2006 Ford Fusion Air Bags Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 21, 2026 · 319 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 319 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2006 Ford Fusion, 44% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 101,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (29% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Takata air bags: mentioned in 91 of 319 complaints (29%)
  • Confirm become: mentioned in 19 of 319 complaints (6%)
  • Bag indicator: mentioned in 16 of 319 complaints (5%)

At what mileage do air bags problems happen?

Based on 72 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles5 · 7%
10k–25k miles1 · 1%
25k–50k miles9 · 13%
50k–75k miles7 · 10%
75k–100k miles13 · 18%
100k–150k miles23 · 32%
150k+ miles14 · 19%

How serious are the reports?

Of 319 complaints, 25 mention a crash, 18 an injury.

Ford Fusion air bags complaints by model year

Peak: 2008, with 638 complaints
2006: 31920063192007: 6156152008: 63820086382009: 3593592010: 59120105912011: 3303302012: 40420124042013: 1011012014: 432014432015: 39392016: 502016502017: 28282018: 5201852019: 442020: 420204

n = 3,530 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearAir Bags complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2020 Fusion42%40,643
2019 Fusion41%50,000
2018 Fusion51%64,500
2017 Fusion283%33,500
2016 Fusion503%54,213
2015 Fusion394%39,000
2014 Fusion433%73,500
2013 Fusion1016%33,454
2012 Fusion40416%68,000
2011 Fusion33012%90,200
2010 Fusion59112%85,000
2009 Fusion35935%90,000
2008 Fusion63847%83,500
2007 Fusion61558%89,500
2006 Fusion31944%101,500

When owners reported it

Peak: 2017, with 146 complaints
2006: 2200622007: 222009: 4200942012: 112013: 1201312014: 772015: 3201532016: 22222017: 14620171462018: 1061062019: 122019122020: 332021: 4202142022: 442023: 1202312026: 11

n = 319 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (3)

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleMar 10, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V158000 · 2,602,668 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 10, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V024000 · 654,695 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveMay 31, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V384000 · 1,892,343 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

The contact's wife owned a 2006 Ford Fusion. The owner received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V001000 (Air Bags) and 21V158000 (Air Bags) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The contact's wife no longer owned the vehicle. The manufacturer was unreachable.

Received Jul 21, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11751757

The contact's daughter owned a 2006 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed that the steering wheel was locked, making it difficult to control the vehicle. As a result of losing control of the vehicle, the contact's daughter was…

Received Jun 2, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11525095

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair might be completed in…

Received Nov 22, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11494616

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2006 Ford Fusions have air bags problems?

No. NHTSA has 319 owner complaints about air bags for the 2006 Ford Fusion (44% of the 730 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2006 Ford Fusion air bags?

Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do air bags problems start?

The median reported mileage is 101,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2006 Ford Fusion?

The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 91 of 319 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (19).

Other 2006 Ford Fusion problems

See all 2006 Ford Fusion problems or air bags problems across all Fusion years.