Steering Rack And Pinion problems of the 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Steering the vehicle became harder over the weekend. Not significantly, but somewhat more difficult than normal. It felt like I was fighting the steering some. It wanted to do one thing and I wanted it to do something else. Before I was able to get it in the shop, the steering began to catch each time the wheel was turned in the opposite direction. It did not affect directional control, but was an annoyance. The steering wheel pressure required to turn remained the same as after the initial incident. When taken to the shop, they indicated the electronic steering control was making a noise and possibly causing the catching and recommended I take it to the dealer. The dealer replaced the entire rack and pinion system and the associated electronic steering control at significant cost. This is the first time I have ever had steering issues on any car and most of my vehicles are not replaced until close to 200,000 miles. I researched the issue and found that NHTSA is investigating the steering on the fusion and want to provide this information for the investigation.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the service steering now warning message illuminated as the steering wheel seized and excessive force was required. The contact merged over to the emergency lane and shut the vehicle off. The vehicle was restarted and the steering resumed normal operation. However, the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnosis and they stated that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The dealer reprogrammed the electrical power steering but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000. The VIN was unavailable.