My son was driving me on the interstate at about 70 mph. Without any warning, the power steering went out. I am glad he was driving as I had heart surgery a while back and it is very difficult for me to drive this car now. There is also no way that my wife can drive it. Every time I get in the car, I pray that I do not pull something in my chest because it is very difficult to steer. I have a $32000 car that is a piece of junk. I called Ford and they just as well to say tough luck. They have no plans to fix it.

- Charleston, WV, USA

I was stopped at a 3 way stop. As the car started moving I could not steer the car. When I finally stopped the car I was partially in a someone's yard with a culvert and telephone or electric pole only 2 or 3 feet from me. I thought the car had gone dead. I tried to crank the car only to realize it was still running. I then put the car into reverse and backed out. That was when I realized the steering was the problem. The advance track system then came on. After reading the manual I was hoping that it was due to us having put new tires on the week before. When we took the car to our mechanic he said that Ford would not sell the part and we would have to take it to a Ford dealer. Needless to say it is costing $1700 to repair this. There was a new motor put in the vehicle when it was 2 1/2 years old. It also went out with no warning whatsoever and Ford told us this was the second car they had this happen to.

- Bremen, GA, USA

On the way to work tcs light and power steering light came on and the dash said service power steering soon and service tcs system soon, then the next time I started my car it wait service tcs and power steering "now" and then there was no power steering at all just manual steering.

- Victorville , CA, USA

Upon exiting the highway and coming down the ramp the dash displayed a message to "service power steering now" then a message to "service advancetrac". the power steering went completely out and I had to use much force to turn the steering wheel. Contacted the dealership service department to setup a service appointment. I have the 6 year, 100,000 mile warranty, but was informed that this was not covered under that warranty. Was told that I would have to pay out of pocket to have the car diagnosed and repaired.

- Etta, MS, USA

I was traveling during clear conditions, approx. 45 mph, when suddenly the power steering turned off and nearly caused me to crashed my car. I had received a check steering and advancetrac light when I first turned on the car, then 20-30 minutes into my trip the power steering failed and I nearly lost control. This is a very dangerous piece of faulty equipment that needs to be addressed. Ford needs to be held accountable for this. It should not take over 500+ complaints to warrant attention. However, had I been in a fatal crash I'm sure that would attract more attention.

- Parkland, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. While driving at 65 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to turn the vehicle. The traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,682.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the power steering warning lamp illuminated and the vehicle had a sudden loss of power each time the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for further inspection and diagnostic testing. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Hastings, NE, USA

When driving the power steering system stops and it makes it impossible to make a turn left or right. I called the dealer and it will cost me about $2,000 out of pocket to repair. Error message is, "power steering failure".

- El Paso, TX, USA

I was driving and service power steering soon and advance trac lights suddenly came on. When I arrived at my destination, I turned off the car and then turned it back on and dash message appeared saying to service power steering now. I went to turn the steering wheel and I could not turn the steering wheel at all. I then had vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer notified me that the power steering rack needed to be replaced at a cost of $1600. I had no prior issues with the power steering prior to this sudden, unexplained incident.

- Royersford, PA, USA

The power steering failed making the car difficult to steer.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

While driving "service power steering and service advance track" came on. I stopped the car thinking we had time and when I got back behind the wheel I had no power steering. I was able to navigate to the dealer where I was told I had low tire pressure in right front wheel causing the system to shut down. No message on dash regarding low tire pressure. Very concerned for safety we live in the mountains and this could have been a disaster if we were on one of our famous one lane S curve roads.

- Check, VA, USA

My Ford Fusion SE with 4 cylinder, with electric power steering suddenly stop working. I could not turn my wheels to the right or to the left. It just froze and stuck. I could not drive my car at all. I just could move forward and backward but cannot drive it at all. It is very dangerous to drive that car. I felt that Ford company is responsible for that repair. My Ford Fusion has broke down twice prior to that power steering problem. The transmission broke down under warranty around 20,000 miles and was covered by the warranty. But the second time, the transmission broke down again around 40,000 miles on it and I have to pay for transmission repair even though it was under warranty. Ford do not cover wearable parts but I believe that they are responsible for them. I had to pay close to $2,000 to fix that transmission. Now third time Ford Fusion have another serious problem with power steering. I called gary crossley Ford and they said I will have to pay another $2,000 dollars to fix just the power steering. Ford Fusion has so many problems like door latch that came out. And other electric problems appearing again and again without any explanation. Please ask Ford company to cover the power steering repair. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Kansas City, MO, USA

This is the second incident I had with my steering. The entire steering rack was replaced 2 months ago. I paid $1800, only for this to happen again. I was driving on a busy road, and then suddenly assist power steering appeared. It was a straight road so I didn't realize that the steering had locked and I was unable to get into the turning lane. I was driving and stuck on a main rod. It felt like my brakes were out. I had no idea what to do. I kept driving and eventually used every ounce of strength to pull over the vehicle on a busy road. Not only did I feel like endangered because of the steering but because of where it happened I thought someone was going to hit me or my car while I was waiting on the side road for a tow truck. This part has a defect and needs to be corrected. This is the second steering rack in 3 months.

- Royersford, PA, USA

The car has been trying to change lanes by itself for 2 weeks now, steering wheel jerks by itself while driving, had a total failure of electronic power steering as my wife pulled in the driveway which almost resulted her in hitting a vehicle.

- Hazel Park, MI, USA

While traveling home from school recently, my son, experienced without warning a sudden and total failure of the electronic power assisted steering on the 2010 Ford Fusion that we purchased for him to use at collage in the fall. Fortunately, he was on a straight stretch of road and not in the middle of one of the many winding curves he travels on his way home from school. Also, fortunately (for Ford Motor Co.) he was not meeting another car in one of those curves. Being an inexperienced driver and faced with the sudden and total loss of such a critical system; (such as power steering) the outcome quite possibly could have been catastrophic. Furthermore; it would appear the problem is systemic in nature, plaguing not only Ford Motor Co., but other auto makers as well. It is my opinion that the world is not yet ready from an engineering standpoint, to allow electronics to replace critical yet mechanically simple systems whose possible failure can be life-threatening. Consider also that due to the structure of all corporations, the motivation for any change in system engineering can only be profit based. The consumer should in no way be forced to bear the cost, financial or otherwise, for simple engineering mistakes which appear to be based on profit rather than sound engineering practices.

- Eads, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. While driving at various speeds, the power steering failed without warning. The dealer stated that the power steering pump would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 39,000.

- Thomasville , GA, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the power steering failed to operate and the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

- Canton , NC, USA

The steering assist failure message came onto the dashboard, and the power steering failed. I restarted the vehicle several times, and it did not reset.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 10 mph, the service power steering was displayed across the message board and the traction control warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to turn the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the power steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Jackson, MS, USA

The steering wheel fault assist alarm comes on when I try to start the car and there is no power steering and all I have is manual steering and popping.

- Helenwood, TN, USA