It would be awesome to buy a car and be able to assume it wouldn’t have any problems and would be at least as good as previous model years. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Ford Fusion owners, especially of model years 2010 and 2011, have run into a number of problems. Here’s a look at the common issues for these model years of the Ford Fusion.

Why the 2011 Ford Fusion is the worst

CarComplaints.com asks owners to submit their vehicle problems, and the site then displays the info visually. According to the site, the biggest issue with the Ford Fusion for all model years is steering problems. The site declared the 2011 Fusion as the worst because it has higher repair costs and problems that appear at a lower mileage count. The 2011 model year has enough problems that Car Complaints has given it their “Clunker” status.

Owners of the 2011 Fusion have dealt with power steering failures. Of the 244 complaints submitted for that model year, 106 have been related to steering problems and 86 have been for power steering failures. Owners reported that the power steering failure appeared on average around 72,150 miles and cost about $1,620 to repair. The 2010 model had similar issues.

Car Complaints listed the second- and third-worst issues as transmission problems that include slipping and lost power. The transmission problems appeared on average around 49,000 miles and cost $3,000 to fix. Losing power happened to people around 71,000 miles and cost about $600 to repair.

The 2010 Ford Fusion has even more complaints

The first-generation Ford Fusion got a refresh for the 2010 model year. These changes also earned the 2010 model the most complaints of all the model years, with 379 logged on Car Complaints. However, these issues are less expensive to fix than the 2011’s problems and appear at a higher mileage on average.

This year also earned Car Complaints’ “Clunker” designation. The power steering problems began with this model year. Car Complaints listed other top issues in addition to the power steering as steering rack failure and also sudden deceleration or loss of power.

Low owner satisfaction ratings from Consumer Reports

The same issues are reflected in the owner satisfaction ratings given by Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports bases its ratings on member surveys that ask about vehicle problems in 17 different categories, which owners have experienced in the past 12 months.

Since the car premiered in 2006, the Fusion has received two out of five for owner satisfaction for several model years, including the 2010 and 2011 model years. Other years that owners weren’t happy with are 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. However, 2018 and 2019 have received four of five and the 2020 model year is predicted to have a four as well.

More recent model years of the Ford Fusion

Car Complaints labeled the 2012 and 2013 Fusion models as “Clunkers” as well. The 2012 Fusion still dealt with power steering issues, but the 2013 Fusion’s biggest issues were engine problems. The 2013 model was the first year of the Fusion’s second generation, but it still took some time for the bugs to be ironed out. The 2014 model year wasn’t marked as a “Clunker” but still had 171 total complaints.

Since 2015, complaints on Car Complaints have dropped. Each of those recent years has been below 75 total complaints. So far, 2018 and 2019 have three and one complaints, respectively, with none submitted to date for the 2020 model year.

With so many years to pick from when buying a used Ford Fusion, steer clear of the 2010 and 2011 model years and their power steering problems.