A 2017 Ford Fusion can be flat towed in some versions, but not in all of them. That is the piece that catches a lot of people. One owner hears that a Fusion can ride behind a motorhome with all four wheels on the ground and assumes every 2017 car can do it. Another owner hears a hard no and assumes the whole Fusion line is out. The truth sits right in the middle, and Ford spells it out in the owner’s manuals.
If you only want the fast answer, here it is. A 2017 Fusion Hybrid or Fusion Energi can be flat towed using Ford’s Neutral Tow feature. A non-hybrid 2017 Fusion with the 2.7L engine can also be flat towed using Neutral Tow. A non-hybrid 2017 Fusion with the 1.5L, 2.0L, or 2.5L engine cannot be flat towed for normal RV use. Those versions need a tow dolly or a full trailer, depending on whether the car is front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
That may sound fussy, but flat towing is one of those subjects where a small mix-up can turn into a very large repair bill. From the outside, the cars look close enough to fool anyone. Underneath, the transmission and drivetrain rules are not the same. A Fusion that looks ready to follow an RV down the highway may be the wrong version for that job.
The Short Answer
Yes, a 2017 Ford Fusion can be flat towed if you have the right version. Ford allows four-down recreational towing for the non-hybrid 2.7L Fusion using the Neutral Tow feature. Ford also allows four-down recreational towing for the 2017 Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi using Neutral Tow.
No, not every 2017 Fusion can be flat towed. Ford says non-hybrid 1.5L, 2.0L, and 2.5L front-wheel-drive models cannot be flat towed with all four wheels on the ground. Ford also says non-hybrid all-wheel-drive versions with those same engines cannot be flat towed with all four wheels on the ground. In those cases, the car needs a tow dolly or a trailer instead.
There is one more wrinkle. Ford gives a separate emergency-towing rule for a disabled 2017 Fusion. Under that short-distance rule, the car can be flat towed regardless of powertrain and transmission setup, but only with the car facing forward, in Neutral, at no more than 35 mph, and for no more than 50 miles. That is not the same thing as normal RV towing.
Why the Answer Changes by Engine
People usually talk about a car by its badge and model year. For everyday conversation, that is enough. For flat towing, it is not. The drivetrain is what calls the shots. The transmission, transfer setup, and tow mode features decide whether the car can roll behind a motorhome without hurting itself.
That is why the 2017 Fusion is not a one-line answer. Ford built several versions of the car, and they do not all play by the same towing rules. The 2.7L setup gets a real Neutral Tow feature for four-down towing. The Hybrid and Energi get their own Neutral Tow path as well. The 1.5L, 2.0L, and 2.5L non-hybrid cars do not get that same green light.
Think of it like two keys that look nearly the same in your hand. One opens the door. The other jams in the lock. The shape looks close enough until the moment the lock decides the truth.
Which 2017 Fusion Models Can Be Flat Towed?
The non-hybrid 2017 Fusion with the 2.7L engine is the gas-only version Ford says can be towed with all four wheels on the ground. Ford says this setup may be towed using the Neutral Tow feature, or it may be carried with all four wheels off the ground on a vehicle transport trailer. If you choose four-down towing, the manual says to tow only in the forward direction, release the parking brake, enter Neutral Tow mode through the vehicle settings and rotary shift controls, and stay at or below 65 mph.
Ford also says to start the engine and let it run for five minutes at the beginning of each day and every six hours or less while towing. That is one of those little manual lines that is easy to skip and expensive to ignore. The Neutral Tow message has to confirm the mode is engaged before you keep going.
On the electrified side, the 2017 Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi are also approved for four-down recreational towing. Ford says those cars can be towed with all four wheels on the ground using their Neutral Tow feature, or they can ride on a transport trailer with all four wheels off the ground. For those cars, Ford says to stay at or below 70 mph and to start the engine for one minute at the beginning of each day, then shift from Drive to Reverse to Neutral before towing again.
Which 2017 Fusion Models Cannot Be Flat Towed?
If your 2017 Fusion is a non-hybrid 1.5L, 2.0L, or 2.5L front-wheel-drive car, Ford says it cannot be flat towed with all four wheels on the ground for normal RV use. The manual recommends towing it with the front wheels off the ground by using a tow dolly. That keeps the driven wheels from turning in a way that can hurt the transmission.
If your 2017 Fusion is a non-hybrid all-wheel-drive car with the 1.5L, 2.0L, or 2.5L setup, Ford is even firmer. The manual says it cannot be flat towed with all four wheels on the ground and recommends moving it with all four wheels off the ground, like on a car-hauling trailer. In plain terms, that means no four-down RV towing for those versions.
This is the split that matters most when someone asks the question in a generic way. A 2017 Fusion SE, Titanium, or another trim does not answer the towing question by itself. The engine and drive layout do. If the car is one of the non-hybrid 1.5L, 2.0L, or 2.5L versions, flat towing behind a motorhome is off the table.
Do Not Mix Up Emergency Towing and RV Towing
This is where many owners get tripped up. Ford gives one set of rules for emergency towing and another set for recreational towing. They are not the same, and they should never be treated like the same thing.
For emergency towing, Ford says a disabled 2017 Fusion can be flat towed regardless of powertrain and transmission setup, but only under tight limits. The car has to face forward. The transmission has to be in Neutral. The speed has to stay at or below 35 mph. The distance has to stay at or below 50 miles.
That is a rescue rule for getting a disabled car moved when better equipment is not available. It is not a free pass for towing any 2017 Fusion four-down behind an RV from one state to another. A lot of confusion starts when those two sections get blurred together. One is roadside mercy. The other is normal travel.
What Neutral Tow Means on the 2017 Fusion
Neutral Tow is Ford’s built-in way of letting certain versions roll behind another vehicle without the normal damage risk that would come from just leaving the car in a regular gear setting. On the 2.7L car, and on the Hybrid and Energi, Ford gives a step-by-step process through the ignition and information display to place the car into that mode.
Once it is engaged, the car confirms that status on the display. That confirmation matters. Flat towing is not a place for “I think I did it right.” The mode should show that it is active before the tow begins. If the setup is wrong, the drivetrain can pay for the mistake long before the trip is over.
This is one reason people who tow often get almost ritual-like about their setup steps. It is not because they enjoy extra chores. It is because missing one step can turn a simple travel day into a repair-shop story.
How to Tell Which 2017 Fusion You Have
If you bought the car used, do not guess from memory or from what the seller said in passing. Check the owner’s manual, look up the VIN, and confirm the engine. A 2.7L Fusion Sport and a 2.0L Fusion can both wear the same basic body shape, yet one is four-down capable and the other is not. That is too large a gap to leave to a shrug.
You can also check the build information on the car itself or ask a Ford dealer to decode the VIN for you. Five minutes spent checking the exact drivetrain is a lot cheaper than buying tow gear for the wrong car or finding out the bad way halfway through a trip.
What This Means for RV Owners
If you already own a 2017 Fusion and want to tow it, the first move is not buying a tow bar. The first move is confirming the engine and towing section in the manual for your exact car. If you have the 2.7L non-hybrid, the Hybrid, or the Energi, Ford gives you a real path to four-down towing. If you have a 1.5L, 2.0L, or 2.5L non-hybrid, Ford does not.
If you are shopping for a used 2017 Fusion to use as a dinghy vehicle, that split should steer the whole search. The wrong engine turns the deal cold right away. The right engine or electrified model keeps the idea alive. It is much easier to choose the right car now than to try to bend the wrong car into the job later.
This is also why the 2017 Fusion can feel a little tricky as a tow-car candidate. It is not a flat no, and it is not a flat yes. It is a yes for a narrow slice of the lineup and a no for the rest.
The Bottom Line
Can a 2017 Ford Fusion be flat towed? Yes, but only in the right version. Ford says the non-hybrid 2.7L Fusion can be flat towed using Neutral Tow. Ford also says the 2017 Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi can be flat towed using Neutral Tow. Those are the clear yes answers for normal recreational towing.
No, the non-hybrid 1.5L, 2.0L, and 2.5L versions cannot be flat towed behind an RV with all four wheels on the ground. Ford says those cars need a tow dolly or a trailer, depending on the drivetrain. Ford also gives a separate short-distance emergency flat-tow rule for any disabled 2017 Fusion, but that rule is capped at 35 mph and 50 miles and should not be confused with normal RV towing.
So the real answer is not “the 2017 Fusion can be flat towed” or “the 2017 Fusion cannot be flat towed.” The real answer is that some 2017 Fusions can, some cannot, and the engine is the gatekeeper. Once you know which version you have, the answer becomes a lot cleaner.