There are far worse cars on the used market than the 2014 Ford Fusion, but there are far better cars out there, too. With 16 recalls and two open investigations on the books, the 2014 Fusion gives you a lot to worry about.
Key Points
- The 2014 Ford Fusion‘s most severe issue has to do with the car failing to shift into park and potentially rolling away downhills, with four recalls having been issued on this matter.
- Complaints and recalls point to poor build quality throughout, with four recalls being issued for doors failing to latch, and one for the steering wheel coming loose.
- As more 2014 Fusions cross the 100,000-mile mark, more and more transmission issues are being reported, with cars failing to shift and demanding replacement at around $3,500 a fix.
- Ultimately, the 2014 Fusion is an okay car in its segment, with a Kelley Blue Book value starting around $12,000. However, models like the Camry, the Accord, and compact SUVs like the CR-V make for a more reliable experience overall.
Out of 16 Recalls, One of the 2014 Ford Fusion’s Biggest Reported Problems is Potential Roll Away
The 2014 Ford Fusion has sixteen recalls on the record. That’s a lot of recalls for a car that’s not even a decade old. For reference, the 2014 Sonata and Altima have just six recalls each, while the Malibu has eight. So the Fusion’s rate of recall is considerably higher than the average in the mid-size class.
Among the most severe recalls listed on the NHTSA website: unintentional rollaway due to a detached shift cable. This recall was issued in July of 2018 for around half a million 2013-2016 six-speed Escapes and Fusions. Drivers would move the shift lever into the park position and then remove the ignition key. But, the transmission wouldn’t always go into park. This had to do with degraded shifter cable bushing, and the fix had dealers simply replacing this part.
Soon enough, this same problem popped up again, this time affecting a quarter-million 2013-2016 Fusions with 2.5L engines, and another recall was issued in May of 2019.
So far there have been no further recalls for unintentional rollaway, so Ford seems to have finally put this issue to bed, but all the same, it might not be a bad idea to point your wheels toward the sidewalk on hills as a preventive measure.
These recalls may be related to a November 2014 recall for around 56,000 units that could have the keys removed without the shifter being put into park. So you could say that this is the car’s most persistent major problem.
2014 Fusion Build Quality Issues Like Loose Door Latches and Steering Wheel Detachment Keep Popping Up
Build quality issues have plagued the 2014 Fusion almost since the day it launched. The car has been subject to four recalls thus far for doors unexpectedly opening. These recalls were issued in April of 2015, March of 2017, March of 2020, and June of 2020, covering more than five million Ford units across several nameplates.
Add to that, three steering recalls, including a March 2018 recall for steering wheels suddenly detaching. This recall covered more than one million Lincoln MKZs and Fusions dated 2014-2018, with many of the car’s 226 steering complaints pointing to this issue.
The door latch issue may still be ongoing, as the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has not yet closed the investigation that they opened on the matter in December, 2019.
At present, the purpose of the investigation is to determine whether the previous recalls adequately addressed the problem. When the same issue pops up four times in six years, it’s only reasonable to wonder if it will happen again. All we can do for now is wait and see what the NHTSA’s investigation turns up.
2014 Fusion Powertrain Problems are Common, and more Expensive, after 100,000 Miles, Demanding New Transmissions at $3,500
One recall and 187 powertrain complaints point to a number of issues affecting the transmission going well beyond the parking problem.
The recall was issued in March of 2018 for just over 5,000 units that could potentially see transmission clutch slip, and fluid leak, resulting in a potential fire hazard.
The complaints generally point to the transmission not shifting as expected. One driver saw the car failing to shift up after revving to over 4,000 rpm. Another driver was not able to shift out of reverse and into drive. Many of the powertrain complaints follow this general pattern: it doesn’t go into drive, it doesn’t upshift or downshift, and it doesn’t go into reverse when it’s supposed to. In many of these cases, the driver had to get the entire transmission replaced, a fix that starts out in the area of $3,500.
It should be mentioned that, in quite a few of these complaints, the car is reported to have over 100,000 miles on the odometer. Still, for a transmission to last less than 200,000 miles is unusual, but to be clear, these aren’t fresh-off-the-lot vehicles with transmissions falling out. If you’re the second or third owner of a 2014 Ford Fusion, you may have to deal with the wear and tear that a previous owner put on the car by not getting the transmission fluid changed regularly.
You Can Do a Lot Worse than the 2014 Ford Fusion, but You Could do a Lot Better, Too
Some of these issues are quite severe, and some of them are surprisingly common. If you’re driving a 2014 Ford Fusion, it’s almost a total guarantee that your VIN was included in at least one of the recalls listed above, if not several of them.
To be clear, there are far worse cars out there than the 2014 Ford Fusion. But, starting at around $12,000 on Kelley Blue Book, with interior features that were outdated even in 2014, and with the hybrid models carrying batteries that are ready to burn out and be replaced any day now, the concern over a steering wheel popping off the column and coming loose in your hand might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
It’s not the worst 2014 mid-size on the market, but there are much better options in this price range if you’re looking for something safe and reliable, like the Camry, the Accord, and compact SUVs like the CR-V.
Photos: Ford
