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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Fusion builds off the 2010's reputation. That's not a good thing.

The first thing that jumps out is the ridiculous amount of power steering complaints. It grinds, it squeals, and it eventually just fails.

And if losing power steering isn’t enough for you, how about a sudden loss of engine power? That combination is enough to achieve clunker status.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
42 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
21 / 1
Average Mileage:
80,373 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Ford Fusion steering problems

steering problem

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2011 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 4 of 64)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1208

Dec 242022

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her son was pulling out a parking spot, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became stiff. The service power steering assist message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was not available.

- Midway Park, NC, USA

problem #1207

Dec 272022

Fusion

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that the service power steering message was displayed. Due to the failure, the contact had to use excessive force to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Steubenville, OH, USA

problem #1206

Dec 152022

Fusion

  • miles
Lost power steering while driving the car.

- Norwell , MA, USA

problem #1205

Dec 092022

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power steering has failed intermittently (at least 5 separate occasions) while driving. The failure was inconsistent between times driven and parked. First time noticed, turned vehicle on and could barely move the wheel. Turned vehicle off and back on and didn't have an issue with the steering wheel or on the road and got home okay. The issue started out this way and then once it was consistent it was unable to operate the vehicle safely. This vehicle is our main vehicle so it happened to myself and to my husband while on his way home from work. However, when the power steering failed was extremely difficult to turn the wheel while driving. We took into dealership and the diagnostics was the electrical power steering is faulty and the traction control has failed. After looking into the issue - we believe our 2011 Ford Fusion may have been one of the recalls that should have been included for the power steering failure recall that was sent to other 2011 Ford Fusions. We did not receive a notification, however after viewing online - Ford recalled 445K vehicles with the same exact issue.

- Rockford, MN, USA

problem #1204

Dec 152022

Fusion

  • miles
While driving the power steering suddenly went out causing me to nearly crash. I was looking online and saw on their website that there was a safety issue and that they were fixing them. Since this was under the recall page and under the airbag recall, I had assumed that this was also under a recall. This was under campaign# 15N01. I went to a Ford Dealership (Veterans Ford) to get this and the airbag recall fixed. They then called me back and told me that not only was this issue not covered by a recall, that they would be charging me $250 dollars for the inspection. They also said it would cost $3900 dollars for the repair and that I had to have it done because it was a known safety issue. They said the fix was already done in 2015 when they reprogrammed the electric steering, when I took the car in for a warranty repair and airbag replacement (which was not done because they didn-€™t have it in). I then called FORD directly for some answers and the guy told me that they were not obligated to repair it because it was not an actual safety recall. I told him why was this under a safety recall page and why was I charged $250+ dollars and the guy kept repeating (like he had done this countless times) that it was not a safety recall and that there was nothing that they can do. Upon researching this issue online, it seems to be affecting thousands of people, all of whom say they nearly (or have) gotten into an accident. I-€™m sure there have been people seriously injured or killed by this sudden loss of control but not enough for anything to be done about it.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #1203

Dec 102022

Fusion

  • miles
Complete steering gear failure, replaced by Witt Ford, I will request they keep the part for inspection. Driving down the highway when steering gear failed, no power steering placed driver and others on highway at risk. There were no warning lights or message until after failure of steering gear. Recall on steering issue 15v340000. I have never received any recall information or notified about any steering gear issue. Vehicle serviced by ford dealerships since October 2019 at least 10 times. Vehicle also registered with FordPass. Informed by dealer that recall and covered repairs expired at 10 years or 150000miles.

- Pembine, WI, USA

problem #1202

Dec 052022

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power steering went out while driving, I came close to hitting someone head on, but was able to get it pulled over to the side of the road. Then the warning light came on.

- Clinton, OK, USA

problem #1201

Dec 012022

Fusion

  • miles
Received a fault warning on the instrument panel about the power assist system and the power steering was out; fortunately this was not while driving. After a little research, found out this can be intermittent. On the third try of starting, the error cleared and steering was fine. Took it to the Ford dealer as power steering failure is obviously very dangerous if it occurs while driving, which often happens to people with this problem. Lots of internet searching revealed this is a common problem with Ford's electronic power steering. No related recall but the Ford website and the dealer both showed that there was a "customer relationship program" related to this, but only for the first 10 years you own the car (mine is 11 years old). Will be $3k-$4k to fix. I could skip the fix and pray it never happens while driving, but that seems dangerous. Options seem to be to pay multiple thousands of dollars, drive a dangerous car, or trade it in (hoping it doesn't fault when they inspect it).

- Chantilly, VA, USA

problem #1200

Nov 252022

Fusion

  • 177,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality with the power steering assist fault warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted and stated that the power steering module software was updated; however, the power steering assist was not replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 177,000.

- Oconomowoc, WI, USA

problem #1199

Nov 192022

Fusion

  • miles
I have a 2011 ford fushion hybrid it has approximately 116,000 miles. I was driving on mountain roads. The power steering went out without warning. There was no warning sign. The power steering stopped working and the vehicle became difficult to steer even at minimal speed. The vehicle was unable to be repaired and had to be transported on a trailer home. After notifying a dealer, I was told of a customer satisfaction program recall that would service the Steering components however it had a 10 year or 150,000 miles expiration. My vehicle was more than 10 years from original purchase date and therefore, ford would not cover this under warranty. The vehicle remains unrepaired and inoperable due to this known unsafe issue.

- West Unity , OH, USA

problem #1198

Nov 122022

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power steering system just failed/froze up on me one day. The car was barely able to be steered and took my entire strength to move the vehicle. I took it to the dealer and they are saying it is not covered by a recall. Ford recalled the power steering units in 2011 Ford Fusions pursuant to campaign number 15N01. Now Ford is claiming that it is not covered under the recall. I never received notice of any recall. If I had, I would have taken it in.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #1197

Nov 172022

Fusion

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while pulling out of her garage, the vehicle lost power steering functionality temporarily. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The contact stated that on one occasion, the power steering became operable after turning off and restarting the vehicle. However, the last failure lasted for approximately 20 minutes. A message indicating power steering assist failure was displayed. The contact was able to continue driving by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) since the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #1196

Oct 082022

Fusion

  • miles
On two occasions (10/8/22 and 10/24/22) the vehicle had a loss of power steering. And I had difficulty turning the steering wheel. At the time the vehicle was going slow 5 to 10 mph, luckily I was able to stop. Both times the dashboard had a message " Power Steering Assist Fault". I took it to the Ford Dealer where the vehicle had been purchased from. I was told the computer diagnosis reported faults. This diagnosis cost alone was $275, and I spent a total of $3267.10 to repair the problem. This appears to be a known issue with this vehicle as there was a recall in 2015 (which in this vehicles case was handled with a reprogramming) and Ford extended 10 year warranty for replacement of the part if that wasn't originally done under the recall. The vehicle had an extended Service Plan, yet the extended warranty started with the original sale date. The car was purchased new October 10, 2010, the 10 year warranty expired October 2020! Luckily the incidents weren't serious, but Ford should take responsibility for not replacing the part under the original recall!

- Belmont, CA, USA

problem #1195

Oct 042022

Fusion

  • miles
Power steering (electric) went out and left me with no way to control my car 2011 Ford Fusion resulting in me wreaking my car

- Grandview, IN, USA

problem #1194

Nov 042022

Fusion

  • 70,111 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the Advancetrac and power steering assist warning lights illuminated as the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was then towed to a local dealer, where the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) was reprogrammed, the steering gear was replaced, and an alignment was completed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 70,111.

- The Villages, FL, USA

problem #1193

Oct 282022

Fusion

  • miles
The service advantrac light came on then went off. About a week later I was merging off the interstate taking a friend home and the advantrac light came on AND it says service power steering and the power steering went out so I luckily was able to get the car home and didn-€™t wreck and hurt myself or someone else. I-€™m seeing that there was a recall but I don-€™t know if mines was fixed i just got it a year ago. I-€™m contacting the ford dealership tomorrow to see what can be done.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #1192

Oct 262022

Fusion

  • 86,000 miles
The contact-€™s son owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while her son was driving at undisclosed speeds, he heard a grinding sound in the steering wheel while turning in either direction. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact stated that the failure was related to the recall and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Indialantic, FL, USA

problem #1191

Oct 292022

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 70,250 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while she was reversing, the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The steering wheel seized and required excessive force to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, it was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was made aware of an unknown Extended Warranty on the steering. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer and the contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting a diagnostic test and repair. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,250. The contact purchased a new vehicle and no longer needs a follow-up on the complaint.

- Kent, OH, USA

problem #1190

Oct 252022

Fusion

  • 155,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. Upon return of the vehicle from the dealer after routine maintenance, while the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist message displayed. The contact's son had to use excessive force to drive the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was contacted about the failure but offered no assistance. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

- Steelton, PA, USA

problem #1189

Oct 092022

Fusion

  • 121,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to steer. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized upon arriving at her destination. The AdvanceTrac and the power steering assist warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact referenced Ford Recall Campaign Number: 15S18 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

- Cherry Hill, NJ, USA

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