What 1,081 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Fusion Hev

Technical Safety Bulletin 19-2346; coolant infiltrating cylinder #2. Quoted $8350 for long block repair.

NHTSA ODI 11697426

I was experiencing engine vibration while driving and lack of power when I pressed gas pedal. I took it to an independent garage first, and then to the dealer. Both told me there was coolant and water in the cylinders, and the dealer told me I needed a total engine replacement consisting of the long block and the head gasket. And it was going to cost me $14,000. my car only has 44,000 miles on it and Ford told me there was nothing they could do about it even though it was a known issue dating back several years.

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2017 Ford Fusion got serviced at Ford dealership June 4, 2025. Service included, transmission flush, fuel induction service, oil change, oil filter change. About a month after service check engine light comes on upon starting the vehicle, but then goes out. A week later check engine light comes back on and would not start properly. Vehicle taken to independent mechanic and was told transmission fluid was low and also old. Vehicle taken to Ford dealership where service was done month prior. Ford dealership said cylinder misfire, coolant intrusion, and engine failure. Also transmission fluid was found to be low. Ford recommended new engine.

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Vehicle is experiencing coolant intrusion from a crack in the engine block which is a known issue by Ford for my particular vehicle year (2017). Ford has issued a TSB/Recall for model years 2017-2019, but when I contacted Ford, I was told my car is not eligible/included in the recall because of the plant that the vehicle was manufactured at. I believe this issue should qualify for manufacturer recall as this is known issue.

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My engine experienced coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, which caused misfiring and engine failure. This has been a known issue with this year model, but since I am just outside of the warranty mileage (69K) and my VIN doesn't have any recalls, I have been advised to purchase a replacement engine. I simply cannot afford to replace an engine in a car I am still paying a loan for. For this to be a known issue and not be recalled is a serious safety concern and has caused me to lose confidence in the manufacturer. I am currently trying to see what a shop near me would charge to replace it but I am not sure that I can afford the repair costs. I shouldn't be expected to need to replace an engine when the year model has known issues and I have taken care of any and all maintenance on the car to keep it running well. I expected to have this car for many more years, especially with the low mileage and how well I've cared for it.

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The vehicle's engine is experiencing coolant intrusion. As such, when starting the car, white and sweet-smelling exhaust exits the exhaust pipe. Furthermore, the coolant reservoir continually runs low; however, we find no coolant on the driveway or apparently leaking from the car. That supports the mechanics assessment of a coolant intrusion. This issue, if left unaddressed, will cause the engine to run improperly, the spark plugs to become fouled, the engine to overheat, etc. I took the vehicle to a local certified mechanic. Although after looking at Ford's service bulletin, it became apparent that the vehicle is experiencing a similar issue to other 2017 models that were included in the recall. The mechanic listened to what we said and pulled up supporting documentation in the form of a Technical Service Bulletin. The check engine light just came up, within the past couple of days, well after the coolant intrusion was started. The disrepair seems to be a matter of timing. The subject has been driven quickly and cautiously.

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What malfunctioned- Car did not give any notice that it was in engine failure for months other than under performing and upon taking it to the ford dealership was never helped with the problem they took money for an oil change and works package but failed to make sure my car was safe. My car was a safety hazard bc it gave zero warning that it was loosing power and when the engine did fail I knew something had been wrong for almost a year and felt it went ignored by Ford and was taken advantage of. The product has been confirmed by multiple mechanics that what causes it is the hose cracks and thus the engine coolant wrecks a working engine. Ford knows it’s a problem but isn’t acknowledging it and makes more money off of parts.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the engine was out of warranty. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

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Engine is experiencing the all too common coolant intrusion.

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Manufactured dates for the 2.7L engine put only into the trim model Ford Fusion Sport (a rare trim) during 06/16 - 01/17 have been documented to have cylinder head issues resulting in long block issues. (Meaning a whole new engine is needed) the only way you got this issue fixed is if it was done in the first 3 years of 2017 or within 39k miles. But for those that didn’t get their vehicles in during that time frame are supposed to pay out of pocket for a defect ford knew to exist and have no issued a recall on these vehicles.

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I purchased my 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium brand new with only 5 miles, from a dealership in Ky. My car recently started idling rough when I started it up. I took my car to a mechanic, after the check engine light came on. The code read misfire on cylinder 3, they replaced spark plugs and coils for $600, but only a few days later the check engine light came back on, still rough idling. I take my car to a 2nd mechanic $200, to find out that there is a “coolant intrusion” in the cylinders, indicating I would need a new engine. In disbelief, I take my car to a 3rd mechanic, $100. I have records from two different mechanic shops showing that there is a coolant intrusion in the engine, which is a "manufacturer defect". I called Ford's Corporate Office for help and apparently my VIN was not a part of any recall, although there are many recalls for the same issue, in the same year and model! There’s a recall on the car engine itself (per 3rd mechanic). Ford told me they couldn’t do anything about their manufacturer issue. Research initiated by the mechanic indicated that Ford Fusion cars with the same make and model, along with many other Ford models in the same year of 2017-2019 had the same issue of coolant intrusion into the cylinders and have been recalled. There are also active lawsuits over the same issue. It’s honestly unbelievable and disheartening that my car is not a part of the recall when it’s doing the exact SAME thing as others with the same year and model, which have already been recalled. I cannot afford to put a new engine in my car. It should have lasted a lot longer, and would have, if it weren't for a Ford manufacturer issue. I have all the documentation as needed, which states that I need a new engine and that the engine itself has already been recalled (however, the VIN shows no recall for the car). I will also be reporting this issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Thank you for your time on this matter.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jolted and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant intrusion and a blown head gasket. The mechanic related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and occupied, and attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse and reversing out of the driveway, the check engine warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the deale,r where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #4. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 47,183.

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While driving the car, the engine indicator kept blinking then the car kept shaking. The Ford Service did inspection and found that there has been a coolant leak to Engine Oil which caused Engine Failure due to cylinder break.

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Engine is losing coolant into the cylinders which causes car to overheat. When this happens car shakes and runs rough. When this occurs while driving down the road, thick white smoke comes from the exhaust blinding the cars behind us. If car dies, you lose power steering and brakes become very difficult to push. We had a repair shop check it out and coolant is leaking on top of the piston and exiting through the exhaust. The engine light comes on just before car begins to act up. According to our mechanic, it appears the engine block has a design flaw and Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin explaining the problem. Attached a picture of when it just begins to smoke. After a few seconds it fills the entire shop.

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Coolant leak in the 3# cylinder mechanic said I need a new engine

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Check engine light came on at around 80,000 miles after 30 min drive. Next day would not start. Jumped it and drove to autozone. Autozones check engine reader stated spark plugs. Drove it to local ford dealership where test came back the third cylinder misfiring because coolant is low and leaking into the engine. Quick google search states many 2013-2018 fusions have a recall for this issue however my specific vin is not included. Dealership never mentioned other fusions being recalled for this. Could have started an engine fire or lost control.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the engine became overheated with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact's son drove the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was confirmed to be engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,595.

NHTSA ODI 11666255

Noticed difficulty starting the vehicle and smoke coming out of the exhaust and the check engine light came on with code PO302. Found this was associated with coolant leaking into the engine which caused the coolant level to decrease and had to add coolant to prevent the car from over heating. These leaking fluids could have leaked onto exhaust parts causing the smoke and possibly could have started a fire in the vehicle. I took the vehicle to Rodeo Ford in Goodyear Az. and they confirmed the code displayed and smoke coming from the exhaust and had to add more coolant right away. They confirmed coolant was leaking into the engine and checked for the recall and said my vehicle was not listed as part of the recall even though other 2017 Ford Fusions were part of the recall. They replaced the engine costing me $10,039.35 and said that the vehicle may be added later to the recall NHTSA Recall ID 17V209

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My Fusion is a 2017 and in 2015 Ford reported a problem with the Eco-Boost engines. The issues is there is a flaw in the production of the engine that could cause a crack in the cylinder and allow coolant to enter the chamber and once that happens the engine fails. Ford did offer a customary recall for the engine, but it was limited on miles and time. I was never informed of the customary recall. My engine has a small crack that has leaked a small amount of coolant into the cylinder. The car still functions. My concern is that if the engine fails while it is being driven, that the engine will seize and the car will stop, and an accident could occur. Since I was sold a car with the defective engine, and it was not disclosed to me, I want ford to replace the engine, since my engine has the defect, before it becomes a safety hazard.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle started sputtering with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power with a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the next day, when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a misfire coming from the spark plugs. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The contact stated that while driving to the residence, the temperature gauge went to Hot. The contact checked the coolant reservoir and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant. The following morning the vehicle was started, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

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Coolant leaking into cylinder causing engine problems.

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The temp gauge suddenly jumped up and alert said coolant was low. Driving on freeway, car shut down before I could get into a shoulder. Big rigs swerving around me, could have been killed. No leaks under car. Cap off the coolant reservoir and the coolant level bubbles up back to normal. After that, even driving one mile makes the temp gauge jump up and drop down erratically. Quoted more thank $8,000 to repair because it requires a new engine? Ford dealership said this is very common issue for Ford Fusions, that it is a design flaw and many of their clients have had similar safety scares.

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