Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Ford Fusion - part 1

On 2/4/26, I experienced a slight skip while driving, but did not continue. The very next morning while in reverse, a winding sound started. Put car in drive pulled out onto main road, drove fine, not even half a mile. Stopped at sign, pulled out onto main road a main road, and car would not go, would not go in gear at all. No one was hurt, but received a few horn honks. Made it to side of road, put the car in sport/manual mode, did not help. Manage to make it about a mile up the road where I was able to safely park it in a parking lot. The check engine symbol came on a couple of weeks prior, but went away after a day. Did not come back on until this particular day 2/5/26. Nothing, no problems leading up to this. Conveniently the extended warranty went out on car 4k miles ago! and the dealership is not interested in helping me out at all. I had to have it towed to an independent shop, to get checked out, due to the dealership being booked 2 months out! I now have a car that I have only had for 1 year! with a blown transmission that I have to make payments on and can not drive!! there are no recalls, but there is a manufacturer issue, that we do not get notified about by mail or by email. . ? I read another complaint about this same thing, guy also making payments on a car he can not drive!!! this is ridiculous!! and heartbreaking if I can not get help with this! and you can bet the dealership will receive a less than favorable review!.

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While operating my 2018 Ford Fusion, the vehicle began experiencing internal coolant loss resulting in engine misfires, rough running, and white exhaust smoke. The coolant intrusion caused engine failure and loss of reliability. This condition creates a safety risk, as it can lead to loss of power while driving, hesitation, and the possibility of engine shutdown. The defect occurred without warning and is consistent with widespread reports involving Ford ecoboost engines. This issue is not related to maintenance or normal wear and tear but is a known design defect acknowledged through service bulletins and consumer litigation. Repair requires full engine replacement.

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Last month, while transporting my brother to his arm surgery in chapel hill, nc, I observed unusual and audible shifting behavior when engaging the vehicle's sport mode. This mode is typically utilized for extended journeys on highways and interstates. Although the anomaly was brief, I did not initially consider it significant. Several weeks later, upon departing from my community college campus, I encountered a red light near santa fe drive. The vehicle exhibited a hesitant and labored acceleration, eventually moving forward. This incident was particularly concerning given the high volume of traffic during that time of day. I subsequently stopped at a nearby 7-eleven for fuel, suspecting a low fuel level might be the cause. No engine warning lights or mechanical indicators were illuminated, and the oil life was at 70% with appropriate oil levels. Fast forward to the last week of January. On Wednesday the 28th, I began to notice recurring shifting issues with the vehicle during a class break. Additionally, engaging reverse consistently resulted in a harsh shift. As I was leaving my neighborhood to return to class, the vehicle completely failed to engage gears or accelerate. At this point, both the wrench and check engine warning lights illuminated. Upon returning home, I utilized the code reader provided by my mother last christmas, which displayed the code "p0772. " this confirmed my prior research regarding potential issues with the ecoboost engine. I am relieved that this mechanical failure did not occur amidst the heavy traffic typically found on 210 murchison south , I-295, bragg blvd fayetteville/spring lake and other routes heavily trafficked due to the military base. The high speeds on these roads could have led to a dangerous situation, potentially causing a rear-end accident or other involving other drivers who may be speeding or inattentive. I am grateful that I did not experience a stall in the middle of traffic, which could have compromised my safety.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Fusion 🔎.

Coolant intrusion in engine per a diagnostic visit my local Ford dealership on 1-30-26 , on my 2019 Ford Fusion apparently a known issue problem on the Ford Fusion.

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Engine catastrophicly over revs when charging and plugged in phev plug.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine overheated. The contact was informed that there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact was called for help. The contact arrived at the location and inspected under the hood, and became aware that the coolant level was low. The coolant reservoir was refilled, and the contact became aware that coolant and oil were leaking onto the manifold. The vehicle was driven to the residence with the persistent burning odor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to bring the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The contact stated that the oil and coolant leaking onto the manifold was a fire hazard. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

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My car is having a problem with the a coolant intrusion into the intake so coolant is leaking into the engine, this being said there was a recall for my car a while ago when I did not own the car and I believe it was never replaced or taken care of. When I went to the Ford dealership they are saying that there is no recall for my car. The car misfired once which is one of the symptoms, I got my spark plugs replaced, my check engine light came on again for a different problem, I got my intake replaced it ran fine for 4 days and now I am back with the same problem 4 days later. Doing some research I believe that there is a cracked cylinder head or failing gasket. Ford did have a recall on my engine coolant intrusion but like I said prior they are saying there is no recall for my engine which is why I am confused about it. All of my engine problems are leading to this recall that was never fixed on my car or was looked over in my engine. Any help on this would be great thanks.

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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.

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My Ford started making a loud noise whenever the accelerator wasn't being pressed, after taking it to the mechanic, he said it is the cracked flex plate. After some light research, it was aparent that this is an issue that Ford's cars have, and Ford has tried to make it better by offering free fixes. I contacted the local Ford dealer and since the car has 90,000 miles, it would have been covered. However, since it doesn't have a clean title, I was declined this service free of charge. I don't agree with this decision since I've been driving this car for over a year since it was purchased off iaa auction, and this issue was made clear only yesterday, but this issue is prevalent in cars like mine. The damage to my car specifically was to the back, and only affected the rear bumper and trunk. Therefore I don't think it is fair that I was declined the serve even though Ford has made it clear it is there manufacturing mistake and they are willing to fix it, just not with cars with my type of title. I was hoping to send in this incident so that this issue becomes a national recall, and more people can get their cars rightfully fixed and aware of this serious issue that can make the car completely unusable before it gets too late. I wasn't aware this was a common issue when purchasing this car, so a recall would protect more people since it will become mandatory information for owners to be aware of this issue. Thank you!.

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 has a known Ford 2. 0l ecoboost coolant intrusion / head gasket defect per multiple complaints on different forums on recently googled searches. At approximately 126,000 miles, vehicle began losing coolant with no visible external leaks, producing white smoke on startup, rough idle/misfires, and check engine light. Vehicle also began overheating intermittently. Heating system stopped working, indicating coolant flow failure. Symptoms are consistent with internal coolant intrusion into cylinders due to head gasket failure, a widely reported defect in Ford ecoboost engines. Issue presents a safety risk due to potential engine failure while driving, loss of power, and overheating. Vehicle requires major engine repair or replacement. This failure occurred despite regular maintenance and appears to be a premature engine defect, not wear and tear. I was recently at the dealership on December 8th with no other issues detected after they replaced a part on my car that failed that I had to pay for ( a p175b-00 ). This had nothing to do with what is going on currently, they ran tests at this dealership and did not detect anything as of December 8th. This was at a Ford dealership. Tests were ran and inspected by manufacturer. Fast forward to a week ago I started having the above symptoms and this was diagnosed by family-friend auto mechanic. I have had multiple issues with this car. The transmission blew at 50 thousand miles, the sun roof leaked ( the seal for the sunroof was defective) into my prnd control shifter causing thousands of dollars in damage, a p175b-00, causing my car to not be able to park, causing chaos for weeks. I have only owned this car since December 2020. I still owe 7 thousand on this vehicle and I am at a complete loss. I really just want Ford to take accountability for this make and model as it never fits the guidelines for recalls on anything. I want justice for myself and others with these multiple issues coming from Ford cars.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering violently, hesitated, and failed to accelerate to approximately 35 mph. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact related the failure to the customer satisfaction program: 21n12. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer informed the contact that the engine small block needed to be replaced, but a full engine replacement was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a complaint. The manufacturer advised the contact that a future report would be issued. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

My vehicle has the Ford ecoboost 2. 0 liter engine in it that has been recalled on thousands of vehicles. My car currently has the same issue which is a coolant intrusion that has been recognized and was a class action lawsuit against Ford for this issue. I have been advised by a local Ford dealership that my engine should be part of the recall and Ford should be replacing my engine. However, when I called Ford, they are advising there is nothing they can do, because there is no current recall for my vehicles VIN and so I am trying to reach out and see if there's anything that can be done before hiring an attorney, because as a single mother I cannot afford $12,000 out of my pocket with hopes that eventually Ford will do the recall properly and reimburse me as they have stated "could happen". This is a known issue this engine of mine has been looked at by three mechanics one being a Ford dealership to confirm that this engine was in fact warped from the factory which is causing my coolant to seep into the heads or whatever and I need the long block replacement that the original recall fell under which was somewhere around the 50,000 mark of these vehicles recalled. The engine is needing to be repaired and taken care of so I'm seeking direction on how to possibly get Ford to take care of this issue that I should not be having to deal with due to a manufacturing defect since leaving off the factory floor.

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #4. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

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.

My engine is on my car will not go over 25 miles and if it does it shakes and I place the car in park or shut it off u can hear like water sound coming from the engine were it’s seems as if it was boiling.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was taken back to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. The message "see owner's manual" was displayed. The contact related the failure to the customer satisfaction program: 21n12 (short block replacement after coolant intrusion). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was abnormal white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. The contact stated that upon inspecting the oil dipstick, the contact noticed that there was coolant in the oil, and the contact also noticed that there was a small amount of oil in the coolant reservoir. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 17v209000 (engine and engine cooling), for which the VIN was included. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair would be performed on the vehicle; however, the contact was concerned that the recall remedy would not correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,200.

The contact owned a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the engine gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was diagnosed with a warped engine block. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact was informed that there was a coolant intrusion leak and an engine overheating failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

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

2019 Ford Fusion equipped with the 1. 5l ecoboost engine has experienced overheating and misfire issues, linked coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders, which can lead to engine overheating and potential fire hazards. This is a known issue by Ford but they have not issued a recall, or even let me know in the 6 years that I have had the vehicle.

Car began leaking coolant, overheating, smoking (white smoke) and misfiring on cylinder #3. Based on my research, this is an issue Ford knows about due to it being a defect in the design, yet I'm being told I have to pay to replace the engine. We replaced the spark plugs, coils, and nothing helped. We took it to a mechanic and were told we need an entire engine replacement and it won't be covered by Ford.

During a road trip, received an error message indicating "shift sys fault" after the vehicle would not shift out of park. Upon inspecting the vehicle, it was noticed that the transmission linkage cable bushing was missing. The error message had appeared the day before, but the vehicle would still shift and the error message went away after a few seconds. I was unable to recover the original bushing as it was missing when the vehicle was inspected after the error message. Luckily the error did not happen while driving and instead was noticed while the car was in park. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than myself, and I was able to buy a replacement bushing from a local dealership to replace the missing bushing.

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.

See attached document for complaint.

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

Engine replaced due to flaw in design. I had my 60,000-mile service done and after it was completed, I started having serious issues with my vehicle. Kept getting check engine light cylinder 2 misfire. I took my Fusion back to the dealership, and they advised me that my engine had to be replaced. Apparently when they put my vehicle under pressure during the service it caused the coolant to leak into my engine. I have researched this and found many complaints with the same problem. Unfortunately, the owners of the other Fusions (like me) found out their vehicle was no longer under warranty, and they had to foot the entire bill. Luckly for me, I had purchased the Ford extended warranty, and my out-pocket pocket is $100. I was told by the dealership that Ford is aware of this issue but has not issued a recall. My service advisor was absolutely shocked when Ford authorized the necessary repairs in a couple hours berceuse it normally takes a few days to get authorization. I have owned this car since it was new and have always kept up with the required maintenance. They gave me a rental vehicle and said it would be about 7 days before the repairs are completed.

Coolant intrusion.

In early October 2025, the vehicle was taken to an independent dealership service department for a routine oil change. Several weeks later, the vehicle appeared to be leaking fluid and began experiencing loud knocking/clacking noises, significant vibration, and drivability concerns, especially during acceleration. On October 10, 2025, while parked at a family member’s residence, the vehicle would not start. Due to safety concerns, the servicing dealership arranged for the vehicle to be towed for inspection. Technicians found a split transmission hose causing transmission fluid loss, which was repaired; however, the abnormal noises, vibration, and drivability issues persisted. Further inspection identified loud popping/clacking noises from the bell housing area. The technician physically inspected the flex plate and documented that the flex plate was cracked. The dealership advised that a cracked flex plate can worsen, cause severe vibration, damage related components, and lead to drivability issues or potential loss of propulsion. Because of the nature of the failure and symptoms, the vehicle was removed from regular use due to safety concerns. The vehicle was later taken to a manufacturer-authorized Ford dealership, which confirmed flex plate failure but stated the vehicle did not qualify for a customer satisfaction program due to engine variant. A goodwill/financial assistance request was submitted and denied. Technician diagnostic documentation from the manufacturer-authorized dealership was requested but not provided prior to filing this complaint. No crash or injury occurred; however, the failure created a risk of sudden inability to propel the vehicle while driving, including at highway speeds. The vehicle remains unrepaired and parked due to cost and safety concerns.

Vehicle ran very well, however engine caught fire while exiting highway. Insurance adjuster states common issue with Ford ecoboost engines. Reported to Ford whom dismissed issue of engine fire.

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

According to auto zone, after being placed on scanner, the power train system (p0456) has a evaporative emissions system leak (very small leak) diagnosed at 76,919miles. Ford dealership says they cannot find a problem. When I put gas in the car I have to sit and wait at least 10 minutes before my car will start again. It takes a couple of tries and much hesitation, but it will start. Once you get started it has difficulty accelerating or may slow down on its own. Again, Ford dealership reports they can't seem to find a problem. When I told them the problem, they came up with a price to charge me to fix something they could not find. Ridiculous!! my Ford app clearly states check engine problem detected, but nooooo they cannot find anything wrong. Two different dealerships. Thank god I keep my paperwork because others are complaining of the same thing. They have to put the pen to the paper or we will never get a recall.

I got an engine temperature warning, then I noticed the coolant reservoir was empty. I filled it back up and everything went back to normal. I was driving down the interstate when the check engine light came on. I had a few misfires and was able to make it back to a dealership, who then diagnosed the vehicle and said it coolant intrusion due to an engine block leak. Charging over $9000 in repairs.