Ford Fusion Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
28,414 NHTSA complaints (2006–2020).Complaint rate: 348.5 per 1,000 vehicles.
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Should I buy a Ford Fusion?
Quick answer from 28,414 NHTSA complaints · 2006–2020
Ford Fusion reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is steering defects. Pick the right year and this Fusion can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2020 Ford Fusion· 243 complaints
- 2019 Ford Fusion· 378 complaints
- 2018 Ford Fusion· 546 complaints
- 2010 Ford Fusion· 7,009 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- steering defects — 5,610 complaints (3.0% involved a crash)
- airbags — 3,513 complaints (6.9% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 3,276 complaints (0.7% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 2,870 complaints (1.9% involved a crash)
- brakes — 2,166 complaints (9.2% involved a crash)
Ford Fusion Generations
Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.
| Generation | Years | Complaints | Crashes | US Sold | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 2006–2012 | 18,575 | 741 | — | Hide years | |||
| 2006 | 919 | 57 | — | View 2006View→ | ||||
| 2007 | 1,277 | 73 | — | View 2007View→ | ||||
| 2008 | 1,532 | 67 | — | View 2008View→ | ||||
| 2009 | 1,164 | 96 | — | View 2009View→ | ||||
| 2010 | 7,009 | 169 | — | View 2010View→ | ||||
| 2011 | 3,640 | 114 | — | View 2011View→ | ||||
| 2012 | 3,034 | 165 | — | View 2012View→ | ||||
| Gen 2 | 2013–2020 | 9,839 | 374 | — | Show years |
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2010–2013 Ford Fusion (542 crash-related complaints). The 2018–2020 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Steering.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Ford Fusion Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Steering Defects | 5,610 | 3.0% |
| Airbags | 3,513 | 6.9% |
| Engine Problems | 3,276 | 0.7% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 2,870 | 1.9% |
| Brakes | 2,166 | 9.2% |
| Electrical Faults | 1,559 | 2.4% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 1,388 | 6.1% |
| Fuel System | 1,154 | 1.6% |
| Engine & Cooling | 643 | 0.6% |
| Body Structure | 596 | 9.2% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Gen 1 | 919 | 57 | 4 | View → |
| 2007 | Gen 1 | 1,277 | 73 | 6 | View → |
| 2008 | Gen 1 | 1,532 | 67 | 6 | View → |
| 2009 | Gen 1 | 1,164 | 96 | 8 | View → |
| 2010AVOID | Gen 1 | 7,009 | 169 | 16 | View → |
| 2011AVOID | Gen 1 | 3,640 | 114 | 13 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | Gen 1 | 3,034 | 165 | 11 | View → |
| 2013AVOID | Gen 2 | 2,348 | 94 | 147 | View → |
| 2014 | Gen 2 | 1,740 | 70 | 11 | View → |
| 2015 | Gen 2 | 1,251 | 41 | 5 | View → |
| 2016 | Gen 2 | 1,985 | 90 | 10 | View → |
| 2017 | Gen 2 | 1,348 | 55 | 10 | View → |
| 2018GOOD | Gen 2 | 546 | 10 | 1 | View → |
| 2019GOOD | Gen 2 | 378 | 5 | — | View → |
| 2020GOOD | Gen 2 | 243 | 9 | 6 | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (28,414 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Ford Fusionaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
Buying a Ford Fusion?
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