general problems of the 2018 Ford Fusion - part 2

Unknown. Car will not start, dashboard says overheating, white smoke was coming out of muffler but stopped and etc.

Unknown. Car will not start.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 35 mph, the check engine light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to customer satisfaction program: 21n12. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine and the long block needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 95,308.

Driver was driving at 55 miles per hour engine light illuminated. Car began to sputter and not drive. Ford dealership mechanic,” driveability concern, customer states vehicle will not go over 40 mph and has a misfire please check and advise. Verfied engine is misfiring, hooked up scan tool and ran dets and found p0302 and p0316, #2 cylinder misfire and misfire and the first 1000 rev, ran a relitive compression test and found cylinder #2 is 25% diference than the other cylinders. Pulled spark plug and put a boar scope in the cylinder and found a exhaust valve is missing a piece of the valve and the engine has ate the valve. Recommend a Ford long block” owner was quoted $8553. 37 for a used engine. Happened at 95,405 car is not drivable and unfixed. When owner asked what was the main cause the answers was “these cars just have bad engines”.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

We have a 2018 Ford Fusion ecoboost. The engine started to run hot, we made an appointment to bring to dealer. Morning of the appointment car would not start. We had it towed to dealer. After several hours at the dealership they called to tell us the engine needed to be replaced, quote was $14,000. The issue they explained was coolant in the engine that corroded the engine and all parts. Not salveable, needed to be replaced. We have excellent service records on our car, always keep up with routine maintenance and have owned at least 10 Fords various makes and models. Never had an issue.

The engine is losing coolant on a daily basis; I keep gallons of it my car to keep it from running out. The safety risk is the vehicle hoses burst while driving in rush hour traffic and causing a worse delay and maybe injury to myself and passengers. I had the vehicle checked by an independent service station and they recommend a head gasket replacement or engine replacement, and the dealer just brushed me off with the head gasket may need replacing but it is not a recall item. It has not been inspected by any other agency. The check engine light is an on and off again problem -- and that's when the coolant is low the light comes on and when I refill it, it goes off. The vehicle coolant system is losing coolant every two days -- as of this date 4/28/2025, smoke comes from the oil filler cap area but none from the tailpipe. This is a frustrating situation and lawsuit waiting to happen situation that could easily be avoided -- they know it's a problem and want the consumer to reveal this frustrating and potential mega colossal problem to grow out of control.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, a warning light indicating that the engine was overheating was illuminated. The contact added coolant to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to advance auto, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle shuddered. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "coolant overheating" was displayed on the instrument panel. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the gas tank. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant sensor failure. The coolant sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the coolant sensor. The contact stated that recently, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a different independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine block was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the nhsta hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n12; however, the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

The check engine light came on and something about the cooling system. I can’t totally remember. The service desk confirmed the eco boost engine has known issues of the cooling system which may cause the engine to go bad. Reported I needed a new engine and transmission. Then after they had started that job and after I put $1,500 down they called me back and said the radiator has issues from it all and needed changed as well. I asked him if all Fords only lasted approximately a 100,000 miles or just this one and he responded that it is a known issue by Ford and happens with this engine. It cost me approximately $15,000 out of pocket to get the car fixed. Within a week there were more “issues” with the engine and I am now being charged over $300. 00 to fix this part that they didn’t change even though they put in a new engine.

Vehicle has a loss of coolant but no visible leaks think may be due to a engine leak.

Was driving and car started overheating. Looking at coolant levels, they were low. Refilled coolant and car started fine. Next day driving the vehicle, the engine shut down completely. Took the vehicle to parks Ford dealership in hendersonville nc to find the problem. I received a call from a service representative and he said there is a coolant intrusion into the cylinder or cylinders and the engine needs to be replaced. I asked to check for recalls and he stated none were found. I did my own research and found many vehicles with the 1. 5 liter ecoboost engine have had this issue and have had a recall in the past. I. Short, Ford has said they will not have my vehicle fixed due to the fact the 3 year warranty has expired and or 85,000 miles have been passed. I have financed this vehicle starting 03/22/2021. As of now my vehicle has almost 110,000 miles. Doing more research into this Ford has offered a fix for this. A new midi small block replacement and head gasket replacement. Doing more research into this, I have found the vehicle engine could possibly catch on fire if the coolant intrusion is not corrected. The Ford dealership quoted me $9,000 without tax to replace the engine. This just isn't doable. How can this not be a safety issue if the vehicle can and will shut off while driving and potentially catch on fire? Ford should replace the flawed engine design that they have been very well aware of. I am still making payments on this vehicle to own and I cannot risk driving it because it is used to transport my children and my wife, not with the safety factors involved. Help to have the manufacturer flawed design fixed to the updated design,that has no issues of the same, would help blue collard individuals a tremendous amount.

Sensor that believe the car to be overheating shut the car down while driving in on the highway. . Turning the car off completely or powering it down 99%.

Engine throws misfire code on cylinder accompanied by loss of coolant with no visible leaks. Coolant intrusion into the cylinder has begun due to Ford’s engine block design flaw.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the message "engine overheating" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was internal coolant intrusion into the cylinders, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check coolant and engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a local independent mechanic who diagnosed a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was later towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant intrusion in cylinders #1 and #2. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n12, 22-2134, and 19b37; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 98,207.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure was a known issue and that the engine needed to be replaced; however, there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

While driving about 60 miles per hour the vehicle started to buck and loose speed. The check engine light came on and I pulled over. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where I was told that I have a coolant leak. The leak caused a break in cylinder 2 and the engine would have to be replaced.

At 135,815 miles, my 2018 Ford Fusion se experienced a sudden transmission failure while driving, with no prior warning signs. The vehicle was towed to certified transmission, where technicians confirmed: transmission fluid level was correct but black/degraded. Multiple failure codes were present. Transmission pump whined and stopped functioning. Diagnosis: internal transmission failure (6/17/2024). The shop stated this issue is common in these transmissions. The entire transmission had to be replaced. At 141,164 miles, just 5,349 miles later, the engine shut off on the highway while driving, again with no warning lights. After pulling onto the shoulder, it restarted after 10 minutes but was smoking heavily. Coolant was critically low in the reserve tank. Diagnosis: cracked cylinder head due to coolant intrusion, a known defect in 1. 5l ecoboost engines. I contacted Ford customer care about csp 21n12, but they refused assistance since my vehicle exceeds 84,000 miles, despite this well-documented defect. Safety concerns: unexpected transmission & engine failure while driving creates a serious risk. Engine shutoff on the highway could have led to an accident. Coolant intrusion in 1. 5l ecoboost engines is a known issue, yet Ford has failed to notify all owners. This issue affects many owners and creates major safety risks. I urge the NHTSA to investigate and consider a mandatory recall to prevent further incidents.

After I bought from personal owner Feb. 3rd 2025 I drove 50 miles and overheated before I made it home . The check engine light came on it showed up as a bank 1 bank 3 misfire also camshaft position sensor so I replaced these things and it still was losing coolant oil is just fine. Every time I would drive it it would still overheat I would keep putting more antifreeze in to make it home. It started to misfire very badly still loosing coolant jerking when I would try to give it gas and some times would hardly move . I changed the thermostat still the same . So then I replaced the catalytic converter still nothing changed . Took it to a shop and he looked all over it couldn't find anywhere that the coolant could have been escaping he did find and replace the vvt solenoid. Worked for a very short period. So as the problems progressed and the car wouldn't even go 3 minutes without overheating and jerking losing almost all of its power my brother put a head tester on it and conducted the test to show it has a bad head so its not able to be driven to be checked by any dealership or anything also isn't under recall . Yes it is a safety hazard when I was able to drive it was losing power I couldn't gain speed even with a full pedal so took the risk of being hit from behind if a car had come up behind me .

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running rough, jerking, and shaking. The transmission and coolant temperature warning lights were illuminated. The message "engine overheating - reduced power" was displayed, and the vehicle went into limp mode. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was coolant intrusion in the engine, a blown head gasket, and a cracked engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started hesitating. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #2, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB: 20-2100 (coolant in cylinders, white exhaust smoke and/or illuminated mil); however, the VIN was not included in the service bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the TSB. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the engine experienced coolant intrusion, which is a known defect in certain Ford ecoboost engines. My independent mechanic diagnosed the issue after I noticed significant engine performance problems. The affected components, including the engine block and cooling system, are available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? coolant intrusion can lead to engine overheating, misfires, and in severe cases, engine fires. This significantly increased the risk to my safety and that of others on the road. Had I not addressed the issue promptly, a fire could have occurred while driving. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? the problem was confirmed by an independent, certified mechanic—not by a Ford dealership. The dealer failed to properly diagnose or even acknowledge the problem, which appears to be common based on other consumer complaints. Ford did not identify what was truly going on with the vehicle, despite clear symptoms. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Ford has not inspected the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified, but they declined to take responsibility or offer a solution. There was no inspection by police or insurance representatives, as the issue was caught before a fire or accident occurred. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? yes. The engine began running rough and hesitating under acceleration. I also noticed excessive white smoke from the exhaust, and the check engine light came on intermittently. These symptoms began appearing several weeks before the full diagnosis, and Ford service failed to address them accurately during prior visits.

On 4 occasions, the car has shut off while moving and in traffic. A dashboard message appears, saying "full accessory mode". After coming to a stop, the car will immediately restart. My obd reader shows no error codes. The car has 18,000 miles on it and this problem occurs randomly. It happened first when the car was a few weeks old. I took it to dealer and they found no problem. Ot has happened 3 times since then. This problem has been reported at least 15 times on the Ford Fusion sport forum.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the engine was misfiring with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The size of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe had increased over time. The “wrench” warning light remained illuminated. The check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was hesitating while attempting to start. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the engine block had coolant intrusion in two cylinders and was causing the misfire. The contact replaced the coils and spark plugs; however, the failure persisted. The contact became aware of NHTSA id number: 10213732 (engine and engine cooling) that was linked to the failure. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not included due to the mileage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under the NHTSA id number. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 119,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the "wrench" symbol was displayed. The contact was unable to shift the transmission into drive(d). The contact had to wait for approximately 15 to 20 minutes before attempting to restart the vehicle before shifting into drive(d). The contact stated that the failure recurred, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a sound like running water coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact related to the failure of the customer satisfaction program: 19b37 (engine - powertrain control module reprogramming). The contact was transferred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

The car was taken to the repair shop due to reduced speed and shaking. The repair shop mentioned that a bulletin for the car indicated that coolant could leak into the engine. They reported that the coolant had indeed leaked onto the engine, causing the gasket to blow. The dealer was contacted and was informed that it was an extended warranty of up to 84000/ 7 years. So I was referred to NHTSA case s3h0j5.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders had resulted in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program 21n12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 103,500.

Engine overheated multiple times during high speed/high traffic situations due to a design flaw within the engine. Ford was aware of these issues in this engine for years and still knowingly sold them to american consumers, myself included. This is wrong and erodes the trust myself and others have in the american auto industry.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the nhsta hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

During traffic on the highway, my car had a slight rumble to it but no warning lights were on and there were no weird sounds or smells coming from my car. After I cleared the traffic, the rumbling dissipated but as I accelerated my check engine light turned on and began flashing. I immediately exited and pulled over. After popping my hood, it smelled of burnt oil and the entire engine bay looked like it had been misted with oil. Auto shop scanned the engine light and said I had a cylinder 2 misfire. Another auto shop had said my engine was out of commission and I’d need a new one.

While waiting at a red traffic light in drive and on a slight incline, engine shut off by itself and car started rolling backward with my foot on the brake pedal. The pedal felt harder than normal to push but didn't stop the car. A car stopped behind me was put at risk of impact with the rear of my vehicle. I could see I was getting closer and closer to hitting the other car. As this was happening, I pushed the start button and managed to restart the engine and put it in drive to pull away just before impact. Problem hasn't been reproduced by anyone. Vehicle or components haven't been inspected by anyone. No warning light lamps or other symptoms of the problem prior or during remaining drive home. I don't know if this is related but the car does have a random no start symptom due to a battery discharge condition while parked overnight. This happens very rarely and is not reproducible when the battery is charged. Ford has a TSB ref. 17-2192 on this failure that is applicable to my VIN but they will not cover it since my car is out of warranty (time and 73k miles). The dealer further stated that there is no guarantee that this re-programming of the pcm will fix the problem. The Ford dealer gave me an estimate of $214 for the re-programming of the pcm and it does not include a new battery if it needs it. I have an appointment to get it done on 11/22/24 but I'm reluctant to pay for something that may not fix the parasitic pcm draw on the battery. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle started shuddering significantly and overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving at 20 mph due to safety concerns. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced and related the failure to Ford campaign number: 21n12 and to TSB number: 22-2134. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.