2018 Ford Fusion · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 215owner reports
- 98,207median miles
- $8,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 25, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
271 of the 440 complaints on this car are about the engine. 215 of those describe overheating, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2018 Fusion.
Narrower sheets: Head gasket fails or coolant leaks into the engine (27 reports)
Tick what matches of 215 reports
Overheating 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: 2020.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (27 reports), the coolant hose or reservoir (12 reports), the radiator (4 reports) and the thermostat (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
30 of the 215 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $5,000 to $10,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 76,422 and 119,000 miles, from the 126 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 15 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 Ford Fusion that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some 2014-2019 Fusion vehicles built on or before 10-Jun-2019 and 2017-2019 Escape vehicles built on or before 08-Apr-2019 equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or runs rough condition with or without an ...
Some 2015-2018 Edge and 2017-2019 Fusion/MKZ/Escape/MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or a runs rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL).
Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Fusion and Escape Vehicles Equipped with a 1.5L GTDI Engine - Powertrain Control Module Programming - Some of the affected vehicles may exhibit collant intrusion into the cylinder bores.
Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Fusion and Escape Vehicles Equipped with a 1.5L GTDI Engine - Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming. Some of the affected vehicles may exhibit coolant intrusion into the cylinder bores.
11 more on the 2018 Ford Fusion page.
What owners wrote
“Engine light came on got it diagnosed said it was misfiring in cylinder 2. spark plugs and coil needed to be changed. Changed all spark plugs and coil and the engine light is still on and saying the same thing. Doesnât crank right. Coolant going into engine. My vehicle only has 32,000 miles. Seems to be a know problem but ford will not do anything. Saying I need a new motor.”
Filed Jul 29, 2025 · 32,000 miles
“Losing coolant in the engine. No apparent leaks on ground or around engine. Rough running when first started but smoothed out after a few miles. Engine overheats if close watch isn't done on the coolant reservoir. I am worried the engine may catch fire if it gets too hot. Taken to mechanic who could not repair. Codes found P 3002 & P1299.”
Filed May 31, 2024 · 123,846 miles
“Coolent intrusion cylinder 2 103000 miles car is undrivable sucking coolant in to cylinder within 30 minutes to an hour. paid 23,000 for a car I cannot drive. 2018 ford fusion out of warranty now for will not help or replace since no recall was placed on this vehicle. Something needs to be done there are so many others and car isn't even 7 years old.”
Filed May 13, 2024 · 103,000 miles
“2018 ford fusion 1.5 L coolant intrusion at 65,000 miles. Ford refuses to help us in this matter. Our vehicle was not placed under their recall list which was for 2013-2019 escapes and fusion 1.5 L ecoboost motors for design flaw causing coolant intrusion. Our car has that EXACT motor and exact problem. It has a cylinder 3 coolant intrusion.”
Filed May 7, 2024 · 65,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 215 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 Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
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