What 1,948 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Fusion Hev

Coolant leaks and never fills the reservoir.

NHTSA ODI 11611416

Been getting a low coolant warning, coolant is not low ,is actually over limit. Car then says overheating service now,goes into limp mode. Engine light comes on. I cannot drive car until it shuts off, sit awhile and then go. Engine light on get a p1299 reading,have had that reading for years,they replaced motor while under warranty ,now four years later the exact same thing is happening and I have no warranty,I cannot pay for this . This is an Ecoboost 1.6 motor and needs recalling,I read where thousands of people are having the exact same problems,this is not new...Please help us people trying to help ourselves with the exact problems over and over again. The 2013 Ecoboost 1.6 has given me problems for years and it just now started again big time on Aug 12 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11611137

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was slow to accelerate. Additionally, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact discovered an unknown recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The recall was repair was performed; however, the contact was informed that there was another failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred, and the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that the message "Low Coolant" was displayed. The coolant reservoir was topped off; however, a week later the failure recurred, and the vehicle was smoking. The contact was concerned that the vehicle was going to catch on fire. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11588972

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and then stalled. The contact was able to pull over and several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but gradually became more frequent. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated during the failures. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the throttle body needed to be serviced or replaced and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The contact called a local dealer and was advised that there was a Customer Satisfaction Program: 13N03 (Engine) associated with the throttle body but the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11587613

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a faulty hose and the hose was replaced. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine seized. Additionally, a failure code was displayed indicating a failure with cylinder #3. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the warranty company directed the contact to tow the vehicle to Precision Tune. Precision Tune rebuilt the engine, and the vehicle was delivered back to contact. The contact stated that less than a month after getting the vehicle back, the turbo became inoperable. The vehicle was taken back to Precision Tune. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed turbo and the turbo needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA ODI 11582540

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI 11577588

The engine makes a very loud ticking and whirring sound, there are also quite a few electrical components that will not communicate with the PCM causing errors on the vehicle code such as a switch component failure U2002-96 Battery voltage circuit below and above threshold U3003-16 and U3003-17, electric park break enable - Deactivated B1111-53. Lost communication with restraints control module U0151-00 Lost communication with pscm U0131-00 invalid data received from pscm - alive/sequence counter incorrect/not updated and right rear tone wheel - mechanical failures C0039-07 even though there have not been any accidents and all maintenance has been done on proper time frame. The car shifts very hard and sometimes hangs on rpm before a shift causing an even harder gear change. The emergency breaking system does not work at all and there is no warning when you come close to any object wall or person. The reverse parking sensors also came loose and recessed into the back bumper by themselves with no tampering or touching.

NHTSA ODI 11571126

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the fuel tank. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about a recall. The contact called the local dealer, who informed him about scheduling an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but only received an automated message from the system. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V227000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

NHTSA ODI 11569478

The fire started in the engine, unsure of exact cause according to the fire report. My wife [XXX] ), I, and my one year old daughter’s safety was compromised bc there was no warning until a minute before us realizing fire and exited the vehicle. Car was investigated by local department. Check engine light flashing crazy less than a minute before car loss power INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11564155

As I was going down the highway my car started smoking dramatically. There were no warning lights so I assumed it might be a belt. I pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood to find flames coming from the backside of the engine. I have had it in the shop now for the last two months and the initial thought was that the water pump could have caused the issue. However, after that set of repairs it was burning oil. Further investigation has shown that the head is cracked.

NHTSA ODI 11545435

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 12 MPH, the contact stopped at a stop sign and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact became aware that there was coolant on the ground and under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the vehicle was not under a recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11544585

I have driven my car a little over 600 miles after the first recall was done for the engine overheat and a sensor was replaced. They drove it 0 miles to test drive it after (it shows on my paperwork) since around 600 miles it has sat because now my engine is actually overheating. I had no idea that I could contact ford again about this until recently and I have the paperwork and mileage to match. But I am afraid they will say the recall was performed and be of no help. Clearly they didn’t care enough to test drive the car after the fix. So I cannot trust them to properly take care of this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11534990

The Cooling System Failed as I was on 485 interstate in traffic and it almost caused a serious accident, as the speed limit was 70 in that area I was almost rear ended due to the car idling down suddenly with the OVER HEAT WARNING flashing. It is available for inspection upon request. I start the car sometimes and instantly OVER HEAT WARNING appears on dash. The problem has not been fixed by dealer, I've had multiple mechanics replace new parts an still resulting in same issue OVER HEATING, I must add the car isn't OVER Heating it's a false reading but I can not drive the car in a safe manner if it continues to do this while in traffic at high rates of speed, very very dangerous other drivers are not aware of the sudden change of speed when this issue happens. There were no PRE WARNINGS, issue started back in February 2023, it is now May 31, 2023. I'm still making payments on this vehicle monthly, I'm not able to enjoy the car in a safe manner because of this ongoing issue, I really could use some HELP with this issue as my safety and the safety of other drivers are the main focus here. Thank You, please be in touch.

NHTSA ODI 11524622

I’ve received a letter in March regarding this safety recalls and I not been contacted by the manufacturer for any remedy. I have not had this vehicle for a full six months. Now the break fluids leaks, there’s an issue with a gasket, and I cannot longer drive vehicle due to the smell of something burning. The recall states it’s an increasing risk of a crash. I have to search for transportation to and from work because I refuse to cause harm to myself or others. Safety Risk IF THE BRAKE FLUID LEAKS, YOUR VEHICLE MAY EXPERIENCE AN INCREASE IN BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL TOGETHER WITH A REDUCTION IN THE RATE OF DECELERATION OVER TIME, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. Ford should provide another vehicle as a loaner until this issue has been resolved.

NHTSA ODI 11522779

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and inspected. The coolant temperature and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and an unknown hose was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. On another occasion, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the lights in the vehicle were illuminated; however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact became aware that there was antifreeze on the ground underneath the vehicle. The coolant temperature and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,281.

NHTSA ODI 11518014

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle was slow to accelerate. The driver was able to pull over. The check engine warning light was flashing on and off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505845

Not sure if related to recall - took vehicle in due service in December 2022 for service and recall. My Ford app indicates they did not take care of it. While driving from California to arizona on January 9, 2023 the engine lights came on: coolant hot, vehicle unsafe to drive, see manual. I couldn’t drive my vehicle. Broke down on the 10 interstate. Would not move. Would not go into reverse. It was towed to surprise Ford in surprise, arizona and I’m currently awaiting diagnostic testing. They said they will check if it’s related to recall. Towed from I-10 to home by AAA. Home to shop by sttae farm insurance. Thank you. The contact stated that after being inspected at the dealer, the damage to the vehicle was found to have no relation to the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11501400

2013 Ford Fusion with 99,799 miles on it; went out to go start it after work one day, unable to get into car or start car as battery was completely drained. Did not leave lights on etc. Had someone jump car; on way to repair shop, car shut down and would not restart; thankfully I was NOT on a highway. Since that time, it has had 2 new batteries placed in it, will run for about 5 minutes then shut off and you cannot restart it again; it has also been to 2 repair shops and is presently at the Ford dealership as my shop was not able to determine what was wrong. Cooling fan also noted to be running after car died yet still not able to restart. Read on Ford forums that this has happened to other Fusion owners of the same year.Up to this point, intermittently the battery saver message would come across the dash however I had that looked at and was cleared out. With the car just shutting down without any warning on a busy street in the city, this could have ended a lot worse: I could have been hit or even killed. No warning lights appeared on dash aside from powertrain light after it was jumped but after that, there was nothing. Car was essentially dead and I could not get it to restart. When it was running I could not get the car to go over 10mph in a 35mph zone

NHTSA ODI 11500779

Engine coolant is leaking into cylinder #3. Check engine light came on around 60,000 miles. This is a known problem by Ford and is most likely an engineering fault. It has been cited in TSB 19-2172, 19-2208, and 19-2346. I have an estimate of almost $8,000 through a local certified mechanic, who found the problem. However Ford required me to take it to get it verified by a Ford dealer, and they found the same problem and their estimate for repair i over $9,000.

NHTSA ODI 11498308

My 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium hesitates a lot while driving, and on several occasions the vehicle has flat out stalled in the middle of traffic. Something pops up on the dashboard saying “Run Power Active” and when I go to restart it, it’s takes a while for the car to turn back on. This has happened more than once a day some times.

NHTSA ODI 11496446

10 mins into driving the car the car had a loss of power and the instrument cluster flashed a see manual indicator and a wrench flashed on the screen within 1 min of pulling on to the shoulder of the road the entire engine compartment was in flames. I had the recall for the issue know to have caused this performed on the car but it doesn’t seem the issue was resolved. The car is now totaled due to an issue that has appeared to happen with multiple vehicles reported to the NHTSA.

NHTSA ODI 11496003

Transmission is the worst I have ever used in any vehicle. Constantly slips downshifting and upshifting also when breaking. Transmission is slow to shift and then has hard bang and jerks the car

NHTSA ODI 11494635

THE CARS DASHBOARD LIGHTS KEPT LIGHTING UP AND NOT LONG AFTER I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR CAUGHT ONFIRE UNDER THE HOOD AND BURNT DOWN COMPLETE LOSS

NHTSA ODI 11488892

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 60 MPH, she smelled an unknown burning odor as an unknown-colored smoke began to emit from underneath the vehicle without warning. Her daughter then pulled over and saw flames emitting from underneath the hood of the engine. While waiting for the authorities to arrive at the scene, a fellow motorist witnessed the failure and managed to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11488398

On 9/16/22 we were driving at about 30 mph on a narrow two lane road in Tewksbury, NH, when the engine suddenly and without warning failed to accelerate and began shaking violently, then quit. We managed to restart and when it again failed to accelerate managed to pull off road into a driveway. We called AAA and had car towed to Salem Ford in Salem, NH. See attached invoice for diagnosis. Incident occurred without warning. Car had been serviced in June 2022 with no problems found. Had we been unable to pull off road, the engine failure could have resulted in severe rear end collision as problem occurred in a blind curve. See attached invoice from Salem Ford.

NHTSA ODI 11485841