AutoUtility currently tracks 1685 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Ford Fusion. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 513 complaints (30.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 60 filings cite a crash, 6 cite a fire, 22 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 1685 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (513 reports • 30.4% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (315), Steering System (184)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 60 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 22 injury filings • 1 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
1685
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
60
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
6
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
22
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
1
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Ford Fusion

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 30.4% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

513 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 6 crash reports 🔥 2 fire reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 18.7% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

315 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 10 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#3 Problem Area 10.9% of complaints

Steering System

184 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 12 crash reports 🩹 8 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 10.9% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

183 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 16 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 10% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

169 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 16 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 7 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Ford Fusion

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Engine & Cooling 10.2% of complaints

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

172 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Powertrain & Transmission 4% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

68 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 1.2% of complaints

Engine Overheating / Temperature Warning

20 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Steering System 1.1% of complaints

Steering Sticking, Binding or Assist Loss

19 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Visibility, Wipers & Glass 0.7% of complaints

Rearview Camera / Screen Display Blackout

12 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Ford Fusion

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11759507
Filed: 08/25/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The..."

Incident Date: 08/25/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11759458
Filed: 08/25/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not available...."

Incident Date: 01/05/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11759421
Filed: 08/25/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The..."

Incident Date: 10/13/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11759590
Filed: 08/25/2026

"The reverse rear view camera is intermittantly not working. The electrical system will often say "camera not available". There has been a recall notice for almost a year, and we are still waiting for a fix from Ford."

Incident Date: 03/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11759069
Crash Cited Filed: 08/24/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). While reversing, the back over prevention screen went blank. The contact crashed into a parked Ford Escape approximately 20 feet away, due to the..."

Incident Date: 10/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Ford Fusion

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2020)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Ford Fusion 1059 39 14 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Ford Fusion Current Page 1685 60 13 Current
2017 Ford Fusion 1119 38 4 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Ford Fusion 443 10 2 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Ford Fusion 428 5 4 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Ford Fusion 229 11 3 View 2020 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Ford Fusion

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 194 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 315 0 1 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 231 5 0 2 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 119 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 118 2 0 4 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 95 4 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 82 1 0 1 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 53 1 1 0 1
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 48 4 1 3 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 40 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 38 3 0 1 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 32 1 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 30 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 30 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 24 10 0 10 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 22 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 17 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 14 1 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 13 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 1 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 12 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 10 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 1 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 10 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 8 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 7 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 7 1 0 1 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 1 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 6 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 6 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 5 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 4 2 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 4 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 4 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 3 1 0 2 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 2 0 2 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 1 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 1 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
FIRERELATED 1 0 1 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1 0 0 0
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 1 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SEATS,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,PARKING BRAKE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,PARKING BRAKE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,PARKING BRAKE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SEAT BELTS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 1 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 2 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
TETHER, LOWER ANCHOR (ON CAR SEAT OR VEHICLE),OTHER/I AM NOT SURE 1 0 0 0 0
TIRES,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 1 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY/WIPER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (1685). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (5)

1 OPEN 4 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA21002
Opened: 2021-09-17 • Currently Active

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Affected 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, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Defect Petition (DP) ODI Action #DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07

Pedestrian alert sounds

Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION 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 ra...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 22V063000 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Recall Query (RQ) ODI Action #RQ22004
Opened: 2022-08-08 • Closed: 2023-03-24

Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

Affected Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 50 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging front brake jounce hose ruptures on model year (MY) 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A ruptured front brake hose results in a brake fluid leak. As a result, the driver may experience an increase in pedal travel and a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash. It...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 23V162000 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Recall Query (RQ) ODI Action #RQ19005
Opened: 2019-12-19 • Closed: 2022-02-07

Door Latch Failures

Affected Component: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 20V331000 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE17007
Opened: 2017-10-23 • Closed: 2018-04-23

Steering Wheel Fastening Bolt Loosens

Affected Component: STEERING

On March 12th, 2018, Ford Motor Company submitted a Defect Information Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the steering wheel fastening system of approximately 1,301,986 model year (MY) Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. On March 1, 2018, Ford discovered a design change that affected the MY 2014-2018 subject vehicles. The affected population are MY 2014-2016 Fusion and MKZ with manual and power adjust steering columns and MY 2017-2018 Fusion and MKZ...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 18V167000 Official NHTSA File →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.