My power steering suddenly just went out while I was driving did not return

- Henrico, VA, USA

The electronic steering assist stopped functioning causing very difficult steering effort that could have caused a reduced ability to turn and avoid other cars, persons, or ovjects. The car showed -??Power steering assist fault-??

- Belleville, IL, USA

The owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that their daughter was driving approximately 55 mph when the steering wheel began jerking and shaking. While slowing down to make a right turn when the power steering suddenly failed to cause them to crash into a guardrail. The airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed due to the power steering failing and being too difficult to drive. The driver did not receive any injuries or medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who installed a power steering and performed a computer flash. The failure persisted after the repair and had begun to do so more consistently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Shirley, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering became inoperable. The power steering fault and service advance trac warning lights were displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

- Effort, PA, USA

Service advance trac and service power steering now keeps coming on. I-??ve looked this problem up and seems to be a VERY common thing amongst ford fusions. Because of this, my power steering turns off and no matter how many times I reset the code, it keeps turning back on. It makes it very dangerous to drive the car especially if it turns off in the middle of a trip/drive.

- Indianapolis , IN, USA

The car suddenly became hard to steer and had been working fine. No one was injured because the car was at a low speed. The car was checked and there is no power steering.

- Thomaston, GA, USA

while setting in a fast food restaurant drive thru for 1 minute on 03/14/2023. I was asked to pull forward and could not steer my car. I pulled straight ahead to get out of the lane and couldn't steer left or right. I shut the car off for a moment, restarted and the steering works fine. I know that this car has electric assist power steering. I googled the problem with this model and found that many people have had the same issue. Some were saying that Ford covered it on a recall and others said that Ford took care of them on the problem. My car has only 108,000 miles and is in excellent condition. There are owners that have said that the dealership has replaced the rack & pinion, elec. motor, wire harness's, etc. and still have erratic loss of steering. Had this happened in traffic or cornering, the results could be disastrous. There was absolutely no control over the steering when this happened. I contacted Ford and they said that there were no recall/issues with this problem. It seems to me that when they replaced the passenger side air bag in 2019 that they may have done some type of power steering recall/software update?. I am afraid to drive this car until I can get some more info. or resolution on this. I have not been to a dealership at this time since the Ford factory rep. didn't acknowledge an issue or current recalls. When I pressed them on this issue, they suggested that I contact you. After the incident and restarting my car, I safely drove it home about 4 miles with no further incident. I did not notice any warning lights at the time of loss of steering. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Coon Rapids, MN, USA

Steering: Electgric Power Assist System Failure Making the car almost impossible to steer at low speeds.

- Sherman, CT, USA

"Power Steering Assistance Failure" error message, along with total failure of the power steering, reverting to manual steering only. This makes the car unsafe for driver and passengers, and undriveable. The dealer has diagnosed it as an internal failure of the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) that will cost $2,100 to fix. This is despite the fact that the dealer made a software fix two years ago to the PSCM to avoid problems like this.

- Dublin, CA, USA

While driving down the highway car all of the sudden alarmed service power steering now and service advance trac system. The steering wheel then locked up on the highway putting my family in harms way because we were unable to steer going 70mph. We were able to slow down and turn the steering wheel just enough to get off the highway and wait for a tow truck. My car was examined by the local for dealership. There were NO warning lights prior event. No warning signs.

- Warsaw, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while making a right turn, there was a popping sound coming from the steering wheel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the electronic steering assist motor needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to contact a dealer for assistance. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The failure mileage was 76,000.

- Jamestown, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "Power Steering Control Failure" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel responded as needed; however the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear control module was faulty. The independent mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the vehicle was repaired under the recall in 2016. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be charged a repair fee as the vehicle was more than 10 years old. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

- Laurel, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for routine oil change services, she was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering functionality with the power assist fault warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

- Copperopolis, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left or right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH the steering wheel became firm, making it difficult to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the Service Power Steering Assist message was displayed. The contact was able to drive back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the steering assist was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Bethune, SC, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message was displayed on the instrument panel and excessive effort was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the vehicle was diagnosed with power steering failure. The dealer informed him that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

- Elgin, IL, USA

Steering failed rack and pinion

- Hamtramck , MI, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, and the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

Bait n switch at the dealership two years ago -€œno open recalls except for the passenger airbag-€ that-€™s fine. couple nights ago, i go to get some groceries and my power steering fails. no problem, usually, i just turn my car on and off again but this time it-€™s actually quit on me. my dad tells me to check the recalls (which i think is pointless bc i already know there-€™s -€œonly one-€) lo and behold there was a recall on the power steering that coincidentally expired the year i bought the car. i-€™m at 100,000 now and i-€™m the fourth owner. got quoted $190 just for Ford to diagnose it. i-€™m not the type of person to make a big deal over this, i hate lawsuits, i hate haggling, i hate doing all this but i-€™ll be damned if anybody tries to f*** me over over and over again

- Hawthorne, CA, USA

The braking system failed. Yes it-€™s available upon request for inspection. The safety of myself and others were put at risk because it caused me to hit something in front of me. I stepped on the brakes and the pedal went straight to the floor. This has happened multiple times it is putting my safety as well as my children-€™s safety at risk. When I step on the brake pedal there is nothing goes to the floor till I pump the pedal. Initial Lu when hitting the pedal it jerks the steering wheel out of my hand to the right every time. It-€™s not only putting my children-€™s, and my self in harms way but any other driver that might be even near me while driving considering it takes the steering wheel out of my hand uncontrollably.

- Wiggins, CO, USA