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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,169 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Ford Fusion drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2008 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

Apr 012014

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 124,616 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Started with very loud sounds coming form the car - thought it was the front end. Took it to Ford in paso robles, ca they could find nothing wrong. Transmission failure began with faulty shifting - check engine light came on. Contacted Ford immediately they set my apt time 4 days later - I had to park my car until I was able to take it in. The transmission had to be replaced on 5/29/2014. It is now 4/1/15 and the same noises are coming back and I expect the transmission to have to be replaced again very soon.

- Paso Robles, CA, USA

problem #23

Nov 132013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 68,895 miles
2008 Fusion SE-V6 AWD model (fwd + it has a drive shaft that goes to the rear wheels for AWD). Several miles before I brought it in for service for the below problem the car began making a howling/whirring noise at the rear of the engine only when the car was in motion which got louder as the speed increased. Imy Ford dealer told me the noise was because of a bad driveshaft and it should be replaced asap as driving it the way it is a safety issue. My car had just come out the manufacturer's 60,000 mile warranty and I was not pleased to learn that I would have to pay $1103.35 for the repair. The dealer tried to get Ford to ok the repair under my just expired warranty. If the shaft suddenly failed, it could cause control problems so it is a safety issue particularly at highway speeds. After much research I found that Ford was well aware of the problem and even issued an internal technical service bulletin # tsb 08-14-1 stating that the oem driveshafts on the 2008 Ford Fusion AWD models were not "keyed" correctly when manufactured and over a period of time will eventually fail and dislodge from the vehicle. A revised shaft was manufactured and should be used to replace defective shafts. Ford knew of the potentially part failure but rather than notify the owners or have a safety recall, they chose to keep it "in-house" and only fix it when the owners reported it. Since the most failures seemed to occur near the 60,000 mile point (mine was just over that), Ford chose to adopt a "wait and see" attitude on this problem/safety issue. Since the shaft repair one year ago, I have written to the district Ford representative and the chairman of the board of Ford, alan [xxx] about how this was handled but to no avail. I am shocked and dismayed that Ford would treat its customers this way (I own 3 Ford) and the way they handled this potentially dangerous safety issue. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- West Hartford, CT, USA

problem #22

Oct 152014

Fusion

  • miles
Cracked dashboard that exposes the airbag. Power train coil on damage.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #21

Jun 112014

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This car is all wheel drive. The center support bearings also called carrier bearings on the center driveshaft going from the power take off unit to the rear differential went bad making a very loud roaring noise. As a mechanic myself, trucks have these bearings and they rarely go bad if at all but at high mileages. Failure at 35000 miles is unheard of.

- Felton, PA, USA

problem #20

Aug 242014

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 93,000 miles
In the driveway and turned the car on. The check engine light and wrench light came on and there was no throttle and the engine took a while to kick on. The scan tool said error code P2112 throttle actuator control system stuck closed.

- Bohemia, NY, USA

problem #19

Jul 182014

Fusion 4-cyl

  • miles
Transmissions are going out on these cars between 2006-2010. Which will leave people stranded in the road way which could become a hazard. The reason for this issue is because Ford put a defective program in the computer for the transmission which causes the transmission to fail. I would appreciate if the issue was looked in to thank you.

- Texarkana, TX, USA

problem #18

May 082014

Fusion 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving down the road and the wrench service light came on. I wasn't familiar with what that light meant. When I got home I looked in the owners manual for suggestions. I got new gras, made sure the gas cap was tight, and waited for 3 cold starts to see if it would go off. Then we went to leave bin the car and vit wouldn't go, even with the accelerator pushed all the way down. I called a Ford dealership to have it towed there. In doing research this appears to be common with Ford Fusion and I feel there should be changes or a recall. My research told me what was wrong before the car left the driveway as the issue is so searchable on the internet!

- Martin, TN, USA

problem #17

Jun 092014

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
I purchased a 2008 Ford Fusion AWD/6 speed in 2009 with only 107 miles. I kept record of all required maintenance on the car. Just recently planning to take a vacation from Colorado to see my son at nellis air force base, so last month I got all maintenance don't it again. Oil change, transmission & power steering flush, etc. I parked the car with no problem. The next day, I started the car and it has no power, I drove it down the drive way and have I to turn around. The engine was knocking so bad the I thought I would fall off on the ground. I got it towed to the mechanic and the said the coil is bad, they replace two coils that cost $600. Right when the mechanic is going to call us to pick up the car, they said it was running worse. Now they said those coils melted, and now the PCM need replacement. I called Ford corporate and they said there is no recall for pmc on 2008 Ford Fusion but yet several mechanic said this is not normal. I expect to come out of pocket for at lease $2000.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #16

Jun 112014

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 35,400 miles
My 2008 Ford Fusion SE 2.3L, 5-speed manual, has shut off on the highway with no warning at highway speeds of 65+mph. The engine would suddenly lose power and stall and I would have to coast and attempt to control my car at speed until I could get the engine restarted. I was unable to just turn the key forward to restart the engine and had to turn the key backwards all the way into the "off" position before attempting to restart the engine. The engine would not always restart on the 1st or second attempt. This happened to me twice over a 2 week period at high speeds before suddenly worsening and causing my vehicle to stall and not run in idle or randomly at any speed. I took my vehicle to a Ford dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty throttle body (engine fault codes included P0128, P0607, P2107) but refused to cover any portion of the repair despite the vehicle having only 35,500 miles and numerous complaints about similar safety issues on similar vehicles/components.

- La Vergne, TN, USA

problem #15

Feb 122014

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 60,971 miles
Traveled from ct to marathon, fl, arriving after noon. Within sight of the hotel destination the engine began to break down and run rough. I also smelled smoke. I managed to get to the hotel parking lot before the engine quit altogether. A local shop diagnosed the problem as two cylinder misfires and failed ignition coils. 57 mi from the dealer in key West and over 100 mi from miami, I elected to have a local ase certified shop replace the coils. Reflashing the PCM showed a new set of codes and that the PCM was failed and needed to be replaced. According to machado Ford in miami, there were no pcms in Ford's inventory in all of the us. Searched for remanufactured pcms was fruitless as well. Finally contacted armstrong Ford in homestead and they said they could fix the car. $996.56 to the shop in big pine key. Transported the car to homestead on fri 2/21. Monday the dealer had located a PCM and replacement was completed under warranty Tuesday afternoon. I picked up the car on Wednesday and left for jacksonville in the afternoon. 120 mi North in jupitor, the engine failed again. We sat on the side of the fl turnpike's 70 mph traffic until we could have the car transported to mullinax Ford in West palm, arriving after the service dept had closed. The next day I learned that all three catalytic converters were plugged and needed replacement. Two converters were available and were replaced on 2/28. The third converter was back ordered with an expected availability of 3/31. Since the remaining unit had discharged its contents into the tailpipe and was discarded, I was able to drive back to ct. Tasca Ford in berlin ct is still waiting for the replacement converter after numerous extensions of delivery dates from Ford. The Ford customer serv rep refused to return my calls. My total out of pocket expenses exceed $4000 to date.

- Wethersfield, CT, USA

problem #14

May 202014

Fusion

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when putting the vehicle into reverse, the vehicle jerk violently and made an abnormal sound. The contact mentioned that the wrench warning icon illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000 and the current mileage 61,374.

- Norwich, NY, USA

problem #13

May 082014

Fusion

  • 118,000 miles
I was driving on the highway at approximately 60 mph, when my car started to lose speed. I was on an incline at the time which made it worse. I almost caused an accident. Afterwards I pulled over. My wrench light came on. Indicating that there is a problem with the throttle body. My car when in to limp mode. After doing extensive research on this matter, I did find that there has been a recall for the throttle body replacement in North Carolina. I did call Ford and mentioned that to then. They had me give them my vehicle identification number and told me that it does not apply to my vehicle. I do not understand how this can be a safety recall for some, but not for all.

- Middleboro, MA, USA

problem #12

Jan 262010

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
Throttle unresponsive on left hand turn at intersection. No power but engine idles. Throttle body replaced under warranty. Now several years later, the throttle body has failed twice at highway speeds of 55mph. Car rapidly decelerates. Transmission disengages.

- Villa Park, IL, USA

problem #11

Dec 012013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
I started my car and it sounded & seemed normal. However, after driving less than 2 miles, my engine suddenly decelerated and the rpms dropped dramatically. I tried to accelerate and it would not increase speed. I was able to get off the road safely. I had to have my car towed. The mechanic determined that the problem was due to a faulty power train control module which impacts the ignition coils and the estimated cost of repair is $2100! one of my ignition coils was melted. Ford has issued a technical service bulletin on this issue, however, they do not deem this a safety issue! cars that just stop running or decelerate quickly is most definitely a safety issue. I can think of many scenarios where this issue would cause injury or perhaps even death. Had I been on a freeway or driving at a greater speed where there was more traffic, I could certainly have ended up in an accident with another vehicle. I researched this concern and found that I am not alone and there have many others affected by the same exact situation. Ford is of the opinion that this should be the responsibility of the car owner and they do not hold themselves accountable. I understand how warranties work and I realize that cars age. However, this issue has nothing to do with wear and tear or age. This is a faulty piece of equipment that is causing a safety issue when it hampers a vehicle's ability to continue in a forward motion at a normal rate of speed. Any help you can provide on this issue would be appreciated.

- Kingwood, WV, USA

problem #10

May 302013

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 99,825 miles
Auto transmission stopped shifting into higher gears. Only 1st and reverse. Had a shop try to repair it. Now it shift from 1st to second and then to fourth. Still no 3rd or 5th gear? spent over $ $600 so far.

- Ticonderoga, NY, USA

problem #9

Aug 232013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 93,000 miles
My vehicle has had no previous mechanical defects or issues. On the above listed date, my vehicle had difficulty starting after sitting (off) for approximately 12 hours. I began to drive and the vehicle died while I was driving. Later diagnostics revealed that the PCM and ignition coils were damaged. This is a known issue for Ford, as they have issued a tsb on the issue. Ford has neglected to issue a recall or safety advisory to their affected customers, and is now failing to rectify the issue. This is a major safety defect, as the vehicle could become inoperable while operating at moderate to high speeds, which could cause a loss of control. Ford is aware of the issue and is failing to take responsibility and protect its consumers.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 232013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 77,000 miles
Ptu (transfer case) is leaking out of vent tube. Because the ptu oil is not serviceable (no drain plug) the oil has degraded and turned into a thick tar like substance clogging up the unit. Now unit makes whining noise during acceleration destroying the gears.

- Victor, NY, USA

problem #7

Aug 182013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • miles
Car began running rough and there was no power in the throttle. The problem was diagnosed as an issue with the throttle body or actuator.

- Lake Bluff, IL, USA

problem #6

Apr 152013

Fusion

  • 42,000 miles
Purchased the car for my daughter's 16th birthday. I believe it only had 20,000 miles on it. She had if for 2 years and has always thought the car ran a little "sluggish". in April, 2013 the car began to decelerate when stepping on the gas, and would not shift properly. Brought it to the Ford dealer we purchased it from, who told us the transmission was gone and it needed to be replaced. We were even told that these particular cars "were not meant to last" and that "most people traded these cars in after only a couple of years." We also contacted Ford Motor Company who refused to help us out with any portion of the defect. We installed a brand new Ford transmission for $1,400 and now, only 3 months later we are having to replace the transmission again for the same problem. Also, within a couple of months after purchasing the vehicle the door handles started to peel and my daughter and her passengers have cut themselves.

- Rio Rancho, NM, USA

problem #5

Mar 012013

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
The rear carrier bearing is already wearing out. From searching around on the internet, this is a known problem. My car only has 65000 miles on it, there should be no reason for this to happen. You can't find a replacement bearing, so it makes me thing Ford knows about the issue but is not willing to do anything about it; leaving people to hope the drive shaft doesn't fall out going down the road.

- Strasburg, CO, USA

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