failure and scheduled the contact for a service appointment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.…
Engine
290 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system.
I bought this 2011 Ford Fusion at 40,000 miles and since it has been at 45,000 miles I been having stalling and idle problems . I thought I was going crazy until I seen an article in the news today . My car has stalled on the hwy to where on numerous occasions I have almost been hit. I have had to pull over and…
While driving to work one day my car shut off right after a turn going down a hill, the dash was illuminated and no lights were on other than the dash. I put the car into park and turned it off then started it right back up, it ran fine after that. There is another issue as well though, while driving it hesitated by…
Transmission
268 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 45,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
This is a report for a Ford Fusion with 45000 miles. First event occurred on freeway driving 65 MPH. Car just stopped accelerating and wrench light came on but I was able to pull over to shoulder and call aaa. When they arrived I turned off car and turned car back on and car "reset" itself to normal operation. I…
While driving ~55mph in left lane of a 3-lane interstate at morning rush hour, the engine lost power, continued running at ~1000rpm, but would not accelerate. The check engine and wrench lights were on. The car was nearly hit by numerous vehicles as I coasted to the emergency lane on the right side of the expressway.…
Speed control
256 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
I bought this 2011 Ford Fusion at 40,000 miles and since it has been at 45,000 miles I been having stalling and idle problems . I thought I was going crazy until I seen an article in the news today . My car has stalled on the hwy to where on numerous occasions I have almost been hit. I have had to pull over and…
While driving the highway with cruise set at 75 MPH, my car suddenly lost power, and I experienced no response while stepping on the accelerator. Though this was very scary in the traffic I was in, I was eventually able to coast to the right shoulder (after upsetting many drivers around me) and came to a stop on the…
Fuel system
236 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, fuel injection system.
As I was driving down the highway between 65-70mph the gas peddle stopped working, the wrench light came on the dash board and I pulled to the side of the road. I turned the car off and restarted it but did have to pump the gas a time or 2 to get it started. Engine lights went out. This same thing happened 7 times in…
While driving on the freeway, the engine stalled. A wrench symbol came on the dashboard. The car started lurching forward and was nearly hit by two other vehicles from the rear. I was able to stop. I turned off the engine and after a few tries, the car started up again. This has occurred at least another 20 times…
Electrical
203 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, 12v/24v/48v battery, ignition.
I was driving with my daughters in the car in the middle lane of a 3 lane highway. I was traveling the speed limit, at or around 55 MPH, when all of a sudden the car went limp. There was no acceleration and the car immediately began to coast. A wrench light and the engine light went on. With no ability to speed up, I…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while traveling 35 MPH, the power steering and traction warning lights illuminated. The contact merged to the side of the road where the vehicle was restarted. Upon restarting, the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was able to be driven to the…
Brakes
194 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 101,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, antilock.
I purchased this 2011 Fusion sel 6 months ago, the carfax report listed everything as being checked out but no report about epas as having recall issues, no problems until last week when the outside temperature reached the 90's, when exiting the freeway and coming to a stop the steering and brakes started loud…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. While driving 30 MPH and depressing the brake pedal all the way to the floorboard, a loud noise was heard coming from the rear of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing or…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 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.
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: 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.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the power steering control module (pscm) for diagnostic trouble codes (dtc). If dealers find any loss of steering assist dtcs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the pscm inspection, the pscm software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on july 21, 2015. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15s18.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 ford fusion vehicles without a 3.5l engine and lincoln mkz hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 mercury milan vehicles, 2011-2012 ford taurus, ford flex, lincoln mks, and lincoln mkt vehicles equipped with a 3.5l gtdi engine and 2013 ford taurus, ford flex, lincoln mks, and lincoln mkt vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
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.
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
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
Questions about the 2011 Ford Fusion
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Ford Fusion?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (1,435 complaints, typically around 89,000 miles); air bags (330 complaints, typically around 90,000 miles); engine (290 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Fusion have?
- 7 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 2011 a bad year for the Ford Fusion?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Fusion model year since 2000, with 2,794 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.