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 Oct 2, 2026
27 of the 215 reports of overheating on the 2018 Fusion describe head gasket failure.
Part of Engine overheats or leaks coolant (215 reports)
Tick what matches of 27 reports
Head gasket failure on other Fusion years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020.
What this problem usually is
This is the narrower sheet inside overheating and coolant leaks for reports that name the head gasket. The difference from the wider sheet is where the coolant goes: instead of dripping onto the driveway, it disappears inside the engine, into the cylinders or the oil.
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 Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Fusion
Electronic throttle body malfunction. Closed feb 28, 2014.
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.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 73,555 and 121,000 miles, from the 14 reports that gave a mileage.
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
“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. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Check engine light or misfire 189 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 59 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 53 reports