The power steering assist fault alarm comes on when I start the car and the power steering does not work.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

After turning on my car, but before shifting to drive, the dashboard informed me that the Power Steering system had failed. I tried turning off the car and cranking it back up, to no avail. I called the Ford dealership in my area and they told me that there was a recall for this issue and they would take care of it. I made an appointment for the next day (Friday 6/18/2021) and took it in. I was forced to drive it to the dealership without power steering, because they informed me they did not offer towing services. They did not call me until Monday 6/21/2021 to tell me that the part is not covered under the recall and the warrantee had expired. They told me to call customer service, which I did. They informed me that the previous owner of the car had it inspected in 2015 and Ford did not find an issue regarding the recall # 15S18. They extended the warrantee on this part for 10 years from the date of purchase, which was May 11, 2011. My car is currently at the Ford dealership and cannot be safely driven until the power steering is fixed, which would cost over $1900.

- Rocky Mount, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the power steering had failed and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. In addition, the check engine and traction control warning lights had illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle had previously been serviced under 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 170,000.

- San Marcos, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the power steering assist failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer three weeks ago for an air bag recall repair and reprogramming of the power steering control module. The dealer and another dealer Parkway Ford (2104 Peters Creek Pkwy, Winston-Salem, NC 27127) were made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 123,329.

- Clemmons, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the -??service power steering-?? message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact restarted the vehicle later that day, the "service power steering now" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the contact loss power steering functionality. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

- Columbia, SC, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 5 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 33,454.

- Miami, FL, USA

Steering wheel locked up while trying to back out of a parking space. Got warning message on the dash "Power Steering Assist Fault" Could not turn wheel so could have cause an accident. Have not had the problem looked at yet as it just happened 10 minutes ago. The fault message was only visible AFTER the steering wheel locked up. I had no prior warning of the steering failure.

- Malden, MA, USA

Steering wines very bad and steering wheel will not return after turning unless you turn it back straight. The rack seems to be out of it.

- Bruin, PA, USA

The steering wheel locked on me while I was driving. There was a recall on the power steering a few years ago and I got it fixed in August of 2016. It seems this part is still failing in the vehicle. FORD said it os no longer under warranty even though the part was recalled. I was fortunate that I was near my home and not on the highway. The car has been towed to El Centro Motors.

- El Centro, CA, USA

The power steering has sporadically failed twice within the past month while driving at low speed (once at a gas station, another while making a right turn at a stop sign). The incident with the stop sign almost caused a collision because I was unable to turn the steering wheel. I immediately turned on my hazard lights and drifted to a curb across the street. Turning the vehicle off and back on restores power to the steering wheel. The steering wheel is near impossible to turn when the power fails. I took it to the Ford dealership where I purchased the vehicle, and they stated I needed a new steering rack. They asked for ~$1500 to replace the steering rack (I declined). I researched recalls on the 2011 Ford Fusion and found that there was a recall for steering failure. Unfortunately, my vehicle's VIN is not included in that recall.

- Winchester, VA, USA

Message center indicated power steering assist fault and there was a complete loss of steering.. this vehicle is a 2011 but has only 46,000 miles on it.; tool it to Ford dealer for diginostic and they said no code and steering rack needed replaced at my expense since the recall was only for 10 years.

- Sharpsville, PA, USA

Every time I try to park or get out a parking area my power steering assist fault, brights up my dashboard and I can't move or control my car without turning my vehicle completely off. Even sharp turns or quick U turns my wheel locks up. Whenever I'm in motion whether it be slow or accelerating it locks up no matter what and the only solution is for me to turn my car off and on and even then it won't always work.

- Inverness, FL, USA

Got a flat tire, put the spare tire on. When we restarted the car, the power steering was out.

- Kouts, IN, USA

Ever since Ford Motor Co. Installed a new steering box due to one of the past recalls, the steering locks up at random but mainly when backing up and turning at the same time. However, it has locked up when traveling within traffic (in the city and freeway) which is very scary.

- Roseville, CA, USA

The contact's niece owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her niece was driving approximately 15 mph through a roundabout, the vehicle loss power steering assist with a message on the instrument panel. The steering wheel stiffened. The vehicle began to drive forward while she was attempting to turn the steering wheel. The contact's niece was forced to come to a complete stop to turn off and restart the vehicle. The vehicle then resumed normal driving functionality. Her niece then took the vehicle to bell Ford (1200 NJ-27, woodbridge township, NJ 07067) where they informed her of NHTSA campaign number: 15V340000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and they informed the contact that the vehicle was under warranty for the power steering failure. The contact then called maplecrest Ford Lincoln of union (2800 springfield ave suite 1, vauxhall, NJ 07088) and was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under a warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

- Elizabeth, NJ, USA

The 'power steering assist fault' warning light started coming on sporadically as of 3-25-2021 when I start my car. If I turn the car off and turn it back on, the warning message goes away. I read the Ford did a recall on some 2011 Ford Fusion for this problem but my VIN is not included in the recall. If my Fusion is having the very same problem as the recalled Fusion, I do not understand why my Fusion is not included in the recall.

- Omaha, NE, USA

My local Ford dealership replaced the steering box a couple of years ago and ever since the car's steering locks up when I turn the steering to the right quite a ways and try to parallel park in reverse.

- Roseville, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 5 mph, the steering wheel ceased without warning. The contact parked the vehicle at her residence. The contact stated that she experienced the failure on three different occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the electronic steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle had been repaired three times previously. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,343. The contact has stated that the problem occurred once while traveling on the highway at a speed of 70mph. The contact stated that they were almost in a collision and were stuck on the highway, waiting to be towed.

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked making the vehicle undriveable. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and unlock the steering wheel. The contact stated that the steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15V340000 (steering). The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering ceased. The contact restarted the vehicle for the power steering to function properly. The failure became more persistent over time. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated along with an unknown error message. The vehicle was taken to woody anderson Ford (2500 jordan ln nw, huntsville, al 35810, (256) 513-4597) who stated that the key needed to be replaced. Additionally, a special tool was needed to remove the code the vehicle was displaying. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

- Huntsville, AL, USA