2020 Ford Fusion

Began to hear loud rattling noise under hood. Brought to Ford dealer who determined the cause is a failed Flex Plate. Car is operable but was warned this could result in catastrophic failure of the transmission. Vehicle has approximately 62,000 miles, just 2,000 miles out of warranty. Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 22N12 address the issue with an extended warranty for certain model variants (Vehicles Equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost Engine and 6F35 Transmission). My vehicle has suffered the same failure but has a 1.5L engine so has been excluded.

The steering cable is connected to the transmission hub, and the fitting that connects the two has a gasket that wears away and falls out. This is a recall with vehicles that are made from one of the two plants that assemble fusions, however my vehicle is not covered under the recall even though it is the very same issue as the recall from the other plant. it makes no sense, why is one assembly plant offering a recall for this issue while the other does not? For the same issue of the steering cable coming off the transmission, and not allowing the vehicle to go into gear. I have had to fix this car on the side of the highway before, it will not go into gear on the road. This is not safe at all. You cannot have vehicles just not going into gear while your driving down the highway, or road, street, etc.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the fuel door would randomly disconnect from the vehicle. While idling at a stop light, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle the vehicle jerked and hesitated while shifting gear before accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure because there was no warning light illuminated. The fuel door had been replaced; however, the vehicle still experienced the failure with the START/STOP function. The contact stated that the failure became a persistent failure. The contact stated that approximately 6 to 8 months after the first failure, while driving approximately 35-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact used the App to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was returned to the dealer however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer rebuilt the transmission, clutch, and axle; however, the failure persisted after the repairs. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer 22 times. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

On Saturday, October 5th, 2024, at around 5AM I was sitting in the Starbucks parking lot outside of the Detroit Metro (DTW) airport when this issue began. I had just started my car and could feel it was sluggish and was making a significant amount of noise, which was present in park and neutral, but not so much while in gear, unless I was stopped at a stop sign or stationary. After getting home, and each day after when I started the vehicle to go to work, I could hear that the noise was progressively getting worse. So, I determined that it was not a fluke and took my car into a Ford dealership to have the oil changed and a full inspection done. They explained to me that the water pump had failed and was leaking, very slowly, but externally through the "weep hole". They were going to charge me $1,300 to repair. So, I called a local shop that I know is reputable and they confirmed the water pump leak but determined that the noise I was hearing was not the water pump, but actually a cracked flexplate. The noise originated near the starter, and the shop ran a camera through the inspection hole confirming this. After I found that the flexplate was cracked, I did not continue to drive it, but scheduled a repair to begin on Thursday, October 24th at the reputable shop I mentioned above. To complete the repair, they needed to drop the cradle, remove the transmission and support the engine. This in total cost me $1,729.60. The flexplate has not been inspected by the mfg., police, insurance, etc., as there was no need. I did not have an extended warranty and though my car is only 4 years old, it was beyond the warranty in miles. No lights appeared on the dash, and there were no error codes present. The flexplate cracking could have resulted in catastrophic failure of the engine or transmission, and I could have very well lost control of my vehicle. If I was driving on the highway during a failure, my safety as well as others would have been put in serious danger.

On [XXX] I backed my 2020 Ford Fusion out of my driveway. I stopped and tried to shift from reverse to drive and the transmission locked up in Park, the engine died and the parking brake was engaged. I was sitting across the street with no way to move the car. I had the car towed to a Ford dealer and they replaced the transmission cable bushing and cover. These parts are the same as those used in Fords recall 22S43. Ford continued to use inferior parts on cars built after the dates mentioned in the recall. This is a safety issue as it could happen at any time. Thanks [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Flex plate is cracked , confirmed by bore scope dealership is quoting 14 business days to diagnose. It is known issue with this make, model, and year and CSP was issued for dealerships to fix but only select VIN numbers. This car is at 91000 miles and meets all criteria for the CSP 22N12. The car makes an ungodly rattling sound and if it fails could be very dangerous

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a rattling noise coming from the front end near the driver’s side close to the transmission. The vehicle would start moments after the failure had occurred. The rattling was more pronounced while the A/C system was running. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the rattling sound was noticeable. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the transmission felt as though it was slipping while changing gear. The contact stated that while inspecting the engine, underneath the hood was hotter than normal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission flex plate had failed. The failure was linked to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10218899 (Power Train). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 117,000.