2013 Ford Fusion: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Jan 18, 2026 · CA

Vehicle: 2013 Ford Fusion Mileage: ~165,000 miles Issue Type: Engine stalls / loss of power My 2013 Ford Fusion has experienced intermittent engine stalling and hesitation since early ownership. The vehicle will stall or “putter” when slowing down or coming to a stop, often without warning. When this occurs, the engine shuts off and the vehicle must be put into park and restarted. Restarting is sometimes delayed or hesitant. This issue occurs without any warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes appearing on the dashboard, making it difficult for dealerships and mechanics to diagnose. The problem has persisted for years and has occurred multiple times under normal driving conditions. This defect presents a serious safety risk, as the vehicle can lose power unexpectedly while in traffic, at intersections, or during braking. Loss of engine power in these situations creates a high risk of collision. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times, including by dealerships, but the issue could not be identified due to the absence of fault codes. This appears to be a design or component defect that does not reliably trigger diagnostic warnings. I am reporting this as a safety-related defect involving unexpected engine stalling and loss of power. The date I marked you asked below is the most current but as I stated it’s been happening since a month after purchasing the car brand new.

Filed Jan 24, 2023 · Engine · 326,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an odor coming from the engine compartment and that the vehicle was hesitating. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer after the contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact was informed that the manufacturer declined the recall repair completed. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact was instead offered a trade-in value. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 326,000. The consumer stated Ford would not comply with repairing the vehicle under the safety recall because the cost exceeds the value of the vehicle.

Filed Dec 7, 2022 · Engine · FL

My 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium hesitates a lot while driving, and on several occasions the vehicle has flat out stalled in the middle of traffic. Something pops up on the dashboard saying “Run Power Active” and when I go to restart it, it’s takes a while for the car to turn back on. This has happened more than once a day some times.

Filed Aug 9, 2022 · Transmission · 177,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and started shaking upon the depression of the accelerator pedal, without warning. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact also stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to move out of the drive(D). The contact engaged the parking brake and called a mechanic for assistance. The mechanic discovered that the cable bushing was defective and was able to correct the issue; the contact was able to drive the vehicle back to the residence where the vehicle remained parked. The dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Apr 26, 2022 · Transmission · 21,454 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where a software update and other minor repairs were performed on the vehicle under warranty. The contact then stated that an abnormal banging noise would emit from the vehicle while accelerating without warning. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where various repairs to the transmission were performed; despite multiple repairs, the failure persisted and vehicle was taken back to the dealer on multiple occasions. The dealer then replaced the cable bushing and attached shifter cable which temporarily repaired the vehicle; however, the contact stated that recently, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they informed her that the warranty had expired and that she had to repair the vehicle out of pocket. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V362000 (Power Train) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 21,454.

Filed Jan 10, 2022 · Transmission · 10 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 10-15 MPH uphill and making a turn, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and was hesitating as if the transmission was in neutral. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that as the vehicle started rolling backward, she depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to move forward and made the turn. The contact continued to drive; however, the failure reoccurred while driving and the vehicle was making abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who test drove the vehicle and diagnosed that the transmission had shifted into fifth gear and would not shift out of fifth gear. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the residence. Then, the vehicle was towed to another mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V362000 (Power Train) and to take the vehicle to the dealer for a recall repair. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed her that the vehicle would be repaired at her expense since the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Feb 25, 2020 · Engine, Fuel system · 100,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 10 to 15 MPH the RPM dropped and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to put the vehicle in park and restart the vehicle. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to start after refueling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed but was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v621000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Dec 23, 2019 · Acceleration, Electrical · 40,000 miles · GA

****note - need more information. Email not valid**** tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford fusion. While driving, the vehicle hesitated upon acceleration. Additionally, while in reverse, the vehicle moved forward without warning. The vehicle was taken to autonation ford union city (4355 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291, (770) 674-6075) where it was diagnosed that the battery was faulty. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was unknown.

Filed Jun 7, 2019 · Transmission · 130,000 miles · NE

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford fusion. The contact stated that the gears failed to shift, and the transmission would slip and jump gears. Also, the vehicle hesitated. On one occasion, when the vehicle was placed into park, it continued to move forward. A "see manual" message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to wood house ford (3633 n 72nd st, omaha, ne 68134, (402) 574-2600), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local transmission specialist, but was not repaired. The contact wanted to explore his options. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Feb 11, 2019 · Electrical, Steering · 184,000 miles · NY

My car has been skipping and hesitation with power train or transmission while driving whenever it wants. It’s nothing specific to make that happen. Last week back power windows quit working. Now....started car in drive, steering was locked. Drove back and forth, tried different gears, tried restarting, it finally started by turning key over. Came home, parked in driveway, can’t get steering to unlock at all now! I am over an hour away from home, so whenever it decides to turn, I can head home. But after reading these reviews, do I dare? Does ford want us owners to die, or the innocent we may hit? Either way I would sue because they cannot deny knowing there’s a problem!

Filed Sep 6, 2017 · Engine, Fuel system · 37,000 miles · NE

Car will stall when it is it is low RPM. It is more likely to stall after I have fueled up my car from it being low on calls. I can see the car shuddering and then drop the RPM very low. It has died when I have been in traffic before when I'm stopped at a light. It has died when I was leaving for work and backing out of my driveway. I noticed the issue of the car shuddering when I'm driving at low RPM and even when I'm coasting down a hill. I have went to the dealership several times for this issue and they have never eliminated the problem. It may have got a little better where it doesn't die as much but I definitely have to pay close attention when I just get fuel otherwise I'm afraid my call will stall at a stoplight. I called ford's customer service today to see if there was anything related to my issue as a recall but there was not. I asked the lady if she has heard of this issue and she said that it's a fairly common problem she hears about the fusion and other ford models "shuddering". Most recently I have had my battery replaced. Previously I had warranty work done in 2016 for the fuel pressure sensor to be replaced that cost $100 deducdible. Neither of these repairs made any significant difference. I also experience that at low RPM there is hesitation when accelerating. There was other people I found online that have these issues and they suggested the "electronic throttle body" fixed their issue and they were covered by a extended warranty customer satisfaction program, but apparently my VIN is not in that list.

Filed Feb 25, 2017 · Engine · 55,000 miles · OH

On multiple occasions my car hesitated and stalled, usually when just taking off or pulling out into intersections. It has never done this while sitting at idle and only once while driving highway speed. Sometimes the check engine light does not come on and sometimes it comes on and then goes right back off. My mechanic could not pull a code after this happens.