There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2017 Ford Fusionin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Component/System: Engine — 1.5L EcoBoost short block coolant intrusion leading to catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: Vehicle overheated while in operation, creating risk of engine fire, loss of vehicle control, and stranding of occupant on a public roadway. Ford's own TSB 22-2322 acknowledges this defect creates a fire risk. Confirmed by dealer/shop: YES Inspected by manufacturer/police/insurance: Ford Motor Company was contacted on 17APR26 and opened case number XXX but denied coverage citing vehicle assembly location [XXX] ) despite the defect being present in all 1.5L EcoBoost engines regardless of assembly plant. Warning symptoms: Vehicle exhibited overheating warning prior to failure. Coolant intrusion into cylinder bores is a known documented defect covered under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program XXX and TSB XXX for identical engines in US-assembled vehicles. Mileage at failure: Approximately 65,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Coolant light and check engine lights kept coming on. The car was diagnosed by the Ford Dealership as Ford TSB 22-2229, which is a design flaw in specific EcoBoost engines, where an "open deck" block causes coolant to leak into cylinders 2 and 3, leading to severe engine failure. To fix this issue, the TSB requires replacing the entire long block assembly with a redesigned version featuring enhanced sealing surfaces. The cost for this new engine was quoted as $8000 to $9000.
Engine failure due to coolant intrusion.
2017 ford fusion started to drive rough and minutes later the check engine light illuminated. The car was immediately turned off and taken to a mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed it with coolant intrusion and advised to check for recall. There are no active recalls associated with the VIN. The car needs a new engine at 70,000 miles.
Coolant Intrusion caused my engine to be blown.
Dec 2022 I purchased a 2017 Ford Fusion. In June 2023 the engine needed replaced which was covered under warranty. In March 2026, the flex plate breaks and now needs to be replaced. This is the original part for this car as I confirmed with the dealer that this part isn't required to be replaced when the engine is replaced. So it's not covered under vehicle warranty or the motor repair warranty. However, there is a known issue of these flex plates breaking and there is Customer Satisfaction Program 22N12 for Ford Fusions regarding this known issue that only covers years 2019 & 2020. I want the 2017 year to be added to this as a known issue.
2017 Ford fusion with the 1.5 L eco-boost engine with a coolant intrusion. Coolant links into the cylinders due to a flaw engine block design.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to a local dealer, and the transmission was replaced; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking abnormally while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer provided the contact with a rental vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinders #2 and #4, DTC: P0316; and associated the failure with Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact associated the failure with TSB 22-2322; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,322.
Ford Fusion 1.5L Ecoboost engines are known to have a fault short block that causes coolant intrusion. This defect does not trigger a check engine light, so there is no way for a driver to identify the problem until it's too late. Ford issued a Technical Safety Bulletin informing mechanics of this issue but customers were not given an option to repair it. A Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) was initiated to replace some VIN models short blocks, but not all. Other Ford 1.5L Ecoboost engines are having this issue and were not properly informed or given the option to repair through the CSP and are driving cars that can have total engine failure without proper notification. I have taken my Ford Fusion in for all the safety recalls and was never informed of this issue. I was not part of the CSP that aimed to repair the defect because my VIN did not qualify. However, my Ford Fusion 2017 1.5L Ecoboost engine has this same defect and it wasn't caught until damage had been done to the engine and a costly repair was initiated. No check engine light or warning came from Ford to inform me of this issue. I fortunately started hearing noises and went to check it out before taking a long trip in the snow--which could have had disastrous safety consequences if engine failure occurred. I am not the only one with a ford 1.5L Ecoboost engine that has had this issue. Many people have either not been included in the CSP program or were unable to repair in their narrow CSP plan window. Ford is waiting for enough complaints to identify if the issue is more widespread, despite knowing that it is a design flaw. This should be a total safety recall as their is no way for consumers to take proactive action against this defect without extensive knowledge of the issues with these engines, which Ford is not communicating to its customers.
Engine failed. Lost all compression. Evidently this is a known problem with this engine where the head, head gasket and block fail between cylinders.
Vehicle is experiencing coolant intrusion from a crack in the engine block 3rd cylinder which is a known issue by Ford for my particular vehicle year (2017). Ford has issued a TSB/Recall for model years 2017-2019, I believe this issue should qualify for manufacturer recall as this is known issue.
Vehicles Engine has been affected due to a know manufacturing flaw with design that caused coolant to leak into the cylinder walls of the engine block causing a rough idle, white smoke out of the exhaust and cylinder 2 misfire.
I was experiencing engine vibration while driving and lack of power when I pressed gas pedal. I took it to an independent garage first, and then to the dealer. Both told me there was coolant and water in the cylinders, and the dealer told me I needed a total engine replacement consisting of the long block and the head gasket. And it was going to cost me $14,000. my car only has 44,000 miles on it and Ford told me there was nothing they could do about it even though it was a known issue dating back several years.
2017 fusion 1.5 ecoboost.(purchased at 128k) 148k miles- 1 time white smoke at start up no check engine light. All of a sudden while driving started to drive rough. Towed too mechanic, determined cylinder #2 has coolant intrusion. Conducted the TSB. For this defect. All symptoms confirmed for the coolant intrusion. Got Quoted $10k for engine replacement. Vehicle has been parked in driveway since 10/24/25 too expensive too repair for a defective problem from ford.
Coolant leaking into cylinder, causing sudden rough driving, engine overheating warnings that don’t match temperature readings and distract driving.
Misfire in Cylinder 2 caused by Coolant Leak into the Bore.
Coolant intrusion into the engine causing my car to missfire going down the road. Car is sitting in my yard unfit to be driven. Dealership claims it had previously been remedied. The car has only been inspected by my mechanic. No prior warnings before the misfire occurred
Coolant intrusion and requires short block replacement
This Fusion has the same coolant leak as described in Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12.
Shift cable came off the transmission shifter bushing.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026