2016 Ford Fusion Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,070 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Ford Fusion, alongside 13 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 31/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2016 sits among all Fusion years
What owners report
“Coolant intrusion in the second cylinder causing engine failure. This is a known design flaw and ford will not fix it because its out of warrenty.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Fusion
“Ford fusion shifting cable comes off due to bushing being deteriorated causing car to go in reverse while in park. Due to this unofficial recall my car went backwards into a building uncontrollably.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Fusion
“The back up camera recall has been open since 10/2025 . I was backing up using the camera than it just went blank”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Fusion
“I was driving and the steering became stiff and very difficult to turn next morning i started the vehicle and could not turn steering at all ! Power steering assist fault !”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Fusion
“This vehicle has had a dead battery 2 times after sitting overnight. No extra power draws we added. The last resulted with the engine light on once it was jump started. The engine code that was on was a p068a ecm/pcm power relay de-energized performance. It will be scheduled to go to the dealership…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Fusion
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for an unknown recall repair, the contact was informed that the rear brake hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Fusion
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,130 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 76,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,800 and 103,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (13)
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…
Fix: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon,…
Fix: Dealers will inspect the door latch date codes and if necessary, replace all four side door latches, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 20, 2023. Owners may contact…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this…
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.
Fix: 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…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fiesta, 2014-2016 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma,…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford or Lincoln dealers will replace the side door latches, free of charge. The recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear motor bolts and apply a wax sealer. If any of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear…
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…
Fix: 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. Ford's…
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…
Fix: 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. Ford's…
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.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured November 2, 2012, to July 31, 2014, and 2013-2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 14, 2012, to July 31, 2014. In the event of a crash, heat from…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply a protective coating to the seat belt cable, free of charge. The recall began May 16, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured from March 10, 2016, through March 16, 2016. The front driver seat track assembly's rear riser may have been improperly welded to the seat track rail, and as a…
Fix: Ford quarantined the affected vehicles at dealerships prior to their sale. Dealers will replace the front driver seat track rail, free of charge. The recall began on May 19, 2016. Ford's number…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 13, 2015, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a fuel…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Led to recall campaign 23V162000.
Led to recall campaign 20V177000.
Led to recall campaign 18V167000.
Technical service bulletins
153 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2016 Ford Fusion. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 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 2016 Ford Fusion reliable?
The 2016 Ford Fusion drew 2,070 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 31/100, scored against the model's worst year (2010).
What are the most common 2016 Ford Fusion problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Ford Fusion are engine (547 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (309), and other (237).
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Fusion problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Ford Fusion problems around 76,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,800 and 103,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Ford Fusion have recalls?
13 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Ford Fusion. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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.