Reliable Auto DB

2012 Ford Fusion reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Ford Fusion holds 2,614 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 140 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 9 Fusion years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Electric power steering.

2010 Ford Fusion SE
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

2,614

Per year

140

Recalls

6

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (1,509 of 2,614), then Air bags (436) and Electrical system (177). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 73,046 miles, and the middle half falls between 42,500 and 112,116 miles. Those filings include 111 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 45 that report an injury, and 3 that report a death.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Fusion has 1,955 complaints, 93 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Ford Fusion. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2021-03-10 · NHTSA campaign 21V158000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
Vehicles affected 2,602,668
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 21E013000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Vehicles affected 249
Recall air bags, frontal 2021-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 21V081000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Vehicles affected 1,067
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2019-01-07 · NHTSA campaign 19V001000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Vehicles affected 782,384
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2017-01-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V024000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Vehicles affected 654,695
Recall Electric power steering 2015-06-02 · NHTSA campaign 15V340000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Vehicles affected 393,623

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (2614 total)

Steering
1509
Air bags
436
Electrical system
177
Powertrain
162
Service brakes
120
Engine
119
Structure
101
Electronic stability control (ESC)
90
Speed control
87
Fuel and propulsion system
60
Suspension
37
Wheels
29
Latches, locks, and linkages
24
Exterior lighting
21
Seats
12
Tires
12
Hydraulic brakes
9
Seat belts
8
Fuel system, gasoline
7
Traction control
7
Visibility and wipers
7
Engine and engine cooling
5
Visibility
5
Adaptive and mobility equipment
3
Equipment
3
Forward collision avoidance
3
Air brakes
2
Lane departure
1
Parking brake
1
Tether and lower anchor
1
Show 22 more Show less
Crash-flagged

111

Fire-flagged

9

Injury reports

45

Death reports

3

Of the 1,812 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 73,046 miles. The middle half fall between 42,500 and 112,116 miles.

Complaints filed per year

52011392012128201324920142232015177201629220173902018289201915920201342021162202214320231082024842025322026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "While driving my 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid (VIN: [XXX]), the braking system suddenly failed. When applying the brake pedal, there was completely zero brake resistance, and the vehicle failed to engage proper braking…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Service brakes · filed 2026-09-11
  • "I got a 2012 ford fusion se 2.5 4l power steering gone out in it,I put in the vin number to see if mine was recalled it said 0 but my car has the part in the car that made the car recalled ,on the dash its says power…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-06
  • "While I was driving my 2012 Ford Fusion on August 3rd the steering cut out. I parked the car and re-started it and it worked again. It went to the shop (Extra Mile Automotive) on XXX where they informed me of the 2015…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2026-08-20
  • "Vehicle experienced loss of power steering so it was hard to steer.When I called a ford dealership I was told my vehicle didn’t qualify for any power steering recalls so I would have to pay full price which is…"
    Steering · filed 2026-08-17
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-08-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Ford Fusion 4 DR AWD 4 stars 3 stars 4 stars 5 stars
2012 Ford Fusion 4 DR FWD 4 stars 3 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid 4 DR FWD 4 stars 3 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Fusion all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 17 24 19 MPG $3400
Fusion all-wheel drive flex-fuel 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 25 20 MPG $3250
Fusion front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 29 24 MPG $2700
Fusion front-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 18 27 21 MPG $3100
Fusion front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 23 32 26 MPG $2500
Fusion front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 22 28 24 MPG $2700
Fusion front-wheel drive flex-fuel 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800
Fusion hybrid front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 41 35 38 MPG $1700
Fusion S front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 22 31 25 MPG $2600

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2006–2012
Body styles Sedan
Oil 5W-20 (all engines) , 5.3 qt capacity
Tire size 205/60R16 (S) to 255/45R18 (Sport)

Known issues for this generation

2011-2012 Fusion sedans built between September 2010 and February 2012 are covered by Ford's 2015 recall of the electric power-assist steering (EPAS) system (NHTSA campaign 15V-340, Ford reference 15S18); all available engines except the 3.5L are affected. An intermittent electrical connection inside the steering gear motor, caused by conformal coat contamination and ribbon cable pin misalignment, can cause loss of the motor position sensor signal and loss of power steering assist. The mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the road is maintained at all times and the system defaults to manual steering, but steering effort rises, especially at lower speeds; drivers are alerted by an audible chime and a power steering assist fault message in the instrument cluster. Ford's no-charge remedy checked the Power Steering Control Module for diagnostic trouble codes, updating the module software if none were present and replacing the steering gear if they were. The same recall also covered the contemporary Taurus, Flex, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKS/MKT/MKZ built in the same window.

Compare

Next year 2013 Ford Fusion See every Ford Fusion model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Ford Fusion reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Ford Fusion holds 2,614 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 140 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 9 Fusion years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Electric power steering.

What are common problems with a 2012 Ford Fusion?

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (1,509 of 2,614), then Air bags (436) and Electrical system (177). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 73,046 miles, and the middle half falls between 42,500 and 112,116 miles. Those filings include 111 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 45 that report an injury, and 3 that report a death.

Is the 2012 Ford Fusion more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Fusion has 1,955 complaints, 93 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Ford Fusion been recalled?

The 2012 Ford Fusion has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Ford Fusion?

Owners have filed 2614 complaints about the 2012 Ford Fusion with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Ford Fusion get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Ford Fusion is 24.4 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Ford Fusion take?

1st gen: 5W-20 for all engines (~5.3 qt). 2nd gen: 5W-20 for 1.6L EcoBoost/2.5L and 5W-30 for 2.0L EcoBoost (~5.7 qt common fill).

Does recall 15V-340 cover the Ford Fusion?

Certain 2011-2012 Fusion sedans are covered by Ford's EPAS recall 15V-340 (15S16): electric power-assist steering may fail; dealers update software or replace the EPS as directed.

What generation is the 2016 Ford Fusion?

2nd generation (2013-2020). 2006-2012 are 1st generation in this catalog.