Model Year Problems

Ford Fusion · model year 2011

2011 Ford Fusion problems, complaints and recalls

NHTSA data checked October 31, 2026 · counts are computed from NHTSA's public APIs, not estimated

Summary

NHTSA's public complaint database lists 2,795 owner complaints for the 2011 Ford Fusion, and its recall database lists 9 safety recall campaigns for it.

Leaving out "unknown or other", the component group owners named most often is steering (1,436 complaints, 51%), followed by air bags (330) and engine (276). A complaint can name more than one group, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

80 complaints say a crash happened and 11 mention a fire; together the complaints report 46 injuries and 1 death.

Among Ford Fusion model years 2010–2020 in NHTSA's data, 2011 has the 2nd-most complaints (2,795, against a median of 1,274 for the other years).

The newest recall is 21V158000, received March 10, 2021, for air bags.

2 of these recalls carry a "park it" or "park outside" warning from NHTSA; see the recall table.

2,795owner complaints
9recall campaigns
80complaints reporting a crash
11complaints reporting a fire
46injuries reported
1deaths reported

Park-it warning. NHTSA marks 2 recalls for this model year (19V001000, 16V384000) with "park it" or "park outside" advice until the repair is done. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Complaints by component

Owners pick one or more component groups when they file. Share is the percent of the 2,795 complaints that name the group.

Component group (NHTSA label)ComplaintsShare
Steeringsteering column, rack and power steering: loss of assist, wander1,43651%
Air Bagsair bag deployment, sensors and warning lights (including the Takata inflator recalls)33012%
Enginethe engine itself: stalling, oil use, knocking, failure27610%
Power Traintransmission, axles and driveshafts: slipping, hesitation, harsh shifts26810%
Vehicle Speed Controlthrottle and cruise control: unintended acceleration or surging2569%
Electrical Systembattery, wiring, alternator, lights on the dash, infotainment faults2037%
Fuel/Propulsion Systemfuel delivery and propulsion: fuel pumps, leaks, loss of power1766%
Service Brakesthe main brakes1696%
Unknown or Otherowner did not pick a component group1054%
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)stability control engaging or failing unexpectedly933%
Structurebody and frame: hood, doors, rust, mounts612%
Fuel System, Gasolinegasoline fuel system: pumps, tanks, lines, leaks602%
Wheelswheels, lug nuts, hubs492%
Suspensionsprings, struts, control arms291%
Service Brakes, Hydraulicthe main hydraulic brakes: pedal feel, ABS, brake lines25<1%
Exterior Lightingheadlights, tail lights, turn signals18<1%
Latches/Locks/Linkagesdoor and hood latches, locks18<1%
Engine and Engine Coolingengine and cooling parts: overheating, coolant leaks, water pumps14<1%
Seatsseats and seat frames14<1%
Traction Control Systemtraction control10<1%
Visibilitywindshield, mirrors, defrosters9<1%
Equipmentadd-on equipment5<1%
Visibility/Wiperwipers, windshield and mirrors5<1%
Tirestires4<1%
Seat Beltsbelts, buckles and pretensioners3<1%
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility2<1%
Forward Collision Avoidanceautomatic emergency braking and collision warnings, including false braking2<1%
Lane Departurelane-keeping assist and lane departure warning2<1%
Fuel System, Other1<1%
Hybrid Propulsion System1<1%
Service Brakes, Air1<1%

Recalls (9)

Newest first. Summary, risk and remedy are NHTSA's own recall text (a U.S. government record), shown as published. A recall applies only to the vehicles its notice names; your VIN lookup is the final word.

NHTSA campaign 21V158000

Received March 10, 2021 · Air Bags (frontal: driver side: inflator module)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

NHTSA campaign 21V081000

Received February 16, 2021 · Air Bags (frontal)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

NHTSA campaign 21E013000

Received February 16, 2021 · Air Bags (frontal: passenger side: inflator module)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

NHTSA campaign 19V001000Park it

Received January 7, 2019 · Air Bags (frontal: passenger side: inflator module)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.

NHTSA campaign 16V384000Park it

Received May 31, 2016 · Air Bags (frontal: passenger side: inflator module)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

NHTSA campaign 15V793000

Received November 24, 2015 · Fuel System, Gasoline (storage: auxillary tank)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured July 21, 2008, to March 4, 2011, and 2010-2011 Mercury Milan vehicles manufactured July 23, 2008, to December 10, 2010. The affected vehicles have fuel vapor canisters whose purge valves may not operate properly resulting in abnormal pressure changes in the fuel tank.

Risk: The pressure changes may cause the tank to crack and leak fuel. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle powertrain control modules and inspect the vehicle for any diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) for this issue and perform a leak test on the Canister Purge Valve (CPV). The fuel tank will be inspected for cracks. The CPV and fuel tank will be replaced as necessary. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S34.

NHTSA campaign 15V340000

Received June 2, 2015 · Steering (electric power assist system)

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.

Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.

NHTSA campaign 14E028000

Received May 29, 2014 · Equipment

What's wrong: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain all weather driver side accessory floor mats sold for use in model year 2006-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, and 2007-2011 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 9, 2007, through October 31, 2010. The affected floor mats may move and possibly interfere with the accelerator pedal.

Risk: The floor mat could shift such that it could interfere with the accelerator pedal, preventing its return to an idle position, which could result in unintended vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement mats, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S07. NOTE: Vehicles built after October 31, 2010, while potentially equipped with the same floor mats, are equipped with a Brake Over Accelerator (BOA) feature that prevents simultaneous accelerator and brake application, allowing the vehicle to be safely stopped by pressing firmly and steadily on the brake pedal.

NHTSA campaign 11V574000

Received December 7, 2011 · Wheels (lugs/nuts/bolts/studs)

What's wrong: FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 FORD FUSION AND MERCURY MILAN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 17 INCH STEEL WHEELS AND BUILT FROM APRIL 1, 2009, THROUGH APRIL 30, 2009, AND FROM DECEMBER 1, 2009, THROUGH NOVEMBER 13, 2010. THE WHEEL STUDS MAY FRACTURE, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A WHEEL TO SEPARATE.

Risk: WHILE DRIVING, MULTIPLE STUD FRACTURES COULD OCCUR AT THE WHEEL LOCATION, AND THE OPERATOR MAY EXPERIENCE VEHICLE VIBRATION AND/OR WHEEL SEPARATION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR BRAKE DISC SURFACE FOR FLATNESS AND REPLACE THE DISCS AS NECESSARY. ADDITIONALLY, THE WHEEL LUG NUTS WILL BE REPLACED ON ALL FOUR WHEELS. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 24, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

When the complaints were filed

By the year the complaint reached NHTSA. A late rise often means a part wearing out with age or a problem drawing attention after a recall.

Year filedComplaints
20101
201135
201276
2013445
2014286
2015247
2016183
2017288
2018268
2019250
2020154
2021152
2022129
2023105
202473
202561
202642

Other Fusion years

Model yearComplaintsRecallsMost-named component
20105,13013Steering
2011 (this page)2,7959Steering
20122,6176Steering
20131,95719Steering
20141,43319Steering
20151,06613Engine
20161,73613Engine
20171,1144Engine
20184442Engine
20193783Engine
20201853Power Train

All Ford Fusion years compared →

Quick answers

How many complaints has NHTSA received about the 2011 Ford Fusion?

2,795 owner complaints as of October 31, 2026, per NHTSA's complaints API.

What is the most common problem reported for the 2011 Ford Fusion?

Steering is named in 1,436 of 2,795 complaints (51%); NHTSA's group covers steering column, rack and power steering: loss of assist, wander.

How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Fusion have?

9 recall campaigns in NHTSA's recall database, most recently 21V158000 (March 10, 2021). Check a specific car's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Is 2011 a bad year for the Ford Fusion?

By complaint count, 2011 ranks 2nd of 11 Fusion model years 2010–2020 in NHTSA's data. Raw counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold or how old they are.

How to read these numbers

Sources

  1. NHTSA Complaints API (complaintsByVehicle): FORD FUSION 2011 checked 2026-10-31
  2. NHTSA Recalls API (recallsByVehicle): FORD FUSION 2011 checked 2026-10-31
  3. NHTSA: Datasets and APIs (what the APIs contain)