NHTSA has 2,794 owner complaints on file for the 2011 Ford Fusion, received from 2010 to 2026. The most-reported system is steering (1,435 complaints, 51%), followed by air bags (330) and engine (290). Owners reported 80 crashes, 11 fires, 46 injuries and 1 death. Median mileage at failure: 72,000 miles. Complaints peaked in 2013, with 445 received that year. 7 safety recalls cover this model year; 2 carry a do-not-drive warning.
2,794NHTSA complaints
7safety recalls
80crashes reported
11fires reported
46injuries
1deaths
Quick answers
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Ford Fusion?
Owners report steering problems most often: 1,435 of 2,794 NHTSA complaints (51%), followed by air bags (330) and engine (290).
How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Fusion have?
NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls for the 2011 Ford Fusion. The most recent is 21V158000 (air bags, 2021-03-10).
At what mileage do 2011 Ford Fusion problems happen?
The median mileage at failure is 72,000 miles, across 2,092 complaints that reported mileage.
Have owners reported crashes or fires in the 2011 Ford Fusion?
Yes. Owners reported 80 crashes, 11 fires, 46 injuries and 1 death in NHTSA complaints.
Problems by system
System
Complaints
Share
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Median miles
Steering
1,435
51%
42
0
22
89,750
Air bags
330
12%
19
0
12
90,200
Engine
290
10%
2
1
1
45,000
Power train
268
10%
3
1
0
45,500
Speed control
256
9%
13
0
5
45,000
Fuel system
236
8%
6
1
6
51,000
Electrical system
203
7%
4
7
5
57,000
Service brakes
194
7%
10
1
2
102,000
Unknown or other
105
4%
3
0
4
85,000
Electronic stability control
93
3%
4
0
3
72,000
Structure
61
2%
6
0
3
62,000
Wheels
49
2%
0
0
0
84,000
Suspension
29
1%
0
0
0
79,000
Exterior lighting
18
1%
1
1
0
71,550
Latches, locks and linkages
18
1%
0
0
0
63,000
Seats
14
1%
0
1
3
53,000
Visibility and wipers
14
1%
1
1
0
43,500
Traction control
10
<1%
0
0
0
93,250
Equipment
6
<1%
0
0
0
29,000
Tires
4
<1%
0
0
0
300
Seat belts
3
<1%
0
0
0
123,316
Forward collision avoidance
2
<1%
0
0
0
200
Lane departure
2
<1%
0
0
0
85,651
Hybrid propulsion
1
<1%
0
0
0
500
A complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Defect: 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 degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
Defect: 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 passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia…
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Defect: 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 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model…
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured July 21, 2008, to March 4, 2011, and 2010-2011 Mercury Milan vehicles manufactured July 23, 2008, to December 10, 2010. The affected vehicles have fuel vapor canisters whose purge valves may not operate properly resulting in abnormal pressure changes in the fuel tank.
Risk: The pressure changes may cause the tank to crack and leak fuel. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle powertrain control modules and inspect the vehicle for any diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) for this issue and perform a leak test on the Canister Purge Valve (CPV). The fuel tank will be inspected for cracks. The CPV and fuel tank will be replaced as necessary. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S34.
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Defect: Ford is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 ford fusion and mercury milan vehicles equipped with 17 inch steel wheels and built from april 1, 2009, through april 30, 2009, and from december 1, 2009, through november 13, 2010. The wheel studs may fracture, potentially causing a wheel to separate.
Risk: While driving, multiple stud fractures could occur at the wheel location, and the operator may experience vehicle vibration and/or wheel separation, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear brake disc surface for flatness and replace the discs as necessary. Additionally, the wheel lug nuts will be replaced on all four wheels. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about january 24, 2012. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
My mom’s 2011 Ford Fusion SEL experienced a loss of electric power steering assistance. I cannot determine the exact moment the failure occurred. When I started the vehicle and attempted to drive away, I noticed that the steering wheel was extremely stiff. The dashboard displayed a “Power Steering…
Steering · NHTSA complaint 11770975, received 2026-10-13
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering assist, nearly causing the contact to lose steering control as the steering locked up, and an audible warning chime sounded. The contact safely maintained…
Steering · NHTSA complaint 11770955, received 2026-10-13
Air bags · NHTSA complaint 11653532, received 2025-04-08
The contact owned a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags); prompting the contact to schedule the vehicle for repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who refused to perform the recall repair, but the contact was unaware of the reason…
Air bags · NHTSA complaint 11638423, received 2025-01-24
My 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid is dangerous to me and others on the road. When I drove my car, was coming to a stopping point and it didn't want to stop. It does it off and on. I took it to the dealership and was told I needed a abs module. They didn't have any because they was on back order. This was…
Engine · NHTSA complaint 11712793, received 2026-01-22
The contact's boyfriend owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved a fault code for…
Engine · NHTSA complaint 11682960, received 2025-08-25
Built from the NHTSA complaints flat file and the NHTSA recalls flat files, data as of 2026-10-22. Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA. Counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular models collect more of them.