Second generation
2020 Ford Fusion
The most reported problem on the 2020 Ford Fusion is stalling, with 25 complaints, usually around 49,000 miles.
- 183owner complaints
- 3recalls
- 10involved a crash
- 70,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your Fusion doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2020 model year.
Is the 2020 Ford Fusion reliable?
The 2020 Ford Fusion has 183 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, close to the median of 201 for 2020 sedans on this site. Of the 7 Fusion model years since 2014, it has the fewest complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2019
- At 26 complaints for each year on the road, the 2020 runs below the 2019 (39). That's the only adjacent model year with enough complaints to set beside it.
- Top problem
- Two problems run close. Stalling has 25 complaints and misfire has 25, out of 183 in all. A quarter of the 13 owners who gave a mileage for stalling saw it by about 25,000 miles, and half by about 49,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 13 of the 183 complaints (7%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 10 reports mention a crash, 3 mention a fire and 5 people were hurt.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- stalling and misfire all have recalls on the same system, and the same campaigns cover them: 25V-685. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 56, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 35 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: engine stalls or loses power while driving, 25 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
183 complaints is 1.2 times fewer than the median 2020 model on this site and about the median for a 2020 sedan. Among the 7 Fusion model years here it ranks 7th for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2020 Ford Fusion
Ford filed 94 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2020 Ford Fusion. 32 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. 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.
Check engine light or misfire 3 bulletins · 25 complaints
Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025.
Some 2019-2020 Fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) may exhibit a no start condition with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0B3B, P0B40, P0B45, P0B4A, P0B4F, P0B54, P0B59, P0B5E, P0B63, P0B68, P0B6D, P0B72, P0B77, and/or P0B7C stored in the battery ...
1 more on this problem
Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025.
Engine overheats or leaks coolant 1 bulletin · 16 complaints
SSM 48659 2019-2020 Fusion/MKZ - Cooling Fans Inoperative Due To Open Fuses F59, F60 And F63 Some 2019-2020 Fusion/MKZ non-hybrid vehicles may exhibit an engine overheat condition or a lack of air conditioning (A/C) cooling due to one or more of the 3 cooling fan fuses ...
Battery dies or the car will not start 10 bulletins · 13 complaints
Some 2020-2023 Ford and Lincoln SYNC3 equipped vehicles may experience an inaccurate notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode.
Some 2013-2017 C-MAX Energi, 2013-2018 Focus battery electric vehicle (BEV), 2013-2020 Fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), 2015-2017 MKZ/MKZ Hybrid/MKC, 2016-2017 MKX and 2017 Continental vehicles equipped with 8 inch or larger center display ...
8 more on this problem
Some 2017-2022 Ford/Lincoln customers may experience a notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode.
Some 2017-2022 Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners may experience a condition of missing authorization, command and control, battery charging details or phone-as-a-key setup buttons/selections in their FordPass or LincolnWay App.
Some 2013-2023 Ford or Lincoln vehicles with modems activated through FordPass or LincolnWay may experience 12 volt battery drain symptoms when the customer uses non-Ford/Lincoln phone applications as an alternate channel to access vehicle commands such as ...
Some 2014-2017 C-MAX Energi, 2014-2020 Fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), 2015-2017 MKZ/MKZ Hybrid/MKC, 2016-2017 MKX, 2016-2018 Focus battery electric vehicle (BEV) and 2017 Continental vehicles equipped with SYNC screens 8 inch or larger may be ...
Some 2016-2021 Ford or Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 or SYNC 4 may exhibit a blank screen or other various SYNC symptoms only when the vehicle is in transport mode.
Some 2017-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners may experience a condition of missing Authorization, Command and Control, Battery Charging Details or Phone-as-a-Key setup buttons/selections in their FordPass or LincolnWay App.
Some customers may experience a notification in the FordPass and/or LincolnWay apps that indicates their vehicle has entered "deep sleep mode".
Some 2020 Escape/Corsair, Edge, Explorer, Fusion, Ranger, Transit Connect Vehicles equipped with a TCU may exhibit a "Battery Backup Component Failure" message in the cluster. This may be accompanied by DTC 1477-09 - Backup Battery Component Failure.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 15 bulletins · 13 complaints
Various 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a partially or fully black center display screen at start-up using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This does not affect rear camera operation.
Certain 2018 - 2024 Model Year Various Vehicles Update SYNC Software In all the affected vehicles, due to an error in the SYNC software, you may experience SYNC system instability concerns and/or a failure to preserve certain settings across ignition cycles.
13 more on this problem
Some 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC3 may experience various FordPass/LincolnWay connectivity concerns including but not limited to: missing activation prompt (pop-up) on the vehicle's center display screen when attempting to activate ...
Some 2019-2024 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a programming Error - "INSTL_ERR12" while programming APIM using the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) or experience a frozen screen which says "updating system software" or no ...
Some 2016-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may exhibit a condition where the navigation voice prompts are inoperative after a SYNC map update. This may be due to an incomplete installation of the SYNC map software.
Some 2018-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit inoperative remote features via the Ford Pass/Lincoln Way mobile app, incomplete user authorization, no modem electronic serial number (ESN) displayed or DTCs U2100 and/or B156D in the telematics control ...
Some 2017-2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a TCU may exhibit inoperative remote features via Ford Pass/Lincoln Way mobile app, incomplete user authorization and/or no modem electronic serial number (ESN) displayed.
Some 2018-2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit inoperative remote features via the Ford Pass/Lincoln Way mobile app, incomplete user authorization, no modem electronic serial number (ESN) displayed or DTCs U2100 and/or B156D in the telematics control ...
Some 2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a TCU may exhibit incomplete user authorization, no authorization pop-up on the SYNC infotainment system, vehicle connectivity concerns, vehicle location disabled message and/or various FordPass/LincolnWay App ...
Some 2016-2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a SYNC 3 Touchscreen may experience the volume control unresponsive from the Front Control Interface Module (FCIM) and steering volume controls when using Apple Car Play.
Some 2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may exhibit the infotainment system stating in Michigan when trying to select a point of interest using the push to talk feature on the navigation system.
SSM 48649 2020 Various Vehicles - Equipped With Telematics Control Unit (TCU) - Incomplete User Authorization, Vehicle Connectivity/Location And/Or FordPass/LincolnWay Concerns Some 2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a TCU may exhibit incomplete user ...
Plus 3 older ones not listed here.
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 2 bulletins · 10 complaints
Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the Workshop Manual (WSM) and the appropriate pinpoint test in section 206-00.
Some 2013-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the Workshop Manual (WSM) and the appropriate pinpoint test in section 206-00.
Engine rattles or ticks 1 bulletin · 9 complaints
Some 2015-2020 Fusion/MKZ vehicles equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a rattle noise from the transmission bellhousing area. This may be more noticeable at idle. This may be due to a flexplate crack around the mounting area.
Complaints filed by year
56 complaints came in 2025. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
Recalls that include the 2020 Ford Fusion
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Fusion PHEV vehicles. The battery energy control module (BECM) may become damaged due to excessive voltage and current flow.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Dealers will replace the battery and update the BECM software for free, or Ford will repurchase the vehicle. If your vehicle is currently operating normally, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the fuse block and a software update as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). As an alternative remedy, Ford is offering a vehicle refund. Please see Ford's owner notification letter or contact Ford for full details. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S33.
All 3 recalls on the 2020 Ford Fusion, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
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Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2020 Ford Fusion?
Stalling, with 25 of the 183 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 49,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2020 Ford Fusion problems start?
Of the 80 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 44,000 miles and half by about 70,000.
Is the 2020 Ford Fusion better or worse than the 2019?
Counted per year on the road, the 2020 has fewer complaints than the 2019: 26 a year against 39.
How many 2020 Ford Fusion complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
13 of them (7%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for stalling on the 2020 Ford Fusion?
Yes, NHTSA lists a recall on the same system: 25V-685. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.