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CarComplaints.com Notes: Ford significantly updated the Fusion for the 2010 model year. We wish they hadn't

Throttle body issues have led to a ton of reports about a sudden deceleration and loss of power while driving. Ford issued a “customer satisfaction program” in March 2014 that, unsurprisingly, has left very few customers satisfied.

2010 is also the year we started seeing complaints about the power steering failing. Throttle and steering failure? Yeah, that’s why this is a clunker.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,248 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.

2010 Ford Fusion brakes problems

brakes problem

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2010 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #144

Oct 042020

Fusion

  • 100,000 miles

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

ON10/4/2020, traveling forward on a nearby county road at approx 40 mph, the ABS warning and advancetrac system failure warning lights came on. I applied pressure to the brakes and there was no power brakes. After becoming very excited and believing the vehicle would not stop, depressed the brake pedal several inches further than normal and felt resistance. With enough pressure I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop but not an easy task. If this had been a situation in which I needed to stop quickly, I do not believe this could have been managed. Contacted a family member and I followed them slowly to the local Ford dealer. The Ford dealer called the next day and stated that it was an ABS module failure and that this part would not be available until November 2020. In doing research, I found that recall # 19S54 had been issued. And ask the dealer about it. They stated that my car was not part of the recall as the time range is from Feb 22, 2006 until July 15th, 2009 for Fusion built at the hermosillo Mexico plant. My Fusion was built on August 1st, 2009 or 2 weeks later at the same plant. The dealer also stated that my part # did not match exactly to the Ford recall part # listed but is still part of the ABS module. (a few #S off - I.e. 2C215 vs. 2C219) this all seems odd that in reading the other incidents, my Fusion had identical issues but because it was built 2 weeks later at the same plant in Mexico and the part # is a few digits off but part of the same module, my Fusion's incident is somehow different. I question the validity of the test and codes. Also what is a person suppose to do when no parts are available for at best, 30 days. I guess I'll see in 30 days.

- North Prairie, WI, USA

problem #143

Sep 012020

Fusion

  • 149,500 miles
When driving steering intermittently has gone out with 'power steering assist fault' appearing on the screen, usually restarting the car would fix it. Now going to work car didn't have power steering, after restarting advancetrac came on as well and now power steering assist fault is on permanently

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #142

Aug 242020

Fusion

  • 130,000 miles
I was driving my 2010 Ford Fusion SE on a highway and suddenly the steering wheel locked up and became extremely difficult to turn. I was fortunate enough to be able to turn into a local shopping mall. An alert popped up in the dash that said service electrical power steering. I called my local Ford service company and the service technician explained that this was a recall on the rack and pinion/ steering gear for my car model. He explained to me that this was a recall and unfortunately a common issue with the vehicle I had. However, I found out that my VIN was not included in this recall, and was informed that I would have to pay for the repairs myself. I called the Ford company and explained to them the issue thinking that they would simply add my vehicle and I was told that my VIN wasn't included. I explained to them how they could call my local dealership where my car was being repaired to confirm what I said was true, however, I was told they wouldn't do that. I asked to speak to a supervisor and the supervisor called a day later. She told me that at this time my car would not be added to the recall. I asked her how and why they came to this conclusion and she informed me that this was protocol. I asked her if they did any research into why my VIN was not added the first time, or double checked to see if there was an oversight as to why my VIN was not added and she told me that they did not look into my issue or claim, she just listened to the call, and called me back to inform me that at this time the would not add my car to the recall list. I asked her who decided to add the vehicles was it Ford or NHTSA and she informed me she did not know. I again ask her how I can get someone to review this issue as this is a serious recall and matter. I explained to her that I could have been on the interstate when the steering went out. She told me to contact NHTSA.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

problem #141

Jun 302020

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 113,000 miles

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

The vehicle has no power steering or traction control. It is displaying the power steering assist fault and service advance traction control. According to the dealer, the only way to correct the problem is replacing the rack & pinion which is $1400. I've researched a recall on 2011 Fusion's with the same problem. Why is the 2010 excluded? I do not feel the vehicle is safe to drive, but is the only transportation I have. The fault occurs all the time, sitting, driving, etc.

- Ofallon, MO, USA

problem #140

Jul 012020

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 165,872 miles
The power steering has gone out again after I had it replaced less than 2 years ago. Thankfully it went out on start up and not while driving or I might have been in danger.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #139

May 132020

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 87,300 miles
My family financed our 2010 Fusion sel in September of 2011, was certified used with 7,900 miles, purchased with extended warranty as well. My mom and my sister drove the car for about 7 years, they loved it and had no issues with it. They passed it down to me in 2018 when I got my license, my mother told me how to take care of our cars and what not to do, we don't abuse our vehicles. The first major issue was the throttle body that completely went out after accelerating from a green light it felt like my transmission was going to fall out of my car, with the RPM jumping up and down, shifted horribly. I then drove my possessed car to the nearest dealer, the throttle body was replaced the same day in may of 2018 under warranty and worked fine ever since (sometimes). They said this is a common issue. Extremely leaky 17' rims causing multiple mornings where I woke up to a flat tire. Ford said nothing they can do even though it's the same stock rims since we've bought it (same problems even with new tires). Tire pressure sensor fault that's been faulty since 2018 especially in the cold, took it to the dealership and they claimed they fix it, but they didn't. and now I feel like my steering is going out, I sometimes lose power whenever I turn left, the orange stabilitrak/stability lights up on my dash and is a little rough, in April of 2020 I turned into my driveway turning left, my engine completely stalled, if I wouldn't have straightened out my steering I would have completely hit the corner of my porch. I'm afraid to drive this car on the freeway, both engine and steering issues? dealer says it's normal and that it's fine. Right.. not what carcomplaints.com says I'm 18 about to graduate and go to college in September, I currently have no job due to the quarantine, and might have to consider purchasing a new Fusion before my current car injures/kills me.

- Saint Clair Shores, MI, USA

problem #138

Feb 202020

Fusion

  • 113,000 miles

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

I was driving on the freeway when the brake light came on my dash then began to blink. I started to pull to the side of the freeway when I noticed my brakes were not working, I coasted to a stop and called triple a. the car was towed to a repair shop where I was told there was nothing wrong with the brakes. I drove the car out of the repair shop and when I came to the first stop sign again it felt like I had no brakes. I was only going about 15 mph so I was able to stop the car by pushing extremely hard down on the brake pedal and using the aid of my emergency brake. I returned the car to the repair shop and after 2 days they informed me that the car had a problem that only the dealership can fix. The car needed the brake system software updated because of a glitch resulting in the brake hydraulic control unit to get stuck open or react slowly.

- Sylmar, CA, USA

problem #137

Mar 012019

Fusion

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted into reverse and the steering ceased with the service advance track warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to carriage Ford, Inc. (908 E lewis and clark pkwy, clarksville, in 47129) where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not subjected to a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to vehicle to tri-county Ford located at (4032 commerce pkwy, la grange, ky 40031), where the dealer contacted the manufacturer on behalf of the contact. The manufacturer agreed to assist financially to have the vehicle repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Laconia, IN, USA

problem #136

May 062019

Fusion

  • 119,699 miles
While driving I intermittently lose power steering. Before I could shut the car down and it'll reset but now it won't even do that. I'm scared if my wife drives it and it fails and could cause a fatal accident.

- Waianae, HI, USA

problem #135

Feb 152020

Fusion

  • 140,000 miles
Power steering went out and it says service advancetrac system & ser ice power steering

- Palm Desert, CA, USA

problem #134

Feb 112020

Fusion

  • 179,500 miles

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

This is a common issue in 2010 Fusion as you can find lots of similar experiences. While heading towards an exit on the highway going 70mph, the steering suddenly lost all power steering. Two warnings appeared on the display saying "service advancetrac" and "power steer assist failure." Everything returns to normal after restarting the car and it happens once again at random.

- Powhatan, VA, USA

problem #133

Feb 042020

Fusion

  • 121,000 miles
Electronic power steering suddenly failed, error message displayed: "power steering assist fault; service advancetrac". failure occurred at low speed, shortly after startup.

- Laramie, WY, USA

problem #132

Jan 232020

Fusion

  • 167,000 miles
I took my car to sheehy Ford of marlow heights for the airbag recall repair. Upon picking the car up after it was "fixed", there are now 3 lights on my dash that were not previously there. These lights are the airbag light, the stability control light, and the service wrench. The dealership will not cooperate as far as fixing this.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #131

Jan 312020

Fusion

  • 257,345 miles
Service power steering light came on as I was driving home. The next morning I turned on the car and it said service power steering now. Have seen that I am one of the many people having this issue. Should be recalled and fixed not just the 2011 which is just one year newer.

- Copperas Cove, TX, USA

problem #130

Jan 142020

Fusion

  • 188,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the power steering and the traction control failed causing the vehicle to crash into a ditch. The contact crashed into a pole coming to a stop and the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the maintenance service track and the service power steering now warning messages illuminated prior to the failure. The police were notified and a report was filed. No medical attention was required at the scene, however, the mother and the contact suffered from back pain after the crash. The vehicle was first towed to a tow yard and later to the contact's home. The vehicle was not destroyed; the vehicle had not been repaired or taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that there was a recall on her vehicle NHTSA recall number: 19V001000 (air bags).the failure mileage was 188,000.

- Hawkins, MN, USA

problem #129

Dec 192019

Fusion

  • 184,000 miles
I was driving on hwy 23 when all of sudden the dash light came on saying default trac service soon. Then my steering went out && it was like I had no power steering. About 2 weeks prior I had to have tyson rod ends put on inside & out after just having them replaced in April. My airbag light comes on saying passenger airbag. A noise like a rubbing/scraping noise every time I turn the steering wheel that I've had the car looked at several times.

- Richmond, MN, USA

problem #128

Nov 012019

Fusion

  • 88,790 miles
I purchased a new 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid SE from a Ford dealership in fairfax, va. After owning the vehicle for approximately 9 years, the vehicle no longer operates in electric mode (it only operates in gas mode). My average mpg has dropped from 37-40 mpg to 25-27 mpg. I took it to a Ford dealership service center manassas, va in Nov 2019 who indicated they are aware of the problem but they have no solution to fix it (they initially were going to charge me $150 diagnostic fee but waived the fee and sent me home). There are numerous reports in Ford vehicle forums with the same complaint. Consensus is that Ford programmed the electronic mode to stop working after 9 years. When I purchased the vehicle, there was no disclosure that I would no longer have a properly working hybrid after 9 years. This end-of-life decision would have to be programmed into the vehicle's ECU at the time of manufacturing and should have been disclosed by Ford at the time of purchase. Had Ford disclosed this, it would have directly impacted my decision to purchase the vehicle. The fix appears to be reprogramming the vehicle to make it think it is less than 9 years old which returns the hybrid functions to normal. According to several forums, some Ford service centers have conduct this fix, but the majority of Ford service centers are not willing/able to resolve this issue. This issue has been identified in Ford's oasis database with no solution. Tsb #ssm 48238 NHTSA id #10167224 was announced in Oct 2019. Refer to forums with identical issues and solutions: (https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-C28475_ds1000144), (https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/fusion_hybrid/2010/tsbs/), (https://www.fordfusionforum.com/topic/19361-my-instructions-on-restoring-the-hybrid-ev-function-on-the-Ford-Fusion-hybrid-approaching-the-89-years-mark/).

- Bristow, VA, USA

problem #127

Jun 012015

Fusion

  • 60,000 miles
Imagine driving down the interstate at 65 mph in heavy traffic and the electric power steering motor goes out and it takes everything in your power to maintain control. Not knowing what was wrong and afraid of damaging something further having to get the car towed $ 125 and after a $1,800 repair bill at the dealer they explained almost every year model Fusion except the 2010 I own wasn't recalled. Not counting the cost of a rental and time missed from work while the car was in the shop. I'd consider myself to be a pretty decent driver but now I'd like you to try and imagine if that would have been your wife or daughter driving and that happen. As far as the exact date I guess because I had to pay with a debit card (cash) my Ford pass app doesn't even show a record of it. But I can go to my bank and get the date because I had to call them to spend that much on a debit card

- Pineville, LA, USA

problem #126

Aug 102019

Fusion

  • 160,000 miles
When I started up the car & was going to pull out the light for passenger air bag came on, then I turn my wheel & there is like a grinding sound. I pulled on side of road & had someone come check it. They said same thing I did. I thought it was something rubbing against the tire, but when we looked there was nothing. Then he kept turning the wheel & it sounded more in the steering column. My husband checked underneath the car when I got home & thank goodness he did because the tie rod ends inside & out were so bad that I was lucky to have not of crashed. Still the steering is making that loud grinding, screeching sound. Air bag & trac lights come on occasionally still also. Really feel unsafe driving my car here the last few months. Ive had it parked for the last month & bought just something to get around for now til I can afford to have it fixed or they have a recall on these. Ive seen so many other people with same problems & I also seen they recalled the 2011 for same issues. Why not the 2010"???"

- Richmond, MN, USA

problem #125

Dec 102019

Fusion

  • 62,000 miles
I started my car when leaving work and received an error that the power steering failed. I followed the guidelines in the book and turned off the car for 30 seconds and restarted. On restart the error returned. I drove car to mechanic and had no power steering. After talking with mechanic attempted to leave and still no power steering. Another error turned on prior to leaving the parking lot with advancetrac failure. Left car at mechanic. Error sounds similar to other Ford and Lincoln cars with power steering failure.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

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