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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 Fusion doesn’t have the same track record of power steering failure as the previous 3 model years. Of course, those owners said their steering failed at 60k–100k miles. So this appears to be a classic "wait and see" scenario.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of interior accessory problems to complain about. By themselves, each is a barely a blip on the radar. But combined, they give you that feeling of what the hell have I gotten myself into?

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 68
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
73,108 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.

2013 Ford Fusion engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 1 of 18)

problem #342

Mar 142023

Fusion

  • 157,281 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and inspected. The coolant temperature and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and an unknown hose was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. On another occasion, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the lights in the vehicle were illuminated; however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact became aware that there was antifreeze on the ground underneath the vehicle. The coolant temperature and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,281.

- Middletown, MD, USA

problem #341

Jan 272023

Fusion

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle was slow to accelerate. The driver was able to pull over. The check engine warning light was flashing on and off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #340

Jan 092023

Fusion 4-cyl

  • miles
Not sure if related to recall - took vehicle in due service in December 2022 for service and recall. My Ford app indicates they did not take care of it. While driving from California to arizona on January 9, 2023 the engine lights came on: coolant hot, vehicle unsafe to drive, see manual. I couldn-€™t drive my vehicle. Broke down on the 10 interstate. Would not move. Would not go into reverse. It was towed to surprise Ford in surprise, arizona and I-€™m currently awaiting diagnostic testing. They said they will check if it-€™s related to recall. Towed from I-10 to home by AAA. Home to shop by sttae farm insurance. Thank you. The contact stated that after being inspected at the dealer, the damage to the vehicle was found to have no relation to the recall.

- Downey, CA, USA

problem #339

Jan 042023

Fusion

  • miles

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

2013 Ford Fusion with 99,799 miles on it; went out to go start it after work one day, unable to get into car or start car as battery was completely drained. Did not leave lights on etc. Had someone jump car; on way to repair shop, car shut down and would not restart; thankfully I was NOT on a highway. Since that time, it has had 2 new batteries placed in it, will run for about 5 minutes then shut off and you cannot restart it again; it has also been to 2 repair shops and is presently at the Ford dealership as my shop was not able to determine what was wrong. Cooling fan also noted to be running after car died yet still not able to restart. Read on Ford forums that this has happened to other Fusion owners of the same year.Up to this point, intermittently the battery saver message would come across the dash however I had that looked at and was cleared out. With the car just shutting down without any warning on a busy street in the city, this could have ended a lot worse: I could have been hit or even killed. No warning lights appeared on dash aside from powertrain light after it was jumped but after that, there was nothing. Car was essentially dead and I could not get it to restart. When it was running I could not get the car to go over 10mph in a 35mph zone

- Lansing, MI, USA

problem #338

Jul 052022

Fusion

  • miles
Engine coolant is leaking into cylinder #3. Check engine light came on around 60,000 miles. This is a known problem by Ford and is most likely an engineering fault. It has been cited in TSB 19-2172, 19-2208, and 19-2346. I have an estimate of almost $8,000 through a local certified mechanic, who found the problem. However Ford required me to take it to get it verified by a Ford dealer, and they found the same problem and their estimate for repair i over $9,000.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #337

Nov 152022

Fusion

  • miles
My 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium hesitates a lot while driving, and on several occasions the vehicle has flat out stalled in the middle of traffic. Something pops up on the dashboard saying -€œRun Power Active-€ and when I go to restart it, it-€™s takes a while for the car to turn back on. This has happened more than once a day some times.

- Lehigh Acres, FL, USA

problem #336

Dec 042022

Fusion

  • miles

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

10 mins into driving the car the car had a loss of power and the instrument cluster flashed a see manual indicator and a wrench flashed on the screen within 1 min of pulling on to the shoulder of the road the entire engine compartment was in flames. I had the recall for the issue know to have caused this performed on the car but it doesn-€™t seem the issue was resolved. The car is now totaled due to an issue that has appeared to happen with multiple vehicles reported to the NHTSA.

- Silver Creek, GA, USA

problem #335

Nov 222022

Fusion

  • miles
Transmission is the worst I have ever used in any vehicle. Constantly slips downshifting and upshifting also when breaking. Transmission is slow to shift and then has hard bang and jerks the car

- Olympia, WA, USA

problem #334

May 182020

Fusion

  • miles
The cars dashboard lights kept lighting up and not long after I was on the freeway and the car caught onfire under the hood and burnt down complete loss

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #333

Oct 072022

Fusion

  • miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 60 MPH, she smelled an unknown burning odor as an unknown-colored smoke began to emit from underneath the vehicle without warning. Her daughter then pulled over and saw flames emitting from underneath the hood of the engine. While waiting for the authorities to arrive at the scene, a fellow motorist witnessed the failure and managed to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Henning, MN, USA

problem #332

Sep 162022

Fusion

  • miles

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

On 9/16/22 we were driving at about 30 mph on a narrow two lane road in Tewksbury, NH, when the engine suddenly and without warning failed to accelerate and began shaking violently, then quit. We managed to restart and when it again failed to accelerate managed to pull off road into a driveway. We called AAA and had car towed to Salem Ford in Salem, NH. See attached invoice for diagnosis. Incident occurred without warning. Car had been serviced in June 2022 with no problems found. Had we been unable to pull off road, the engine failure could have resulted in severe rear end collision as problem occurred in a blind curve. See attached invoice from Salem Ford.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #331

Aug 262022

Fusion

  • 155,250 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, she was unable to accelerate when suddenly, the vehicle started to slow and then stalled. The contact then stated that there was a burning smell inside the vehicle then the engine misfired and overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the number two-cylinder pistons, head gasket and engine needed to be replaced. The contact referenced the NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Coolant). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 155,250.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #330

Aug 082022

Fusion

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Coolant). The contact stated while driving at unknown speed, the check engine warning light illuminated indicating that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that he checked under the hood of the vehicle but saw no indication of the engine overheating. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine and caused the cylinder head to crack. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified and informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with VIN regard Engine and Engine Cooling. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #329

Jul 242022

Fusion

  • miles
accidente automovilístico por que dejó de funcionar el vehículo y se tuvo que utilizar el freno de mano porque el vehículo dejó de responder ocasionando un accidente aparatoso que puso en peligro mi vida y el de las personas con las que me impacte car accident because the vehicle stopped working and the handbrake had to be used because the vehicle stopped responding, causing a spectacular accident that endangered my life and that of the people with whom I was impacted

- Long Beach , CA, USA

problem #328

Jul 132022

Fusion

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer under an unknown recall; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak causing damage to the engine. The dealer advised the contact to stop driving the vehicle until the engine was replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

- Gillett, WI, USA

problem #327

Jul 092022

Fusion

  • miles
The engine coolant continually needs to be refilled, and has resulted in the car overheating multiple times. I have had the coolant system checked multiple times for leaks and they say that the pressure test doesn't show any leaking. I have had to pull over on the side of the highway twice since I've had the car to wait for it to cool down to put coolant in, which I now have to carry in the trunk because it happens so often. I don't know if the engine is just running hotter than it should and causing this but I would like to know if this has been a problem with other fusions because its become a big safety issue when I have to pull off the highway to fix the car. Also, I don't know if this has been a problem with other fords but the seatbelt constantly locks while trying to put it on whether the car is on or off.

- Rotterdam, NY, USA

problem #326

Mar 022022

Fusion

  • miles
Well maintained vehicle prior to problem. Coolant leaked into the motor causing an internal leak and the cylinder head to warp. Also cracked radiator due to coolant leak. This happened 1000 miles after a lengthy tune up.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #325

Feb 182022

Fusion

  • miles
Engine/Engine coolant. Keeps popping up message saying Engine coolant low checked the coolant level was slightly under level line topped off 2 days later same message pops up again so checked it and it was slightly low again topped off again and every few days this message pops up, now heavy white smoke is coming from the exhaust took it had it put on machine to diagnose problem it saying cylinder 3 so replaced spark plug and wire next day car starts sputtering again heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust was told it sounds like coolant maybe leaking internally I have read several hundred of this very same problem on 2013 Ford Fusion that have recalls why is my car not listed to have the same issues addressed?

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #324

Feb 222022

Fusion

  • miles
My vehicle has every problem that has been reported and recalled, however my vehicle isn't listed on the recall list. Could this be a mistake" Could my vehicle oddly have all the same engine coolant levels, advance trac, power steering, engine overheating issues, as the ones recalled but not actually been recalled"

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #323

Jan 242022

Fusion

  • 123,277 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the head gasket was blown. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 123,277.

- Vail, AZ, USA

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