general problems of the 2012 Ford Fusion - part 1

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 20 mph in the snow, the message "service power steering" was displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle became difficult to maneuver, and the contact had to use force to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact's stepfather used a handheld scanner to diagnose the vehicle and retrieved dtc: c1963-20 and c1511. The vehicle remained at the residence. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

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.

The power steering of the vehicle was lost along with illumination of “power steering sensor assist fault” and “service advance trac. ” the difficulty of steering made it very dangerous on the road. The problem has been diagnosed and confirmed as code 15n01 (formerly safety recall 15s18). The 15n01 is an extended program under safety recall 15n01. I am issuing this complaint as the 15n01 program has an expiration of 150,000 miles and/or date of 10 years since purchase. My car had the original safety recall 15s18 done in 2015 but now is not qualified for the steering gear (15n01). This shows that this program shouldn’t have any limits as these steering gears were shown defective from the factory. Safety recalls never die and what they did as a quick fix for those cars in 2015 that were not showing those dtc’s was not an adequate repair . They should have addressed the steering gear issue instead of just the reprogramming of the pscm.

Purchased in October of 2024,12 Ford Fusion steering failure. Vehicle suddenly became difficult to steer. Issues match 15n01 recall by Ford. Car has under 60,000 miles and Ford refuses to repair. After stating that it should be covered under the recall. Definitely a safety concern. Now stating it was not an actual "recall" now listed as a customer satisfaction program instead of a recall.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The message "power steering assist fault" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 126,000.

Power steering has recently failed. Vehicle unsafe to drive (had to cancel recall appointment to replace air bags). Found an old Ford steering technical bulletin 15s18-s3 for this issue. Never received a recall notice & would never have known of the recall until the issue affected me. This seems to be a safety bulletin. Am I able to get this repaired by Ford on their dime? they are telling me no.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message was displayed. The power steering function was inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated due to a possible canister purge valve failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 165,461.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The service power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 151,000.

Subject: concern regarding power steering failure and recall eligibility – 2012 Ford Fusion hybrid I own a 2012 Ford Fusion hybrid, and recently ( around 2 weeks back) experienced a sudden failure of the power steering system. One morning, as I started the car in the parking lot to head to work, I noticed the power steering was not functioning. A warning light appeared indicating a problem with the power steering system. I contacted a mobile mechanic to inspect the issue. After examining the vehicle, he confirmed the power steering had failed and advised me to take the car to a dealership for repairs. I arranged for a towing service to transport my vehicle to interstate Ford in dacono, colorado. The dealership diagnosed the issue as a failure in the power steering gear and estimated the repair cost to be approximately $3,500. Concerned about the nature of the failure, I researched online and discovered that Ford had issued a recall (NHTSA campaign 15v340000) in June 2015 affecting 393,623 vehicles, including certain 2012 Ford Fusion models, due to similar power steering issues. However, when I contacted Ford, I was informed that my vehicle’s VIN is not included in the recall. I believe this may be an oversight, as the failure in my vehicle matches the conditions described in the recall. A sudden loss of power steering while driving could have led to a serious accident. I respectfully request that Ford re-evaluate the recall criteria and consider including my vehicle’s VIN, as well as potentially others that may be at risk of the same issue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Ford’s official website shows that my 2012 Ford Fusion (VIN: [xxx] ) is covered under customer satisfaction program 15n01 – epas steering efforts, with instructions to schedule free service with a dealer. However, my local dealer refused to honor it, stating it had expired. I never received any notification of this program, and it involves the steering assist system which is a serious safety issue. Please review this matter. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Our power steering failed while driving and is extremely difficult to turn. It is dangerous. We looked up safety recalls and found safety recall 15s18 and 15n01 to repair the power steering due to a manufacturer defect. The dealer charged us $250 to "assess" the issue and then refused to recall the vehicle or make the repairs. It claimed that the car was too old and out of warranty. But this is not a warranty repair it is a safety recall issue for a defective power steering system. Our car has error codes u3000:49, u3000:72, and u3000:96. They are dtcs in the pscm.

My power steering rack and pinion went out after the Ford recall being completed.

Power steering first failed in March 2025 after longer than average driving (vacation). Unplugging the electronic power steering motor from the power supply / data cables resolved the loss of powering steering at that time. The power steering error and failure returned on [xxx] after average driving and upon restarting the vehicle. This time unplugging the power steering motor did not resolve the issue. The vehicle will be going for further diagnosis and repair this week. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My power steering went out while driving and then warning lights came on in dash. I have uploaded photos. I also have seen that there was a recall due to power steering issues with my year make and model in the past. Recall # NHTSA campaign number 15v340000.

I drove about 40 mins to a friends house. Got up the next day to leave and I started the car and the power steering assist fault warning light came on. Nothing led up to this incident. Just all of a sudden.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "power steering assist fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact waited for several minutes and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure had reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the power steering system 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. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 - 60 mph, the advancetrac and power steering systems became inoperable. The advancetrac and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent certified mechanic, where an unknown diagnostic was made. The advancetrac system was reset, and unknown power steering system repairs were performed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic several times. The mechanic reset the advancetrac system a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall and the vehicle did not have warranty coverage. The failure mileage was approximately 29,104.

I am filing a complaint regarding the ineffectiveness of Ford recall 15s18 / NHTSA 15v-340 on my 2012 Ford Fusion (VIN: [xxx] ). On [xxx], immediately after starting the vehicle (prior to moving), the electric power assisted steering (epas) system failed completely and a steering-assist warning illuminated. This occurred when a female driver attempted to operate the vehicle and could not drive it safely without power assist. Modern vehicles like the Fusion are not designed to be driven without epas, and as NHTSA has noted in prior recall actions, loss of assist requires significantly greater effort and poses a safety risk. Diagnostics showed u3000:49-08, confirming internal epas rack failure. The vehicle required full replacement of the steering rack at lilliston Ford (vineland, NJ), costing me $2,460. 65 on July 18, 2025 (invoice attached). Following this repair, new diagnostic codes appeared (b10b9:14-08 and u0423:68-08), coinciding with complete a/c failure. These faults were not present before the epas repair. I purchased a blower motor on July 23, 2025 for $101. 96 to attempt a fix. I requested reimbursement from Ford on July 29, 2025 and followed up on August 19, 2025. As of this filing, Ford has not responded. Because the recall remedy failed to prevent recurrence, and new electrical issues arose immediately after the epas repair, I request that NHTSA review whether recall 15s18 has been effective and ensure Ford honors reimbursement obligations. Attached: repair invoice, diagnostic reports, recall proof, photo, blower motor receipt, and prior correspondence to Ford can be provided if necessary. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the power steering assist became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Steering issue.

My power steering went in my 2012 Ford Fusion. It was recalled years ago and now it has affected my car. I can’t drive it as it is very unsafe. I was told since it was under 150,000 miles it could be fixed but by someone else I was told it will not be fixed. I need some assistance.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with dtc related to customer satisfaction program: 15n01 (epas steering efforts). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no coverage for the repair. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on a main road at 55 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with the message "service advanced track power steering" displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road to restart the vehicle; however, the power steering function remained disabled. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “service power steering” was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, and the steering wheel seized. The message "service power steering" was displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or inspected. The contact stated that another independent mechanic was scheduled to stop by the residence to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,234.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gearbox had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the power steering failed to function as intended and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact called a friend to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that on another occasion, the steering wheel became difficult to turn while driving. The message "power steering assist fault" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rack and pinon had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel started drifting and the contact was unable to keep steering wheel steady. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the steering wheel while turning the wheel in either direction. The contact stated that the "service power steering assist" and "service advancetrac" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the power steering module was electrical, and no repairs could be performed on the vehicle. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence and contacted the manufacturer. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The contact was also provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 214,000.

When I turned my car on to leave for work it was beeping and the menu said power steering system faulty and loss of power steering/ it will also randomly loss power steering while driving down the road.