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).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the brakes made an abnormal sound. The traction control system warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving over a bump, a message indicating that Traction Control Unavailable was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
While driving on the beltway, the car accelerated then started slow down. I merged off of the beltway and onto a ramp to get somewhere safe. At the ramp the car light of the air bag came on then, the car came to a stop, and all the lights came on. And the hood of the car was smoking. I lifted the hood and saw the fire under the engine. We moved away from the car and luckily a man in a work truck saw us and had a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. The car is with the dealer but, nothing has been completed at this time. The car has been with them since 5/3/17.
About 2wks a go I noticed the following messages on dashboard.... 1- service advance trac (on right side of speedometer, there were two vehicle on a trac icons) 2- hill assist not available. 3- ABS light stayed on while driving. All the above warning messages came on every time I started the car and had to hit the OK button several times to make the hill assist message go away, but ABS and service advance trac remained on while driving. Two days ago, while driving to work, I notice the car started turning diagonal and sliding forward towards on coming lane on the left, I managed to bring my car back over to my lane and this is when I notice it picked up a little bit more speed, kept on sliding at an angle, by this time the car is now perpendicular to the road, sliding forward at the same time heading towards the ditch on the right, my car kept sliding without any sense of traction, fell …
Have not brough to dealer yet, however all my lights lit up and have not turned of so far. Advancetrac, blindspot, rear camera assist, ABS, etc.. Basically all my assist have come on. Since they have come on my steering has been tough, as if the electrical assist was disabled because its combined with the ABS system. According to a youtube video posted online, the problem is a corroded or malfunctioning wire in the ABS driver (or passenger?) side of the wheel well. "issue was my driver front tire... It's the wire harness that goes back to the cpu from the ABS speed sensor. This should be a recall in my opinion as a lot of people are having this issue which causes electrical power steering assist to turn off making it harder to turn the steering wheel" quoted from the youtube video. Where the wires connect or something along that line. …
I have a recall on my car to replace the transmition cable. I had this same problem back in 2016. I knew back then that this was a big issue and that it was a defective recall issue and I paid $571.25 to fix a tranmission shifter cable. I still have the receipt and all the notes that the dealership wrote and it matches this recall. I filed acomplaint with NHTSA and no action taken back then and I feel since this is a recall that I should have never paid out of pocket for this recall and I feel I should get a refund from Ford. I almost died when I lost control of my gear shift and I had my children in the car when I lost control of my 2013 Ford Fusion on 9/16/16. I could not get my car gear to shift at all and it was moving by itself. If it wasnt for the emergency brake me and my two children would have crashed and got injured or imjury someone else. …
Started up the vehicle in the morning after sitting all night, buzzers, warning lights and messages popped up on the instrument cluster. "hill assist not available" "service advance trac" two light are also illuminated, traction control and stability control. The short 3 flash signals work but the sustained flash will not, the signal will flash once and shut off. The biggest safety concern is the power steering assist does not work. It will actually jerk the steering wheel in the opposite direction! Unfortunately I had to drive the vehicle 40 miles to work. It grinds and pops as the wheel is turned like it is trying to rip the tie rods loose. I am automotive savvy and felt I could handle driving it, however if my wife was to drive this vehicle I would fear there would've been an accident.
I was driving downhill on freeway running approx 70 MPH when the steering wheel just went stiff. Power steering just shut off without any warning. I managed to get off at the following exit . Then when I came to a full stop I had to force the steering to turn. The warning light for steering problem came on after I shut off vehicle and restarted. I had the car diagnosed and mechanic said that the steering gear needed to be replaced and damages did not look like it was caused by normal driving. Estimated costs 2500.00. I checked the recent recalls and NHTSA campaign number: 19V632000 it fits the description but Ford advised that VIN# was not part of the recall and it most of vehicles were in the east coast. I told them that my car came from the east coast (mn) .
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. While pulling out of a parking space in reverse, a rattling noise emerged from the front of the vehicle. In addition, the "hill assist" and "traction failed" messages displayed. The contact also stated that the steering ability seized. The vehicle was towed to all American Ford in point pleasant, new jersey where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed. The contact also stated that the vehicle was previously repaired per an unknown recall regarding the steering rack assembly in June of 2015. The vehicle was not repaired again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed case number: cas14489150. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
Service advance trac, traction control, ABS, and steering assist fault lights all come on randomly and it becomes extremely hard to steer. When this is going on, the lane keeping system does not work and the turn signal needs shut off after every turn. Having no power steering and trying to turn off your turn signal while driving is extremely dangerous. These lights randomly come on and go back off. I live in pa, if this problem happens in snow I have to pull over and wait for the steering to be back to normal or risk my life getting home. Ford has not included my VIN in a recall that could be the cause of the issues. I have taken my car to the dealership 5 times now for this same problem.
I took my car to the dealership because originally my door latch stopped working. When I went to pick up my car, they told me the electronic steering, or the epas, went out on the car. They said it's not the first time they've seen this happen and weren't surprised at all. I've contacted Ford and the original dealership where I purchased the car and both told me there was nothing that could be done but keep the receipts if I get it repaired just in case there is a recall. Also, this issue is unrelated to the steering bolt recall.
Traction Control complaints in other Fusion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2013 Ford Fusion?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2013 Ford Fusion, 2% of the model year's 1,792 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Fusion traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.