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Ford · NHTSA safety record

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

507

Complaints

9

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid have filed 507 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2013 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 138 of them (27%). The typical failure was reported at 85,200 miles, the median across the 375 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Defect investigations (6)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated

DP26004

Still open defect petition · opened April 9, 2026

the hydraulic brakes

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition on December 22, 2025, requesting a defect investigation into the hydraulic control unit (HCU) for the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) on the MY 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The petition alleges that an illuminated ABS MIL is associated with a failure of the ABS HCU, resulting in ABS malfunction, loss of traction and electronic stability control functions, and reduced braking performance, particularly on slippery road surfaces. A defect petition has been opened to evaluate the issue and determine whether to grant or deny the petition.The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11647929.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

Power Steering Failure

EA17004

Closed engineering analysis · opened November 20, 2017 · closed February 9, 2024

the steering

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.  Ford Motor Company (Ford) provided 1,851 unique reports and 1,720 warranty claims related to the alleged problem.  It should be noted that as the result of investigation PE14-030, Ford conducted a safety recall (15V-340) ofMY 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and other vehicles using the same electric power assist steering unit to rectify incidents of loss of power steering assist. On November 20, 2017, PE16-011 was upgraded to this Engineering Analysis (EA17-004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and consequence of this failure.  This was based on an analysis of the subject vehicle complaint data that had indicated an increased likelihood of failure as the vehicles age.  At the time, the rate of occurrence of this failure was comparable to previous investigations involving loss of power steering assist including the previously mentioned PE14-030. During the EA, ODI’s analysis of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles identified the following:  testing showed minor steering effort changes between “assist” and “no assist”, no root cause identified, a declining failure trend, the ramp-down or reduced assist provided when a DTC is set, a lower failure rate than the recalled Fusion vehicles, and the high age of the vehicles. A safety-related defect trend has not been identified.  Accordingly, this Engineering Analysis is closed.  See the attached Engineering Analysis Closing Report for details.  The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety defect does not exist, and ODI will take further actions if warranted by future circumstances.  To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Power Steering Failure

PE16011

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened September 28, 2016 · closed December 25, 2017

the steering

On September 28th, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-011 to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles.ODI has received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at speed with no warning.During the PE16-011 investigation, Ford Motor Company (Ford) provided 1851 unique reports and 1720 warranty claims related to the alleged problem.As the result of investigation PE14-030, Ford previously conducted a recall (15V-340) of the 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and other vehicles using the same electric power assist steering unit to rectify incidents of loss of power steering assist.An analysis of the subject vehicle complaint data indicates an increased likelihood of failure as the vehicles age.The rate of occurrence of this failure is comparable to previous investigations involving loss of power steering assist including the previously mentioned PE14-030.Therefore, the Preliminary Evaluation (PE16-011) has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency and consequence of this failure. ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls#vehicle under the identification (NHTSA ID) numbers found in the attached list.

Electric power steering failure

PE14030

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened October 2, 2014 · closed September 10, 2015 · led to recall 15V340000

the steering

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 EPAS system was manufactured by TRW Automotive for Ford and was designated as Generation I.These units were first produced and put into vehicle production in July 2008 beginning with the model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.The system is comprised of a mechanical steering rack-and-pinion gear with torque sensor, electric assist motor, motor position sensor and a power steering control module (PSCM). The PSCM is self-monitoring and designed to detect faults within the system and can store diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) if a problem is detected.There are 29 potential DTCs the system can detect.Many of these allow the system to go into reduced-assist steering mode by using the default vehicle speed signal should the live speed signal be lost, if voltage to EPAS system falls below 10.7 or goes above 17 volts, the temperature at the PSCM goes above 105C (221F), or if high friction is detected.Some DTCs will cause the system to go into manual steering mode (no assist). On July 1, 2015, Ford filed a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a safety related defect in TRW GEN I EPAS systems installed in some of the subject vehicles (NHTSA Recall 15V-340, Ford No. 15S18).The DIR indicated that intermittent electrical connections caused by quality issues associated with conformal coat contamination and ribbon cable pin misalignment within the steering gear motor may lead to a loss of the motor position sensor signal, resulting in a sudden loss of power assist while driving.The recall covers approximately 393,623 vehicles built from September 2010 through February 2012:2011-12 Fusion built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011-12 Lincoln MKZ built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011 Milan built SEP 2010 - DEC 2010; 2011-13 Taurus built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011-13 Flex with 3.5L GTDI engine built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; and 2011-13 MKS, MKT with 3.5L GTDI engine built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012.The repair consists of updating the PSCM software to prevent a loss of steering assist while driving. The revised software will provide audible and visual warnings to the driver. If one or more of the following DTCs are stored, C1B00-62, C200B-2F, C200B-61, C200B-62, C200C-2F, C200D-49, U0300-00, U2011-49, U2011-61, U3000-46, U3000-49, U3000-61, U3000-72, U3000-96, P07AE-09, the dealer will replace the EPAS system at no charge to the owner.ODI's analysis of failure data for this PE identified a total of 2,584 complaints to ODI and Ford and 9,967 Ford warranty claims related to the alleged defect.The recalled vehicles account for 1,634 of the complaints and 7,311 of the warranty claims.ODI's analysis identified 40 complaints alleging crashes that may be related to loss of steering assist while driving, 20 of which involved vehicles included in Ford's recall.The information available for the alleged crashes were not sufficient to assess specific causes of the incidents or to verify EPAS malfunctions in each case.Most of the crashes were low-speed impacts with curbs or roadside objects resulting in wheel or minor body damage.None of the injury claims indicated medical attention was required.In addition, statistical modeling of the failure data by NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis projected 10-year failur

Floor mat interference with accelerator

EA12009

Closed engineering analysis · opened December 12, 2012 · closed June 12, 2014 · led to recall 14E028000

vehicle speed control

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 that the original accessory all-weather mat with a single retention clip (Figure 1), may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle with the mat retained by the clip and rotated clockwise.Both the single- and double-clip (Figure 2) all-weather floor mats may interfere with the accelerator pedal return to idle when the mats are not secured by the retention clip(s).Testing showed that this can occur if the mats are moved forward from the clipped position approximately two inches into a position in which the rear edge of the mats will abut the retention clip(s) when installed singly and align with the clip(s) when stacked on another floor mat.The pedal interference incidents reviewed by the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) include 1 crash and 9 incidents with allegations of brake friction materials smoking and/or requiring repair for heat related damage.The crash incident occurred after the parking brake was applied at speed, resulting in loss-of-control vehicle yaw event caused by lock-up of the rear tires.The spin-out resulted in a side impact collision with an oncoming vehicle in an opposing lane of traffic. For the 29 incidents with sufficient information available to make an assessment; 23 (79%) were controlled by the driver either shifting to neutral, turning the engine off, or both; 4 (14%) were ended by the driver either kicking the pedal free (2) or pulling the mat away from the pedal (2); and 2 (7%) were ended by the pedal freeing itself from the mat with no apparent driver action.None of the drivers who reacted to the incident by shifting to neutral or turning the engine off reported any difficulties with either action.The subject mats were sold by Ford and Lincoln dealers directly to customers as an optional accessory equipment item or, beginning in November 2007, the mats were also available as a factory installed accessory if ordered with a new vehicle.Ford estimates that approximately 82,579 affected driver's side all weather floor mats were sold worldwide; either over the counter through Ford dealerships or as original equipment.Owners that purchased the subject all-weather floor mats as a factory installed accessory with their new vehicle will be notified to return their all weather floor mats to their Ford or Lincoln Dealership in exchange for replacement mats.Owners of all other potentially affected vehicles will be notified that, if they have an affected Ford driver's side all weather floor mat, they should return their mats to the dealership in exchange for replacement mats.The VOQs associated with the closing of this investigation are: 10327597, 10332233, 10334211, 10335336, 10339330, 10348772 (and duplicate 10342572), 10372674, 10379562, 10415911, 10426255, 10434107, 10521053, 10554966.This investigation is hereby closed.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 507.

STEERING 138 27%
AIR BAGS 135 27%
SERVICE BRAKES 78 15%
POWER TRAIN 48 9%
ENGINE 46 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 45 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 38 7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 29 6%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 18 4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 3%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 14 3%
STRUCTURE 11 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 115.

2013 2018 2026
2013 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 58,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AT 25 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE STRUCK THE VEHICLE'S REAR DRIVER'S SIDE. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER WAS UNSURE OF HER INJURIES AND SUFFERED MILD CHEST PAIN. THE DRIVER DID NOT SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION BUT MENTIONED DOING SO IN THE FUTURE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A POLICE STATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. UPDATED 08/04/17*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE WRONG AIRBAG

NHTSA complaint 10995133, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1 injured · 67,000 miles

WHILE DRIVING TODAY AT 55MPH MY POWER STEERING LIGHTS BLINKED ON THEN LOST MY POWER STEERING. MANAGED TO BARELY GET OFF THE ROAD . VERY SCARY AND CAN'T BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE POWER STEERING!! COULD HAVE EASILY WENT OFF THE ROAD AND OVER THE MOUNTAIN TODAY. HAVE TO TAKE TO THE DEALER MONDAY TO SEE WHAT ITS GOING TO COST TO REPAIR.. PLEASE DO A RECALL AS I HAD NO IDEA HOW MANY COMPLAINTS PEOPLE HAVE MADE. IT IS A LIFE THREAT!!! 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID 67,000 MILES.

NHTSA complaint 11192685. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 95,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID. WHILE THE CONTACT'S WIFE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE DID NOT STOP AND CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HALDEMAN FORD (640 US 130, EAST WINDSOR, NJ 08520) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW ABS MODULE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS

NHTSA complaint 11289942, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · 25,000 miles

DRIVER WAS IN SMALL LOCAL SHOPPING CENTER, HE TURNED INTO PARKING SPACE, APPLIED BRAKE, WHEN CAR ACCELERATED OVER CURB ONTO SIDEWALK AND THROUGH FRONT OF BUILDING. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10500963. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
2020 Ford Escape wipers keep stuttering, moving very slowly, freezing midway through cycle, or fail to operate during adverse weather conditions. This results in poor to no visibility sometimes with the wiper blocking vision directly. This is a known recall and Ford has refused to repair the wiper until the unveil their solution for all potentially impacted vehicles. They acknowledge that a wiper motor would repair our vehicle right now but told us to wait for months while they determine a global fix. Recall number we believe is 26S14. Both Ford America and local dealer will not perform work. Communications were via phone call with both dealer and Ford America.

NHTSA complaint 11757251. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
The power steering has failed twice recently while driving and the dashboard warning displayed as follows: power steering assist fault. This makes it very hard to steer, dangerous and scary when this happens. Can a recall be issued for my vehicle? I am very disappointed that my 2010 ford fusion hybrid vehicle was left out of the recall even though it was manufactured at the same plant as the 2011 - 2013 models that were recalled. I found this online: Investigation and Recall ContextFederal Probes: The NHTSA investigated 2010–2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models for sudden loss of electric power steering, logging thousands of complaints.Exclusion of the 2010 Model: Ford issued recalls

NHTSA complaint 11757063, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
SUBJECT: Fraudulent Recall Completion / Incomplete Remedy resulting in Component Failure (Recall 19S54 / NHTSA 19V904) I am writing to file an emergency safety complaint regarding a fraudulently cleared safety recall on my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. According to Ford's internal OASIS database, Safety Recall 19S54 (NHTSA Campaign 19V904) was marked as "completed" under a previous owner. However, physical inspection of the vehicle proves that the mandatory federal remedy was never executed. The master cylinder still retains the original factory DOT 3 cap, and the system was never upgraded to DOT 4 fluid. Because the servicing dealership falsified the repair documentation and left the corrosive

NHTSA complaint 11753024, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Abs module failed

NHTSA complaint 11748073. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
There have been many recalls on the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, according to Ford mine has already had the repairs done yet the issues I’ve been having all match recalls. I’ve had issues with my passenger seat, the air bag system light is always on and the seat controls no longer work. The clockspring system is pure trash, there is no reason I’ve had to replace it twice now in the 2 months I’ve had this car. My ABS system keeps going in and out and says service advancetrac system. My hybrid battery rarely goes into hybrid anymore causing my mpg to drop. There were a few other things but that’s what’s coming out mind now.

NHTSA complaint 11744392. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

100,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the brake pedal suddenly depressed all the way to the floorboard. The contact became aware that the brakes were no longer functioning properly. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The ABS and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The

NHTSA complaint 11653520, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford Fusion Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 8 0
2019 35 0
2018 59 0 1
2017 67 0
2016 48 0
2015 46 2
2014 65 1
2013 126 1
2012 95 0
2011 132 0 2

Other 2010 Ford models

Every Ford on this site — 348 vehicles, 1210 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst