What 426 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Fusion

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the center digital screen failed to illuminate, and the screen was black while the vehicle was shifted into gear. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the VIN not being under recall. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA ODI 11713368

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera displayed a black screen. Several minutes later, the message "Contact the Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The dealer had not diagnosed or repaired the vehicle. The dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11696771

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) appears to have failed. The vehicle's infotainment/play screen is completely blank and unresponsive. This module controls key systems including climate control, navigation, hands-free calling, and the backup camera. The component is available for inspection if needed. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This failure compromises several safety-critical functions. I am unable to adjust climate settings, use GPS navigation, make hands-free emergency calls, or see through the backup camera. These features are essential for safe driving, especially in adverse weather or while reversing. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet confirmed by a dealer, but the issue has been consistent. I have attempted both soft and hard resets, and verified the fuses are good. All symptoms point to an APIM failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No formal inspection has been done by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps or messages. The issue started intermittently about two months ago. Resets worked temporarily, but the screen is now completely unresponsive.

NHTSA ODI 11694300

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the infotainment system screen was black. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera failed to activate, and the screen remained black. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rearview camera screen needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11554162

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while reversing, the back-over prevention camera went blank. The contact shifted into the drive and the screen started rebooting independently. The contact stated that after turning off and restarting the vehicle, the instrument panel started flashing with the radio inoperable message displayed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the back-over prevention camera was not activated. The contact checked the fuse, and the fuse was properly secured. On another occasion, while the contact was reversing, the back-over prevention camera went blank, causing the contact to nearly strike a pedestrian. The dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that there was no recall associated with the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that there was no recall associated with the failure and the contact provided information on how to reset the software. The contact stated that the software reset failed to fix the issue. The failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11535722

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving the infotainment touch screen went black with no warning. The contact stated that the rearview camera and hands-free feature were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was diagnosed with a failed Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM). The contact stated the APIM was not communicating with the vehicle. The APIM needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was not been repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the vehicle. The contact was then transferred to NHTSA to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11460802

The audio/navigation display screen on my 2018 Ford Fusion went black as I was backing out of a parking spot almost causing an accident. It immediately came back on after this but unfortunately, it started to happen regularly upon startup, while driving, parked, just randomly, and for longer periods of time. It also started to increase the volume and I couldn't control it. The system completely stopped working after several weeks. I did a lot of research and noticed that this is a significant problem with Ford Accessory Protocol Interface Modules (APIM). Some have already been recalled on certain models of Fords and why they are not recalled on any that go out is beyond me. Seems that in and of itself would place some liability on the manufacturer in the event of an accident. The dealership wants to charge over $1,200 to replace the faulty APIM, which they described as a continued problem that everyone knows about. So maybe that is the reason it is not recalled. They can make money selling the vehicle and then another $1,200 after 40,000 miles when it goes out. I am very frustrated and will now be $1,200 less happy. Yes, I am frustrated at the financial impact, but it was a safety issue initially and at times startled me while driving, which could have caused an accident. I am sure that there are numerous examples of previous complaints that are able to prove this.

NHTSA ODI 11452904

Faulty APIM for radio/navigation/rear view camera. System won’t turn on or operate In cold weather. When warm, system works perfect.

NHTSA ODI 11447373