Buyer Research

2016 Ford Fusion — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $7,500–$13,000. 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

Sixty crash reports across 1,688 complaints, and thirteen recall campaigns, is a heavy file for a mid-size saloon. A third of it is the engine, almost all of that being the 1.5L EcoBoost letting coolant into a cylinder. Another fifth is the transmission, where the headline is cars rolling away after the driver selected park — Ford has replaced that shifter cable bushing under three separate campaigns. Eleven percent is steering, and it includes both a total loss of power assist at motorway speed and a recall for a steering wheel retaining bolt that can work loose and let the wheel come off. This is a handsome, comfortable car that drives better than most of its rivals. Buy it with a VIN report in your hand, and strongly prefer the 2.5L four-cylinder.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 1,688 owner complaints for the 2016 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. 34% of them are about one thing — the engine. 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 2016 Ford Fusion

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

1.5L EcoBoost lets coolant into the cylinders and cracks the blockHigh — wallet impact

The single biggest thing here, and the complaints tell the same story with different words: coolant disappearing at a gallon a week with nothing on the driveway, a sloshing noise behind the dashboard, a misfire code on one cylinder, white smoke at the tailpipe, and a diagnosis of coolant entering the combustion chamber through a cracked block. The end of it is a long block, and several owners were under 80,000 miles when it happened. Check which engine the car has before anything else — the 2.5L four-cylinder does not share this fault. On a 1.5L, look at the coolant level cold against the fill mark, pull the oil cap and look for a pale emulsion, and watch the temperature gauge on a twenty-minute drive.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,500–$7,500 for a long block or replacement engine, which can exceed half what this car is worth — around 73% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (570).

The car rolls away after you select park — shifter cable bushing (three recalls)High — wallet impact

Owners describe putting the car in park, taking the key out with no chime or warning, walking away, and watching it roll. The cause is a plastic bushing that clips the shifter cable onto the transmission: it degrades, detaches, and the lever and the gearbox stop agreeing with each other. Ford covered it under 18V471000, went back for 2.5L cars under 19V362000, and again under 22V413000 with a protective cap over the bushing. Ten of the complaints in this cluster were filed after a crash. Separately, recall 26V376000 covers manual-transmission Fusions previously repaired wrongly, where a fracturing clutch can leak transmission fluid onto hot exhaust. Park it on a slope, release the footbrake without the handbrake, and make sure it stands still.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $150–$400 for a bushing and cable clip outside the campaigns

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (315); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Power steering fails at speed, and the steering wheel bolt can work looseHigh — wallet impact

Twelve of this cluster's complaints were filed after a crash, and the descriptions are why: power assist vanishing at 70 mph, an electric rack that failed and nearly locked, a car that had to be wrestled off the road. Recall 18V167000 is the one that should stop you in your tracks — the steering wheel retaining bolt on 2014–2018 Fusions can loosen and let the wheel detach while driving, and the free fix is a longer bolt. Recall 19V632000 covers cars from the road-salt states where the steering gear motor bolts corrode until the motor separates and assist disappears. Rock the steering wheel firmly toward you and away with the engine off and feel for any movement on the column, then check both campaigns on the VIN.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,100–$2,400 for an electric steering rack outside the campaigns

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (184); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Front brake hoses can rupture and stretch your stopping distance (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 23V162000 covers 2013–2018 Fusions whose front brake hoses can rupture and leak fluid, which lengthens pedal travel and the distance you need to stop. Dealers replace both hoses free of charge. Fourteen of the complaints in this brake cluster were filed after a crash, the highest crash share of any cluster on this car. It is easy to sanity-check yourself: with the engine running and the car stationary, hold firm pressure on the pedal for thirty seconds and see whether it creeps toward the floor, then look at the fluid level and colour in the reservoir.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $250–$600 for a pair of front hoses and a fluid flush otherwise

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (140); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Rearview camera shows a distorted, intermittent or blank image (recall)Medium

Nearly 120 complaints land on the reversing camera, and recall 25V695000 covers 2016 Fusions among many other Ford models whose camera can display a distorted, flickering or blank picture when you shift into reverse. Dealers inspect and replace the camera free, though Ford is rolling the remedy out in phases so parts may not be ready everywhere yet. Test it the obvious way: shift into reverse five separate times during the visit and check the image comes up quickly, sits the right way round, and clears when you shift out.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $200–$600 for a camera otherwise

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under back over prevention (119); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Side door latches fail in hot-climate states (two recalls)Medium

This pair applies only if the car was sold or has ever been registered in one of the hot, humid states Ford names — Texas, Florida, Arizona, California and about a dozen others. Recall 20V177000 covers 2014–2016 Fusions whose side door latches can fail so a door will not stay shut, and recall 23V775000 went back to 2016 cars specifically to inspect the latch date codes and replace all four latches where needed. Both are free. Walk round the car, shut each door normally, then pull hard outward on the handle and listen for a latch that does not catch cleanly on the first swing.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $200–$450 per latch otherwise

Source: 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Fuel tank from one September 2015 build week can crack and leak (recall)Medium

Recall 15V618000 covers 2016 Fusions built between 3 and 13 September 2015 with a fuel tank moulded too thin in places, which can crack and leak petrol with the fire risk that implies. Dealers replace the tank free. It is a ten-day build window so the odds are against any given car being in it, but the build date is printed on the driver's door jamb sticker and takes ten seconds to read. Read it, then run the VIN. While you are at the back of the car, sniff for petrol after a fill-up and look for staining on the tank shield.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $900–$1,800 for a fuel tank otherwise

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (95); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗White smoke at the tailpipe, or the temperature gauge climbing on a short drive
✗The car creeping or rolling after you select park on a slope
✗A "Steering Assist Fault" message, or the wheel going heavy without warning
✗A brake pedal that creeps toward the floor under steady pressure
✗A steering wheel with any perceptible movement on its column when rocked
✗A coolant reservoir topped up recently with no leak found

Good Signs

✓Recalls 18V167000 and 23V162000 shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓The shifter cable bushing replaced with the protective cap fitted, on an invoice
✓The 2.5L four-cylinder, which does not share the 1.5L coolant intrusion fault
✓Coolant at the cold-fill mark on a stone-cold engine and still orange
✓The car standing still in park on a slope with the handbrake released
✓Steering that self-centres evenly from both directions at 30 mph