2015 Ford Fusion Transmission Problems

145 owners have reported transmission & drivetrain problems with the 2015 Ford Fusion to NHTSA — 15% of all 997 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 80,000 miles. That ranks #9 of 15 Fusion model years for transmission complaints (a typical year has 158). 5 related recalls have been issued.

145complaints
80ktypical miles
5related recalls
4crashes
0fires
1injuries

Which parts fail

  • Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift
    2
  • Automatic transmission › Torque converter
    1
  • Automatic transmission
    1
  • Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
    1

Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    1111%
  • 25k–50k
    77%
  • 50k–75k
    3231%
  • 75k–100k
    1817%
  • 100k–150k
    2423%
  • 150k+
    1111%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Ford Fusion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 17 MPH, the brakes were depressed and failed to respond, causing him to rear-end the vehicle in front of him. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags had not deployed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where body repairs were completed and it was diagnosed that the driveline needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and related the failure to the recall; however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.

97,000 miles · Aug 2022 · crash

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after parking in the driveway and shifting to park, the contact exited the vehicle with the engine idling and the front driver's side door opened. The contact walked down the driveway to retrieve the mail and suddenly the vehicle erroneously rolled down the driveway. The opened door struck and knocked the contact to the ground. The contact reached inside the vehicle and depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle from rolling while his wife engaged the parking brake. During the failure the contact sustained a separated right shoulder. No medical treatment was received. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were contacted but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). …

121,000 miles · Sep 2024 · 1 injury

Safety Recall # 18S20 Shift Cable Bushing was completed by dealer 03/05/2020 during a visit for new tires. There were no symptoms of gear issue at that time. On 7/30/2021 the Shift Cable Bushing (installed per recall) FAILED (less than 15 mths later). After parking car in a parking garage, put the car in "P" Park, the car was turned off, key removed, exited vehicle. The car rolled forward striking the parking garage wall in front of parking spot. Even though the dash & shift indicated the car was in PARK - it was not. No warning on dash. Called AAA that discovered the Shift Cable Bushing was missing causing the Shift Cable to be dislodged. Recall #18S20 was supposed to correct this issue. It did not. The front of my vehicle damaged. Ford redid the recall following day but the car needs auto body work. No response from Ford Corporate, which is in Manila Philippines.

Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift · Jul 2021 · crash

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after reversing and then shifting into drive (D), the vehicle failed to respond as needed and continued to reverse even though the gear shifter was in drive (D). The contact allowed the vehicle to reverse into a safe space, and attempted to shift into park (P), but the gear shifter was stuck. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact engaged the electronic parking brake and was able to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V362000 (Power Train) or 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000.

206,000 miles · Sep 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. While the contact's brother-in-law was parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P); however, after exiting the vehicle, the vehicle rolled backward. The contact's brother-in-law enabled the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact's brother-in-law noticed that the gear shifter had independently shifted into neutral(N). The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed of an undisclosed recall repair for the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The contact was informed that the shifter bushing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 146,695.

147,000 miles · Nov 2024

The contact's daughter owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, a year later while the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, a message indicating that the vehicle was overheating appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle then inadvertently decelerated and stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

140,000 miles · Feb 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the RPM became elevated, the engine revved up, and there was an abnormally loud clunking or thumping sound before the transmission shifted into gear and the vehicle accelerated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that there were contaminants in the transmission fluid, making the transmission fluid dark, and causing the transmission to fail. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000. The VIN was not available.

122,000 miles · Jun 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. After a visual inspection of the gear selector mechanism, the contact observed that the cable was detached. The contact was able to shift the gear by using the shift lock release button and was able to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the shifter cable bushing had degraded, causing the shift cable to detach. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V362000 (Power Train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000.

90,000 miles · Sep 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to shift out of park, the transmission failed to shift out of park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the gear shifter had failed. The VIN was included in an unstated recall and the vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that approximately 1-2 years and 20,000 miles later, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that a certified mechanic inspected the vehicle and stated there were fragments of the bushing found. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the gear shifter had failed; however, the repair was no longer covered under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

120,000 miles · Jul 2023

The contact's girlfriend owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the transmission hesitated to shift into the intended gear; while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle independently moved. She had to pull to the side of the road for several minutes and shut the vehicle off in order for the vehicle to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The contact did research and was made aware of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to get a diagnosis; the diagnosis was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

156,000 miles · Oct 2024

Related recalls

Power train › Manual transmission

NHTSA recall 26V-376 · Jun 9, 2026 · 5,252 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Remedy: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were October 16, 2026.

Power train › Shift linkage/cable/rod

NHTSA recall 22V-413 · Jun 10, 2022 · 2,925,968 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022.

Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift

NHTSA recall 19V-362 · May 13, 2019 · 259,182 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles equipped with 2.5 liter engines. The bushing that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission may degrade over time and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift

NHTSA recall 18V-471 · Jul 16, 2018 · 504,182 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape, and 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions. The bushing that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission may degrade over time and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

Show 1 more recall

Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)

NHTSA recall 14V-736 · Nov 18, 2014 · 56,479 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured July 27, 2013, to October 31, 2014, 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to October 31, 2014, and 2015 Ford Fusion Energi vehicles manufactured July 14, 2014, to October 31, 2014.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles, free of charge. The recall began on December 15, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14C11.

Transmission complaints in other Fusion years

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Transmission complaints per model year, Ford Fusion.

Frequently asked questions

How common are transmission problems on the 2015 Ford Fusion?

NHTSA has 145 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2015 Ford Fusion, 15% of the model year's 997 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission › lever and linkage › floor shift (2 mentions).

Is there a recall for 2015 Ford Fusion transmission problems?

Yes — NHTSA recall 26V-376 (manual transmission, Jun 9, 2026); NHTSA recall 22V-413 (shift linkage/cable/rod, Jun 10, 2022); NHTSA recall 19V-362 (floor shift, May 13, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

At what mileage do 2015 Ford Fusion transmission problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.

Is it dangerous?

Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to transmission & drivetrain 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.