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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:
44 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
13 / 1
Average Mileage:
71,102 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2012 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 13 of 65)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1055

Jan 202022

Fusion 4-cyl

  • 54,921 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist warning light illuminated and the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with power steering assist failure. The dealer replaced the steering gear and steering rack related to Extended Coverage Number: 15N01; however, the VIN was not included in the extended coverage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer denied the steering gear and steering rack replacement since the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 54,921.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #1054

Feb 132022

Fusion

  • miles
Power steering fails on and off going down the road. Makes it very difficult to control vehicle. says power assist failure, I see this is a problem and has recalls before but when i put in my vin number nothing comes up.

- Vandalia , IL, USA

problem #1053

Jan 012022

Fusion

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the steering was inoperable. The steering wheel failed to turn as needed with a steering fault message displayed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not covered under special coverage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Doylestown, PA, USA

problem #1052

Feb 082022

Fusion

  • miles

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

As of now what I'm aware of, the power steering has went out on the car. I was driving and the traction light came on by itself but then it went away. Two days later as I was driving and making a turn the wheel wouldn't budge unless I used ALOT of force. Only at specific speeds does it become a little easier to drive. My safety was at risk because I had enough time to turn toward the light, but someone coming off the freeway almost hit me from the back from how slow I was going. The wheel got stuck since I wasn't accelerating and I let the brake go slowly since I was turning, so I stopped in middle of the road for a second. I had to realize that my wheel was messing up while in the middle of driving. Yes I got the car checked out by a local car repair shop. They were able to confirm that for me as well. I spoke with representatives as well from the ford service department and they informed me I would have to get a new electrical rack since it does not run on fluid. This has not happened before or previously. The traction light stays on continuously and they just started to appear a couple days ago. I have not been driving the car since because I am scared of the wheel getting stuck or affecting anything else.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #1051

Feb 042022

Fusion

  • miles
The power steering control module failed causing a complete loss of the ability to steer. The car WILL NOT steer at all. Vehicle was towed to the dealer where they wanted $1850 to replace this power steering module which has already been replaced in the past under what I believe was a recall for this vehicle. The exact part they replaced has failed again. This is a very dangerous issue and needs to be addressed further. Once the loss of steering happened a message popped up on the dash "Service power steering immediately" or something very close to that message...

- Springfield , OR, USA

problem #1050

Jan 222022

Fusion

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive only forward and park in front of her residence. The contact stated, later on, the steering wheel services warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure however, the dealer did not have an appointment available until 2/10/2022. The contact called a second local dealer; Tasca Ford Berlin (250 Webster Square Rd, Berlin, CT 06037, (860) 828-3546), and made them aware of the failure however an appointment was not available until 1/28/2022. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the mechanic associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #1049

Jan 032022

Fusion

  • miles

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

My electric power steering locks so i was not allowed to drive

- Vernon, CA, USA

problem #1048

Dec 082021

Fusion

  • 69,099 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist. The contact was able to manually drive the vehicle back to her residence. The contact was informed by an independent mechanic of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall or covered under warranty. The contact requested that the mechanic repair the vehicle at her expense even though she believed that she should not be responsible for the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,099.

- Fairborn, OH, USA

problem #1047

Jan 022022

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "service power steering-?? and "service StabiliTrak, '' warning messages appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the failure. He had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed him of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) which he linked to the failure; he was then referred to a dealer for assistance. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #1046

Dec 242021

Fusion

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the son was driving approximately 40 MPH, the power steering assists suddenly failed to cause the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The power steering and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 120,000.

- Felicity, OH, USA

problem #1045

Dec 202021

Fusion

  • 93,000 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 while driving 50 MPH, the "Steering Assist Fault" warning message was displayed and the steering wheel locked up. The contact was able to pull over and restart the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment for diagnostic testing. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

- Tifton, GA, USA

problem #1044

Dec 222021

Fusion

  • miles
The electric power steering suddenly stopped working while my child was driving causing her to almost crash. I had to drive the car home and it is almost impossible for me to turn the wheel at 200lbs - there is no chance that she could steer the car like this and it just suddenly stopped working while driving with no warning. It is scheduled to go to the dealership to be looked at but I am told even though 2012 Ford Fusions are being recalled for this exact issue - hers is not part of the recall? No warning prior to it being disabled - once disabled yes, it tells you it-??s not working. I have driven plenty of cars with no power steering and they are drivable - this requires your full body weight to force the car to turn and at 120lbs - you just don-??t weigh enough to turn the car or stop it safely. I am thankful she was not on the Highway because that could have ended VERY badly.

- Liberty, MO, USA

problem #1043

Mar 042017

Fusion

  • miles
I was driving in North Miami Beach, Florida when I suddenly felt something change in the car. At the same time, I noticed a warning light turned on. I decided to stop to see what was going on. At the time is when I noticed the steering wheel went stiff. Invoked up what the warning light meant and it was for the power steering. I took the car in to the mechanic to change the rack and pinion. This fixed the problem, but six months later the problem was back. From then on the steering wheel is stiff. It is dangerous to drive this way so I took it to Ford to get fixed, but I was quoted $2,500 with only a 2 year warranty. I have read online from other Ford Fusion drivers the issue usually reoccurs even when fixed. There is a recall for my model vehicle for power steering, but Ford told me my particular VIN does not fall under the recall even though it fits the model and year description of the recall.

- Fayetteville, AR, USA

problem #1042

Dec 172021

Fusion

  • miles
2012 Ford Fusion. Consumer stated that while driving there was a sudden lost of steering.

- Waltham, ME, USA

problem #1041

Dec 122021

Fusion

  • miles
On Sunday, December 12, I dot in my car and noticed the power steering assist fault light was on. I proceeded to drive and was struggling to turn the steering wheel. This is a very dangerous situation. I drive to work many miles as well as drive my daughter to school every day. This is a clear danger to my family and I as well as the community.

- Clifton, NJ, USA

problem #1040

Dec 102021

Fusion

  • 172,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon the start of her vehicle, the power steering assist fault warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact then called a dealer and was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer who then referred her to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000.

- Prospect Hill, NC, USA

problem #1039

Nov 152021

Fusion

  • miles
The power steering assist failed while driving on freeway. Steering all but locked up. Power assist failure code presented itself beforehand, pretty much from the week I purchased it, and the owner's manual instructed to pull off road, turn off engine and restart to stop code (??), which always worked, until 2 weeks ago. It was a very scary and unsafe situation when it failed while driving. After research I found out Ford used shoddy and faulty parts for the power steering modules. I never received any correspondence from Ford or NHTSA for my vehicle, yet when I called a Ford dealer they said my car was affected and could be fixed if under 150,000, which it is not. But, had I k own this was an issue, I would have had it repaired from the beginning, and not followed what the FORD MANUFACTURER OWNER'S GUIDE SUGGESTED each time. I want my car repaired by Ford and they are refusing stating NHTSA was responsible for recall informing, which again I was not informed.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #1038

Oct 252021

Fusion

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, the power steering assist failed to operate without warning. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The mechanic also informed him that since the power steering was electric, the vehicle had to be serviced and programed by an authorized dealer. The contact then took the vehicle to a dealer and it was confirmed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. He was provided an estimate for the repair but was declined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Nashua, NH, USA

problem #1037

Oct 312021

Fusion

  • miles
My 2012 Ford Fusion experienced a loss of power steering assist. I received a message on my dashboard stating "power steering advance fault, service Advancetrac system". I was driving back from a nearby store and could not move the steering wheel without using all of my strength. The component was not inspected by the dealership from which I bought it. I was not informed about this issue. The dealership was Motormax Of Gr.

- Sparta, MI, USA

problem #1036

Nov 042021

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 173,200 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the service power steering now and advancetrac warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to her home. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure and both informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer had referred her to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 173,200.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

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