Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Fusion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My 2013 Ford Fusion SE had the high pressure fuel pump start leaking and dripped fuel on the exhaust and started the car on fire while driving down the road. This caused about $7,000.00 in damage but could have easily gotten out of control and caused injury or death to occupant(s). I reached out to Ford Motor Company and did a chat log asking for assistance and to make them aware. Ford Motor Company Case number CAS-34734107-H6J0Z5. What is dangerous about this design is that Ford chose to design and install a secondary high pressure fuel pump directly above the exhaust manifold and the engineers surely would have known the durability and longevity along with possible outcomes due to normal use over time. For the same reason you are not to refuel a hot engine, a fuel pump should not be placed directly over the exhaust manifold. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after shifting to the drive(D), the transmission experienced hard shifting. Also, while shifting to the park(P) the transmission would remain in drive(D) even though the gear selector indicated that the transmission was in park(P). During the failure, the vehicle would erroneously drive forward. The contact was able to manually shift the transmission to the park(P) from under the hood while a second person depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission shift cable bushing was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired on 3 separate occasions for the failure but each time the failure reoccurred. Additionally, all audible safety features such as the horn, alarms, and seatbelt alarms were inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact veered into a parking lot where the contact pumped the brake pedal until the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact observed a moist patch underneath the front of the vehicle after moving the vehicle. The contact also stated that the windows failed to operate after the power window button was depressed. Additionally, the A/C unit was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The system was reset. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
I own a 2013 Ford Fusion SE with a 1.6L EcoBoost engine. Prior to the incident, the vehicle displayed a "Check Charging System" warning and the engine overheated. After parking the vehicle and shutting it off, a fire started under the hood in the engine compartment. The fire occurred shortly after the overheating warning and while the vehicle was not running. The fire appeared to originate in the engine bay area and caused significant damage. There were no prior accidents or modifications to the vehicle.
As I was going down the highway my car started smoking dramatically. There were no warning lights so I assumed it might be a belt. I pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood to find flames coming from the backside of the engine. I have had it in the shop now for the last two months and the initial thought was that the water pump could have caused the issue. However, after that set of repairs it was burning oil. Further investigation has shown that the head is cracked.
While driving my vehicle into the garage, I placed the car into the P(park) gear and the car continued to roll. I had to hit the emergency break to stop the vehicle. The fuel line keeps cracking although it has been replaced multiple times causing gas to be leaking from the vehicle even after filling the car up.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 174,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 202,000.
2013 Ford Fusion with 99,799 miles on it; went out to go start it after work one day, unable to get into car or start car as battery was completely drained. Did not leave lights on etc. Had someone jump car; on way to repair shop, car shut down and would not restart; thankfully I was NOT on a highway. Since that time, it has had 2 new batteries placed in it, will run for about 5 minutes then shut off and you cannot restart it again; it has also been to 2 repair shops and is presently at the Ford dealership as my shop was not able to determine what was wrong. Cooling fan also noted to be running after car died yet still not able to restart. Read on Ford forums that this has happened to other Fusion owners of the same year.Up to this point, intermittently the battery saver message would come across the dash however I had that looked at and was cleared out. …
Although this vehicle is 10 years old it has only logged less than 17k miles (near new condition). A few months back it was noted that the backlighting on the console, steering wheel, interior door panels and overhead console were inoperative under non-daylight conditions. At night, it's driving blind from an instrumentation perspective. Controls cannot be located as they cannot be seen. This backlighting has a mind of its own. Upon entering the vehicle all the lighting in question lights up and then times out (?) Activating outside lighting (headlights) when you expect and need the backlighting, it just isn't there. Disconnecting the battery for 12 hours (reboot) did nothing to solve the problem. Personally, I believe the slap-happy lighting engineers went way overboard with warning and flashing lights on this vehicle. The lighting in question is there, not just when needed. …
The rear view camera of my Ford Fusion has started to sporadically function. It started out with an occasional blank screen showing, followed by a message that the camera is not available and to call the dealer. Over the past month or so (July 2025) it is erroring more than 50% of the time. I am afraid of backing up now as I'm so used to using the camera to properly make sure everything is clear behind me. I have already been in a near-miss situation because the camera was not working, and I didn't see the vehicle that was approaching my car in a blindspot. My vehicle has roughly 190,000 miles and only recently has the camera started giving out. I saw on the news a recall of more than 120,000 Ford vehicles within similar rearview camera failure issues and I wanted to make sure that my situation was also recorded with the NHTSA for my particular Year, Make, and Model. Thank you.
Electrical complaints in other Fusion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Ford Fusion?
NHTSA has 160 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Ford Fusion, 9% of the model year's 1,792 complaints. The component named most often is software (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Fusion electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2013 Ford Fusion, though it has 19 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 2013 Ford Fusion electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 22 fires and 3 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.