Most common 2011 Ford Fusion problems
Share of the 2,794 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 →
2011 Ford Fusion recalls (7)
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.
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 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…
Steering › Electric power assist system
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC).
Show 1 more recall
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2011 Ford Fusion:
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.
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…
What 2011 Ford Fusion owners say
Steering all 1,435 →
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 60 mph when the steering wheel became difficult to turn when they crashed into a curb and as a result almost went over the embankment. The contact stated power steering fault warning message was displayed. No one was injured, and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing EPA Steering efforts replaced but was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH uphill and approaching a curve, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the contact to almost lose control of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal, veered to the side of the roadway, and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that his vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING) due to the mileage and the time frame of the recall. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. …
Air bags all 330 →
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove off the road and crashed into a ditch. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged causing both the driver side and passenger side airbags to deploy. The contact indicated that the airbags did not immediately deploy and both occupants had sustained concussions when the driver made contact with the steering wheel and the passenger made contact with the dashboard. The driver also sustained a right leg injury. Both received medical attention where mediation was provided. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 200,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45-50 MPH, she depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to engage. The ABS warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that she applied pressure to the brake pedal and the pedal went to the floor and failed to stop the vehicle. As a result, the contact swerved around another vehicle however, the contact's front driver's side crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
Engine & cooling all 290 →
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the check engine warning light illuminated, and the advanced track failure message displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer filed a claim for the contact and referred the contact to the manufacturer for further assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the claim was denied. The contact was informed that the VIN was previously associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 148,000.
The contact's son owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the check engine, "Service Advance Trac" and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the failures could not be duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ABS and Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) modules needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.
2011 Ford Fusion engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | FWD | 41 / 35 / 38 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 23 / 32 / 26 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 22 / 31 / 25 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 28 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 26 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 18 / 25 / 20 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2011 Ford Fusion a good car?
Based on 2,794 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2011 Fusion rates avoid: 2.0× 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 2011 Ford Fusion?
The steering — 1,435 complaints, 51% of all complaints for this model year, most often about electric power assist system. Next are the air bags (330) and engine & cooling (290).
How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Fusion have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2011 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 2011 Ford Fusion problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 72,000 miles; 29% 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.