Home · 2020 Ford Fusion · Complaints

What 175 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Ford Fusion

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (175)Crash / fire / injury (13)Transmission & drivetrain (66)Engine (47)Electrical system (37)Fuel system (12)Steering (11)Brakes (10)Driver assistance (8)Engine & cooling (6)Body & structure (5)Suspension (5)

Newest first · 175 complaints · page 6 of 7

Sep 27, 2023Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

At first the check engine light was on and the car would not start. The dash would display all the lights and at one point it turned off while driving luckily I was going 20-30mph. Took it to the dealership and they said an Intake Valve had to be replaced and it was covered by the warranty. Next the engine light was on and a MAP censor had to be replaced which wasn’t covered. Once again the engine light and service light came on and the code is saying the same censor needs to be replaced. Each time it has effected how the car drives and is dangerous especially on the interstate because it will not go over 20mph. When the car is in reverse it will shake and turn off displaying auto start stop issue and place the car in park. It will then turn off. It is hit or miss on when the check engine light and maintenance light will come on and each time the symptoms are the same. No one has provided a solution. This has been on going for almost a year.

NHTSA ODI 11546929

Aug 24, 2023Electrical system

the first time the incident happened I was driving home from work, i took and a turn and lost power, the car indicated a message that read " Auto StartStop Shift to P, then restart Engine. I tried starting my car a few times and it turned on. A week later I was driving on the highway and it happend. I pulled over and same thing. I took it to a Ford dealership and they couldn't replicate the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11540585

Aug 18, 2023Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was making an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle then failed to shift into drive or reverse. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cam shaft thrust plate was damaged and there was damage to the crank shaft. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 99,964.

NHTSA ODI 11539374

Aug 9, 2023Fuel system

After every fuel up on the vehicle since I bought it in October 2022 car was sluggish to start, it proceeded to get worse as weeks went by and car refused to turn on until multiple attempts. Days later as I was driving and came to a stop light the car was struggling to stay on. The check engine light finally turned on after a few months of struggling with being able to turn vehicle on after fill up. Upon taking it to the Ford dealership to inspect code P0496 AND P0456 were found. Upon further inspection I was quoted to need VMV and charcoal canister with reprograming to VMV totaling 1500 worth of repairs. After two days of waiting dealership advised that parts, primary charcoal canister are in back order as "this is a common problem with these cars". Telling me that there is no way of knowing when I will be able to get the parts. Being that my car is a 2020, I don't comprehend why this is even an issue and why is this not a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11537486

Jul 12, 2023SteeringTransmission & drivetrainBrakes

2020 Fusion Compressor one, delivered from factory went out-repaired Compressor 2 just went out Needs 3rd compressor now in 3 years or 38,000-Pending I was very concerned each time the compressor went out (x2) I was on the highway when it ceased up and I lost the ability to effectively control the vehicle. I was put in an unsafe position with the ceasing up and with excessive heat buildup with smelling burning. This was very scary and was unsafe and this part should be investigated for potential to cause harm and injury to those in the car should it happen to anyone else. Limited control of car, notice no more Belt as well after i was able to stop. It appaired to in tiny pieces as small as bee bees all over the car. Not even recognizable as a belt. This has happed 2 times (this is not normal in 38,000 miles, having very limited control of car and breaking and steering and no power with smell of fire/burning.

NHTSA ODI 11531801

Jul 7, 2023Electrical systemBackup camera & sensors

Issues with Ford Sync Infotainment system have been occurring for over a year now, with the latest being on May 25th. Backup camera stays on when in drive, and then turns to a blue or black screen that says contact dealer. GPS will fail randomly and will show my vehicle driving off roads and not following the route I am driving. A/C will randomly stop working and show a Fan Speed of 0 no matter how many times you try to increase the fan speed, then once you are able to adjust the fan speed after restarting the car it will only blow very hot air at any temperature setting except in Max A/C. Which even in Max A/C the air coming out is not very cold. The backup camera staying on is dangerous you are not able to control any other functions of your vehicle because the vehicle believes its still in reverse, and at night when the screen is bright blue it impairs visibility. The GPS failure does not allow for proper navigation when traveling. The A/C issue is dangerous during the summer time when you are unable to cool your vehicle with passengers, especially young children from the over 100F temperatures you can experience during the summer. The dealership has seen the A/C issue, and I have videos of the backup camera and GPS issues. Dealership has inspected the vehicle and has been unable to diagnose the issue. They have reset and updated the software, but issues are still intermittent. Multiple calls with Ford and they are unable to provide additional assistance without there being any fault codes or the issue being present. When the A/C issue was present at the dealership, they were unable to diagnose the issue and Ford did not respond back to customer service inquiries to know who at Ford to contact for additional support. No warning signs about the issues. Will just happen randomly at times with no advance warning of anything happening. Most of the time the issues happen after starting the vehicle, but A/C and GPS issues have occurred during middle of a drive.

NHTSA ODI 11530920

Jun 26, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Tapping / knocking coming from the driver side of the engine bay . Slow engagement now knocking while parked and in gear ...was told it was the transmission which is a known issue for this car now my car won't move ... Wondering why this year model and setup has not been recalled

NHTSA ODI 11529021

May 31, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 75,002. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11524659

May 4, 2023Brakes

CONSTITUENT WRITES REGARDING AN ISSUE WITH THEIR BRAKES ON THEIR 2020 FORD FUSION.

NHTSA ODI 11520452

Mar 27, 2023Airbags

The driver steering wheel air bag moves to easily that could cause to eventually go off

NHTSA ODI 11513948

Mar 3, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The car seems to lose power sometimes when you are going down the road. My engine light came on but it brings up a fuel cap code, and a emission control sensor. The extended warranty covered the emissions control purge valve. This started around 70,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11509984

Feb 24, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to drive forward after reversing the vehicle, the vehicle failed to move. The wrench symbol displayed stating there was a system malfunction however, the contact was unsure of the system failure. The contact stated that the diagnostic App linked to the vehicle stated that there was power train malfunction causing reduced power. The contact stated that someone mechanically inclined inspected the vehicle and informed her that the cable shifter bushing had detached causing the gear shifter to move from drive to park. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508861

Feb 8, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Fusion is surging while shifting or lack of. Some of them being more violent than others, sometimes pulling the steering wheel to the left or right. When coming to a stop in city driving when the fusion doesn’t shift the fusion stalls. The initial shift is also very rough into any gear (drive, reverse, and/or back to neutral.

NHTSA ODI 11506233

Feb 7, 2023Brakes

Brake fluid completely empty?

NHTSA ODI 11506116

Feb 2, 2023Electrical system

According to dealership, the 12-volt, 7 year battery passes all testing and has a "Good" (best) rating (battery is only 3 years old). Diagnostics reveal batter at 80%. When battery falls below 85% (such as frequently happens in cold weather), the computer program shuts down several features including remote car starting. Electrical programming must be changed to when a battery falls below 50%...when a car battery should be changed out. Please recall these vehicles and require Ford Motor Company to reprogram the electronic system. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11505193

Dec 28, 2022Electrical systemDriver assistance

If the car is parked in directly sunlight and I start the car a "Front camera temporarily unavailable" message will appear. It happens more when the outside temperature is warmer.

NHTSA ODI 11499117

Dec 28, 2022Wheels

Finish on inside of wheels flacking off and rusting

NHTSA ODI 11499118

Dec 18, 2022

My 2020 Ford Fusion has a broken shift bushing. Which is causing my dial box to revert back to park after changing gears.

NHTSA ODI 11497957

Dec 1, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift into the intended gear and the vehicle would not drive forward. Upon inspection, it was discovered that transmission fluid had leaked from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 11495722

Nov 21, 2022Electrical systemBody & structure

Water is leaking into the trunk of our vehicle through the tail light assembly and soaking all the electrical wiring in the base of the trunk. The wheel well is becoming flooded with water. All the wiring going in and out of the trunk is soaking wet. If you Google this issue. Other Ford Fusion owners with older model vehicles and the same tail light assembly are having the exact same issue where water is coming into the trunk from the tail light assembly. This is clearly a design flaw and with water coming inside and covering the electrical system I want to believe this is major safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11494404

Oct 25, 2022Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemBrakes

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to make a right turn, the parking brake activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. The contact was turned off and then restarted the vehicle. Approximately 3 miles later while driving, the failure reoccurred. The odometer lights began flickering, the gear shift indicator (PRNDL) light started to change, the location of the gear shifter started to switch gears, and the radio malfunctioned. The shift sensor malfunction and fault warning lights were illuminated. The failure occurred a total of 5 times. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who reset the vehicle to remove of all the codes however, the failure reoccurred. The contact scheduled an appointment with the dealer however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 38,750.

NHTSA ODI 11490801

Oct 4, 2022BrakesCrash

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I COULD NOT STOP AND HIT A VEHICLE BRHIND ME.

NHTSA ODI 11487834

Sep 20, 2022WheelsEngineLane Departure

Constantly with this specific vehicle, especially with the lane assist. The vehicle continuously jerks either left or right even within the green parameters of the lane, especially when doing a slight turn on the highway. When it is raining the vehicle smart as go offline an cannot read the lane or the vehicle in front of it. When I first purchased the vehicle after driving for less than a year I had to take the vehicle in because the engine was warped. Constantly when I’m the vehicle the Apple car play system would either freeze or the screen would go black.

NHTSA ODI 11485409

Aug 31, 2022

Rear backblast felt cover severely deteriorating after only 2 years The tiny felt peaces get everywhere And harmful to your health If inhaled

NHTSA ODI 11482301

Aug 30, 2022Electrical system

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 68 MPH, the vehicle started to stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not wired correctly. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11481989

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Working with the data? Download all 175 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2020 Ford Fusion verdict →