What 1,455 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Fusion Hev

My coolants been leaking starting at around 110k miles and it seems like the 2016 ford fusions with 1.6L are know to have coolant intrusions due to a defect in engineering by Ford. This problem eventually leads to corroded head gaskets and can cause the engine to basically explode in the middle of nowhere which is a safety concern. The costs of repair is over 4k+ for a new engine or just to replace the head gasket for something Ford engineers should be liable for. Please look into this and you may even look at my car if you like.

NHTSA ODI 11677695

The coolant was leaking i to the engine and caused a crack in the block leading to the need to replace the engine

NHTSA ODI 11677419

Dear NHTSA, I am reporting a potential safety and design issue related to my 2016 Ford Fusion Titanium with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine. The vehicle is experiencing coolant loss with no visible external leak, which is a documented issue under Ford TSB 19-2208. This condition can lead to sudden engine failure or hydrolock due to coolant entering the combustion chamber. A compression test revealed all cylinders at 155 psi, indicating the block has not yet failed — but the symptoms are known warning signs of the defect Ford acknowledged in its Customer Satisfaction Program 19N05, which does not include my VIN despite identical failure risk. Ford has refused to provide goodwill support under case [XXX], despite this being a well-known failure that has prompted engine replacements in other affected 2.0L EcoBoost models. Please document this case as part of your ongoing safety tracking. I believe this design flaw represents a serious long-term reliability and safety concern. Vehicle: 2016 Ford Fusion Titanium Engine: 2.0L EcoBoost Mileage at Onset: 130,000 approx. VIN: [XXX] Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11677306

My car is hard crank when put fuel in it. It also puffed out blue smoke.My check engine light is on.

NHTSA ODI 11676865

The engine coolant over temperature light came on and i was forced to pull off the side of the interstate because the car had lost most of it’s power. It’s my understanding the 1.5 L eco boist engines have a failure where they allow coolant to leak into the cylinder. We had the car looked at, let it cool down and the code cleared and drove home. This happened again and luckily we were close to a family members home and were able to limp the car there with very little power. The car was checked by a mechanic and they could not find a problem. The code was cleared and it drove fine again. Today the car did the same thing after a 30 minute drive and luckily we were close to home and once again limped it back to the house. I will be calling Ford in the morning to have it looked at.

NHTSA ODI 11676059

My engine died from the design error with the engine block and coolant leaking. This needs to be remedied by Ford. It is not on the recall list, and it absolutely should be.

NHTSA ODI 11675513

Coolant intrusion 1.5l

NHTSA ODI 11675740

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11673666

Coolant intrusion into cylinder 1, low coolant and Engine DTC P0301. Multiple TSB's by Ford recommend engine replacement as a remedy for the Cylinder head - open deck cooling problem. Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12 addresses this problem in similar cars/engines. Has this been expanded to cover this vehicle with the same 2.0L engine? From Ford TSB 19-2346 "Issue: Some 2015-2018 Edge and 2017-2019 Fusion/MKZ/Escape/MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or a runs rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL). Diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may include P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299 stored in powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder. To correct the condition, follow the Service Procedure steps to replace the long block engine assembly."

NHTSA ODI 11672866

My 2016 Ford Fusion SE 2.0L Turbo has been emitting some white smoke, then the other day it would not start right away. When started it ran rough for a few minutes on idle and when driving it does not have much power anymore and it would hesitate a lot if trying to accelerate. SO getting on the interstate that morning I nearly got rear ended by a semi-truck because I could not accelerate up to speed. The check engine light came on shortly and I took it to a mechanic who did tests to diagnose. The diagnostic showed misfiring in cylinder 2 most likely due to coolant intrusion. After doing some research it was evident that many owners have had this happen and had to replace their entire engine for 6000+ dollars. My car only has 114,000 miles on it and it should function properly. I have seen cars with 250,000+ miles easily.

NHTSA ODI 11670981

engine light turned and, scanned it and code is P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire detected. Coolant is leaking into the engine. I have looked online and multiple people have had this issue, majority of them taking their vehicles to Ford dealers and being told they need an engine replacement. I have taken my vehicle to a mechanic shop and was told the same thing. my safety was at risk because this issue caused my engine to overheat and the engine would not turn on for a while after. with coolant being mixed in with the oil, it damages the engine and can cause the car to stop being functional while you are still operating it. I am also including a link to a website that has proof that Ford delearships have seen this issue before, are aware of it but do nothing to fix it [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11670602

Coolant intrusion causing engine failure per diagnostic TSB 22-2134 applies.

NHTSA ODI 11667533

Started car and out of nowhere it began sputtering. Then Engine light came on and when tested the diagnostic said “cylinder 2 misfire. I didnt drive anywhere and light was off today when I crank it. well started driving and light is flashing. Ford dealership said this is a common issue from poor design engine but my car only has 40,000 miles. This seems to happen to ALOT of the 2016 eco models. Says coolant goes into engine. I’m aware most of these models have recalls but not 2016 why!!!!! It’s clearly a faulty engine problem if so many people are having the exact problem and code.

NHTSA ODI 11667185

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was shaking abnormally before losing motive power. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty engine block. The contact was informed that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

NHTSA ODI 11666726

Engine spontaneously became extremely rough, losing power while at the same time engine light started flashing. Had car towed to auto shop. Which stated cylinders 2 and 4 were misfiring. Sought second opinion from different auto shop which confirmed that cylinder 4 was not performing and cylinder 2 was performing minimally. Engine has 47,000 miles on it. Ford customer relations contacted which provided case # [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11663464

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on two occasions when the vehicle was started and running, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated and the vehicle started shaking. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle after approximately 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinder #3, and the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11658473

My 2016 Ford Fusion 1.5L EcoBoost has developed Fords known Coolant intrusion into the head gasket and block issue. I’m currently experiencing dangerous misfires, violent shaking, with EVAP/O2 codes (not sure if related). I got it towed and received diagnosis and the car will be needing a new engine. 124K miles on vehicle at the time. We demand immediate NHTSA investigation and a Ford recall.

NHTSA ODI 11656961

My engine is misfiring and now i have to replace my engine.

NHTSA ODI 11655875

Engine has total failure due to coolant in cylinder 2. Ford is horrible

NHTSA ODI 11655923

Coolant leak caused head gasket and block damage. No warning lights ever on to indicate issue. Car simply wound not start one morning. Was towed and received diagnosis of needing new engine. 57K miles on vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11654897

I had an oil change and drove the car for a week no leaks in my driveway. Then a week later at 6am driving in traffic the red engine light comes on, the car slows down, I pull over and turn the car off. It would not turn back on. I had to have it towed and now I’m told I need an engine. How? The car has been maintained and I didn’t hit anything or run over anything. The oil pan is in tack. This could have been serious as I work over night.This needs to be a recall on the 2016 Ford Fusion Titanium AWD 2.0 eco boost.

NHTSA ODI 11654942

FORD ALREADY KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH ENGINES IN THE SE ECOBOOST,, THERE IS A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3.INSTEAD OF THEM RECALLING ALL OF THOSE ENGINES THEY ONLY RECALLED A FEW PUTTING EVERY ONE ELSE SAFTY AT RISK .PLEASE HAVE THEM RECALL MY ENGINE . THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES I HAVE BEEN CALLING THE LOCAL FORD SINCE LAST YEAR TO CHECK ON RECALLS FOR THIS ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THEY DIDNT HAVE RECALLS ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY DID HAVE SOME RECALLS ON THIESE ENGINES MY CAR STARTED OVERHEATING IN THE MEDIAN OF THE HIGHWAY I ALMOST CRASHED TRYING TO HURRY AND PULL OVER TO A SAFE PLACE. PLEASE DO A RECALL ON MY ENGINE

NHTSA ODI 11654284

Coolant intrusion into cylinder 4. Engine light on. Reads Codes: p0304 and p0316. Recommended replacement of an entire short block. Common problem on their ecoboost engines. Officially diagnosed by Ford dealership on 04-08-2025.

NHTSA ODI 11653487

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 80 MPH while driving. The vehicle started jerking and failed to exceed 60 MPH. The vehicle jerked and then failed to exceed 40 MPH. After refueling, the vehicle was slow to start. The contact had to pump the accelerator pedal for the vehicle to start. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved DTC: P02, P0087, P0131, P0302, and P1450. The mechanic informed the contact that the vehicle would not pass State inspection. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed an unrepaired recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11653155

I take good care of the car, went in for a check up with engine light on, said I needed new spark plugs, they replaced those. Then it didn’t go off, so then brought it to a master mechanic and he said I have a coolant intrusion and need a new engine. This happened out of nowhere.

NHTSA ODI 11651559