2012 Ford Fusion is the last model year before the full redesign of this vehicle. This model year was one of the worst model years for this company when it comes to most reported complaints to the carcomplaints.com website. This website is made to allow car owners to report any mechanical issues during the life of their vehicle.
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
While Ford Fusion worked hard to reduce the number of complaints reported by the 2010 model, the 2012 model year showed another rise in total reported complaints by current and previous vehicle owners.
Ranking as the third-worst model year after the 2010 and 2013, 2012 Ford Fusion received a total of 255 complaints regarding mechanical problems, according to carcomplaints.com. A most reported complaint has to do with the vehicle's steering system, transmission, and engine. Unfortunately, the majority of reported problems required relatively very expensive repair costs, especially the ones related to the transmission and the engine.
Despite the high number of reported complaints, the 2012 Ford Fusion has a lot of great features that attracted many buyers. For instance, cars.usnews.com featured this vehicle for the great power that comes with the V6 engine, the high-quality interior, and great handling experience, and the large trunk size.
In this article, we provide a high-level description of the 2012 Ford Fusion model year, including the main aspects of this vehicle. Then, we summarize the most commonly reported complaints by previous and current owners to carcomplaints.com. Along with the problems, we include information about the suggested repairs, repair costs, and problem ranking.
The intend of this article is to help current 2012 Ford Fusion owners expect what type of problems they will be facing at approximately what mileage and what are the best repair options and how much it will cost. Furthermore, we target the new buyers by helping them making a good decision about whether to buy the vehicle or not.
2012 Ford Fusion description
Before we start the discussion about the 2012 Ford Fusion problems, we would like to provide an overview of the vehicle's characteristics if you buy it brand new.
The 2012 Ford Fusion is the last model year before the complete redesign of the vehicle. This model year is the second year after the company released the worst model year of 2011. The 2011 model year received this ranking due to the high repair costs associated with reported problems.
The five-passenger 2012 Ford Fusion comes with a four-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive option. The vehicle has three engine options: a 2.5 L four-cylinder, a 3.0 V6, or a 3.5 L V6 engine option. These engine options are associated with either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission.
The 2012 Ford Fusion gets up to 23 miles per gallon on city roads and 33 miles per gallon on the highways along with about 263 horsepower. The total fuel tank capacity of this vehicle ranges from 16.6 to 17.5 gallons.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the 2012 Ford Fusion is about $21,000 in 2012.
2012 Ford Fusion Problems
In this section, we provide a summary of the most reported complaints by 2012 Ford Fusion owners to carcomplaints.com. In addition to the problems, we also provide the ranking, mileage at which the problem occurred, repair options, and suggested repair costs if the data is available.
The 2012 Ford Fusion received a total of 255 complaints. Most reported complaints to have to do with the steering system, transmission, interiors, engine, AC and heating, and others.
-
2012 Ford Fusion Steering problems
60 out of 255 reported complaints were related to the 2012 Ford Fusion steering system. The majority of these problems were related to the power steering failure, loss of power, power steering noise, and power steering locked up.
A large number of owners mentioned that they had significant steering problems due to issues with the electronic steering gear code. To resolve the issue, they had to either replace the electronic gear or replace the entire steering column for about $1,590. The problem was mostly reported by vehicles around 60,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Really Awful.”
The second most reported problem with the 2012 Ford Fusion steering system is the loss of power. At least seven complaints were received from different people about the sudden loss of power in their steering system without previous warning signs. To get the problem resolved, they had to replace the power steering for about $2,430 on parts and labor. The problem was mostly reported at 80,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Really Awful.”
Furthermore, the power steering would start making strange loud noises every time the drivers turn at about 80,000 miles of vehicles. While the website did not include information about repairs and repair costs, it did rank the problem as “Really Awful,” as well.
The last problem we want to highlight here is the sudden lock up in the steering. At least one owner reported that his steering wheel stopped responding suddenly without any previous warning signs, and the problem was not resolved. A locked up steering wheel occurred at vehicles around 90,000 miles, and the problem was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
-
2012 Ford Fusion transmission problems
The transmission problem is one of the worst problems that could happen to a vehicle due to the high repair costs. According to carcomplaints.com, 2012, Ford Fusion received a total of 35 complaints regarding issues with the transmission.
These issues have to do with jerks in shifting, leak in the half shaft, poor acceleration, and low transmission fluid.
Several owners reported that their 2012 Ford Fusion would start jerking whenever they try shifting or using the transmission. While the website did not include information about repair options and repair costs, it mentioned that the problem occurs at vehicles around 20,000 miles, which are relatively new cars.
Another major reported problem about the 2012 Ford Fusion transmission was a hesitating transmission to shift. A group of owners indicated that the transmission of vehicles around 45,000 miles would hesitate to shift, especially at the third gear. None of the reported complaints indicated repair options or repair costs, and the problem was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
The third most reported problem has to do with the half shaft. At least two complaints were received about some leaks in the half shaft. To resolve the issue, the owners had to replace the half shaft along with the seals for about $700. This problem occurred mostly at vehicles around 55,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
The last problem we would like to highlight here has to do with the transmission fluid. One owner mentioned that the transmission fluid has extra anti-freeze liquid in it and caused major damages to the radiator and the transmission. To replace both the radiator and the transmission, he had to pay about $3,600. This repair is considered very high when compared to the actual worth of the vehicle. the problem occurred at vehicles around 96,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
-
2012 Ford Fusion interior problems
The third most reported complaints have to do with the 2012 Ford Fusion interior with a total of 35 complaints. Most reported problems were related to the doors handles, doors not functioning properly, interior smells, issues with the dash display, and problems with the temperature sensor.
Surprisingly, about 25 people reported that the doors handles would fall on their own without significant pressure or power pulling them. To fix the problem, they had to either replace the door handle or the door latch for about $150. The problem was mostly reported by vehicles around 56,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Fairly Significant.”
Following the falling handles, other people reported that the doors of the 2012 Ford Fusion wouldn't open from outside, and they had to be inside to open it. The problem was resolved by replacing the door latch for about $200. This issue occurred at vehicles around 85,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
At least two owners indicated that the 2012 Ford Fusion has a strong-bad interior smell where they couldn't figure out the reason. While the website did not include information about possible repair options or repair costs, the problem occurred at vehicles around 14,000 miles, which is relatively low mileage for a vehicle. this problem was described as “Definitely Annoying.”
Other problems like the inaccurate temperature sensors and black dash displays were also reported frequently. However, the owners did not include information about repair options or repair costs. These two problems were ranked as “Definitely Annoying.”
-
2012 Ford Fusion engine problems
Like transmission problems, engine problems are one of the worst problems that any driver doesn't want to hear about. This is because of any issue with the car's engine usually requires a lot of repair costs.
A total of 27 complaints were reported regarding issues with the 2012 Ford Fusion engine. These issues were related to the throttle, loss of power, wrench light on, or weird engine noise.
More than ten owners reported that their engine's throttle had severed problems and required immediate replacement for the vehicle to work properly. They did not include any information about repair options or repair costs. However, the problem occurred mostly at 44,000 miles, which are considered low mileage for engine problems to start occurring. The problem was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
In addition to the throttle issues, a couple of owners indicated that their 2012 Ford Fusion started losing power and required changing the throttle body for about $170. The problem occurred with vehicles at 70,000 miles and was ranked as “Really Awful.”
The wrench light would start frequently illuminating on 2012 Ford Fusion vehicles around 70,000 miles. The problem can also be resolved by replacing the electronic throttle. This issue was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
Surprisingly, a 2012 Ford Fusion vehicle at 1,000 miles reported a complete motor failure without previous warning signs. To get the vehicle to work, the owner had to replace the motor without indicating information about the repair costs. The problem received the worst ranking of “Really Awful.”
-
2012 Ford Fusion other problems
In this section, we group all other reported problems and complaints about the 2012 Ford Fusion AC and heating, electrical system, brakes, windows, and suspension.
-
2012 Ford Fusion AC and heating problems
A large number of complaints were received regarding the 2012 Ford Fusion AC and heating system problems. These problems had to do with the AC blowing hot air, AC sensors not functioning, heating fan failure, and some weird noises every time the owners turn on the AC.
-
2012 Ford Fusion electrical system problems
Electrical problems also received many complaints from previous and current 2012 Ford Fusion owners with a total of 21 complaints.
These problems have to do with major electrical system failures while driving, problems with a dead battery, issues with stalling, and weird ticking sound when driving.
-
2012 Ford Fusion brakes problems
In general, the 2012 Ford Fusion did not receive a lot of complaints about the brakes. Most of the reported complaints indicated that the brakes would start wearing early and causing some safety issues.
-
2012 Ford Fusion suspension problems
Suspension problems were not also reported frequently by the 2012 Ford Fusion owners. The few reported complaints indicated a broken coil spring, a failed control arm, and a broken subframe bolt.
Conclusion
The 2012 Ford Fusion is the last model year before the complete redesign. This vehicle received a relatively high number of complaints, according to carcomplaints.com.
Unfortunately, most reported 2012 Ford Fusion complaints have to do with the steering system, transmission, interior, and engine. These problems usually require high repair costs.
In conclusion, while Ford Fusion worked hard to address the complaints reported by the worse the model year of 2011, the 2012 model still has a lot of major issues that kept several car buyers away from buying it.