YearToAvoid

2012 Ford Fusion Airbags Problems

NHTSA lists 404 airbag complaints for the 2012 Ford Fusion, 16% of all complaints for the year, tied to 36 crashes and 35 injuries. Two recalls (17V024000, marked do-not-drive, and 21V081000) cover driver/passenger airbag module and inflator defects on this model year.

Airbags complaints
404
16% of 2,516
Crashes reported
36
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
35
Median mileage
68,000 mi
Related recalls
4

Typical airbag symptoms owners report

  • Front airbags fail to deploy during moderate-to-severe front-end collisions, even when the vehicle sustains major damage.
  • Side curtain and side-impact airbags fail to deploy in side collisions despite sensor placement near the impact zone.
  • Owners report frontal or side airbags not triggering in rear-end or multi-impact crashes, leaving occupants unrestrained.
  • Seat belts reportedly fail to lock at the same time airbags fail to deploy, compounding occupant injury risk.
  • Airbag non-deployment is reported across a wide mileage range, from very low mileage to around the median failure point of 68,000 miles.

When 2012 Ford Fusion airbag complaints were filed

First complaint Aug 7, 2012, latest Oct 2, 2025.

2012 Ford Fusion airbags complaints: complaints filed per quarter1072012 Q32014 Q42017 Q12018 Q32020 Q12021 Q42023 Q4
404 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2012 Q3 to 2025 Q4; peak 2017 Q4 (107).

Airbags recalls for the 2012 Ford Fusion

  1. NHTSA 21V158000Mar 10, 2021Airbags2,602,668 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  2. NHTSA 21V081000Feb 16, 2021Airbags1,067 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  3. NHTSA 19V001000Jan 7, 2019Airbags782,384 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  4. NHTSA 17V024000Jan 10, 2017Airbags654,695 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

Airbags complaints by Fusion model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 2006319 (44%)
  2. 2007615 (58%)
  3. 2008638 (47%)
  4. 2009359 (35%)
  5. 2010590 (12%)
  6. 2011330 (12%)
  7. 2012404 (16%)
  8. 2013101 (6%)
  9. 201443 (3%)
  10. 201539 (4%)
  11. 201650 (3%)
  12. 201728 (3%)
  13. 20185 (1%)
  14. 20194 (1%)
  15. 20204 (2%)

Frequently asked questions

How many airbag complaints does NHTSA have for the 2012 Ford Fusion?
NHTSA lists 404 airbag complaints for the 2012 Ford Fusion, making up 16% of all complaints filed for that model year.
Is there a recall for airbag problems on the 2012 Ford Fusion?
Yes. Recall 17V024000 covers the 2012 Fusion and is marked do-not-drive, and recall 21V081000 covers driver and passenger airbag module inspection and replacement.
Did the 2012 Ford Fusion airbag issue cause injuries or crashes?
NHTSA data links this airbag problem area to 36 crashes and 35 injuries for the 2012 Fusion, with no fires reported.
At what mileage do airbag failures happen on the 2012 Fusion?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this problem area is 68,000 miles, though sample complaints show failures at much lower and higher mileage too.
How does the 2012 Fusion compare to other years for airbag complaints?
The 2012 Fusion's 16% share of complaints tied to airbags is the highest among the years listed, compared to 12% in 2010 and 2011 and 6% or less from 2013 onward.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.