Problems · by component

2006 Ford Fusion power train problems

150 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2006 Ford Fusion cite power train, 21% of all 730 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
150
21% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FUSION. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED INTO FOURTH GEAR, OVERDRIVE, AND THEN DOWNSHIFTED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, BUT MANAGED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,547.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 29, 2019Power trainODI 11240447
“WHEN DRIVING ON CITY STREET AT 45MPH THE CAR JOLTED EXCESSIVELY ONCE AND THEN WENT OUT OF GEAR UNTILL IT SLOWED TO 30MPH AND SLAMMED AGAIN VIOLENTLY AND RPMS WENT UP TO 5000 WHICH MAINTANED MY SPEED AT 45MPH AT THAT TIME THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND AS I WAS COMING TO A RED LIGHT IT JERKED FORWARD WHILE I WAS BRAKING ALMOST HIT A PEDESTRIAN IN CROSSWALK. AT GREEN LIGHT I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE BUT THE CAR MOVED SLOWLY UNTILL IT REACHED 25 MPH AND THEN WENT OUT OF GEAR WHILE I WAS ON THE GAS I TRIED TO PUT IT INTO LOW GEAR TO GET GOING SO I COULD PULL OVER BUT IT DIDNT RESPOND AS THIS WAS HAPPENING A DESIEL TRUCK HAD REAR ENDED ME TOTALING THE CAR I JUST BOUGHT A WEEK PRIOR. . ITS VERY UNSAFE CAR FOR THIS TRANSMISSION IS APPARENTLY PLAGUED WITH THIS PROBLEM FOR SO MANY OTHERS I JUST HOPE IT DOSENT TAKE EVEN ONE DEATH OF ANOTHER LIFE BEFORE THIS PROBLEM IS ADMITTED AND RECALLED TO FIX. SO MANY DEPEND ON THEIR CAR AS I HAD DEPENDED ON FORDS SLOGANS BUILT FORD TOUGH ...YEAH BUILT TO GET US NEARLY KILLED I SAY. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS LOST IN THE CAR PURCHASE AND LOST WORK AND MEDICAL BILLS I MAY NOT RECOVER FROM. AT LEAST I DIDNT DIE AND AM THANKFULL FOR THAT. BUT I…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 19, 2019Power trainCrash reportedODI 11197296
“MY 2006 FORD FUSION JERKS VIOLENTLY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE OR BRAKE. IT DOES NOT ACCELERATE AT TIMES, IT INSTEAD JUST REVS MY RPM GAUGE. IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY GOING HWY SPEEDS OF 60-70, AS WELL AS GOING 35 MPH ON A MILITARY BASE. IT BUMPED WHILE BRAKING AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 20 MPH AS WELL. FORD NEEDS TO ISSUE RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE IT IS ABSOLUTELY UNSAFE, ESPECIALLY FOR CUSTOMERS WITH CHILDREN. THE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE IS APPALLING, AS FORD STILL SEES NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER IT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 9, 2019Power trainODI 11166117
“2006 FORD FUSION: TRANSMISSION SLIPPING WHILE DRIVING. SLOWS DOWN WHILE ON FREEWAY AND GOES IN OUT OF GEAR. TOOK IT TO AMMCO AND THEY RECOMMEND A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. I SEE MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS THEY RECALLED FOCUS AND FIESTA WHY NOT FUSION? IT IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT IS IN BEING SETTLED NOW WITH THE FOCUS AND FORD FIESTA. THIS IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS BUT COSTLY. I HAVE FINALLY FOUND OUT WHAT THE ISSUE IS WITH THE AISIN TRANSMISSIONS SLIPPING WHICH WERE USED IN THE 2006 FUSION HTTP://WWW.FORDTRANSMISSIONPROBLEMS.COM/FUSION-TRANSMISSION-PROBLEMS/”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 2, 2018Power trainODI 11132906
“2006 FORD FUSION: WHEN DRIVING AFTER THE CAR GETS WARM UP IT IS STARTS SLIPPING AND SHIFTING SOMEONE HARSHLY LIKE IT JUST GOT KICKED. I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND COULDN'T SPEED UP ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED. I SEE OTHERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AFTER DOING A SEARCH I FOUND DIFFERENT ANSWER AS WHAT COULD BE WRONG. FOUND OUT WHAT THE ISSUE IS WITH THE AISIN TRANSMISSIONS SLIPPING WHICH WERE USED IN THE 2006 FUSION. IT IS DUE TO VALVE BORE WEAR IN THE MAIN CONTROL. IF THE TRANS FLUID ISNT BURNT (MEANING THERE IS INTERNAL TRANS CLUTCH DAMAGE) THEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT $800-$1000 TO REPLACE THE MAIN CONTROL. IF THE CLUTCHES ARE BURNT THE WHOLE TRANS WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED COST??? SOMETHING LIKE $4000-$5000. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN FORD BOUGHT THE AISIN TRANS, FORD DID NOT BUY THE SERVICE RIGHTS. SO THERE ARE NO SERVICE PARTS AVAILABLE OR TRAINING AVAIL ON HOW TO SERVICE THIS TRANS. THE ISSUE WITH THE MAIN CONTROL HAS BEEN SO COMMON THAT AISIN HAS AGREED TO SUPPLY FORD WITH SERVICE MAIN CONTROLS.THERE HAS BEEN A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN OUT THERE. SEE BELOW TSB BULLETIN DATE: FEB 2007 VARIOUS DRIVEABILITY/TRANSMISSION SYMPTOMS - PCM/TCM CALIBRATION UPDATES 3.0L - AISIN F21…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 2, 2018Power train, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11132958
“OUR 2006 FUSION SEL'S TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR SINCE AROUND 44K MILES. WHILE IN FORWARD MOTION, REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT SPEED OR RPMS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR AND THE FOLLOWING MAY HAPPEN, SOMETIMES ALL IN THE SAME OCCURRENCE: (1) A SUDDEN TRANSMISSION SURGE THEN A JERK RESULTING IN HIGH REVVING RPMS WITH NO FORWARD POWER. THE GAS PEDAL ONLY REVS THE ENGINE WITH NO FORWARD ACCELERATION (2) A SUDDEN GRAB/SLAM OUT OF AND BACK INTO GEAR JOLTING ANYONE IN THE CAR SIGNIFICANTLY (3) GEAR SLIPPAGE RESULTING IN HIGH REVVING RPM INTO THE RED ZONE, NO FORWARD ACCELERATION, AND NO RETURN TO PREVIOUS OR ANY OTHER GEAR (4) BUCKING SURGES OF ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION MAKING THE CAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL AND DRIVE SAFELY. WHILE ADVANCING FROM A COMPLETE STOP SUCH AS A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC SIGNAL (1) TRANSMISSION MAY NOT COME OUT OF HIGH GEAR AND CAR WILL MOVE ONLY SLOWLY UNTIL STOPPED AND RESTARTED (2) TRANSMISSION STAYS IN HIGH GEAR AND THE CAR MOVES SLOWLY ONLY TO UNCONTROLLABLY JOLT FORWARD WHILE SLAMMING INTO A LOWER GEAR. ALL OF THE ABOVE MAY OR MAY NOT BE SOLVED BY STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE CAR. THE ABOVE ISSUES HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 4, 2018Power trainODI 11124442

Showing 6 of 150 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

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