Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My Ford Fusion Hybrid 2010 stalled without any warning in the 5th lane of I-85 in atlanta. My wife, the responding police officer, and myself were in grave danger because of this. We were blessed and fortunate that an officer happened to be very close when our car suddenly died in the middle of the interstate. The interstate traffic was heavy - but slow moving due to construction. The officer responded - literally - within seconds since he saw what was happening. He placed his car behind ours with his lights flashing. The the officer and I had to push my vehicle off to the side. We were all in grave danger! As the officer was calling for help and a wrecker, my car suddenly began working after several minutes. This was an extremely dangerous situation. …
My 2010 Fusion Hybrid began a no-start/stalling condition. It has happened six times now. First occurrence was after fueling at low speed after entering street. Second occurrence was while traveling on the highway at 55 MPH. Third occurrence was while exiting the interstate. Fourth occurrence was at low speed. Fifth occurrence was immediately after refueling while still in parking lot. And sixth occurence was also immediately after refueling just after leaving gas station at low speed. Four of the six occurrences was a failure for the internal combustion engine to start after the electric motor had already began moving the vehicle. The other two occurrences was while coasting. …
First time, check engine light came on when driving on highway but no apparent impact to car's functioning. Took it to the dealer. They said that the surge valve needed to be replaced at a cost of $500 "to start with", but they didn't seem very sure about it so I chose not to proceed. The check engine light had gone back off and the car was driving fine. About two weeks later on a Saturday I was driving on the highway again, at about 65 MPH, when the car seemed to lose acceleration. Standing on gas pedal produced no result. Exited and was able to drive on battery power to pull over. After waiting for about 30 minutes, tried again. Check engine light was back off and car drove normally back home. Took to my regular mechanic first thing that Monday. …
On June 7, 2016, my wife was driving our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid on a major highway when the wrench light came up and the car lost power and would not accelerate. The car was towed to north central Ford where it was repaired by replacing the electronic throttle body and reprogramming the PCM. The car has less than 58,000 miles on the odometer. Why does Ford exclude hybrids from this known problem and its associated customer satisfaction program 13n03, population of hybrids too small? It makes no sense. The part, failure symptoms and fix are the same as those in the Ford cars covered by 13n03. And why did the NHTSA allow Ford not to have a recall for the defective part, politics? Cannot understand why this is not a safety issue.
When driving on the highway at approximately 70 MPH, the wrench indicator light ("limp home" mode) suddenly started flashing, and the gas pedal abruptly became unresponsivethe vehicle would no longer accelerate and could only coast. The abruptly decelerating vehicle was maneuvered across multiple lanes of traffic to the shoulder and turned off. Upon restarting the vehicle after a minute, it was able to resume normal operation for about 15 minutes, when the problem reoccurred, and the same steps were taken. It occurred again 90 minutes later. Symptoms correspond to other accounts of electronic throttle body issues, but Ford says that the vehicle is not covered under any recalls, extended warranties, or customer safety programs.
While driving in heavy traffic on a hot (90 degree) day in phoenix az a red triangle warning light came on and said to stop immediately, then the engine quit. I was fortunate to have a place to coast to and stop. I turned off the ignition and re-started the car. It ran fine for a few miles, then it stopped again. When troubleshooting, the code, poa7c came up. (motor electric overtemp) the water pump for cooling the electric drive motor was replaced approximately a year ago because of the same code, but the engine didn't quit at that time. I noticed online that this is a very common and dangerous problem with Ford Hybrid cars. I called a Ford dealer, and they told me that there is no recall for this problem on my vehicle.
On 2 different days, driving on freeway, my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, did not respond to accelerator demand, I.e. Failed to speed up as commanded, the wrench light illuminated but no check engine light. This problem seems intermittent, dealer cannot pin point the problem but replacing the electronic throttle body(etb) fixed the problem. I found many similar complaints online. NHTSA action no. Pe 13003 which identifies cars models affected includes my car, and the action resulted in a customer satisfaction program that extended the warranty on the etb. However, Ford claims my VIN is not included. I have found others in the same situation and have filed complaints, e.g.NHTSA id number 10778131, and carcomplaints.com.
I've experienced the "limp home mode" problem described in Ford's consumer satisfaction program 13n03. This has occurred 4 times now and is a very scary and very unsafe problem. I took my car to the local Ford dealer (david mcdavid) in fort worth. They determined the problem is a defect in the throttle body however they will not fix it under the terms of 13n03 as Ford believes it does not apply to the Hybrid. I can assure you it applies. Perhaps due to the low number of Fusion hyrid's on the road this has not yet received much attention. Please add the Fusion Hybrid to the list of models experiencing the limp home mode issue and urge Ford to correct it as part of 13n03 updated 11/27/2017
The car stopped while driving through the free way@55 MPH. Do not accelerate. The engine vibrate and car shaking. After turn off and turned on the engine few times, the car was performing fine. The dealer checked. No malfunction code was detected. They told that 95% it is due to the clogging of electronic throttle valve. So replaced. I asked and they showed the old one. I observed no clogging or grease on the valve. It was clean. This parts/or throttle valve system was functioning. The car has 85,000 mile.I spoke to Ford about this safety issue. They don't do any because the warranty expire.
My car lost power while traversing a busy intersection and I had to pull over. Could restart, but then it happened again. Towed to dealers, $500 to replace throttle body and purge valve. Drove 1 day and similar events occurred. Dealer unable to get help from Ford company. Very dangerous to have a car just quit while driving. On a highway this could have been catastrophic. There are many complaints on line of a similar nature with Ford fusions from multiple years and I am very frustrated that Ford has not addressed a potentially disastrous safety issue. And I still don't have a car!
Engine complaints in other Fusion Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 9% of the model year's 509 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.