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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Fusion builds off the 2010's reputation. That's not a good thing.

The first thing that jumps out is the ridiculous amount of power steering complaints. It grinds, it squeals, and it eventually just fails.

And if losing power steering isn’t enough for you, how about a sudden loss of engine power? That combination is enough to achieve clunker status.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,271 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Ford Fusion engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 13 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #31

Mar 222013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 26,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Had the vehicle for about 2 months but had only driven it about 1500 miles. (Mar. 22, 2013 - 26,800 miles) I was driving along a lane road doing about 50 mph when the car suddenly lost power. Almost got rear ended. Was able to barely limp the vehicle to a stop on the right shoulder but it would not move even when the gas pedal was depressed. The mechanics light came on and the rpms began floating between 800 and 1200 but with no power to the transmission. Turned the key off and restarted it and it regained power but then it happened one mile later. Same symptoms. Restarted it again and lasted another 2 miles where it happened again. The third time I restarted the car it took about 20 secs of cranking before it turned over. I then drove it 15 miles directly to the Ford dealership I purchased it without incident. Ford ran a diagnostic sweep on the car and could not find anything wrong. They told me it would have to br brought in with the problem showing since the black box does not record these types of issues. I had the impression they have not seen this type of error or could not recall it. Have now driven the car additional 40 miles withoout incidents but makes me wonder about the manufacturer if they aren't concerned about safety issues. I thought the recession and past decade taught them a lesson in doing it right for the consumer/?

- La Habra, CA, USA

problem #30

Mar 082013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
Driving the car, it will have sudden loss of all power. The throttle control/transmission light indicator comes on. You have to turn the car off and restart. Owners manual states to take to the dealer if it stays on or continues to come on.this has happened numerous times over the last six months. Friday 3/8 it happened twice. Took to the dealer. State they are unable to repair due to no code in the computer. They had it 5 days, put 100 miles on it trying to get it to do this again. Safety issue is this occurring while in an intersection of on the interstate. No solution offered by Ford. States have to have a code. No instruction on making sure the code is recorded by the computer. When engine restated clears computer.

- Crockett, TX, USA

problem #29

Mar 152013

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 23,000 miles
While driving on cruise control approximately 70 mph, the car lost all acceleration. The engine is 4 cyl. Engine light came on. Coasted to right of freeway and came to a stop. Turned ignition key to off and then restarted car. Placed in drive and drove and accelerated fine there after.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #28

Mar 122013

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 38,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was going through a school zone on my way to work. When I reached the end of school zone I attempted to accelerate but the engine would not. There was no throttle response and the engine was in a very rough idle. I pulled over, shut the car off, waited about 5 min and started it back up. On start-up, the engine cranked a few extra times before it finally turned over. I was able to drive again after that but noticed that the rpms jumped around when I was in third gear between 1500-2000 RPM. Seeing the rpms jump around like that made me think that the engine was going to lose power again, as it is characteristic of this problem. This is third time this has happened to the car.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #27

Feb 212013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 21,700 miles
Had the vehicle for about a month but had only driven it about 600 miles. (Feb. 21, 2013 - 21,700 miles) my wife was driving along a 4 lane road doing about 50 mph when she noticed the car suddenly losing power. She was in the left hand lane with no shoulder or room to move to the right lane because of traffic and was almost rear-ended by a dump truck who had no idea she was rapidly slowing down because she wasn't putting on any brake to indicate this. She brought the vehicle to a stop but it would not move even when the gas pedal was depressed. She thought it had stalled but later told me she didn't notice any dash lights on. She turned the key off and restarted it and it ran fine the rest of the way home. Called Ford dealership where it was purchased and he asked about engine code lights (of which none were showing ). he said without a code he couldn't do anything. ( March 7, 2013 - 22,400 miles ) turning a corner from a stop the car accelerated and then lost power, engine seemed to sputter and run rough, pulled over and stopped. Wrench light on dash was on, depressed accelerator pedal but nothing happened. Engine was running but tachometer didn't move at all when accelerator was depressed. Turned engine off, restarted, wrench light went off and ran ok. Have also noted that transmission shifting is not always shifting as smooth as when we first started driving it. It seems to jump or lurch in at least one of the gears but this is just an intermittent problem right now. I will take note of this and report back. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Hamlin, NY, USA

problem #26

Mar 062013

Fusion

  • 38,600 miles
I was driving on the highway and I started to feel the car jerk forward slightly about once every ten seconds. About a minute or so later I could no longer accelerate and the amber wrench light was illuminated. I coasted to a stop and pulled over onto the shoulder. When I came to a stop the rpms were very erratic and bouncing between 500-1000. I shut the vehicle, waited a minute, then started it back up. On start up the engine cranked a couple more times than usual but finally turned over. The car ran fine and I was able to continue driving.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #25

Jan 162013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 25,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving at highway speed on an incline, the car lost all propulsion power. After several seconds, the check engine wrench light turned on and I pulled over to the side. Shutting down the vehicle, waiting 1 minute and restarting cleared the check engine light and restored power. The same thing happened 6 weeks later, while idling at a traffic light. After restarting, the system failed again 2 minutes later while driving on level road at 15 mph. The car rested for 2 hours and was then driven without incident to the dealer for repairs. The service technician performed eec test, ppt and component tests, then replaced the throttle body. No subsequent incidents after 1 week.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #24

Jan 032013

Fusion

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle as it resumed normally. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. There was a concurrent investigation associated with the failure under NHTSA action number: PE13003 (engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

- Methuen, MA, USA

problem #23

Feb 252013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 43,353 miles
While driving to work one day my car shut off right after a turn going down a hill, the dash was illuminated and no lights were on other than the dash. I put the car into park and turned it off then started it right back up, it ran fine after that. There is another issue as well though, while driving it hesitated by shifting at higher RPM's than it should and took it to dealer on Monday February 25, 2013 and they still have it with no explanation as to why it did any of those things that I mentioned. The only thing that the service guy says is "well until it is billed out I do not know what is going on with the car." I am very frustrated and just bought this certified pre owned two weeks ago. There should be a lemon law on certified pre owned cars, this is not cool. It has caused a headache for me and now I am stuck paying for a car I cannot even drive right now.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #22

Feb 222013

Fusion

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the throttle body box would have to be replaced. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: PE13003 (engine) that could have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #21

Jan 172013

Fusion

  • 23,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the engine lost power with the illumination of the wrench warning icon and the check engine warning light. The contact pulled the vehicle over and allowed it to sit for a minute before he was able to proceed with driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 23,000.

- Williamstown, NJ, USA

problem #20

Feb 222013

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 70,800 miles
I purchased a 2011 Ford Fusion SE on February 22, 2013. I drove an hour and 15 minutes to the dealership to get this vehicle. On my drive home, I was sort of skeptical about the car because on the ride back, up and down the hills, I could feel a slight uneasiness of the car but thought that was just the how it was. The next three days it drove fine around town. On the fourth day, on my way pulling into work, I braked at the stop sign to let traffic go and as I let off the brake the car did not go anywhere. I sat there about 3 or 4 minutes before I could get it to go. Once I got home, I left out to go to a store and parked to go inside. I came out and the car would not reverse. It took me about 15 minutes of constantly cranking it, shifting gears and pressing the gas before I could get it to move again. I love the car and its features but I hate that this is happening. What can be done to keep the car and avoid the problems with it?

- Orangeburg, SC, USA

problem #19

Feb 262013

Fusion

  • 38,500 miles
I had just got off the highway and was in rush hour traffic. Traffic had come to a complete stop. When traffic started to move I attempted to accelerate and the engine rpms immediately dropped to around 500 and were very erratic. The engine was running very rough and the amber wrench light was illuminated. I was unable to accelerate and had to idle the car off the road to a nearby parking lot. I turned off the car and looked under the hood but couldn't see anything wrong. I started the car back up and it ran fine; the amber wrench light was no longer illuminated. I took it to autozone to have the obd2 codes read but it didn't show any codes.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #18

Jul 062012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
I read where the NHTSA was looking into issues with Ford engines from 2009-2011 in Fusion & escapes. Thought I would relay my incident. Traveling about 55-60 mph, the vehicle suddenly and without warning slowed to a crawl on a busy highway. We were able to nurse the car to the side of the road. Noticed a amber "wrench" warning light. Turned off the vehicle and re-started it. We were able to get the vehicle home under normal operating conditions. Since it was a very hot day, just assumed it was heat related. Happened 2 more times that week-end (at lower speeds in parking lots). Took it to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the problem and could not get an error code. Seems like the light has to actually be on. The dealer replaced the throttle body (under warranty). Have not experienced another incident since, however the gears seem to shift much harder now, though not constant. It's a great vehicle, but I always have that power loss in my mind, praying it wont occur again.

- Severna Park, MD, USA

problem #17

Dec 192012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
I have now twice experienced the same problem described in the news articles from this date regarding engine stall. The first occasion, the vehicle was driving on a surface street at approximately 40 mph when it suddenly stalled. The second occasion was while I was trying to enter a freeway at between 50-55 mph. After the engine was turned off for a minute, the vehicle started working again properly.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #16

Dec 272012

Fusion

  • 37,004 miles
My car lost power and we had to pull over to the side of the road. Eventually I got it started again, limped to a Ford dealership, and was charged $591 for a throttle body replacement.

- Nacogdoches, TX, USA

problem #15

Sep 022011

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 7,581 miles
This happened sometime back, however it could be related to your current investigations. When I had approx 1900 miles on the car and while I was going around 70 mph, the car went into limp mode and I lost all throttle control. After nearly getting hit from behind from a truck (cause I lost speed), I managed to pull over to safety and saw I had no throttle response. I turned off the car, and then turned it back on to find it out it wouldn't start. So I turned it off once again, waited 20 or so seconds, and turned the car back on and proceeded to work. Later on that night, I pulled the codes off the system and kept them as pictures (P2104 and P2112) just in case the codes cleared (cold cycle). Sure enough I go to the dealer the next day, no codes found and there is nothing they (Ford) can do. I showed them the pictures, however I was still turned away. Later on at around 7500 miles, this happened again and this time I was close enough to the dealer to run the codes. They performed tsb 11-4-23 on the engine throttle body and ECU, and installed a new wiring harness. Little did I know at the time, but this states that under rare conditions the engine will emit those codes while the wipers are on.

- Bayonne, NJ, USA

problem #14

Jan 072013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
I bought this 2011 Ford Fusion at 40,000 miles and since it has been at 45,000 miles I been having stalling and idle problems. I thought I was going crazy until I seen an article in the news today. My car has stalled on the hwy to where on numerous occasions I have almost been hit. I have had to pull over and restart it. I also see the wrench when it happens. I also have been sitting still at lights to where my car would idle up real fast. My car also pops and gets stuck when I change gears. I hate this car. I just pray something gets done before someone really gets hurt including myself....

- Blue Springs, MO, USA

problem #13

Jan 302013

Fusion

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle jerked and powered off. Also, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage 40,000.

- Cloverdale, CA, USA

problem #12

Sep 132012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 37,000 miles
While entering interstate 275 South on ramp in tampa, fl my car abruptly stopped responding to the gas pedal and the little wrench light came on. All I could do is coast to a stop on the side of the road. Once my speed slowed to around 5 to 10 miles per hour, the car began to jerk and shake. I put it in park, turned it off and restarted the engine, and it worked like normal for about another month or so until it happened again while I was turning right on red on a major 5 line street. Since then it has happened at least 20 times and has become increasingly more frequent. After a little research on the web, it seems hundreds of people are describing the exact same problem. I mean exactly in every way except for the speeds and locations. The oldest model that I recall seeing this problem described about online is a 2010 with only 15000 miles on it. This is a potentially very dangerous issue, that in my opinion, needs to be fixed. When I was making that right turn, the car just stopped in the middle of the road and I had to quickly restart the engine and floor it to avoid causing an accident.

- Tampa, FL, USA

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