2020 Ford Fusion: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Feb 4, 2026 · Engine · NC

Last month, while transporting my brother to his arm surgery in Chapel Hill, NC, I observed unusual and audible shifting behavior when engaging the vehicle's sport mode. This mode is typically utilized for extended journeys on highways and interstates. Although the anomaly was brief, I did not initially consider it significant. Several weeks later, upon departing from my community college campus, I encountered a red light near Santa Fe Drive. The vehicle exhibited a hesitant and labored acceleration, eventually moving forward. This incident was particularly concerning given the high volume of traffic during that time of day. I subsequently stopped at a nearby 7-Eleven for fuel, suspecting a low fuel level might be the cause. No engine warning lights or mechanical indicators were illuminated, and the oil life was at 70% with appropriate oil levels. Fast forward to the last week of January. On Wednesday the 28th, I began to notice recurring shifting issues with the vehicle during a class break. Additionally, engaging reverse consistently resulted in a harsh shift. As I was leaving my neighborhood to return to class, the vehicle completely failed to engage gears or accelerate. At this point, both the wrench and check engine warning lights illuminated. Upon returning home, I utilized the code reader provided by my mother last Christmas, which displayed the code "P0772." This confirmed my prior research regarding potential issues with the EcoBoost engine. I am relieved that this mechanical failure did not occur amidst the heavy traffic typically found on 210 Murchison South , I-295, Bragg Blvd Fayetteville/Spring Lake and other routes heavily trafficked due to the military base. The high speeds on these roads could have led to a dangerous situation, potentially causing a rear-end accident or other involving other drivers who may be speeding or inattentive. I am grateful that I did not experience a stall in the middle of traffic, which could have compromised my safety.

Filed Jul 21, 2025 · Suspension · CA

Vehicle Make/Model/Year: Ford Fusion, 20XX (replace with your year) Component Affected: Suspension – lower control arm bushing or mount Summary of the problem: I am reporting a recurring and well-known issue with the lower control arm bushings on Ford Fusion models from 2013 and newer. In my case, the bushing wore prematurely, causing a clunking or cranking noise when turning, especially at low speeds. The bushing or bolt appears to shift even when torqued properly. This problem has been acknowledged by many other owners as well. Safety risk: This affects the vehicle’s handling and stability. It can cause loose steering, misalignment, premature tire wear, and could result in suspension failure while driving. This poses a real safety concern, especially during cornering or evasive maneuvers. Repair history: This issue is so common that owners often have to replace the bushings or the full control arm multiple times. Even after replacement, the problem can come back, suggesting a design flaw. Community evidence: There are many online complaints and forum threads about the same issue in Ford Fusions from 2013–2020. This appears to be a widespread defect that has not been formally acknowledged by the manufacturer. Request for action: I’m asking the federal safety agency to investigate this recurring suspension issue and determine if a safety recall is warranted. This is a design defect that affects vehicle safety and should be addressed by Ford.

Filed Jun 16, 2025 · Suspension · OH

At approximately 99,900 miles, my 2020 Ford Fusion began experiencing serious transmission issues, including rough shifting, hesitation, jerking, and difficulty accelerating, especially at low speeds or while merging onto highways. These symptoms created an unsafe driving situation, particularly in traffic and intersections. I took the vehicle to multiple repair shops to have the issue diagnosed. This process caused my mileage to go slightly over the 100,000-mile recall coverage limit for transmission repair assistance, but I have full documentation showing that the transmission problem clearly began while the vehicle was still under the limit. I later discovered that Ford had issued a recall or Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) related to known transmission issues on this model. The CSP is 22N12, however, I never received any notice from Ford by mail, phone, or email about this recall or warranty extension. I was unaware it existed until after my car began to fail. Despite being under the recall threshold when the issue began, and having proof, Ford has so far refused to fully cover the cost of the repair, only offering partial assistance due to the slight overage in mileage. This is a serious safety defect. My vehicle hesitates or fails to shift properly at critical times, putting myself and others at risk of collision. I was not informed of the recall, and now I'm being financially penalized for Ford’s delay and lack of notification. I cannot afford this out-of-pocket expense, and I believe it is unfair and unreasonable to place this burden on consumers, especially when safety is involved. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency review this matter and urge Ford to take full financial responsibility for the recall repair. This defect is not due to misuse or wear-and-tear, but is acknowledged by Ford as a manufacturer issue I have an open case with Ford Corporate in which they have failed to get back to me about the issue. Case number ([XXX]) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (

Filed Jun 6, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 25,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the flex plate had fractured. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Filed Jan 25, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · MI

Hard shifting when accelerating/decerating, jerking of the car due to transmission issues (80k miles), ABS/Braking issues due to engine components not being in sync, etc

Filed Dec 14, 2020 · Electrical, Transmission · 17,500 miles · IN

The touchscreen display is not working. It turned completely black. I cannot change the radio station. I shut off my car and turned it back on and it is still not working had to hard reset the system car also shifts hard in and out of park and reverse, makes a clunking sound and shifts hard in first and second