2012 Ford Fusion Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 404 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2012 Ford Fusion, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 68,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (27% of reports).
- 404air bags complaints
- 68,000median miles at failure
- 36mention a crash
- 24mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 24%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 110 of 404 complaints (27%)
- Able confirm become: mentioned in 34 of 404 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 112 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 404 complaints, 36 mention a crash, 24 an injury.
Ford Fusion air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Fusion | 4 | 2% | 40,643 |
| 2019 Fusion | 4 | 1% | 50,000 |
| 2018 Fusion | 5 | 1% | 64,500 |
| 2017 Fusion | 28 | 3% | 33,500 |
| 2016 Fusion | 50 | 3% | 54,213 |
| 2015 Fusion | 39 | 4% | 39,000 |
| 2014 Fusion | 43 | 3% | 73,500 |
| 2013 Fusion | 101 | 6% | 33,454 |
| 2012 Fusion | 404 | 16% | 68,000 |
| 2011 Fusion | 330 | 12% | 90,200 |
| 2010 Fusion | 591 | 12% | 85,000 |
| 2009 Fusion | 359 | 35% | 90,000 |
| 2008 Fusion | 638 | 47% | 83,500 |
| 2007 Fusion | 615 | 58% | 89,500 |
| 2006 Fusion | 319 | 44% | 101,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
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 module; air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, 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 inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of 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, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of 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." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and 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: 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. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
On [XXX] ,I was driving in my car heading home with my [XXX] son in the backseat when my steering wheel just locked up on me and didn't want to turn and it was just stiff. I turn off my car immediately and waited about ten minutes to turn on. The car started up and the steering wheel became un…
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V34000 (STEERING), 19V001000 (AIR BAGS), and 21V158000 (AIR BAGS); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts were…
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V001000 (Air Bags) 21V158000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Ford Fusions have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 404 owner complaints about air bags for the 2012 Ford Fusion (16% of the 2,516 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 2012 Ford Fusion air bags?
Yes: 4 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 68,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2012 Ford Fusion?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 110 of 404 complaints, followed by “able confirm become” (34).
Other 2012 Ford Fusion problems
See all 2012 Ford Fusion problems or air bags problems across all Fusion years.