Problems · NHTSA complaints

2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid problems

Owners filed 2,869 complaints about the 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid with NHTSA between Dec 2010 and Nov 2025. The most-cited component is steering (1,436).

Complaints
2,869
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
83
Reported by owners
Fires
10
Reported by owners
Injuries
48
People reported injured
Deaths
3
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Steering1,436
  2. Air bags364
  3. Engine286
  4. Power train279
  5. Vehicle speed control258
  6. Electrical system207
  7. Service brakes184
  8. Fuel/propulsion system176
  9. Electronic stability control (esc)101
  10. Structure67
  11. Fuel system, gasoline58
  12. Wheels48
  13. Suspension29
  14. Service brakes, hydraulic27

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20101
201135
201276
2013445
2014304
2015261
2016191
2017320
2018294
2019271
2020155
2021152
2022135
2023106
202478
202545

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Steering

1,436 reports44 crashes
“My daughter was at the gym with the car. She left to come home. Went to the car and started it. It starts fine, but then she got all these warning bells and flashing on the dash panel that power steering failure. Her wheel was so tight she couldn't drive. Luckily she was parked when this happened and not driving. We looked up that there is recall for this issue. We called Ford and had it towed there. I spoke with Ford the next day. They did acknowledge a recall but said since the car is past the 10 years or 150k miles the recall does not apply anymore and we'd be paying out of pocket. They quoted me around $2300 for the repair.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 1, 2025SteeringODI 11677795

Air bags

364 reports19 crashes
“ihave?opntitle.2011fordfusionseflexfuel1OFTHEEXPENSIVEMACHANICALREPLACE ,TOREPAIR/ELECTRONICASSISTSHUTOFFTOMANUALSTEER:FORDWILLREPLACEAIRBAGREPAIR:DRIVEABLE'RUNS:ELECTRONICPOWERSTERINGASSISTANCESHUTOFF':DRIVABLE;REPAIRPALSAYONWED'.STEERINGASSIST/#VIN.TOO15YEARS,FORDDEALER,SERVICETELLSMEMILAGEW/YEARSOLDNOAPPLYbut$.288.00.DIAGNOSIS{FORDPROCONTACTCENTEROFEXCELLENCE./DIAGNOSIS288.00-300.00/SERVICEMAN/SUBMITTAPPROVAL.PHONECONVERSATION/LOCALFORDCARDIAGNOSIS.;PAYFORSTEERINGUPTOAFFORDINGCOMPUTER.DIAGNOSTICSHOWSCODES;HEINHUMOURNOCHARGEDUETOCODEFAULTS/{REPLACE{fordrecalls;UNSAFETYDRIVINGCARISSUES.,PARKD.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 8, 2025Steering, Air bags, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11653532

Engine

286 reports2 crashes1 fire
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the HECU fuse and ABS unit had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 18, 2025Service brakes, hydraulic, EngineODI 11674465

Power train

279 reports3 crashes1 fire
“rdofcookevilletennessee/towedmy2011fordfusionse{38milagefromemyhome{duetonodriverecall{airbags.,Ipickupfusion.,nostart,fordpushedin,outofgurageforairbagrecallfix.OK|wontstartduetofordsaysbrokentranscable.fordjumpstart.nothing.sir/mamfordofcookevilletn.arraingment,airbag,driveabilityrecall.{fixed}theyknowlingheardmesayingcar,starts,drives,,uptotow,dropoff.theircallswereansweredcorrectlyW/informationvin,address.date,time,pickup.,>thecarwouldntstartassistinw/jumpstart,,contactassistancemgr.knowingtheproblem,warstuckreverse,nostart,brokenshiftcablebushing.carloaded,strappedtoourtrailor,reverse,nodrive,nostart,underhoodmaintanceimunhappyw/fordneversaid1word.tillheshowedustostart,shiftintoreverse,againfordrive,nopark.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 30, 2025Power trainODI 11670407

Vehicle speed control

258 reports13 crashes
“#FMSCA v. #GST . * DEATH by HAZMAT 12/12/12. 07/07/07. 05.05.05. Few other dates. *Voip, *Sirus , IQ EMS speaks only central asia languages. Unknown war zone in conflict by indemnity policy in place via marriage certificate. EMT heisted by satellite controls of vehicle and few other fuel funds fuels DBA . Heisted all of my USA insurance associate with land records retrieval orders.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 3, 2024Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Lane departureODI 11606248

Electrical system

207 reports6 crashes6 fires
“My driver heating element in my seat stopped working. I went to get it fixed and that’s when they noticed the charred heating pad in the seat had burnet makers on it. I have picture showing that the electrical part in the heating pad indicator has black marks around the wires and burnt through the pad and the electrical coils. The seat under the leather part had damage to it. This would have caused a fire. I’m very lucky. I bought the part on [XXX]. I just want to be reimburse from Ford Dealership the part cost. Thank you, [XXX]”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 10, 2025Electrical system, SeatsFire reportedODI 11647497
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.