Buyer Research

2010 Ford Fusion — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $3,500–$7,000. There are 4 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 13 Ford Fusion years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The first year of the refreshed Fusion and one of the heaviest complaint records of any midsize sedan we cover: 5,125 filings, 122 crashes, 9 fires, 13 recalls. A third of it is one part — the electric power steering that quits without warning, at 70 mph or backing out of the drive, with a 'Service Power Steering Now' message. Owners point out, correctly, that Ford's steering recall covers the 2011 and 2012 and not this year. Another third is the throttle body dropping the car to idle on the highway with a wrench light, which Ford covered under a satisfaction programme that has long since aged out. Then Takata inflators on both front airbags, an ABS unit whose valves stick, and a fuel tank that can crack. The car itself is roomy, cheap, and easy to fix, and every fault here has a known part and a known price — but at this age you buy the specific car, not the model. A 2010 with a replaced steering rack, a replaced throttle body, and all thirteen recalls closed is a decent $5,000 sedan. One with any of those open is not.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 5,125 owner complaints for the 2010 Ford Fusion, and 13 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 32% of them are about one thing — steering. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

13 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2010 Ford Fusion

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Electric power steering quits without warning — 'Service Power Steering Now', no recall for the 2010High — wallet impact

1,658 steering complaints and 32 crashes, the largest cluster by far. The electric power assist drops out at any speed — owners describe it at 70 mph, on a neighbourhood turn that ended in a parked car, and backing out of a driveway — with 'Service AdvanceTrac' and 'Service Power Steering Now' on the dash. It is the torque sensor or the motor on the steering rack. Ford's recall for this fault covers the 2011 and 2012 Fusion; owners here were told by dealers that the 2010 is not included, and were quoted full price. Assume it is not covered and price the car as though you will pay for the rack. Start the car cold and turn lock to lock, then drive it at speed and watch for either message; a wheel that goes heavy for even a second on the test drive is the finding.

Repair cost (estimate): $600–$1,000 for a torque sensor; $1,200–$2,200 for a replacement steering rack — about 42% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (1,658).

Throttle body fails at speed — car drops to idle with a wrench light, P2119, will not accelerateHigh — wallet impact

'Throttle' and 'body' are the top words in both the powertrain and engine clusters, and the speed-control cluster adds 21 crashes to the same story: the engine speed falls to idle on the interstate, a wrench light and then the check-engine light come on, the pedal does nothing, and after a shutdown and restart the car runs for a while until it happens again. The codes are P2119, P2112 and P0104 — the electronic throttle body on both the 2.5L four and the 3.0L V6. One owner had it replaced free under Ford customer satisfaction programme 13B17; that coverage was for a fixed number of years and miles, and a 2010 will be well outside it now. A new throttle body is a cheap part and a short job; a car that has had one, with the receipt, has had this problem already. Scan for stored codes and ask.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$700 for the throttle body, fitted

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (894), the engine (793), throttle and cruise control (793).

Takata airbag inflators on both front seats can explode — driver (recall 21V158) and passenger (recalls 16V384, 18V775, 21V081)High — wallet impact

The 2010 Fusion carries four Takata-related recalls. 21V158 is the driver's inflator, for every 2006–2012 Fusion, issued in 2021: the propellant degrades with years of heat and humidity and the inflator can rupture, throwing metal at the driver. 16V384 is the passenger inflator for cars sold or registered in hot, humid states, with Ford's advice not to drive the car until it is fixed; 18V775 follows up on cars that got a replacement passenger airbag whose bracket may fail; 21V081 catches replacement inflators fitted after a collision repair. 590 airbag complaints and 27 crashes sit under this, most of them non-deployment reports. Run the VIN on NHTSA's lookup before you view the car; if any of these is open, the fix is free, but the car should not be driven home until it is done.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (590); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

ABS hydraulic unit valves stick after the wrong brake fluid — longer pedal travel, more stopping distance (recall 19V904)High — wallet impact

544 brake complaints and 33 crashes, the most crashes of any cluster. Recall 19V904, issued in late 2019 for the 2006–2010 Fusion, explains a large part of it: valves inside the ABS hydraulic control unit react with certain brake fluid additives and fail to close, so the pedal travels further before the car slows. The remedy is a full flush with DOT 4 fluid, a new reservoir cap, and a test of the unit with replacement if it fails. Owners here also describe a pedal that goes to the floor at a stop and a booster that hisses. Check the reservoir cap says DOT 4 and confirm the campaign is closed; on the drive, make one hard stop from 50 mph and one gentle one and compare how far the pedal goes on each.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $800–$1,800 for an ABS unit outside it — about 34% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (544); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Fuel tank can crack and leak from a stuck vapour purge valve (recall 15V793); raw fuel smell, check-engine lightMedium

706 fuel-system complaints and one fire. Recall 15V793 covers 2010–2011 Fusions built July 2008 to March 2011: the purge valve on the charcoal canister can fail to work properly, pressure and vacuum build in the tank, and the plastic tank cracks and leaks. Ford's remedy is a software update to the powertrain control module and a check for stored codes, with the tank replaced if it is already damaged. Owners describe a fuel smell at the back of the car after filling up, a check-engine light for an evaporative leak, and gas dripping under the rear seat. Sniff around the rear wheels after a fill, and look under the car in front of the rear axle for wet plastic.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $600–$1,300 for a fuel tank if it has already cracked

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (706); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

6F35 six-speed shudders, bangs into gear, or hunts — valve body, solenoids, and the odd rebuildMedium

'Transmission' appears 550 times in the powertrain cluster, separate from the throttle body reports: a hard clunk into drive or reverse, a shudder between 30 and 45 mph, a lurch after the car has slowed for a hill, and a downshift that slams. On the 6F35 automatic the usual causes are the valve body and its solenoids, sometimes the torque converter, and fluid that has never been changed. A fluid service is the first thing to try and often the last. Drive it cold, then warm: three changes from reverse to drive, a steady cruise at 40 mph with a light throttle, and one firm kickdown. A single bang is a negotiating point; a repeat is a walk.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$400 for a fluid service; $600–$1,200 for a valve body; $2,500–$4,000 for a rebuild — around 76% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (894).

Wheel studs can snap on 17-inch steel wheels (recall 11V574); park rod pin may be missing (recall 10V222); seat recliners (recall 10V161)Medium

Three build-window recalls worth a minute each. 11V574 covers 2010–2011 Fusions with 17-inch steel wheels from two build periods: the rear brake discs may not be flat, the lug nuts lose torque, and the wheel studs fracture — a vibration first, a wheel coming off at worst. Dealers check the discs and replace studs and nuts. 10V222 covers cars built February 27 to March 26, 2010, where the park rod guide pin may not be seated, so the car can roll when parked without the handbrake. 10V161 covers December 2009 to February 2010 builds whose front seat recliners can let the seatback move in a crash. All free, all on the VIN lookup. On a steel-wheel car, look at the lug nuts for rust streaks that suggest they have been loose.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗'Service Power Steering Now' or 'Service AdvanceTrac' at any point, or a wheel that goes heavy for a moment
✗Wrench light on the dash, or codes P2119, P2112 or P0104 on a scanner
✗Any of the airbag recalls open on the NHTSA VIN lookup — do not drive it home
✗Brake pedal that travels noticeably further on the second stop than the first
✗Fuel smell at the rear of the car after a fill-up
✗Clunk into drive or reverse, or a shudder at a steady 40 mph
✗Rust streaks from the lug nuts on steel wheels

Good Signs

✓Steering rack or torque sensor replaced, with the invoice and part number
✓Throttle body replaced, with a receipt showing the date and mileage
✓All thirteen recalls closed on the VIN lookup, the Takata ones especially
✓Brake fluid flushed to DOT 4 with the new reservoir cap fitted
✓Transmission fluid changed with Mercon LV on a receipt
✓Two hard stops from 50 mph with the same pedal travel each time