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The short version
- A Fusion wheel bearing has the sharpest ordering trap on this site, a single day build cutoff.
- 2014 front wheel drive cars built through 17 January take 512498. Cars built from 18 January take 512497.
- This page runs 2006 to 2020. A handful of positions past 2017 sit past the catalogs, and they are named plainly below.
- Front and rear are both bolt on hub units on these cars, so neither end needs a press.
Most parts changes happen at a model year boundary. This one moved mid January instead.
Two cars on the same lot with the same badge can end up taking different hubs. It is the clearest reason on this site to read the door sticker before ordering anything.
Nothing about the two cars looks different from the outside. The only proof is a date printed on a label most owners have never read.
Skipping that label and guessing from the model year is how the wrong hub ends up on the car. It bolts on fine and still does not match.
The 2014 build date split
On 2014 front wheel drive cars, hubs built through 17 January take 512498. Cars built from 18 January take 512497 instead.
The build date sits on the door jamb label. That sticker settles the question faster than any paperwork.
Cross referencing a stamped number against either listing runs through the cross reference page.
Why one number covers front and rear
512498 covers a front position on some years and a rear all wheel drive position on others. WE61444 does the same across 2020 front and the 2018 to 2019 rear.
That looks like a catalog error and is not. A hub unit is defined by its bolt pattern, bore and encoder.
Which end of the car it lives on does not enter into it.
Matching by the number itself, not by front or rear alone, is the safer habit on this model. A number stamped on the old part settles the question faster than a position ever will.
512271 shows the same pattern earlier in the table. It covers a rear row labeled with four wheel ABS for 2006 and 2007, then a plain front wheel drive rear row from 2008 through 2012.
What is fitted
Front and rear are bolt on hub units on this car. There is no press work and no machine shop trip either end.
The usual obstacle is corrosion holding the old hub in its bore. A puller handles that without any special tooling.
Neither end asks for a machine shop or a hydraulic press. That keeps the job within reach of a driveway toolbox on either corner.
A hub that failed well inside its expected life is also worth checking against warranty terms before paying out of pocket. That question is covered on the warranty page.
The newest and oldest years extend the front
A 2020 Fusion wheel bearing at the front resolves to a real number. 2018 and 2019 front do not appear in the catalogs checked for this page.
The rear all wheel drive position stops short too, resolving through 2019 but not 2020. The rear front wheel drive position does not appear past 2017.
Each of those gaps is named in the table rather than filled with a guess. None of them is large enough to make the page unusable, but each is worth knowing before ordering.
The 2018 rear all wheel drive listing does not change by engine. The catalogs print the same number against the 1.5 liter, 2.0 liter and 2.5 liter options offered that year.
Diagnosing a Fusion wheel bearing
- Confirm year, drivetrain and build date before ordering anything for a 2014 car.
- Rock the wheel at twelve and six with it raised.
- Weave at road speed to see whether the noise follows load to one side.
- Coast in neutral for a rear noise, to separate the driveline from the wheel.
- Rule out the tires before buying anything.
Full walkthroughs are on the checking page and the tire noise page. Pricing a quote against these numbers is on the quote page.
A quote that skips the build date question on a 2014 car is worth a second look. It suggests the shop has not confirmed which of the two hubs the car actually needs.
Fusion wheel bearing part numbers
Three questions decide the row here. Year and drivetrain come first, and for a 2014 front wheel drive rear, the build date in January decides the rest.
| Years | Detail | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Rear, past the catalogs | match old part or VIN |
| 2018 to 2020 | Rear, front wheel drive, past the catalogs | match old part or VIN |
| 2018 to 2019 | Front, past the catalogs | match old part or VIN |
| 2020 | Front, Bearing and Hub Assembly | WE61444 check price |
| 2019 | Rear, all wheel drive, Bearing and Hub Assembly | WE61444 check price |
| 2018 | Rear, all wheel drive, Bearing and Hub Assembly, all engines | WE61444 check price |
| 2015 to 2017 | Rear, front wheel drive | 512497 check price |
| 2014 to 2017 | Rear, all wheel drive | 512498 check price |
| 2014 | Rear, front wheel drive, from 18 January | 512497 check price |
| 2014 | Rear, front wheel drive, through 17 January | 512498 check price |
| 2013 to 2016 | Front | 512498 check price |
| 2008 to 2012 | Rear, front wheel drive | 512271 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Rear, with four wheel ABS | 512271 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Rear, without ABS | 512272 check price |
Every model year this chart resolves: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. A 2018 or 2019 front, a 2020 rear, and a 2018 to 2020 front wheel drive rear each sit past the catalogs and go by the old part or the VIN.
A 2014 Fusion wheel bearing at the rear front wheel drive position is the one row on this page where the model year alone is not enough. The door jamb label settles it in seconds.
512498 also reappears for the 2013 to 2016 front and for the 2018 rear all wheel drive across three different engines. That repetition is the catalogs reusing a common hub, not an error to question.
WE61444 does the same thing further on, covering a 2020 front and both the 2018 and 2019 rear all wheel drive positions. Treat both patterns the same way and match by the number.
Price links lead to Amazon searches for that number. As an Amazon Associate this site earns from qualifying purchases.
Common questions
Which Fusion wheel bearing do I need?
It depends on year and drivetrain. On a 2014 front wheel drive car it also depends on the build date printed in January.
Where is the build date?
On the door jamb label. That is the only reliable way to resolve a 2014 front wheel drive rear.
Why does one number show at both ends?
A hub unit is defined by its bolt pattern, bore and encoder rather than by which end it fits. The same part can serve either position.
Do I need a press?
No. Front and rear are bolt on units on this car, so a puller and a socket set are enough for either corner.
Is a 2020 Fusion documented?
The front is. The rear is not in the catalogs checked for this page. Match the old part or the VIN at that position instead.