What 58 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Fusion Hev

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -Engine/Coolant System How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -Coolant is being drained by engine. Subsequently, the coolant is going in to the engine, causing overheating, and potentially, a fire. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -Yes, I have the repair estimate. There is a class-action lawsuit in California over this issue Case No. 2:20-cv-01796-TLN-CKD Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -Same as above Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes, engine overheating lights would turn on.

NHTSA ODI 11536863

PRECURSOR 1: CAR HAD THREE SHORT TRIPS WITH BRIEF BREAKS. AND ABOUT 1 MIN IN OFF/PARK BEFORE PROBLEMS OCCURRED. PRECURSOR 2: ENGINE DID NOT FULLY START AND VEHICLE GEAR DIAL WOULDN'T MOVE OUT OF PARK. RECEIVED A MESAGE ABOUT THE BRAKE. THOUGHT THIS WAS CAUSED BY NOT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL ENOUGH. TURNED OFF ENGINE, FIRMLY PRESSED BRAKE PEDAL AND TURNED ON ENGINE, SAME PROBLEM. TRIED A 3RD TIME, SAME PROBLEM. ON, MAYBE 4TH ATTEMPT THE MAJOR PROBLEM OCCURRED (VEHICLE ENGINE NOT TURNING OFF). THE NOT STARTING - BRAKE CONNECTION PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED IN AUG 2019 AND FEB 2020. FORD DEALER COULD NOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM IN AUG. IN FEB, PROBLEM ACCOMPANIED BY "PARKING BRAKE FAILURE" MESSAGE AND FORD REPLACED IT. NOT SURE IF IT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM AGAIN. MAJOR PROBLEM: ON ABOUT THE 4TH ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR ENGINE, THE VEHICLE ENGINE WOULD NOT POWER DOWN AND WAS NOT DRIVEABLE. POWER ON/OFF BUTTON WAS NOT RESPONSIVE TO TOUCH, THE SMALL GREEN LIGHT ON POWER BUTTON BLINKED. TWO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED WHEN THIS OCCURRED--THE BATTERY LIGHT AND TRIANGULAR WARNING LIGHT WITH THE EXCLAMATION POINT. TURNED OFF RADIO AND AC IN RESPONSE TO LIGHTS. COULD MOVE GEAR DIAL FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND BACK BUT THERE WAS NO POWER TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN FOR LONG TIME QUIETLY SEEMINGLY ON BATTERY ALTHOUGH PANEL DIDN'T SHOW IT WAS IN HYBRID MODE. WINDOWS AND LOCKS WORKED. WHEN OPENED DOOR, THE "DOOR AJAR" MESSAGE APPEARED THAT APPEARS ONLY WHEN ENGINE IS ON. WHEN TOW TRUCK DRIVER ARRIVED, HE WALKED LONG DISTANCE FROM CAR WITH KEY--ENGINE STILL RAN-- AND HE WAS UNABLE TO POWER DOWN THE ENGINE FROM INSIDE VEHICLE TOO. EVENTUALLY RESORTED TO DISCONNECTING THE SMALL BATTERY TO TURN OFF ENGINE; HOWEVER, THAT CLEARED OUT THE CODES FROM THE WARNING LIGHTS AND SO THERE'S NO DATA FOR FORD TO FIND OTHER THAN THE BATTERY CODES UPON RECONNECTING THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11366779

JUNE 15, 2020: I STARTED THE CAR AND IMMEDIATELY, A MIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE COMBUSTION ENGINE IDLE WAS ROUGH (RPM GOING UP AND DOWN). WITHIN ABOUT 30 SECONDS, A MESSAGE SAYING "STOP SAFELY NOW" POPPED ON THE DASH AND WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, THE ENGINE STOPPED. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, BUT IT DID THE SAME THING (STOP SAFELY NOW AND ENGINE STOPPING). THE CAR WAS STILL IN MY DRIVEWAY. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO DEALER, AND AFTER 8 DAYS, THE CAR WAS REPAIRED (NEW MAP SENSOR) 6/23/2020: DROVE HOME FROM DEALER (10 MI) 6/24/2020: STARTED CAR AND DROVE TO WORK. WITHIN 3 MILES, SAME "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE POPPED AND THE CAR KILLED THE ENGINE WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROAD. THIS WAS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS WHEN THE CAR DOES THAT, YOU HAVE NO BRAKE ASSISTANCE, NO POWER STEERING AND NO PROPULSION. HAD TO GET THE CAR TOWED A SECOND TIME. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11330571

WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR'S DASHBOARD INDICATES A POWERTRAIN FAULT (VIA AMBER WRENCH SYMBOL). CAR SEEMS TO GO INTO A LIMP HOME MODE THAT HAS SYMPTOMS OF GRABBY BRAKES AND LOWER FUEL ECONOMY. CAR HAS ALSO STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING, LOSING ALL POWER, AND REQUIRES THE OPERATOR TO FULLY STOP, SHIFT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN OFF THE CAR, TURN THE CAR BACK ON, AND THEN SHIFT BACK INTO DRIVE BEFORE THE OPERATOR CAN CONTINUE DRIVING. EXTREMELY UNSAFE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY DECELERATES AND THERE IS NO WARNING PRIOR TO THE CAR STALLING. THE POWERTRAIN WARNING LIGHT ORIGINALLY OCCURRED ON 15JUN2018 WHILE LEAVING WORK AND TRAVELLING AT ABOUT 25 MPH WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED ON. IT STAYED LIT THE ENTIRE DRIVE HOME (ABOUT 50 MILES) AND WAS STEADY FOR SPEEDS RANGING FROM STOPPED TO ABOUT 70 MPH. DURING THIS EPISODE, THE CAR DID NOT STALL. ON 18JUN2018, WHILE LEAVING WORK, THE CAR ONCE AGAIN ILLUMINATED THE POWERTRAIN WARNING, BUT THEN IMMEDIATELY STALLED AND I DRIFTED TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. I STOPPED THE CAR, PUT IT IN PARK, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, AND THEN PUT IT BACK INTO DRIVE, WHERE IT FUNCTIONED, BUT WITH THE POWERTRAIN WARNING ILLUMINATED. I DROVE HOME AT SPEEDS RANGING FROM STOPPED TO 70 MPH, BUT WHEN I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AT MY CITY, ON THE SURFACE STREETS THE CAR STALLED OUT 2 MORE TIMES WITH NO WARNING, LEAVING ME TO PUT ON MY HAZARDS AND QUICKLY TRY TO RESTART THE MOTOR. CAR HAD JUST UNDER 5000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER WHEN THIS FIRST OCCURRED. CAR IS A FORD FUSION HYBRID 2018.

NHTSA ODI 11102676