Print this page

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:
7 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
60,668 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2010 Ford Fusion:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2010 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 33 of 41)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #163

Oct 042012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 94,500 miles

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

Driving along. Car suddenly seemed to loose power. I seemed to kick out of gear and stopped responding to the gas pedal. I had to cost to a stop. The "wrench" light came on when the problem started, but after I cut the key off and restarted the "wrench" light was off and all worked fine. This happened 1 time the first day and twice the next. Nothing else happened for 3 more days but on the fourth day the same thing happened. Each time I had to coast to a stop. One time I was in a very dangerous situation, since the coast stopped in the middle of a curve on a very dark road.

- Gwynn, VA, USA

problem #162

Oct 292011

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 64,800 miles
My 2010 Ford Fusion has 65,000 miles on it and we bought it new in Oct. 2009. Sept 29, 2012 I was driving down the freeway when it made a noise then the wrench light came on and there was no power. I pulled over and the car died then I restarted it and it drove fine the rest of the 30 mile trip. Since then almost every time it's driven it does the same thing and it doesn't seem to be at any particular speed or matter how long it's been driven when it happens. I'm very concerned that it will cause an accident because sometimes when it has happened I've had a hard time finding a place to pull over. I even tried putting it in neutral and shutting it off then restarting it and the only way it will resume power is by pulling over and shutting it off then restarting it. I've called Ford customer service and was told to get it checked out as soon as possible. Today I'm picking it up from the dealership after 2 days and the mechanic cannot duplicate the problem and there is no code showing that the wrench light came on. Luckily the dealership isn't charging me for checking it out but Ford customer service told them that if there is a problem they won't take care of it because the car isn't under warranty anymore. After reading all the posts from people with 2010 Ford Fusion having the same problem I am very upset with Ford for not doing anything about this. I'm surprised there hasn't been any serious accidents and is that what its going to take for them to recall the problem. My Fusion even did it on the way to get it checked out, but I was too far to not restart it, so on my way home if it does it I won't restart it, but have it towed right back to the service department. From what I've been reading the only way they can get a code to show up is when the wrench light is on. I am really starting to dislike Ford, because they obviously don't care about their customers.

- Washington Court Housr, OH, USA

problem #161

Jun 072012

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 55,125 miles
While driving at a low speed (10-35 mph) the car quickly gains speed (the RPM does not increase) and then slows down again and it feels like the gears shift down although it doesn't seem possible. The gas pedal stops working and a wrench shows on the dash board, the car slowly decreases in speed. As I come to a stop the car jumps and lurches violently. I turn the car off, wait a few minutes and turn the car back on. The wrench goes away however after this happens 5 more time the engine light comes on. This happens intermittently. I read in the forum people describing issues similar and exactly that same as mine and it seemed as thou it was the throttle body. Could not afford the part so I waited and it went away. This stopped for roughly 5 months and then starts again (Oct 2012). Now it happens at any speed. Very, very dangerous! I spoke to a mechanic at a local Ford dealership who said that he is not aware of any issues similar to mine.....I find it a little hard to believe that I am the only person in my area with this problem. I suggested he look at the forum. I have 3 children and cannot believe that the powers that be at Ford have no concern for our safety, the safety of other drivers on the road, their reputation and refuse to stand behind a product that reportedly won safety awards. Very unfortunate. I hope the thousands of postings on the multitude of forums reaches someone at Ford (before someone is killed) who has a conscience and is concerned about the safety of those who still believe in buying american. This ignored, dangerous issue and the Ford attitude of not caring will make anyone never purchase a Ford product again. I have owned 3 different models and have had issues with all 3.

- Ventura, CA, USA

problem #160

Oct 052012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 42,300 miles

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

After pulling onto a highway my Ford Fusion began to jerk and lose acceleration. What a horrible feeling at 6am...in the dark......with a highway full of semi trucks wondering if you can get off the road before you are hit! I pulled off the side of the road and notice my wrench light was on. I pushed the gas pedal and there was no change in the RPM's. it was like the engine was dead but still running. After turning the car off and on three times the wrench light went out and I drove straight to the Ford dealership. A few hours later they called and told me that the throttle body needed to be replaced. Of course this part would not be covered by my 100,000 certified pre-owned warranty!! and on top of that the dealership charged me a $157 diagnostic fee....like Ford doesn't know they have an issue.

- Groveland, FL, USA

problem #159

Oct 022012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
While driving my 2010 3.0 Ford Fusion on secondary roads, the car suddenly lost power. After 5 minutes, it could be restarted and driven but after approximately 30 seconds, it would lose power again and coast to a stop. It stranded my wife and daughter until towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed a bad throttle body, and charged approximately $700 to replace the part and perform a recommended fuel system cleaning. Repeated email to Ford customer service resulted in a denial of responsibility because they were under no warranty or recall obligation. I spoke with a service writer who told me that this problem appeared to be consistent for Fusion.

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #158

Sep 172012

Fusion

  • 90,000 miles
75 while driving at highway speed car would stop being responsive to the accelerator pedal being depressed. The car would go into limp mode and shake violently. The obd system's & the wrench(powertrain light became illuminated. I proceeded to pull off on to the shoulder of the road and turned the car off. Lights reset and car would run okay. This occurred 12 times prior to the obd codes could be determined. Code P2111 and various related codes. Throttle body stuck open. This problem could potentially have caused a fatal collision in heavy traffic.

- Frankfort, NY, USA

problem #157

Oct 162011

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 45,353 miles

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

Defective throttle body causes car to lose power.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #156

Oct 062012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 190,000 miles
This is my second complaint in as many days - about the exact same problem. This incident happened two days after the first one. Traveling on a city street approximately 15-20 mph and the car suddenly loses all acceleration and the wrench light appears. I was able to putter to the side of the road and shut the car off. When I restarted it, it ran fine. It goes to the dealer today for inspection, where I suspect I'll get the same response that most every one else gets - that the problem couldn't be re-produced. What will it take to get a recall from Ford about the defect in their design" fatal accidents?" that's a pretty high price to pay before they're forced to correct their product.

- Medina, OH, USA

problem #155

Oct 012011

Fusion

  • 60,000 miles
Traveling on the street at about 40 mph, car shuddered to a stop. Engine light came on. Had car towed home. Car started the next day. Carefully drove the car to the Ford dealer. They replaced the throttle body. The throttle body should not be failing at 60000 miles. This should be a recall.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #154

Oct 042012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 19,000 miles
I own a 2010 Ford Fusion with 19000 miles. I haven't even had it a month yet. It is a certified pre-owned vehicle. Driving home from work yesterday, I stopped in a line of traffic at a red light. The light turned green and I accelerated. During acceleration, the car jerked then lost all forward momentum and "puttered". I was able to "putter" to the side of the road out of traffic. I put it in park and noticed that the wrench light was lit up, so I pulled out the owner's manual to see what it meant...powertrain. I turned the car off for about 5 minutes then restarted it with no other incidents on my way home. Thank god I wasn't in any heavier traffic or multiple lanes! from what I've been reading, some people have lost acceleration going 50+ mph in interstate/highway traffic! if this problem isn't addressed, and soon, someone will be seriously injured or worse due to a defect in Ford's design.

- Medina, OH, USA

problem #153

Oct 042012

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 89,000 miles

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

At 11:45 pm, I was traveling West on I-64, at 68 mph, when my car quickly decelerated. Despite my applying more gas, my car continued to lose power rapidly and began shuddering. It was then that the "wrench" warning light came on. I immediately pulled over to the side of the road, turned my vehicle off and put my hazard lights on. I waited for a 5 minutes before starting the car again. The car started roughly but did not have any power and could/would not accelerate. It was at this time that both the wrench and engine warning lights came on. Again I turned off the car and waited. After another 10-15 minutes, I turned the car on again. This time it started without incident. The wrench warning light did not come back on but the engine light remained on. I kept my hazard lights on and remained in the breakdown lane while I drove approximately 5 miles to the closest exit off the interstate where I promptly parked my car.

- Sandy Hook, VA, USA

problem #152

Sep 302012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
Wrench light comes on, car kicks out of gear into idle mode, will not accelerate, shakes violently. I was able to coast to side of road and turn off engine. Restarted engine with longer than normal cranking time. Gear changes (automatic) continues to be sluggish and happens at highway and city speeds.

- Pinehurst, GA, USA

problem #151

Sep 302012

Fusion

  • 39,000 miles
Throttle body malfunctions while car is at speed. The "wrench" light appears on the display and then the car loses power and begins to shudder. Turning the car off and restarting it resets the display and starts fine. Problem is intermittent but dangerous as the car stops working while the car is going anywhere from 25 to 45 mph.

- W Hollywood, CA, USA

problem #150

Sep 282012

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 30,300 miles
Wrench light comes on, car kicks out of gear into idling mode, will not accelerate, shakes violently. Pull over, turn it off, restart it with no problems. Sluggish gear changes (automatic) happens at town and highway speed.

- Munford, AL, USA

problem #149

Sep 252012

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 27,150 miles
I pulled out of my works parking lot and got 50 ft. Car began to slow down, shake/ vibrate violently, and emergency wrench lite lit up. While driving and while in park, it shook. I went to pull off to the side of the rode safely. Thank good ness I was on a downhill and could coast to a side road (but still not safe where I was). Once I was pulled off major road, I put the car in park. I turned the car off and was too afraid to do anything else. I called for a tow. 24 hours later, I was told my car's computer code said it had a bad throttle body. It was replaced with a brand new, revised throttle body - under warranty which ends in 37 days. It happens to many Ford Fusion. It's time for Ford to own up and send out the recall notices before someone gets hurt/killed.

- Hamilton, NJ, USA

problem #148

Sep 222012

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 76,800 miles
I was traveling down the highway when my car stopped getting power when I pressed the gas. A yellow wrench warning dash light came on, the car started shaking and had no power when trying to accelerate to get over a lane to get off the road to avoid an accident. I luckily got over with my hazard lights on and coasted to the shoulder where the car finally stopped but did not shut off or die. The car idled and continued to shake so I popped the hood and checked the transmission fluid level. The level was slightly low which was strange cause I had to add half a qt of trans fluid the month before because the shifting was rough. The fluid was very dark colored and smelled scorched. I shut the vehicle off and let it sit for about 10 minutes then I checked the oil, ok. I turned the car back on, added a little more trans fluid and the car seemed to be ok to get me the rest of the way to work. I left it in a parking lot for the night and returned to check it out in the light. I jacked it up and found some fluid slowly coming out of the place where the axle goes into the transmission. I called the Ford service center, explained what happened and explained what I found. I had the recall for the transmission done in 2011 for Ford Fusion 2010S but the rough shifting has been a problem since I bought it. I have had constant trouble with the transmission shifting rough and now losing all power while driving on the highway at 55mph. It almost caused an accident. My car is now at 76,800 miles and Ford service rep says the bill is on me cause the powertrain warranty is up and the recall for the same problem doesn't cover me anymore. I want my car fixed with this problem and I cant afford to keep going to the shop every time this keeps acting up. Ford needs to fix the problem with their transmissions before someone gets hurt by this. Luckily my 1yr old daughter was not with me this time.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #147

Sep 172012

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 48,595 miles
I recently bought a 2010 Ford Fusion with $45000 miles on it. After having owned it for only about 2.5 months I am having problems. While driving down a 4 lane highway at 55 miles per hour it almost stops in the middle of the highway and will not accelerate. It does this with no warning. I am able to pull over to the shoulder and the car begins to shake as I come to a complete stop. Once I turn the car off the wrench light goes out I am able to start it back up. It has happened several more times. Today it happened in the middle of a busy intersection. The Ford dealership in my area when I called said it would be hard to diagnose because the problem is intermittent. By reading the complaints from everyone on the 2010 Ford Fusion this a common problem with this model. The issue seems to be the throttle body. My fear is that someone will slam into my car not realizing it has stopped in the road. I really think it is a safety issue and cannot believe with being such a wide spread problem Ford has not done something to correct it before someone is injured from what appears to be a defective part they have put on their cars.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #146

Sep 212012

Fusion

  • 51,121 miles
I was slowing to a stop when my car shuddered and the engine seemed to die. I had a error symbol for the transmission and the engine had no more power. It was stuck in idle now even though I was just doing 35 miles per hour coming to a stop. As I finally braked to a stop the engine was surging, but when I pressed the gas pedal, nothing happened to the engine, it was as if it was just turned on and placed in drive only. I didn't know what to do, I had to get through 2 intersections on idle speed only. I finally pulled over past the intersections and turned my car completely off. I then turned it back on and it was working normally. I took it to the Ford dealership, who told me this is common after a new battery is placed in these Fusion. They noticed my recently purchased used car (purchased about a month before this) had a brand new battery in it. They told me with a new battery, the carbon builds up dramatically and damages the throttle body. So I need to buy a new throttle body and have the cars acceleration computer reprogrammed. And this might happen every time I get a new battery" please investigate this occurrence with other Ford dealerships. I have reading this same story all over the web. Why doesn't Ford do something to correct this issue"

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #145

Sep 242012

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 45,467 miles
I have a 2010 Fusion. I purchased the car as a certified pre-owned. The car stalled 6 times on the way home last night. The wrench light would go on and there was no throttle response. The car would shake and sputter. I would shut the car off and restart and could proceed for a short distance. The last time it stall on the freeway on ramp. I took it in and let the dealer know what had occurred and they called back indicating it is the throttle body. I am out of manufacturers warranty. The cost is $500. The power train system is covered but the throttle body is not (even though the throttle body causes the power train to go into stall)" at what point will they make the choice that the throttle body that is in these cars are not up to par and a safety hazard and make it a recalled item"

- Fitchburg , WI, USA

problem #144

Sep 192012

Fusion

  • 47,000 miles
On way home from work, driving for 30 miles, going 50 mph, upon changing lanes, the acceleration died. Wrench light came on. I was able to pull over on the highway. Thankfully, just got through the eight miles of construction with no shoulder and only one lane. If it happened then, I could have caused an accident or at least angered quite a few people on their way home from work by stopping traffic with no way to get around me. As the car was idling, the tach was jumping all over the place, so I put it in park and shut the car off. Waited a few minutes, started the car and was able to drive the additional mile home. Called the dealership to have this checked out. Cannot get in for several days. Holding my breath driving it back and forth to work on major highways until then. My first major disappointment with Ford for not recalling this issue.

- Burlington, WI, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?