MODELYEARINDEX

Which Ford Fusion years to avoid

Across 11 scored model years, the 2010, 2011 and 2012 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Ford Fusion Full report
F
Grade 2010–2020
2010 vs model median 5.9×
Model median3× median
Speed Control 722
Drivetrain 675
Engine 629
Avoid

2010 · 2011

Best

2018 · 2020

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

The 2010 Fusion has the highest complaint rate of any year on this model by a wide margin — nearly six times the Fusion’s own median. Three categories carry it almost equally: speed control, drivetrain and engine, each with several hundred reports. Sixty-seven filings record a crash.

The largest cluster concerns steering. Ford recalled 2010–2012 Fusions for a power steering assist fault in which the system could lose assist and revert to manual steering while driving, and the complaint narratives from this period describe exactly that — a sudden heaviness at the wheel, sometimes at speed. Owners also report throttle and transmission behaviour, and the median odometer reading at complaint sits around 51,000 miles, so many of these cars were out of warranty when the problem appeared.

The rate falls sharply after 2013. The 2018 and 2020 cars record the Fusion’s lowest complaint rates here, which is the pattern you would expect from a platform that got substantially sorted in its second half.

Reviewed Claude, 10 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
5.91× 3,261 F
2011
2.64× 1,588 F
2012
1.60× 977 D
2013
1.46× 879 D
2014
1.00× 638 C
2015
0.79× 475 C
2016
1.17× 750 D
2017
0.81× 474 C
2018
0.21× 141 A
2019
0.28× 176 A
2020
0.23× 161 A

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2010 F 3,261 reports · median 51,000 mi

  1. Speed Control 722

    This morning the gas pedal got stuck on the floor and I couldn't stop the car until a couple miles later. Brakes did not stop the car until the gas pedal just came back up from the floor. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 675

    While under normal driving conditions and habits, we experienced a complete instrument cluster failure in our 2010 ford fusion hybrid this past saturday, feb 20. 2010. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 629

    The contact owns a 2010 ford fusion. The contact stated the engine would intermittently stall without warning and lose all power. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

67 crash · 4 fire · 28 injuries

2011 F 1,588 reports · median 46,803 mi

  1. Steering 466

    The contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact was exiting a parking space when the steering failed and became abnormally tight. The power steering came warning light did not illuminate until after the failure. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 243

    The contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact was on a steep incline and shifted the gear selector into the reverse; suddenly the vehicle rolled forward 6-8 feet. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Speed Control 232

    The contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact was driving approximately 60 MPH when the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

48 crash · 6 fire · 18 injuries

The best year for the Fusion

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2018 is the best-scoring Fusion model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 89.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 0.21× 141 A
2020 0.23× 161 A
2019 0.28× 176 A

Recalls

48 campaigns on record, 4 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
22V413000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) 2013–2016 2,925,968
21V158000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2012 2,602,668
20V331000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2013, 2014 2,147,323
16V384000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 1,892,343
25V695000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2016 1,448,655
18V167000 STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR 2014–2018 1,301,986
23V162000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS 2013–2018 1,280,726
19V001000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2012 782,384
14V597000 AIR BAGS 2013, 2014 746,842
17V024000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2012 654,695
16V875000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT 2013–2016 603,392
19V904000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2010 600,166

+ 36 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2010 were reported at a median of 51,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ford Fusion years should you avoid?
2010, 2011, 2012 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Ford Fusion model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Ford Fusion?
2018 is the best-scoring Ford Fusion model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 89.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ford Fusion have?
48 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford Fusion model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2010 Fusion
Complaints in window
3,261
Severity-weighted
5,565
Model median (weighted)
941
vs model median
5.91×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
19
Open investigations
1
Score 6.7 F