Airbag complaints by model year
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact's daughter owned a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her daughter was idled in traffic, another vehicle rear-ended the vehicle that was behind the daughter's vehicle, causing the vehicle from behind to rear-end the daughter's vehicle. It was a seven-vehicle collision. All of the passenger's side front air bags deployed upon impact where the contact's son was seated. The driver's side front knee and steering wheel air bags deployed upon impact, except for the side curtain and seat air bags. The contact's daughter and son were transported by ambulance to the hospital for injuries sustained. The contact's daughter suffered a fractured back, whiplash, and burns on the left side of her neck and right arm. The contact's son suffered a concussion. A police report was filed. …
I was driving on a slushy road and it was snowing. I received a warning that the pre-collision assist was unavailable. Another light also lit up saying there was no traction. The car veered toward the concrete barrier next to me and I couldn't turn the wheel. The brakes also did not work. I slammed into the concrete barrier at about 55 mph and began spinning back across the interstate and stopped next to a guardrail. When I hit the concrete barrier, my seatbelt didn't catch and my whole body slid forward into the steering wheel, dashboard, and windshield. My face hit the windshield. The airbags never inflated.
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, she was rear-ended by another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was later treated for various bruising in an area hospital, as well as receiving a CT scan and an x-ray of her left ankle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic; instead, it was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
The leather-covered dashboard panel, in the approximately 4-6 inch section between the base of the windshield and the first seam across the dash, has shrunk, rippled, and pulled away from the underlying substrate. This area also houses the driver-assist camera housing and the defrost vent. The vehicle was purchased new and has been Ford-maintained, professionally detailed, and garage-kept throughout ownership; the leather has been regularly cleaned and conditioned as part of routine dealership detailing, ruling out lack of care as a cause. The vehicle's build date is January 2018, which falls within the range covered by Ford Technical Service Bulletin 18-2283 ("Instrument Panel Sagging at the Windshield Glass"), issued for vehicles built between October 13, 2014 and February 2, 2018, describing the instrument panel sagging and separating near the windshield. …
On or about January 2023, I noticed the airbag light come on my vehicle's dashboard. I didn't notice anything else that may have suggested what was wrong or what caused the light to come on. On February 6, 2023, I took the car to a Ford dealership to be inspected (the car had less than 60,000 miles and was about 6 years old at the time). After an inspection, I was told that the "Restraint Control Module" (RCM) had failed and that the part I needed was on national backorder. I asked the sales person if this meant that my airbags wouldn't deploy in an accident. His answer was unclear, and he said that "the airbags would at least not deploy unintentionally". On May 6, 2023, I was involved in an accident and the airbags did NOT deploy. …
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel made a complete 360-degree turn; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. Additionally, the horn and the buttons on the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact pushed up on the steering wheel, applying a lot of pressure, to steer the vehicle while turning. Additionally, when the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact believed that the failures were associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,600.
Car has intermittent electrical issue that causes ECUs to reboot often times disabling safety systems such as ABS, Airbags, Collision Avoidance, Adaptive Cruise Control, power steering and power brakes. Ford dealer believes that it's a short in a wiring harness. They claim this issue has been seen in several vehicles like mine. Ford was able to reproduce the problem and recommends replacement of a wiring harness ($4k). To date, I have not had an accident, but do not feel safe driving the vehicle if the airbags and other safety systems become inoperable. Yes, all of the dashboard lights come on when this issue occurs - technician states that the whole computer system gets taken down. That's very uncomfortable when you are traveling at highway speed and no longer have safety system. Steering and braking do get impacted but are not inoperable. …
My airbag in my steering wheel is popped up and the Sync system for my radio keeps disconnecting and just will not connect at all. Did a factory reset witch solved the problem for only a couple days and went back to not working again
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Fusion Hybrid years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2010 (135), 2011 (34), 2012 (32), 2013 (10) and 2017 (7) model years. Airbag complaints make up 27% of all complaints for the 2010.
Is there a recall for Ford Fusion Hybrid airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for any Ford Fusion Hybrid model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Ford Fusion Hybrid airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles; 37% happened before 50,000 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.