Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Ford Fusion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light and maintenance service warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brakes failed to stop the vehicle in a reasonable amount of time without depressing the brake pedal with excessive force. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the hydraulic control unit and ABS module needed to be replaced. The contact had another certified mechanic repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The contact was then referred to NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and extended to the floorboard and the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The ABS, service brakes, and advancetrac messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the Hydraulic Control Module and ECU had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was fractured and had caused oil to leak onto the spark plugs. The mechanic diagnosed that the valve cover gasket and spark plugs needed to be replaced. Additionally, the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the brakes, the calipers, and the tie rod needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and slowing for a traffic sign, the vehicle stalled and the contact lost power steering; however, the brakes was functional. The contact safely pulled over and placed the vehicle in park(P) and restarted the vehicle. The failure recurred more frequently at low speeds while coming to a stop or driving slowly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact was at a stoplight proceeding to make a left turn, and the vehicle inadvertently stopped. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove home safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.
I have a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid that has approximately 90k miles. The car started randomly shutting off while driving. No combustion engine, no electric motor propelling the car. Suddenly shutting off while driving is incredibly unsafe. I took it to a Ford dealer and after much communication with Ford HQ, it was determined that the transmission control module was bad. This component is buried inside the hybrid cvt transmission, and as such cannot be repaired. The entire transmission needs to be replaced. After contacting about 10 large transmission shops in the region I found out that none of them can do the work. Ford has made the unit so that the information in the unit can only be copied and written with Ford software. It is impossible for a repair shop to install a used unit. The only way to repair the car is with a new transmission from Ford that I was quoted $14,000 for. …
The throttle body failed. It is not available for inspection because it was replaced. While driving on a high-speed road, the engine felt like it shuddered, and the car lost engine power and would no longer accelerate. At the same time, the light shaped like a wrench came on. Our safety was therefore put at risk because we could now barely accelerate, and could easily have been rear-ended. The problem was confirmed and repaired by an independent service center. After doing the repair, the service center informed us that there was a Ford Customer Satisfaction Service Bulletin (13NO3) for this problem. We called Ford about this bulletin and were told that the Bulletin was limited to ten years or 150,000 miles, whichever came first. Even though our car is over ten years old, it only has 87,000 miles on it.
Driving on the highway in the fast lane, vehicle suddenly lost all power. A message on the car said " pull over safely ". No prior warning of anything wrong with the vehicle. I managed to dodge traffic with my hazard lights on and came to a stop on the side of the highway. I inspected the car with no signs of anything wrong. I shut down the car and restarted. Everything came back on and was drivable. This caused me to look online, only to discover that other people are having the same problem as I have described. TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. This is a very dangerous situation to be in, not able to keep moving on a very busy highway.
My vehicle is having trouble at first start after refueling the vehicle and I made a research and found that there is a recall for some same model of my vehicle that there is a problem with the purge valve. The recall number is 15S34. My vehicle is having the same trouble as mentioned in the recall but my vehicle is not listed as recall under the vin even though I am having problems. I have attached the recall document below that my vehicle needs.
Electronic Throttle Body Car lost power on busy, construction road Manufacturer issued secret warranty to owners and did not send out notice Multiple certified mechanics have inspected the vehicle Check engine, ABS, service advance trac, and power train lights were on and i am uncertain when they first came on
NHTSA investigations
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.
Engine complaints in other Fusion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Ford Fusion?
NHTSA has 793 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Ford Fusion, 15% of the model year's 5,130 complaints. The component named most often is engine (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Ford Fusion engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 Ford Fusion, though it has 11 recalls 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 2010 Ford Fusion engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 2 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling 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.