Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's granddaughter owned a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while her granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver looked in the rearview mirror and noticed black smoke coming from the rear seats of the vehicle. The contact stated that the driver's sons were in car seats in the rear seats of the vehicle. The driver immediately pulled over to the side of the road, exited the vehicle, and took her sons out of the vehicle. The contact stated that the entire vehicle then caught on fire. The contact stated that the driver's side of the vehicle was more burned than the rest of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the Fire Department, who informed the contact's granddaughter that the fire might have originated from the trunk of the vehicle. It was unknown whether a Police report or a Fire Department report was filed. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that the brake lights remained illuminated whether the vehicle was running or turned off. Due to the failure, the contact had to jumpstart the vehicle due to the battery being drained. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where she was provided an estimate for the repair. Upon investigation, the contact discovered recalls on the 2014 and 2015 model year vehicles for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while sitting in the passenger seat as their husband was driving through a fast food drive-through and attempting to make a left turn the power steering suddenly failed. The dashboard was illuminated with several different lights, meanings unknown, however, there were no warning lights before the failure occurred. The driver had used an excessive amount of force to pull to the side where he turned the vehicle off and then restarted it to regain proper function. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the electrical power assist system failed. The independent mechanic informed them that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V250000 (Steering) and referred them to Ford. …
The factory-installed rearview backup camera on my 2013 Ford Fusion fails intermittently. When shifting into reverse, the display screen frequently goes black, shows a distorted or flickering image with multicolored lines, or displays an error message stating the camera is unavailable. The failure is unpredictable but occurs more often in hot weather or after rain, suggesting a hardware defect. The component that has failed is the rearview camera system, likely the camera module itself, which is available for inspection. This malfunction creates a significant safety hazard by eliminating rear visibility, substantially increasing the risk of a back-over collision with pedestrians, children, or other objects. The failure to display a rearview image is a non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111. …
While driving in the passing lane on the highway on my way home from work I began to smell smoke. I initially thought it was someone else's brakes until I began to see smoke coming through the interior panels of my vehicles. Luckily, the vehicles near me noticed the smoke and slowed down so that I could get off the road. Once pulled over I went to the front of the car and felt the hood but it did not feel hot but when I looked up I noticed the smoke was coming form the trunk. I went to the back of the car, opened the trunk and noticed flames coming from the car battery compartment (not the Hybrid battery). I tried to smother the fire with a sheet but was unsuccessful. I realized the flames were moving down the side toward the fuel tank and stepped away to call 911. Within minutes the fire spread through my trunk to the backseat of the vehicle and completely engulfed the vehicle.
While driving down the highway at 45 MPH the cars beside us began honking and flashing lights at us. We began to slow for a traffic light and smoke began to pour our from underneath the car. The engine warning light came on and we pulled left into the turn lane to stop. We then turned on the flashers and turned off the car and exited to the median. We called 911 and luckily, there was an accident going the other direction with fire and police arriving at that accident. Upon seeing our situation, the orange city, fl fire marshall came across the street to help us and sent the fire truck to us. They popped the hood and trunk and tried to put out the fire. After a few minutes of trying to put out the fire, they pulled the Hybrid battery line. The incident # is [redacted]. Our car was towed off and totaled by usaa. They have the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. While operating the vehicle, the advancetrak, power train, up hill assistance, and stop driving warning indicators illuminated. After turning the vehicle off and back on, it accelerated to 35 MPH on its own and would not exceed that speed. During the failure, the brakes did not operate properly and failed to immediately stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to Ford autonation torrance(3111 pacific coast hwy, torrance, ca) where it was diagnosed that the aftermarket security system caused the failures. After removing the security system from the vehicle, the failures continued. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 35,000.
On two occasions after starting the car electronics on steering wheel and console failed to work! No blinkers, to cruise control, no console control. One time speedometer didn't work. Error box appears in left computer screen and does not go away after pressing OK button. I was able to reset system by turning high beam forward twice than backwards once. I believe the turn signal stock is faulty. I was on the highway one time when I discovered the blinkers where not working. Could of caused a accident! Only have 40,000 miles on car. Took it to the Ford dealer and showed manager and agreed software problem. No trouble code came up on scanner.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal rattle and grinding noise emitted from the vehicle. The contact mentioned that on one occasion, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician informed that the battery failed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to back to dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Purchased a used 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid from carmax around May 2015 with approx 25000 miles. On 8/6/15 at approx 4:15 pm the car was traveling approx 65 MPH on the interstate when the command on the dash was given to stop safely now. I pulled over to the shoulder and restarted the car. A week later on 8/12/15 while traveling at approximately 45mph the same message stop safely now appeared after the car shook gently. All power was disabled and was able to pull once again to the shoulder and restart without further issue. Car is currently being checked out at the Ford dealer.
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Electrical complaints in other Fusion Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 16% of the model year's 126 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid, though it has 1 recall for other components. 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 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 29,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.