Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2017 Ford Fusion: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,094 safety complaints about the 2017 Ford Fusion with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved July 14, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

1,094
Complaints
4
Recalls
1
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 37 crashes, 8 fires, 30 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling leads the complaint list, cited in 490 of 1,094 complaints, followed by Power train / transmission.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 91 of the 1,094 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 7 years after the model year (245 filed in 2024) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 1 NHTSA defect investigation is associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2017 Ford Fusion, engine & cooling issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,094 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
490
Power train / transmission
304
Electrical
124
Brakes & stability
108
Other / unspecified
105
Steering
51
Fuel & propulsion
36
Airbags & restraints
33

"ENGINE HAS COOLANT INTRUSIONAND IS MISFIRING. Engine light came on. The coolant system found pressure to be dropping significantly. Removed spark plugs and inspected cylinder bores using borescope. Verified coolant is leaking into cylinder 2 and needed to replace the engine at Ourisman Ford in Manassas VA. on July 11, 2026."

Owner complaint filed July 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11749828

"1.5 liter ecoboost engine has a coolant intrusion problem into the cylinder to due a design flaw. Problem can cause several problems: loosing coolant and causing the engine to overheat, causing misfire in the cylinders, and can cause the engine to stallwhich has happened several time on me. The engine should be recalled as a safety concern for stalling, it has stalled on the I15 in Utah several times"

Owner complaint filed June 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11745114

Complaints didn't fade — they kept coming

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2017 Ford Fusion inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2024, 7 years after the model year.

Complaints filed per year — 2017 Ford Fusion
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
4
45
39
64
90
68
119
221
245
157
42
1617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through July 14, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2017 compares with other model years

Across the Ford Fusion model years we track, the 2010 has the most complaints on file (5,124); the 2017 ranks 7 of 8.

Total complaints by model year — Ford Fusion
All complaints on file per model year, as of July 14, 2026
5,124
2,780
2,604
1,948
1,416
1,049
1,652
2017
1,094
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 4 recalls

4 recalls apply to some or all 2017 Ford Fusion vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Dec 201616V-874
Seats:Mid/Rear Assembly

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured September 27, 2016, to September 28, 2016. The left rear seat backs pivot pins may have been improperly welded.

Jul 201717V-427
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Torque Converter

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Edge and Fusion vehicles. On vehicles with 2.0L gas engines and six-speed automatic transmissions, the torque converter weld studs may have been inadequately welded.

Mar 201818V-167
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

Mar 202323V-162
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2017 Ford Fusion have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 1,094 complaints about the 2017 Ford Fusion with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2017 Ford Fusion have?

The 2017 Ford Fusion has 4 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2017 Ford Fusion safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2017 Ford Fusion an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.