2017 Ford Fusion

On [XXX], I entered onto [XXX] from Sparks, Nevada eastbound when a check engine light and oil overheat warning came on. I limped the car to the nearest exit [(XXX)]. I had my grandson with me and he was scared. I checked my coolant level and realized that it was dry. I put coolant to the max line of the reserve tank and drove 25 miles to Carson City. When I took it into the dealership at Capital Ford on December 26, 2023, their service manager said this year had a poor design of the engine (2.0L) which led to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Two days later, they confirmed. My complaint is the FORD manufacturer knew of this issue and had posted several TSBs, but has only issued a recall the 1.5 L engine. I'm now told that since my car is 1600 miles out of warranty, too bad. I believe the FORD manufacturer should replace my engine for free, knowing it failed as a direct result of their poor engineering design. I purchased the car in July 2020 with 26,350 miles and bought the extended warranty. I was never made aware of the existing issues with the coolant leaking into the valves. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact waited for a while and then made several attempts to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred frequently and had become more persistent over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine had failed due to the intake manifold gasket fracturing the seal, which caused antifreeze to leak into the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer opened a case and offered to pay a portion of the repair cost. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low and refilled the reservoir. Within three days of refilling the coolant reservoir, the failure reoccurred, after which the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 20-2100. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 74,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating, and the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it was determined that the engine block had cracked due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 131,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle eventually stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that coolant was present inside the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #2 caused by coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 63,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that there was a leak in cylinder #3. The vehicle was included in Manufacturer Communication NHTSA ID Number: 10213732 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and had the remedy completed. After the vehicle was repaired, the check engine warning light became illuminated. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that there was a leak within cylinder #1 and that the repair needed to be performed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the message that the engine was overheating was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a repair was performed for an unrelated safety failure. The repairs were covered by the insurance company; however, during the inspection by the insurance company, it was discovered that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. As a result, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle overheated while driving and while idling. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal coolant consumption. The contact had been adding coolant to the vehicle after 5 miles. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle under Ford Campaign Number: 21N12 because the vehicle was not covered. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 74,900.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started to shake. The contact allowed the vehicle to idle for one minute before driving. The battery and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle currently failed to start. The contact used a code reader to diagnose the vehicle where an undisclosed code indicating that the failure was engine related. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.