2012 Ford Fusion steering problems

STEERING

While I was driving my 2012 Ford Fusion on August 3rd the steering cut out. I parked the car and re-started it and it worked again. It went to the shop (Extra Mile Automotive) on XXX where they informed me of the 2015 recall on the steering. Recall number 15S18 and program 15N01 When I spoke with [XXX] Ford in [XXX], they said they replaced the electrical piece of the recall on December 7th 2015, but not the steering shaft. [XXX] (the westlie ford employee) said because the electrical was completed, the recall procedure was marked as completed, even though [XXX] said that this is very much tied to the original recall. I asked him to submit a Special Service Support Center request to get this fixed and he did submit that on XXX. On XXX it was denied. On XXX I also requested to speak to [XXX] supervisor and was connected to [XXX] (id # XXX) who also said there was nothing she could do because this was already "solved" in 2015. This is not a new or unrelated repair request, it is the unresolved second half of a federally mandated safety recall. Ford's own dealership confirmed that my steering gear failure is directly connected to the original defect covered under Recall 15S18, and Ford's own extended coverage program, 15N01, exists specifically to remedy this exact scenario. Despite this documented connection, Ford has now denied a remedy twice, once through the dealer's SSSC request, and once directly through Ford Customer Service, without providing any technical explanation for why a known, recall-covered defect is being treated as ineligible for repair. My vehicle experienced a complete loss of steering assist while in motion. This is an active, unresolved safety hazard on a vehicle currently in use on public roads, and I am filing this formal complaint because Ford has failed to meet its obligation under federal law to remedy a safety defect without charge to the owner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11758395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Vehicle experienced loss of power steering so it was hard to steer.When I called a ford dealership I was told my vehicle didn’t qualify for any power steering recalls so I would have to pay full price which is unaffordable

NHTSA complaint #11757574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I am submitting this formal complaint against Ford Motor Company and its authorized dealership network for falsely reporting a safety recall repair as "resolved" while applying an unauthorized, temporary workaround that left the primary safety defect active. In 2023, I brought my vehicle to an authorized Ford dealership to perform mandatory safety recall service regarding the Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) failure. The dealership subsequently updated Ford’s central database (OASIS) to show that the safety recall was fully resolved and completed for my VIN. However, the official Repair Order / Invoice provided to me by the technician explicitly documents that a permanent remedy was not performed due to a lack of replacement parts. The technician’s exact written notes state: "Customer states power steering is not working. Tech and advised verified concern finding that the ground wire pin on the high current wiring harness to PSCM had backed out of the connector. Reconnected pin and cleared codes finding issue resolved. Issue will continue to happen until the harness is replaced. Harness is unavailable at this time. Glued pin into connectors."Because the dealership glued the loose pin rather than replacing the backordered wiring harness, the temporary repair failed shortly thereafter, resulting in a total loss of power steering assist. For the past three years (approximately 47,698 miles driven), I have been forced to operate this vehicle without functional power steering. Every attempt to have Ford or its franchised dealerships address this safety hazard has been denied because Ford’s internal system incorrectly lists the recall as "The Harness Powers the Recalled Module: The "high current wiring harness to PSCM" is the primary electrical supply to the exact module being recalled. Reprogramming software on a module while leaving a damaged, glued power connector defeats the entire purpose of restoring power steering safety.see photoes of invoice below

NHTSA complaint #11754874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The failure was a recurring failure. The first failure was serviced by the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, a year later, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the rack and pinion was replaced but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA complaint #11753103 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

No check engine, light or anything lost my electronic steering capabilities I’m going down the road

NHTSA complaint #11751442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The power steering system, failure. completely without warning I see recalls on this model. But do not see it on the website. Nor will ford repair it

NHTSA complaint #11751292 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and almost caused a crash. The message "Service Power Steering Now" was displayed. The contact was able to drive to the destination. The contact stated that the vehicle had become undrivable due to the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA complaint #11747366 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

unknown. just bought this car

NHTSA complaint #11746983 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I was just driving and I lost power steering, it was incredibly difficult to steer and it was Heavy Steering, and warnings appeared on the dash.

NHTSA complaint #11745989 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Se traba y se pone duro el "gobierno" junto con la cremallera electroasistida el volante no gira ni con el carro prendido, no eh echo uso de la campaña 15S18, nunca ah Sido asistido por el fabricante Ford, ni mucho menos lo eh metido a un taller de servicio independiente ni con aseguradoras y no me marco algún sensor del tablero antes de que me sucediera este problema con la "dirección asistida averiada"

NHTSA complaint #11739739 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the steering wheel was hard to turn. The low tire pressure message was displayed. There was another unknown system message being displayed. The contact indicated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering pump was the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11738704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Our 2012 Ford Fusion had a sudden and complete loss of power steering & “Power Steering Assist Fault’ flashed on dash. The steering immediately became extremely difficult to operate, requiring both hands and excessive physical force just to turn the wheel. It felt less like driving a passenger car and more like wrestling a fully loaded dump truck with flat tires. This created a serious safety concern because the failure occurred without warning and fundamentally affected our ability to steer the vehicle safely. Fortunately, my wife was not driving at the time. The amount of force suddenly required to turn the wheel could easily be overwhelming, particularly during an emergency maneuver, in traffic, or while entering an intersection. After the failure occurred, we discovered vehicle had previously been subject to recall 15V340000 and Ford Safety Recall 15S18, both involving the exact electric Power Steering Control Module (“PSCM”) that has now failed. Under that recall, a Ford dealer performed only a software update on 10/17/2016. We opened a case with Ford, brought the vehicle to a local dealer & paid for a diagnostic inspection. Using Ford IDS equipment, dealer confirmed the condition and documented ‘NO COMMUNICATION WITH PSCM’. The dealer report quoted “Steering Gear Assembly - Rack & Pinion Assembly Replace: $3,215.81.” The diagnosis was reported directly to Ford under the active case number. Despite the recall history and confirmed failure of the same steering system covered by the prior recall, Ford denied assistance because the earlier software reprogramming had already been completed. Our position is that this is clearly a hardware failure involving the recalled electric power steering system itself — the precise condition the recall was intended to address. Ford’s own recall communications dated May 17, 2019 specifically instructed owners to retain recall documentation in the event this exact situation later occurred.

NHTSA complaint #11737842 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering became inoperable with the electronic power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,020.

NHTSA complaint #11736047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving, but the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance due the manufacturing date of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA complaint #11729931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer, and the power steering control module was updated under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); but the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

NHTSA complaint #11729073 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. While the contact’s girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel jerked and pulled to the right. Due to the failure, the steering wheel seized, and excessive force was needed to turn the steering wheel. The driver was able to avoid striking the curve. An unknown code was displayed. The contact was called and went to the scene of the failure. The vehicle was driven back to the residence nearby. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. While researching, the contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING) and associated the failure with the recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA complaint #11728638 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Good evening, I’m emailing to you regarding my ford fusion q20212. My steering has went out non drivable. I did see where that year had a lot of power steering issues.. could you help me out on the power steering recall and the power train.. also need to get airbag completed. Text me a Time to meet I can’t drive it ar all will need towed. Thank you for print ur time… I really need to get fix so I have ride to work… [XXX] ’s [XXX] text me . Vin number is [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11723156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The Power Steering Assist Fault notice keeps popping up on the dashboard screen. When this happens, the power steering is inoperable leaving me stranded. I've had my mechanic fix it several times (after the Ford Recall on steering didn't properly repair the issue) costing an insane price. It's very unsafe to be on the road & have the power steering go out. It is unsafe not only for me & my family but also for the vehicles traveling around my vehicle. It causes mental distress & anxiety as I never know when I'm going to be left stranded. This time, I'm stranded at the laundromat, on a Sunday. Not knowing how I'm going to get home or to work tomorrow. My receipts for repairs are at home. Until Ford makes this right, I'll never see the Ford brand as a reliable manufacturer nor will I ever purchase or recommend the Ford brand.

NHTSA complaint #11722784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I am writing to formally report that the safety recall repair on my 2012 Ford Fusion has failed to resolve the dangerous loss of power steering. My vehicle underwent the 15S18 recall update only at Tom's Ford back in 2015. On January 20 2026, the steering failed again while driving, creating an immediate safety risk. The dealer has failed to provide a permanent remedy at Jim Hudson Ford in Lexington SC. As safety recalls do not expire, I request a permanent fix of the steering gear replacement within 14 days of this letter, per NHTSA guidelines. If this is not resolved, I will pursue further legal action.

NHTSA complaint #11717684 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I am writing to formally file a complaint and request resolution regarding a serious safety issue involving my 2012 Ford Fusion SEL (VIN: [XXX] ). I have been a loyal Ford customer for over 20 years and have owned only Ford vehicles. Unfortunately, my recent experience with Ford Customer Care and my local dealership has been extremely disappointing and concerning. A few weeks ago, my 2012 Ford Fusion suddenly lost power steering while my young son was driving home from school. This created a terrifying and dangerous situation that could have resulted in a serious accident or injury. Thankfully, he was able to safely pull over, and no one was hurt. However, this was clearly a major safety failure. After this incident, I contacted Ford Customer Care and my local Ford dealership to seek assistance. I was informed that the Customer Satisfaction Program related to the EPAS steering system had expired for my vehicle and that Ford would not provide further support. However, this directly contradicts the information shown in my Ford app. The Ford app clearly lists Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign 15N01 – “EPAS Steering Effort” and instructs me to schedule a free service with a dealer. I later learned that an update was performed in 2015, but the EPAS steering system itself was never replaced—only updated—and that the program was considered a one-time offer. It is extremely upsetting to now face costly repairs for a known safety-related issue that was clearly not resolved correctly the first time. The fact that my Ford app continues to show this campaign as available, while Ford Customer Care claims it cannot be seen in their system and provides no further explanation, is unacceptable. As a long-time Ford customer, I expect transparency, accountability, and support—especially when it comes to safety-related defects. A loss of power steering is not a minor inconvenience; it is a serious hazard INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11715658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

My vehicle all of a sudden showed a "power steering assist fault," luckily it was parked. This is a problem with the 2012 Ford Fusion and I called Koon's Ford in Baltimore to see if this would be covered since my vehicle has never had steering issues before. They said yes, but after a couple days they called to tell me that Ford denied the claim since it is outside of the ten year warranty window. My car does not have a lot of miles for being over ten years old. I understand the warranty is in place for a reason but this is a dangerous manufacturer issue. I could have gotten seriously hurt if it happened on the road so it is upsetting to hear that Ford refuses to cover it. I will try to call customer relations to see if there could be another verdict. It is concerning that the manufacturer does not have an extended warranty for such a dangerous issue and I would like to make it known.

NHTSA complaint #11711350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Electric Steering Fault" was displayed. While driving out of the driveway, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn, causing the vehicle to drive across two lanes of traffic. The vehicle was driven to the local deale,r who diagnosed that the steering gear was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); and was no longer eligible for a related Customer Satisfaction Program to address the steering failure. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA complaint #11709868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Power Steering How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The likelihood of accidents when traveling at lower speeds is increased. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the Ford dealership reproduced the issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? UNKNOWN Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, the message appeared only when the power steering stopped functioning.

NHTSA complaint #11709182 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I recently started to experience hard steering while in transit the power assist light came on and so does the advanced track warning light. I discovered there was a recall so I took it in to the Ford dealership, which was JC Lewis Ford in Savannah, Georgia, but the technician told me that there were too many miles and after 150,000 miles, the recall was null and void

NHTSA complaint #11708126 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

UNKNOWN. I have no power steering. I have contacted Ford and they were supposed to fix my car for free which they did not because it was up for recall.

NHTSA complaint #11707624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

My car lost my electric power steering on November 15, 2025. Ford has a Safety Satisfaction Program15V340000 for this vehicle. The Dealership refuses to honor the program since it has over 150,000 miles on it. Reading through the paper work for the program 15v340000 I never noticed a mileage exclusion. Any help on this issue would greatly be appreciated.

NHTSA complaint #11706927 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the messages "Service Power Steering Assist Fault" and "Advancetrac" were displayed, and the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the steering rack had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the contact related the failure to the recall. The failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA complaint #11706771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the “Service Advancetrac” and “Service Power Steering Now" messages were displayed. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the residence, and the vehicle was shifted into reverse(R), and the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into drive(D), the steering wheel remained firm. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the power steering control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

NHTSA complaint #11706148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle on two occasions, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and excessive force was required to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a defective electric rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA complaint #11704667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.