2011 Ford FUSION - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Ford Fusion with an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 has received commendable scores in various crash scenarios. The car demonstrated excellent performance in side barrier and pole crash tests, with a 5-star rating for the front pole crash. It also scored well in front crash tests, indicating good protection for both the driver and passengers. The Fusion has stability control as a standard feature, enhancing its safety on the road.

However, the car lacks advanced safety features such as collision warning and lane departure warning, which could have further improved its safety credentials. Despite its solid safety ratings, the Fusion has had a significant number of complaints, totaling 2626, as well as 9 recalls. These numbers suggest that there have been some issues with the vehicle that have warranted manufacturer intervention. Overall, while the Fusion has good basic safety features and performs well in crash tests, the high number of complaints and recalls should be taken into consideration when assessing its overall safety.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

2,626

Recall Count

9

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

4/5

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2011 Ford Fusion 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Ford Fusion 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Ford Fusion 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Ford Fusion 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2006 Score 2011 Score 2020 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 3 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 3 3

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2006 Score 2011 Score 2020 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 3 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 3 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 4 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2006 Score 2011 Score 2020 Score
Rollover Rating 5 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5

Complaints for the 2011 Ford FUSION

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"while driving power steering lost. instant loss of control of vehicle. brought to dealer scanned for diagnostic code u2011 present. the dealer applied to have my steering rack replaced under campaign 15n01. ford denied. i called for customer service and although they are aware of the issue it is not a recall so they are not required to replace it or offer any good will. the campaign is expired on my vehicle by 3 years. this should be a safety recall for which there is no expiration date. it is up to the nhtsa to enact this potentially deadly situation. ford has acknowledged this defect for which i have already experienced loss of power steering but is hiding behind a date on an expired campaign verses a safety recall. what needs to happen for this to be a recall which would require ford to address their faulty part?? please contact me immediately to discuss."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-08-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed with the "service power steering now" and "service power assist fault" messages displayed. the contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the failure. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the contact stated that the computer was reset; however, the failure returned soon after the reset. upon investigation, the contact discovered and linked the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 168,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-02-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the message "power steering assist fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel was locked. the contact read information online on how to reset the vehicle and was able to reset the vehicle the following day. the contact drove to the residence. the dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). the manufacturer referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 105,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2026-02-01
Complaint:
"the power steering went out in my vehicle after it being well in the negative temps as i live in north dakota. after doing some research online it seems to be a common issue with my vehicle. i am glad it happened not while i was in motion, as losing power steering on the highway would not have been good. what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? power steering assist fault. it has been looked at by an independent car shop and the ford dealership where i live. how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? power steering going out. while i was not in motion at the time of the failure, if i had been the safety of everyone around me and my own life would have been put at risk. has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes ford has it at their dealership right now. were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? it happened to me once before when it was really cold, but turned back on. now i have a $2,500 bill on my hands, as the whole steering rack needs to be replaced."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-05-01
Complaint:
"upon starting the car and putting the car into motion, the steering locks and "power steering assist fault" appears on the dashboard notices. to be able to steer the car i have to turn the car off and back on. the steering wheel cannot be turned when this fault happens. yes the problem has been confirmed by a dealer. the warning message "power steering assist fault" appears on the dashboard."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2018-01-06
Complaint:
"on 12/28/2023, my power steering went out on my fusion. it gave a message in the message center “power steering assist fault”, and after software diagnosis, the steering rack has been confirmed to be faulty. the vehicle has been a nightmare to drive, requiring up to 14 rotations of the steering wheel to rotate sufficiently, causing minor but repeated injuries to my neck, hands, wrists, and arms. on 1/10/2024, a supervisor called me and again denied an extension of the repair program to replace the faulty rack, putting my income and safety at risk."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-04-12
Complaint:
"power steering assist fault in a 2011 ford fusion not being treated due to it previously being reprogrammed to satisfy the recall 15s18 but they never replaced the steering gear which is now failing. the csp 15n01 is now expired on my car and the dealership and ford corporate refuse to treat it despite the negligence of the original technician who never correctly fixed it in the first place. this is an extremely dangerous issue as power steering may randomly shut off and make it nearly impossible to steer safely. the steering gear replacement was confirmed by an auto repair store."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-03-01
Complaint:
"while driving my car the steering went out causing a huge safety issue and making my car un drivable. has a csp 15n01 through ford motor company which has a limitation of 10 years or 150,000 miles whichever comes first that went out in 2015 causing owners of 2011-2013 to be forced to pay for the cost related to the repair in excess of $2,000 plus. this defect is ford caused and should be reopened to the owners of these older vehicles before someone gets seriously injured or results in death by loss of steering. control. being a mother of 3 with very limited income and this being my only mode of transportation, i am at a loss and will be unable to get this repaired or another vehicle resulting in the loss of my job and my children being unable to get to and from school. this recall should be reopened and this defect repaired."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-01
Complaint:
"while driving at low rate of speed, i lost all steering and check power steering now light came on. i slowly took back roads and drove it home."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-03-01
Complaint:
"the electronic power steering assist module malfunctioned resulting in loss of steering control. the unit began smoking and was stopped immediately, fortunately in the driveway so there was no risk to anyone while the car was travelling on a roadway. the vehicle (2011 ford fusion) is currently not driveable since as soon as the battery is reconnected it heats up and the unit starts smoking again. there is no way to steer the vehicle as a result. there was an online article indicating that this year and model may have been subject to a recall due to the steering defect, but searching the nhtsa database did not reveal this particular issue being addressed. the vehicle has not yet been inspected as it needs to be towed to either the dealer or auto repair shop depending on whether ford will assist in the repair."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-05-12

Recalls for the 2011 Ford FUSION

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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,..."
Consequence:
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2019-01-07
Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 ford ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 ford fusion, mercury milan and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles, 2007-2010 ford edge, lincoln mkx vehicles, 2005-2006 ford gt vehicles, and 2005-2011 ford mustang 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 model year 2007-2008 ford ranger, edge and lincoln mkx vehicles, 2006-2008 ford fusion, mercury milan and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles, 2005-2006 ford gt vehicles and 2005-2008 ford mustang 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." any vehicle not..."
Consequence:
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. 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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2016-05-31
Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2021-02-16

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other FORD vehicles?

2015 FOCUS BEV
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 840
  • Recall Count: 8
View Car
2022 F-250 REGULAR CAB
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 31
  • Recall Count: 0
View Car
2017 MUSTANG
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 190
  • Recall Count: 4
View Car
2012 F-250 SUPERCAB
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 301
  • Recall Count: 2
View Car