general problems of the 2017 Ford Fusion - part 1

Coolant intrusion, problem.

Component/system: engine — 1. 5l ecoboost short block coolant intrusion leading to catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: vehicle overheated while in operation, creating risk of engine fire, loss of vehicle control, and stranding of occupant on a public roadway. Ford's own TSB 22-2322 acknowledges this defect creates a fire risk. Confirmed by dealer/shop: yes inspected by manufacturer/police/insurance: Ford motor company was contacted on 17apr26 and opened case number xxx but denied coverage citing vehicle assembly location [xxx] ) despite the defect being present in all 1. 5l ecoboost engines regardless of assembly plant. Warning symptoms: vehicle exhibited overheating warning prior to failure. Coolant intrusion into cylinder bores is a known documented defect covered under Ford customer satisfaction program xxx and TSB xxx for identical engines in us-assembled vehicles. Mileage at failure: approximately 65,000 miles. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Coolant leak into engine block, Ford dealership said $8,000 to replace engine cars only at 65k miles. Problem is from manufacturer defect in the 2. 0l tt turbo engines in Fusions and should be recalled as it’s not the owner/operators wrong doings.

Coolant light and check engine lights kept coming on. The car was diagnosed by the Ford dealership as Ford TSB 22-2229, which is a design flaw in specific ecoboost engines, where an "open deck" block causes coolant to leak into cylinders 2 and 3, leading to severe engine failure. To fix this issue, the TSB requires replacing the entire long block assembly with a redesigned version featuring enhanced sealing surfaces. The cost for this new engine was quoted as $8000 to $9000.

Engine failure due to coolant intrusion.

2017 Ford Fusion started to drive rough and minutes later the check engine light illuminated. The car was immediately turned off and taken to a mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed it with coolant intrusion and advised to check for recall. There are no active recalls associated with the VIN. The car needs a new engine at 70,000 miles.

Coolant intrusion caused my engine to be blown.

Dec 2022 I purchased a 2017 Ford Fusion. In June 2023 the engine needed replaced which was covered under warranty. In March 2026, the flex plate breaks and now needs to be replaced. This is the original part for this car as I confirmed with the dealer that this part isn't required to be replaced when the engine is replaced. So it's not covered under vehicle warranty or the motor repair warranty. However, there is a known issue of these flex plates breaking and there is customer satisfaction program 22n12 for Ford Fusions regarding this known issue that only covers years 2019 & 2020. I want the 2017 year to be added to this as a known issue.

2017 Ford Fusion with the 1. 5 l eco-boost engine with a coolant intrusion. Coolant links into the cylinders due to a flaw engine block design.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to a local dealer, and the transmission was replaced; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking abnormally while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer provided the contact with a rental vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinders #2 and #4, dtc: p0316; and associated the failure with customer satisfaction program: 19b37. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact associated the failure with TSB 22-2322; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,322.

Ford Fusion 1. 5l ecoboost engines are known to have a fault short block that causes coolant intrusion. This defect does not trigger a check engine light, so there is no way for a driver to identify the problem until it's too late. Ford issued a technical safety bulletin informing mechanics of this issue but customers were not given an option to repair it. A customer satisfaction program (csp) was initiated to replace some VIN models short blocks, but not all. Other Ford 1. 5l ecoboost engines are having this issue and were not properly informed or given the option to repair through the csp and are driving cars that can have total engine failure without proper notification. I have taken my Ford Fusion in for all the safety recalls and was never informed of this issue. I was not part of the csp that aimed to repair the defect because my VIN did not qualify. However, my Ford Fusion 2017 1. 5l ecoboost engine has this same defect and it wasn't caught until damage had been done to the engine and a costly repair was initiated. No check engine light or warning came from Ford to inform me of this issue. I fortunately started hearing noises and went to check it out before taking a long trip in the snow--which could have had disastrous safety consequences if engine failure occurred. I am not the only one with a Ford 1. 5l ecoboost engine that has had this issue. Many people have either not been included in the csp program or were unable to repair in their narrow csp plan window. Ford is waiting for enough complaints to identify if the issue is more widespread, despite knowing that it is a design flaw. This should be a total safety recall as their is no way for consumers to take proactive action against this defect without extensive knowledge of the issues with these engines, which Ford is not communicating to its customers.

Engine failed. Lost all compression. Evidently this is a known problem with this engine where the head, head gasket and block fail between cylinders.

Vehicle is experiencing coolant intrusion from a crack in the engine block 3rd cylinder which is a known issue by Ford for my particular vehicle year (2017). Ford has issued a TSB/recall for model years 2017-2019, I believe this issue should qualify for manufacturer recall as this is known issue.

Vehicles engine has been affected due to a know manufacturing flaw with design that caused coolant to leak into the cylinder walls of the engine block causing a rough idle, white smoke out of the exhaust and cylinder 2 misfire.

Technical safety bulletin 19-2346; coolant infiltrating cylinder #2. Quoted $8350 for long block repair.

I was experiencing engine vibration while driving and lack of power when I pressed gas pedal. I took it to an independent garage first, and then to the dealer. Both told me there was coolant and water in the cylinders, and the dealer told me I needed a total engine replacement consisting of the long block and the head gasket. And it was going to cost me $14,000. My car only has 44,000 miles on it and Ford told me there was nothing they could do about it even though it was a known issue dating back several years.

2017 Fusion 1. 5 ecoboost. (purchased at 128k) 148k miles- 1 time white smoke at start up no check engine light. All of a sudden while driving started to drive rough. Towed too mechanic, determined cylinder #2 has coolant intrusion. Conducted the TSB. For this defect. All symptoms confirmed for the coolant intrusion. Got quoted $10k for engine replacement. Vehicle has been parked in driveway since 10/24/25 too expensive too repair for a defective problem from Ford.

Coolant leaking into cylinder, causing sudden rough driving, engine overheating warnings that don’t match temperature readings and distract driving.

Misfire in cylinder 2 caused by coolant leak into the bore.

Coolant intrusion into the engine causing my car to missfire going down the road. Car is sitting in my yard unfit to be driven. Dealership claims it had previously been remedied. The car has only been inspected by my mechanic. No prior warnings before the misfire occurred.

Vehicle purchased used at simmons & rockwell on [xxx] mileage 16,323. Mileage 38,559 first engine failure & replaced "new" July 2019, *** indications & doc of 2nd engine failure about 70k mileage) mileage 121,163 second engine failure & replaced "new" August 2022 and finally mileage 189,323 with third engine failure sept 2025 this vehicle had regularly interval oil changes. Always serviced & maintenaced regularly information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Coolant intrusion and requires short block replacement.

This Fusion has the same coolant leak as described in customer satisfaction program 21n12.

Shift cable came off the transmission shifter bushing.

Coolant leak into the cylinders. Replaced the first engine for the same issue, this is the second engine.

The engine has suffered a complete failure due to a known defect in the 1. 5l ecoboost. This issue was already repaired once under Ford customer satisfaction program 19b37/21n12 (engine short block replacement) on 10/12/2020 at stilwell Ford, before I owned the vehicle. Less than 5 years later, the exact same defect has occurred again. Details of failure: •vehicle began running rough with loss of power and abnormal engine noise. •a compression test performed by my repair shop shows: cylinder 4 = 0 psi compression, with cylinder wall scoring and oil intrusion. •shop diagnosis: engine requires complete replacement (~$7,000 repair). •symptoms are identical to the coolant intrusion / cylinder failure defect covered by Ford’s prior csp. •this is the second time this defect has occurred on the same vehicle. Safety risk: •vehicle misfires and shakes violently, making it unsafe to drive. •sudden loss of power and potential stalling in traffic pose a serious risk of crash. •drivers are given no warning before engine failure occurs. Manufacturer response: •Ford acknowledges this defect under csp 19b37/21n12 but refuses further coverage since it was “already repaired” once. •as a second owner, I never received notice of the defect. •the fact that the failure recurred shows Ford’s repair program did not fully resolve the defect. Request: I am reporting this as a repeat safety defect. The failure has occurred again after Ford’s supposed remedy. Nhtsa should investigate whether Ford’s csp repairs adequately resolve the defect, and whether additional recalls or coverage extensions are warranted.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the contact heard a slushing-type sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact also stated that the vehicle stalled, and would also violently shake, and the vehicle overheated with the check engine and powertrain warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136, 000.

Vehicle is experiencing coolant intrusion from a crack in the engine block which is a known issue by Ford for my particular vehicle year (2017). Ford has issued a TSB/recall for model years 2017-2019, but when I contacted Ford, I was told my car is not eligible/included in the recall because of the plant that the vehicle was manufactured at. I believe this issue should qualify for manufacturer recall as this is known issue.

My engine experienced coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, which caused misfiring and engine failure. This has been a known issue with this year model, but since I am just outside of the warranty mileage (69k) and my VIN doesn't have any recalls, I have been advised to purchase a replacement engine. I simply cannot afford to replace an engine in a car I am still paying a loan for. For this to be a known issue and not be recalled is a serious safety concern and has caused me to lose confidence in the manufacturer. I am currently trying to see what a shop near me would charge to replace it but I am not sure that I can afford the repair costs. I shouldn't be expected to need to replace an engine when the year model has known issues and I have taken care of any and all maintenance on the car to keep it running well. I expected to have this car for many more years, especially with the low mileage and how well I've cared for it.

Engine has cylinders flooding with coolant due to the design of the ecoboost engine.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the engine was out of warranty. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe on cold starts and while driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light and the low coolant warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders through a cracked engine block. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that it was known failure and referred the contact to a dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 196,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Engine is experiencing the all too common coolant intrusion.

2017 Ford Fusion got serviced at Ford dealership June 4, 2025. Service included, transmission flush, fuel induction service, oil change, oil filter change. About a month after service check engine light comes on upon starting the vehicle, but then goes out. A week later check engine light comes back on and would not start properly. Vehicle taken to independent mechanic and was told transmission fluid was low and also old. Vehicle taken to Ford dealership where service was done month prior. Ford dealership said cylinder misfire, coolant intrusion, and engine failure. Also transmission fluid was found to be low. Ford recommended new engine.