general problems of the 2012 Ford Fusion - part 2

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.

Randomly at start up, it says "power steering assist fault" we took it to Ford and they couldn't recreate the problem because it was happening at random, and they said they couldn't fix it as it wasn't having the problem at the time. Now it's permanent, we have no power steering assist and is very unsafe for my mother to drive.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 45-50 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "service power steering" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact's husband was able to drive the vehicle to the residence without power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module (pscm) had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under Ford campaign number: 15n01. The manufacturer attempted to contact the dealer on the contact's behalf; however, the dealer was unreachable. The dealer later informed the contact that Ford campaign number: 15n01 had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000.

The contact's stepdaughter owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his stepdaughter was driving approximately 20-30 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had recurred on several occasions. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering became functional for approximately 10 minutes. Additionally, the message "power steering assist fault" was displayed on some occasions. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The failure mileage approximately 100,000.

Power steering went out and it's electrical.

Back in 2022 my power steering went out while I was driving the lights service advancetac and power steering assist fault show up took it to Ford to tell me it was the rack and pinion I got it replaced 3 months ago I’m on the interstate trying to get off as an exit and it went out again with the same messages. This is really alarming and dangerous when is constantly keep happening during driving. Especially for the price at Ford wants to constantly replace it for.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v34000 (steering), 19v001000 (air bags), and 21v158000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not yet made aware of the issue. The contact stated whiling parking the vehicle the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn with the message "service power steering" displayed. The cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 310,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

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 increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The "power steering fault" message was displayed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. 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 not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.

While driving to work the power steering locked up with a code of power steering assist fault. Can you imagine driving down the road in rush hour and this happens to your vehicle?? we have checked into the customer service 15n01 from Ford and it expired in 2015! this should be a safety recall put out by NHTSA!!!! we have read all of these complaints on this website of the exact same problem with the steering going out. This is completely dangerous for the public. Do something now to correct this! NHTSA and Ford please respond!!!!!.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle at the residence, the messages "service power steering” and check stability" were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle steering wheel had seized and was unable to turn to the left or the right. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called a dealer and was informed about a manufacturer’s recall for the electric power steering assist; however, the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was then transferred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 743,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality while turning into the driveway. The contact was able to park the vehicle at the residence. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 ( steering). The contact called the local dealer who confirmed there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer by the Ford mechanic and was diagnosed that the sensor or module to the power steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

Service power steering now and service advancetrac codes came on the cluster. Nothing seems wrong, no burnt fuses or relays. Just lost power steering.

My 2012 Ford Fusion (VIN: [xxx] ) was previously repaired under recall 15s18 / customer satisfaction program 15n01 for a steering assist failure in 2016 at 83,000 miles. In March 2022, at 143,000 miles, the same defect occurred again—power steering warning light came on and steering assist failed while driving. The issue was diagnosed by gillis auto center and confirmed again by mullinax Ford in 2025. Ford refused to cover the repair, citing expired coverage, despite both dealerships confirming it is the same failure addressed by the original recall. I believe this is a safety defect that was not permanently remedied by the original recall repair. I am requesting NHTSA to review whether other vehicles are also experiencing repeat failures. I have attached all documentation in my email to Ford and will provide it to NHTSA upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

All power steering died.

Power steering assist indicator came on. Power steering whent out and could not steer vehicle. It says on internet that the 2012 Ford Fusion sel 3. 0 has a recall but it dosen't show on recall list. This is very dangerous is there a recall on this or not. If not there should be. Please let me know thanks.

The contact's son owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving at 40 mph, the power steering assist failed without warning, and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact's son proceeded to park the vehicle in a parking lot until the contact arrived. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle would be covered under NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). A week later, the contact was informed that due to the age and the mileage on the vehicle, the vehicle was not covered under the recall. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The electronic power steering assist intermittently quits working, making the car very difficult to turn. You do get an alert in the dash when this occurs. This is a known issue for many Ford vehicles. This vehicle has less than 45,000 miles on it, but is beyond the 10-year period that Ford allows under their own "recall" program.

Power steering assist fault warning keeps coming on while driving causing my wheel to lock up.

The power steering failed. The Ford dealership technician identified the power steering gear box was faulty. It is currently at suburban Ford of sterling heights (michigan) and available for inspection. The vehicle has approximately 84,000 miles and is good condition otherwise. This vehicle is used to transport our children to and from school. My wife was placed in danger because her ability to control her vehicle was eliminated. The vehicle had recall 15s18 completed in 2016, but, only the computer was updated. The faulty part was not replaced. The error message associated with this recall appeared on the dash, "power steering assist fault". We had the vehicle towed to the dealership for assessment. A technician at suburban Ford sterling heights identified the faulty part was the same one associated with the recall. Ford customer support would not authorize repairs as part of the recall despite the fact the exact part involved in the recall, which was not replaced, has failed. The vehicle showed signs of malfunction starting Sunday, [xxx]. The power steering intermittently failed on Monday, [xxx]. Our insurance roadside assistance towed it from a commercial location on Monday, [xxx]. The vehicle has no other mechanical issues that could be attributed to this failure. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Power steering assist fault.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the steering wheel to become very stiff. The contact proceeded to coast the vehicle to a stop and the traction control light illuminated. Additionally, the messages "service power steering now" and "advance track system" were displayed. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 198,000.

Power-steering failed as well as received a warning on dash to "service advance trac, service power steering now" all warning came up during a approx. 1 hour drive and the power steering fully shut off after turning car off then back on at a gas station on the way. Lack of power steering puts lives at risk due to the difficulty the driver has in controlling the vehicle particularly at lower speeds where it is more likely there are pedestrians around.

Power steering assist fault. While driving power steering stopped working. No matter what I do to reset it will not work took to dealer found there was a recall the pscm had been previously flashed under 15s18 recall. The steering gear was not replaced which put it under 15n01 program now the internal angle sensor on rack has gone out. So in short they did half the recall repair. Called Ford they refuse to pay for repair saying its past 15n01 guideline's. Which are 10 years 150,000 miles I only had 89k when it went out. Why are safety recalls allowed to expire? for dealer to fix its a $4k repair. The car isnt even worth that. Unfair for consumers!!.