Most common 2010 Ford Fusion problems
Share of the 5,130 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Fusion complaints by model year
Best Fusion years: 2006, 2007, 2020. Years to avoid: 2010, 2011, 2012. Compare all years →
2010 Ford Fusion recalls (11)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal
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.
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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16V-384, 17V-024 or 18V-046.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 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.
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.
Show 5 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
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.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Auxillary tank
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.
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…
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
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.
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.
Power train › Automatic transmission
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, milan, and escape vehicles manufactured from February 27, through March 26, 2010. The park rod guide retention pin May not have been properly installed which fails to conform to the requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on May 28, 2010. Owners May contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332 and for the…
Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, explorer, explorer sport trac, and Mercury milan and mountaineer vehicles manufactured between December 15, 2009 through February 3, 2010 equipped with front seat manual recliners. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before April 30, 2010. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 9 possible defects involving the 2010 Ford Fusion:
Power Steering Failure
On September 28th, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-011 to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles.ODI has received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at speed with no warning.During the PE16-011 investigation, Ford Motor Company…
Electric power steering failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate complaints of the loss of power steering while driving. The subject vehicles are equipped with a rack mounted Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) unit.Some of the complaints alleged that the steering assist failed and resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and in some cases a crash.The…
Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles.
Wheel Stud Fracture
On January 21, 2011, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE11-003) to investigate alleged wheel stud fractures in certain model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles.ODI sent the manufacturer an information request letter dated February 8, 2011 and Ford responded by letter dated March 25, 2011.Ford provided a supplemental response by letter dated July 15, 2011.To date, ODI is…
Accel Pedal Interference - Acc Floormat
Unsecured mats may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle. A heel blocker in the floor pan provides a platform that may lift an unsecured mat into contact with the pedal. Ford introduced new pedals as a running change early in model year (MY) 2010 vehicles. Analysis of complaints received by ODI and Ford show elevated rates of pedal entrapment incidents in MY 2008 through early 2010 production vehicles.
Power Steering Failure
On September 28, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE16-011) to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles. During the PE, ODI received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at various speeds with no warning.
Floor mat interference with accelerator
On May 27, 2014, Ford Motor Company submitted recall 14E-028 (Ford recall #14S07) to correct a safety-related problem with certain driver's side Ford optional all-weather floor mats sold for use in model year 2006 through 2011 model year Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr, and Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant (HAP) from November 9, 2007, to October 31 ,2010.NHTSA testing determined…
Wheel Mounting Stud Fracture
To date, the agency is aware of 84 consumer complaints and 361 warranty claims related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.In total, 382 subject vehicles reportedly experienced one or more wheel stud fractures, resulting in 7 alleged wheel separation incidents.Most of the reported wheel stud fractures occurred on subject vehicles originally equipped with 17 inch diameter steel wheels (368 of 382) as did…
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three…
What 2010 Ford Fusion owners say
Steering all 1,662 →
The contact owned a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her son was driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel locked, became difficult to maneuver, causing the contact son vehicle to encounter a tree. No warning light was illuminated. The air bag did not deploy. The contacts son called 911 after the failure. The contact son sustained injuries to the chest, face, back of his neck, and his knees. A police report was filed. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to Larry Campbell's Towing Garage. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle's steering wheel was repaired once. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and closed contact case due to not being able to obtain the vehicle to remove a part of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 189,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact had turned the vehicle on and as she was reversing (R) out of her driveway at approximately 3 MPH, she felt that the steering wheel had become very stiff, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or right. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality; however, one block from her residence the failure recurred. The contact stated that the steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The contact returned to the residence and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that subsequent attempts to reset the power steering had failed and the loss of power steering assist had become a permanent failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 894 →
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and lunged forward. The contact then stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle started losing motive power and decelerated. No warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist where the transmission was rebuilt and replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to a transmission specialist where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and removing the key from the ignition switch, the vehicle rolled away. The contact stated that the parking brake was applied to stop the vehicle and then the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired and was towed back to the residence. The contact was made aware of an unknown power train recall; however, the local dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Speed control & acceleration all 793 →
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and would not accelerate more than 40 mph. The accelerator pedal would go to the floorboard when depressed however, the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact was able to restart the vehicle as the failure occurred intermittently. The contact had a code reader reading with the failure code P112 - throttle actuator body control stuck closed. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that he needed to pay for replacement of the throttle body and calibration. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls relating to the failure. The failure mileage was 144,866.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into Limp Mode and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be properly diagnosed until the warning light was illuminated while diagnosing the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that he received a recall notice on the electronic throttle body and was concerned that while driving the vehicle would stall again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.
2010 Ford Fusion engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | FWD | 41 / 36 / 39 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 23 / 34 / 27 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 22 / 31 / 25 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 27 / 22 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 18 / 25 / 21 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 27 / 21 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Ford Fusion a good car?
Based on 5,130 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2010 Fusion rates avoid: 3.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Fusion at the same age. It is one of the Fusion years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2010 Ford Fusion?
The steering — 1,662 complaints, 32% of all complaints for this model year, most often about electric power assist system. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (894) and speed control & acceleration (793).
How many recalls does the 2010 Ford Fusion have?
There are 11 recalls for the 2010 Ford Fusion, the most recent from March 10, 2021 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Fusion?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2006, 2007 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2010, 2011 and 2012. See the full Ford Fusion years comparison.
At what mileage do 2010 Ford Fusion problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 72,000 miles; 28% of problems with a recorded mileage started 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.