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CarComplaints.com Notes: Power steering problems started rearing their ugly head in the 2010 Fusion, so you'd think Ford had plenty of time to make sure those problems didn't creep into the 2012. But here we are.

The Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS) is a mess. It fails at an alarming rate. Don’t believe us? Take a look at NHTSA’s data on the subject.

And much like the power steering, we’re still seeing the same throttle body failures that started in 2010 continue in 2012.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,931 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.

2012 Ford Fusion drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 4 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #91

Jun 302017

Fusion

  • 126,000 miles

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

The electric power stearing went out while I was driving on the highway going 70 mph and pulled me off to the side of the highway and blew out my tire.

- Kingston, OK, USA

problem #90

Dec 262017

Fusion

  • 25,880 miles
I was driving down the street and the vehicle coasted to a stop in the street. Engine was running at idle. Gas pedal had no response. Didn't see any fault indicators. Shifted to neutral. Pushed gas pedal several times with no response. After about 30 seconds gas pedal started working. Shifted to drive and drove to side of road. Drove vehicle to dealer. They pulled fault code P1285. Dealer replaced radiator fan and head temperature sensor. Working okay so far. (3 days)

- Orange, CA, USA

problem #89

Mar 152017

Fusion

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. On two different occasions, after air was applied to the front driver's side tire, the contact attempted to drive when the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The advance trac service power train indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to rob sight Ford (13901 Washington St, Kansas City, mo 64145, (816) 941-1200) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. On another occasion, the front driver's side tire was filled with air when the steering seized. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear fault needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall. The failure mileage was not available.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #88

Nov 152017

Fusion

  • 70,000 miles

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

Half shaft axel is leaking transmission fluid due to the shafts surface finish wearing down the components. This is a known issue with this make model and year. Very costly for consumers to fix and extremely unsafe for the driver and other motorists on the road as I was told it can cause your transmission to blow while driving and stop your car suddenly if not addressed. I only became aware of this dangerous situation when taking my car in for an oil change, due to only driving the vehicle 3,000 miles per year I only get an oil change once a year. Who knows how long this has been a problem.

- Harleysville, PA, USA

problem #87

Sep 132017

Fusion

  • 72,000 miles
City traffic, 30mph. Only had traveled a few miles. Temperature was in the low 90's and dewpoint in the low to mid 60's. wrench tool icon illuminated and the vehicle shook and total loss of power. Could only go 3-5 mph. Pulled off the road. Turned off car and restarted. Icon was off and car ran fine. Service scan tool did not find any faults. After the scan, the dash message center displayed the message: "service advancetrac". intermittent problem with no other error messages and appears to be a common on Ford vehicles. Simply restarting the vehicle should not erase the source of the problem. This is a very dangerous situation if this occurs at highway speeds because of the total loss of power.

- Crystal, MN, USA

problem #86

Aug 172017

Fusion

  • 118,000 miles
Vehicle experiences sudden loss of power at any speed without any warning. The powertrain warning light illuminates, the car becomes unable to accelerate beyond 15mph, and the car must be pulled over in dangerous traffic conditions. Once pulled over and placed in park, the engine attempts to rev itself until the vehicle is turned off. After restarting the vehicle several times, the powertrain warning light will turn off and the car will function normally. This issue occurred seldomly at first, but within a month the car became non-driveable due to the issue occurring every few minutes while driving, which presents a significant safety hazard especially in conjunction with the takata airbag. The issue has been diagnosed by a Ford dealer as a faulty electronic throttle body. Ford had previously issued a customer satisfaction program 13N03 to satisfy the numerous complaints of this same issue, but the parameters of the program were so narrow that despite the vehicle possessing the same throttle body and within the same model year and make, the vehicle does not qualify. The program also expired quickly despite the issue presenting itself throughout the lifetime of the car with many who bought these vehicles used.

- Lee's Summit, MO, USA

problem #85

Jul 312017

Fusion

  • 71,500 miles

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

The electronic throttle body has failed twice within 500 miles. (the vehicle has 71500 as of this writing) both times this has occurred at approximately 35 mph while driving on a flat stretch of road at a steady speed with little input from the accelerator. In both circumstances the car has thudded into "limp mode" where the car can only coast of the road. A restart seems to clear the problem.

- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

problem #84

Jun 072017

Fusion

  • 85,000 miles
My 2012 Ford Fusion sel, when accelerating from a stationary point on a city street, my engine loses power and starts to sputter before the engine shuts off on its own. This problem has happened many times in the middle of traffic, where I'd have to completely stop, put the gear in park, and restart the engine.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #83

Apr 022017

Fusion

  • 81,000 miles
I own a 2012 Ford Fusion and the car has started shutting down when I slow and while stopped at lights. It jerks at times which made me think it was bad gas or something like that. Then it started shutting off. I've taken it to several auto places and no one can tell me what it is. I have read and researched this problem and found that it's happening a lot. Why is there not a recall from Ford on this? I will think twice from buying another Ford..

- Montogmery, AL, USA

problem #82

Mar 292017

Fusion

  • 755,554 miles
For a while know my car would randomly stop. All of a sudden it would decrease in speed and then shake at which time I would pull over and shut the car down after some time I am able to start the car up again and get back on the road. No mechanic can actually find anything wrong with my car so they just keep telling me to come back if it does it again. At first I thought it was the fuel filter so I was told by the mechanic to use fuel injection cleaner in my car. I have done that and it appeared to work however it started up again. I have been having this issue off and on for a while but can never find the issue. I am wondering why hasn't there been a recall on this. I noticed that with this model year everyone is having the same issue. I live in houston and our freeways are not the best places to break down.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #81

Nov 012016

Fusion

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that there was a sudden loss of power. The vehicle failed to accelerate, lunged forward, and jerked while in motion or making a turn. In addition, the power train warning indicator flashed several times. Two dealers were notified of the failure, but the dtc was not present; therefore, the failure was unable to be replicated and diagnosed. The manufacturer had a service campaign, but refused to provide a solution. The dealer would not replace the part unless they could determine the failure. The contact was able to order the part from the manufacturer and replaced the electronic throttle body. The manufacturer had not issued a recall. The VIN was not included in NHTSA action number: PE13003 (engine). The failure mileage was not available.

- Flower Mound, TX, USA

problem #80

Feb 232017

Fusion

  • 44,000 miles
I just hit 40,000 miles, vehicle has become very unsafe, while driving vehicle shuts off. Acceleration take too long and once it kicks in it slams into gear. If I need to reverse it won't find the gear and when it does, I slams into gear, the wrench continues to appear on dash when said event is happening. There should be a recall on that transmission or engine. Very unsafe. When vehicle stalls it becomes a hazard to everyone around me. If someone could please contact me this would be great. Upon searching what the problem could be I noticed numerous complaints about the same issue. Please help! I don't have any photos of the vehicle shutting down and what a hazard it can be. Tell me what to do please.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #79

Dec 022016

Fusion

  • 59,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. After the contact placed the vehicle in the park position and exited, the vehicle began to roll. The contact was able to get back into the vehicle and stop it from moving. The key was removed from the ignition; however, the vehicle would not restart. The contact stated that the 'vehicle not in park' warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #78

Sep 082016

Fusion

  • 68,000 miles
Lose of power. Must stop and restart car. Very close calls on highway with children in car. Both on highway and in town. Not safe to drive, 3rd time in 2 days.

- Ofallon, MO, USA

problem #77

Aug 012016

Fusion

  • 35,000 miles
Harsh shifts between 1-2 and or 2-3, flares when accelerating at times..... clutches seem to be slipping inside the tramsmission at times during hard acceleration....harsh downshifts... when slowing down for a traffic light but not coming to a complete stop and trying to accelerate the car acts "boggy" when the air is on. It seems like it can't decide which gear it should be in.

- Eau Claire, WI, USA

problem #76

Aug 132016

Fusion

  • 81,305 miles
So with in the pass week of 8/8/2016 thru 8/13/2016. I have had a wrench light come on 3 different times and car almost shut off, while driving down the street. So pull over and shut off and crank it back up and go on. However, its becoming a problem and come to find out this maybe throttle control/transmission issue. Somebody gonna get hurt, cause you never know when it gonna cut out on you. Also both door latches will not either open or lock from the inside. Causing existing issue.

- Rossville, GA, USA

problem #75

Jul 262016

Fusion

  • 42,988 miles
Over the past week my 2012 Ford Fusion decelerated, idled roughly, lost power steering and power breaking and the wrench dummy light came on. All 4 times it occurred below 30 mph in clear conditions. The car is extremely hard to handle and luckily I was in areas where I could pull over safely. Once pulled over I was able to restart the car and resume driving. I have brought in my car twice to a local mechanic who could not find any error messages on the computer. I have an appointment at the local Ford dealership to do more diagnostics. I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and its reliability.

- Lansing, IL, USA

problem #74

Oct 182015

Fusion

  • 35,542 miles
I purchased a used 2012 Ford Fusion with 30K miles on it in 2015. While driving on the freeway at 70mph the vehicle lost all power causing me to almost crash. The throttle body was diagnosed as the issue and was supposedly fixed under Ford customer satisfaction 13N03. Fast forward to July 15th, 2016 and the same thing happened while on the freeway. My car is now sitting at my local Ford dealership and either the dealership isn't fixing the car correctly or Ford has more issues they are hiding.

- Holtville, CA, USA

problem #73

Dec 302013

Fusion

  • 1,000 miles
The vehicle will stop running while sitting still (at light, stop sign), I took it in and to the dealership and they said oh yeah there's a computer update. I was never advised of the update and had to have my car die in the middle of several busy roads. After the update the car did not die any longer but that was a safety issue that should have been addressed I had to come in. The car will bog down when you press on the accelerator, it will bog down then lurch forward. The issue is when starting from a stop or any time you are attempting to accelerate. The shifting of gears seems to be slow to change. I have taken it to the dealer and I am told they can not repeat the "issue". I have had issues with braking as well. The car when in reverse on an incline did not work and I rolled down into the street. I had the brakes checked and again was told they were not able to "repeat the issue". the air conditioner will only work when it wants to. Sometimes it blows cold air sometimes it blows hot air.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #72

May 272016

Fusion

  • 40,000 miles
I am facing electrical issue in my car very frequently. The electrical problem occurs two ways, 1) while running 2) while starting the car while running:- when the electrical issue come while car is running then the below problem occurs, 1. transmission should not be set to parking, if set to parking then we cannot move to neutral or drive. It will be stuck and tow is the only option. 2. turn lights will not work. 3. head lights will not work. 4. door glass sliding will not work. 5. ac will not work 6. car display will not work for clock am/fm 2) while starting the car:- if the problem occurs while starting the car then I will be able to only start the car and the automatic transmission will not work. We cannot move the transmission from parking to neutral or drive. Towing the vehicle is the only option. This is dangerous while driving at night, I got this issue one time at night and I got the tough time in towing the car and getting to service centre. As the service centre is always busy they wont get the time to diagnosis immediately and at the time of they check it work properly. Any way they were not able to find any issues with me car. But when I take the car back to home the electrical issue often occurs. No one assure of the safety, and I am trying my best to drive at night and highways. Extremely dangerous.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

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