2008 Ford Fusion Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,533 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Ford Fusion, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 23/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 83,500 miles.
Typical
Where 2008 sits among all Fusion years
What owners report
“Takata recall was sent to me years ago and was told they did not have them in-that i would be notified when received and where to go to have it replaced.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Fusion
“Hit a pothole in road just prior to stop light, brakes did not stop car until after going through intersection, then took a long time to stop even at slow speeds while driving to repair shop. I had to push brake pedal nearly to the floor to get it to stop, even at slow speeds.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Fusion
“Door handle is stuck/broken. Door cannot open from the inside or outside. Passengers are stuck in car.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Fusion
“The transmission started being difficult to shift into gear. Then, i have started hearing a whirring sound from the engine compartment. After reading up on some of the problems, it appears my torque converter is dying! Which will lead to total transmission failure!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ thanks ford!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Fusion
“The dashboard warped and the affected areas are the center dashboard and the passenger side. The airbag light is still on after getting the airbag recall fixed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Fusion
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The message that the engine was overheated was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Fusion
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 885 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 98,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 70,000 and 130,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17,…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives.…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico,…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain all weather driver side accessory floor mats sold for use in model year 2006-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, and 2007-2011 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 9, 2007, through…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement mats, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 19V904000.
Led to recall campaign 14E028000.
Technical service bulletins
21 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on airbags and engine — are on file for the 2008 Ford Fusion. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2008 Fusion TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Ford Fusion reliable?
The 2008 Ford Fusion drew 1,533 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 23/100, scored against the model's worst year (2010).
What are the most common 2008 Ford Fusion problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Ford Fusion are airbags (638 complaints), brakes & stability (557), and body & structure (83).
At what mileage do 2008 Ford Fusion problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Ford Fusion problems around 98,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 70,000 and 130,000 miles.
Does the 2008 Ford Fusion have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Ford Fusion. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.