Back in 2006, Ford launched its four-door, mid-size sedan, the Fusion. The model proved popular, as evidenced by its two generations that were available for 14 years on the American market. The Ford Fusion was a popular choice because it was reliable, somewhat classy, fuel-efficient, and it offered a relatively fun driving experience for what it was. The 2013 Ford Fusion even won the LA Auto Show's award for Green Car of the Year.

Updated December 2021: Despite Ford retiring the Fusion for the 2020 model year, the mid-size car remains an appealing purchase on the used market. To help those who are planning on purchasing a second-hand Ford Fusion, we've updated this feature to make it more relevant and provide help on finding the right one.

Due to being such a superb, yet affordable mid-sized family car, the Fusion was the seventh best-selling car across the US in 2019. The Fusion is a good medium size car. Lots of owners have reported that their Fusions have lasted over 200,000 miles, just by performing regular maintenance, however that depends on the year of the model, engine types, and other factors.

However, despite being one of Ford's most versatile cars, the Fusion does come with some issues, some of which are severe. While there are many serious Ford problems owners don't know about, the Fusion has well-documented issues with engine stalls, fire, loss of acceleration, transmission shifting, noisy creaks, leaks, tricky lug nuts, steering failures, among others. For this article, we'll focus on the transmission issues, which can be a major concern.

Although Ford no longer produces the Fusion, you can still use its official website to find any new models available for sale in your area. For those who can't wait for the upcoming Ford Fusion Active, now's a good time to get a used Fusion model. The first generation of the Fusion came with either a 5-speed manual, 6-speed automatic, or a CVT. When Ford launched the second-gen model in 2013, the options were a 6-speed manual or automatic and an eCVT. No matter which Fusion generation you opt for, transmission problems are likely to occur, especially on cars built between 2007 and 2017, with 2010, 2012, and 2013 year models being particularly bad. The most reported issue is the automatic transmission suffering from delayed or failed shifts, but some years are more prone to this than the others.

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Discover which Ford Fusion models have transmission issues according to owners.

2010 Ford Fusion

2010 Ford Fusion
Ford

The 2010 model was a part of the Ford Fusion's first-generation line-up. Thanks to its sportiness and affordability, this model soon became the favored car of both experts and the public alike. It featured a strong V6 engine, plenty of trunk space, comfortable seats, and an upscale interior.

In fact, it was so good, MotorTrend named it the Car of the Year 2010. However, it would soon be revealed that the car is prone to both severe and minor issues related to power train and transmission. Faulty transmissions would lead to a shaky ride, harsh gear shifting, delay in response, among other issues. Although some of these problems are easily repairable, a lot of them turn more severe after multiple repair attempts, such as the car shaking. The 2010 Fusion's shaking issues were more likely to occur while shifting into first gear and became a safety concern.

In a rush to get customers behind the wheel of their 2010 and later Fusion models, Ford had used transmissions that turned out to be faulty. One of the reasons this happened was because federal fuel emission regulations were approved around that year, so automakers rushed to push fuel-efficient cars to the market before their rivals. Even the 2011 year-model Fusion suffers from the same drivetrain, but cases are fewer and issues limit themselves to hard shifting and slight transmission slipping.

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2012 Ford Fusion

2012 Ford Fusion
Mariordo - Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz

The 2012 Ford Fusion was available in four trims and came with three strong engine options, a 175 hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, a 240 hp 3-liter V6, and a 263 horsepower 3.5-liter V6. Both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were offered. While it looks like a dream car for those on a budget, in reality, this wasn't the case.

Owners of the 2012 model Fusion have reported experiencing repeated shifting failures, shutter and noises (breakdown) on acceleration, and delayed shifts. The transmission issues get worse as the mileage increases.

In their reviews, many owners also reported experiencing odd popping and grinding noises in this model-year of the Fusion. In addition, the delayed and harsh transmission shifts eventually led the way to poor fuel economy and excessive fuel consumption.

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2013 Ford Fusion

2013 Ford Fusion
Ford

US News named the 2013 Fusion the best mid-size car for the money. Although this year performs well and is safer than its predecessors, it's certainly not untouched by transmission issues.

Shifting failure, unresponsive steering, broken shifter cable, and rough shifting had a tendency to develop after 50,000 miles. The transmission was sometimes hard to downshift on the highway. Sudden jerks are also experienced while stopping, and some owners reported difficulties shifting into reverse. However, the cases are still fewer than previous years, and more often than not, owners have expressed their love for this model-year of the Ford Fusion, according to Edmunds.

Overall, the 2013 Fusion is less prone to severe transmission issues than the previous years. There are many reasons why you shouldn't buy a used Ford, but if you have made up your mind, avoiding these model years might be a good idea.