2018 Ford Fusion: shudder or vibration when accelerating

Filed Nov 25, 2025 · Engine · 100,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering violently, hesitated, and failed to accelerate to approximately 35 MPH. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer informed the contact that the engine small block needed to be replaced, but a full engine replacement was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a complaint. The manufacturer advised the contact that a future report would be issued. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Jul 9, 2025 · Engine · 91,000 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle started shuddering. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into the cylinder. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer for parts; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

Filed Jun 18, 2025 · Engine · 90,000 miles · IN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle shuddered. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Coolant Overheating" was displayed on the instrument panel. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Jun 13, 2025 · Transmission · MI

Transmission shift linkage bushing failure and torque converter shudder shudder been on going problem for approximately 12months90000

Filed Jun 11, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · 41,000 miles · OK

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted, and the contact stated that the steering wheel was loose while operating the vehicle. The contact stated that the traction control warning light flashed on the instrument panel during one of the failures. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure of the vehicle. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

Filed May 23, 2025 · Transmission · CA

At 68,000 miles, the transmission began experiencing symptoms of a failed transmission. I took it to the dealer and they confirmed that there was a CONCERN HARSH SHIFT ON 3RD GEAR AND DIAGNOSE DIRECT DRUM CAUSING CUST CONCERN AND SHUDDER CONCERN TORQUE CONVERTER. This diagnosis caused the vehicle to hard shift everytime i would take off and often time cause a kick on the transmission. Because of this, the rear main seal of the engine also gave out prematurely. While driving on the freeway, the engine began leaking oil suddenly from the rear main seal causing the entire bottom of the engine to get soaked with oil. This also caused the oil to fall in to the brake pads and rotors. While driving on the freeway, i lost braking power and could not stop safely. I had to pull to the shoulder and attempt to stop the vehicle. Fortunatelly, there were no cars on the soulder and was able to stop the vehicle. This is where i discovered the vehicle full of oil in the bottom of the vehicle along with the brake pads and rotors. The vehicle was towed to the house about 130 miles. Once discovered, it was taken to Sunrise Ford where they discovered all of the issues. The service tech told me that it is a common problem for those transmissions to fail prematurely and cause other problems. This is a safety issue because after 7 years of the vehicle being on the road with under 100k miles, it is posing a safety hazard not only for the customers but also the public. Please investigate the transmission issue that is leading to other safety issues. This is the 6F35 transmission that is installed on these vehicles. These transmissions are famous for failing prematurely. This was one of those cases. No check engine light comes on to indicate that there is trouble with the transmission. This problem is putting others and oneself at risk because it lead to other failed components. The problem first appeared at 55k miles and around january 2023.

Filed Jan 10, 2025 · Engine · 140,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant leak into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a complaint. The vehicle remained at residence unrepaired. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Jan 8, 2025 · Engine · 90,000 miles · NC

The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact's son stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and white smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions and the coolant level was abnormally low. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Nov 7, 2024 · Engine · 110,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering significantly and the engine overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving at 20 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced and related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12 and TSB Number: 22-2134. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Filed Oct 16, 2024 · Engine · 111,700 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe; there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-2346. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the failure; the manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,700.

Filed Dec 8, 2023 · Engine · 75,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, and the vehicle briefly shuddered. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the head gasket and turbo charger. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 75,000.

Filed Jul 31, 2023 · Engine · VA

In July 2023 my vehicle started to display a shudder upon start up. The check engine light came on. I took the vehicle to my local mechanic who informed me that there was a cylinder 1 misfire. The spark plugs were replaced. Approximately one week later the engine light came on and I took the car to the local mechanic.. The mechanic said cylinder 1 was again misfiring. The mechanic examined the engine and determined that the newly installed spark plugs were corroded due to engine coolant leaks. I was advised that Ford Motors issued TSB 22-2133 for this problem recommending an engine replacement. I took the car to the local Ford dealership for a diagnosis. The dealership informed me that the engine coolant was empty and that the engine needed to be replaced and cited the TSB. Research showed that Ford Motors has known of this problem affecting the 2.0L EcoBoost engine for many years but has not taken steps to discontinue manufacture of the type of engine affected and continued to use it in other models and year vehicles. The sudden loss of engine coolant and resulting catastrophic engine loss is a serious safety issue where a vehicle, if continued to be driven, could overheat, catch fire or cause a serious accident if occurring on a highway at speed. Ford Motors should issue a recall of this engine and replace them in all affected vehicles. Presently, Ford will only replace the engine if after the problems occur and at the consumer's expense. Ford knowingly manufactured, used, and sold defective engines in many model year vehicles risking customer safety and causing consumers financial hardships to correct the problems with no guarantee that the problems will not reoccur.