What 1,774 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi

Just before the December holiday, my car was making a notable noise. My local mechanic has diagnosed it to be a transmission failure at 99k miles. The local Ford dealership still has not looked at it and can't for weeks to come because of Covid (1/3 of the mechanics plus the Service Manager and assistant are out). They told us that the tool needed to repair this problem will not be available until April because it needs to be manufactured and distributed. I am left without a car, thrown into the market 2 years ahead of my financial plan, without assets from my car and having difficulty getting a loan because of the hyperinflation of car prices, particularly used. I am quite stranded.

NHTSA ODI 11447210

2.when it came on this time it said “Power steering assist fault” see manual then shut completely off on me. I cranked it back up and it ran for about 30 seconds and shut off again. I cranked it up again and the wrench illuminated and stayed on so I drove it home and parked it Sunday. Now I am bringing it in to you all. It seems to be some serious power/electric issues going on with this car.

NHTSA ODI 11446938

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 10-15 MPH uphill and making a turn, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and was hesitating as if the transmission was in neutral. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that as the vehicle started rolling backward, she depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to move forward and made the turn. The contact continued to drive; however, the failure reoccurred while driving and the vehicle was making abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who test drove the vehicle and diagnosed that the transmission had shifted into fifth gear and would not shift out of fifth gear. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the residence. Then, the vehicle was towed to another mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V362000 (Power Train) and to take the vehicle to the dealer for a recall repair. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed her that the vehicle would be repaired at her expense since the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11446910

Recall issued by Ford 15S14 stating "If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist. Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash." This recall was performed July 8th 2015 at Twin Hills Ford dealership at approximately 30k miles. This exact same problem has happened again at approximately 60k miles and though talking with Ford they will not admit fault to a poorly designed steering motor with an identically poorly designed safety recall solution. This is a safety issue that I feel I should not have to pay upwards of 2500 to repair. Especially after the "solution to the safety hazard" has been performed. This issue puts others in danger and was not adequately resolved.

NHTSA ODI 11446601

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with his son inside the vehicle, he smelled an abnormal fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuel delivery module was cracked and needed to be replaced. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V227000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11446676

when I pull out the gearbox it makes a medium loud noise in the transmission, I try to call because I received notifications, number and description of the 19S16 campaign but it turns out that the automated call does not recognize the numbering

NHTSA ODI 11446472

The mechanism and cable to unlatch the hood corroded to the point that the hood to the car was unable to be opened. This could be a hazard in the event oil needed or antifreeze needed to be added to prevent engine damage. Or if the hood were to somehow become ajar, it could potentially cause the hood to open up while driving, creating a visual obstruction and increasing the risk for a motor vehicle crash.

NHTSA ODI 11446041

My 2013 Ford Fusion SE had the high pressure fuel pump start leaking and dripped fuel on the exhaust and started the car on fire while driving down the road. This caused about $7,000.00 in damage but could have easily gotten out of control and caused injury or death to occupant(s). I reached out to Ford Motor Company and did a chat log asking for assistance and to make them aware. Ford Motor Company Case number CAS-34734107-H6J0Z5. What is dangerous about this design is that Ford chose to design and install a secondary high pressure fuel pump directly above the exhaust manifold and the engineers surely would have known the durability and longevity along with possible outcomes due to normal use over time. For the same reason you are not to refuel a hot engine, a fuel pump should not be placed directly over the exhaust manifold. I believe Ford Motor Company should be held accountable for their finished product liability. This is dangerous enough that they should remove these vehicles from service until a safe solution is available and deployed in my opinion.

NHTSA ODI 11445359

Engine shut off while driving, and a "transmission not in park" message was displayed. Car was able to restart after several tries. Looking online I found a lot of people with the same issue, but no answered questions.

NHTSA ODI 11444700

The shift cable bushing in my 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid degraded and broke apart from the gear shift cable. This resulted in me being unable to shift gears while the vehicle was in park. Fortunately the car was parked at the time but this could have been a serious safety concern had the vehicle been moving. The vehicle was repaired by a Ford dealership by replacing the entire gear shift cable. This repair was considerably more expensive than just replacing the bushing itself which they claimed was not possible. No warning lights or messages were indicated before the failure. This part failure is the exact same issue involved in NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V471000.

NHTSA ODI 11444739

Went to turn the car on and the message "power steering assist fault" kept blinking on the dashboard. Luckily wasn't driving or this could have turned into an accident. Sat in the car for a couple minutes and turned the car off and on. Message didn't appear again, but I'm nervous to drive longer distances than the 6 mile trip from my place of work to my house. I've read that there is a recall on other fusions in the same year as mine. However, I don't know if the VIN is included. I think they need to 1.) send out a notice to all fusions of that year for a recall and 2.) include other VINs in this recall. I now am nervous about driving this car and I plan on having this looked at by a Ford Dealership promptly. Please get this addressed.

NHTSA ODI 11443554

Drove my car to work just fine and my wife got in it to go home and power steering assist fault light came on looked it up and found out that are vin is not recalled looked up how to fix it and there was at least 200 people that has the same issues that’s a lot more then the 23 recalls for that car

NHTSA ODI 11443441

The transmission keeps jerking and when waiting for a light to change car jerks. Also makes a noise that sounds like water boiling but it is something with the Moter.

NHTSA ODI 11443179

While driving, the vehicle flashed the "Service Power Steering" warning. After arriving at my next destination and restarting the vehicle, the alert changed to "Service Power Steering Now", and the power steering became completely unresponsive. According to the dealership, the power steering assist has failed and the entire rack and pinion assembly will need to be replaced, a roughly $2000 repair. After doing some research, this issue has resulted in recalls on other Fords, including Fusions, within the same year model, but not my specific VIN. And judging from the other feedback on NHTSA I'm not alone. It's quite apparent the recall needs to be expanded to include this model.

NHTSA ODI 11442682

Car was parked in the driveway and when started after 4 days, a message came "Active Power Steering Assist Fault". Steering became too hard to operate. This could have happened while driving and would have resulted in a collision. There are recalls for the same issue for 2013 Fusions but not my VIN. I think this recall should be expanded to include more VINs as I am reading similar complaints. Vehicle only has 72000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11442239

Our transmission thinks the car is always in drive. It won’t start, and shifts very roughly. There was a recall for this, but not sure why our specific vehicle wasn’t included.

NHTSA ODI 11441442

On 10/31/21 at approximately 7:30 pm my dashboard alerted me with a steering assist fault after making a turn on a rotary on Mystic valley Pkwy Somerville Ma 02144. After entering the rotary my vehicles steering wheel become stiff and hard to move and staring moving towards the left side close to the curbs. I was traveling at around 20mph. I was able to move the vehicle to a near by park that was located on the same street as the rotary (Dilboy stadium). After parking the vehicle, I shut it off and restarted it. After doing so, the alert disappeared and I was able to drive the vehicle normally. After leaving the park 5 minutes later the alert popped back again. I was driving in a straight line so the steering assist did not cause much of a problem, however I could feel the stiffness of the steering wheel. When I arrived to my destination, after performing a left turn my vehicle once again starting leaning towards the left side almost causing me to hit the curb. At around 9:00pm I had towed the vehicle to a Fords dealership. On Monday the 1st I was able to drive the vehicle with same steering wheel conditions to an independent dealership who performed a check and received a fault code of C200D:49 with the solution of replacing power steering rack with module which could only fixed at a Ford dealership due to the module. In the situation described above I was very fortunate that I was not driving at high speed in an area with high traffic, as an accident would’ve most likely occurred. I know that there is no recall on my specific vin however I am aware that other vins with the same year and model have recalls on them. I do not have any other alerts on the car. The fault I came across is a safety hazard not only to myself but other cars on the road. After digging around on the web the steering wheel fault is a common error that a lot of Ford owners come across and I believe that an investigation needs to be launched to protect the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

NHTSA ODI 11440120

November 1, 2021 I noticed that all of a sudden the warning light for power steering came on. I managed to get the car to the house and now the steering is locked. I have no remedy. I have been nervous about the car every since. I need my car repaired. The warning should come before all out failure! That’s not a warning it’s an ambush!!

NHTSA ODI 11439224

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering) which he linked to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11438873

2013 Ford Fusion with 54K miles. The vehicle overheated and the coolant light indicated to add fluid. Fluid was added however, the coolant light keeps coming on to add more fluid. Coolant has been added about every 2 weeks but the level is just below the max fill line each time with plenty of fluid in the unit. The car was taken to Ken Grody Ford (KGF)in Buena Park, CA and the radiator was flushed, and inspection revealed there were no leaks or damages. Within a week the coolant light came back on and was returned to KGF for reinspection. At this time a pressure test was done and we were told the temp sensor and bypass hose needs repair. A Ford Mechanic, not at KF advised this may be related to 2 recalls on the car 17S09, which was supposed to have been addressed in 2019, and/or 12S41 which is an old recall we were never advised of and the repair was not done. Per KGF, 12S41 was never entered in their system for recall, however this was confirmed on NHTSA. Ford Customer Service said they will not repair if it is not in their system and will not review NHTSA to confirm our VIN was impacted. Most complaints on NHTSA regarding cooling have the same symptoms as our car. Both recalls are a safety hazard causing the engine to catch fire and endanger driver/passengers. I have no way of confirming the work was performed as we were previously advised and yet Ford will not take responsibility to ensure the current issue is not related to the recalls and perform the necessary repairs. I was told by a Supervisor, Jennifer, at Ford's Customer Care Line (800-392-3673) that NHTSA must tell Ford to add this to their (Ford's) system in order for it to be addressed.

NHTSA ODI 11438935

Power steering failure in parking lot. Steering did not return to center like normal after turning, shortly after while pulling into parking spot the power steering failed. Power steering reset tried and failed. Computer reset tried and failed, vehicle has no power steering or lane keeping capabilities.

NHTSA ODI 11437907

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the contact noticed a warning light illuminated on the vehicle stating engine overheating. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the road, where the contact noticed black smoke coming from the engine. The contact then drove the vehicle across the road into a mechanic shop where the mechanic who used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the smoke fire from the engine. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the failure as the engine was damaged and needed to be replaced The dealer replaced the engine, however, the contact was still experiencing issues with the coolant system on the vehicle. Sometime after the contact received a recall notification NHTSA campaign number: 17V209000 (engine and engine cooling) which the recall stated they would place a coolant sensor on the vehicle however the local dealer did not add the sensor on the vehicle they only replaced the coolant control valve. However, after the repair, the vehicle still experienced failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11437483

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that assistance was needed for the driver to steer the vehicle into a parking space. The driver restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle did not regain power steering functionality. The vehicle remained in the parking space. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11437354

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH in the rain, the vehicle inadvertently lost power steering functionality. The power steering assist warning light illuminated and the message to "Pull Over" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated she veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the power steering warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated she was able to continue to drive the vehicle at a lower speed and manually steer the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V250000 (Steering) because the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of diagnosis and repair of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11437359

When my fuel tank is filled the vehicle won't start and while driving the vehicle will stall out. The code on the check engine light comes back as P1450. This is telling me the canister purge valve needs replaced. After researching online I see this is a common problem for the 2013 Ford Fusion.

NHTSA ODI 11437406