2018 Ford Fusion · symptom sheet

Head gasket fails or coolant leaks into the engine

27owner reports
85,000median miles
$8,600median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Jun 13, 2026 · checked Sep 19, 2026

27 of the 213 reports of overheating on the 2018 Fusion describe head gasket failure.

Part of Engine overheats or leaks coolant (213 reports)

Tick what matches of 27 reports

coolant is leaking or disappearing

the engine overheated

coolant got into the engine oil

the head gasket was replaced

there is a class action lawsuit

the engine needed to be replaced

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (27 reports) and the engine (3 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the engine covers the 2018 model year as of Sep 19, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Fusion

PE13-003opened Feb 21, 2013

Engine · model years 2010 to 2013

Electronic throttle body malfunction. Closed feb 28, 2014.

NHTSA summary

On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles. During this investigation, Ford identified a condition in subject vehicles equipped with 2.5L and 3.0L engines that may result in a sudden reduction of engine power.According to Ford, the ETB internal motor contacts may develop a high resistance material buildup condition on the commutator, resulting in intermittent electrical connectivity and reduced engine power. When this condition occurs, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or Wrench light will illuminate and the vehicle may enter a limited limp home mode.Ford?s trade name for the feature is Failure Mode Effects Management (FMEM) mode.In this mode, engine power and vehicle speed are reduced, while full function of the power steering, power braking, lighting, and climate control systems are maintained.ODI?s complaint analysis indicate that the predominant failure mode involved reduced motive power associated with the limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Analysis of warranty claims provided by Ford identified 59,807 claims related to ETB replacements and approximately 50 percent of claims are associated with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle B

None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.

What owners paid

10 of the 27 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $5,600 to $9,000.

$5,600$8,600$9,000

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 73,555 and 121,000 miles, from the 14 reports that gave a mileage.

221

322

323

1124

325

526

What owners wrote

“It was losing calling but no coolant leak, rough idle/driving and blows white smoke out of the exhaust and threw the code p1299 so I took it to a garage and they told me it was the cylinder head gasket but my car has no recalls on it and I looked up my problem and it said 2013-2018 ford fusions with the 1.5l built before June 2019 and mine was built in feb 2018 and I havenât received any mail about a recall.”
Filed Sep 4, 2024

“P302 code. P1299. Overheating, coolant in number 2 cylinder. Head gasket failure due to engine block design flaw. Catastrophic engine failure Not covered under warranty due to mileage limitations past 84,000 on vehicle and a repair cost beyond retail value of the car.”
Filed Apr 7, 2024

“My car overheated due to a head gasket leak, which released coolant into the piston cylinders, causing the engine to overheated, resulting in engine block damage. My car almost blow up!!!! This is a lawsuit against fords ecoboost engines. They need to pay for this fully!!”
Filed Aug 19, 2023

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 27 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.