10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 42 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 21 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 78,974 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Power Steering Assist Fault in a 2011 Ford Fusion not being treated due to it previously being reprogrammed to satisfy the recall 15S18 but they never replaced the steering gear which is now failing. The CSP 15N01 is now expired on my car and the dealership and Ford corporate refuse to treat it despite the negligence of the original technician who never correctly fixed it in the first place. This is an extremely dangerous issue as power steering may randomly shut off and make it nearly impossible to steer safely. The steering gear replacement was confirmed by an auto repair store.
- 46142, IN, USA
On 12/28/2023, my power steering went out on my Fusion. It gave a message in the message center -??Power Steering Assist Fault-??, and after software diagnosis, the steering rack has been confirmed to be faulty. The vehicle has been a nightmare to drive, requiring up to 14 rotations of the steering wheel to rotate sufficiently, causing minor but repeated injuries to my neck, hands, wrists, and arms. On 1/10/2024, a supervisor called me and again denied an extension of the repair program to replace the faulty rack, putting my income and safety at risk.
- Noblesville, IN, USA
While driving my car the steering went out causing a huge safety issue and making my car un drivable. Has a CSP 15N01 through Ford Motor Company which has a limitation of 10 years or 150,000 miles whichever comes first that went out in 2015 causing owners of 2011-2013 to be forced to pay for the cost related to the repair in excess of $2,000 plus. This defect is Ford caused and should be reopened to the owners of these older vehicles before someone gets seriously injured or results in death by loss of steering. control. Being a mother of 3 with very limited income and this being my only mode of transportation, I am at a loss and will be unable to get this repaired or another vehicle resulting in the loss of my job and my children being unable to get to and from school. This recall should be reopened and this defect repaired.
- Madisonville, TN, USA
While driving at low rate of speed, I lost all steering and check power steering now light came on. I slowly took back roads and drove it home.
- Morgan City , LA, USA
The electronic power steering assist module malfunctioned resulting in loss of steering control. The unit began smoking and was stopped immediately, fortunately in the driveway so there was no risk to anyone while the car was travelling on a roadway. The vehicle (2011 Ford Fusion) is currently not driveable since as soon as the battery is reconnected it heats up and the unit starts smoking again. There is no way to steer the vehicle as a result. There was an online article indicating that this year and model may have been subject to a recall due to the steering defect, but searching the NHTSA database did not reveal this particular issue being addressed. The vehicle has not yet been inspected as it needs to be towed to either the dealer or auto repair shop depending on whether Ford will assist in the repair.
- Stroudsburg, PA, USA
I bought the car in 03/2019. I was not informed about this recall. We had the epsa go out last week, called the ford dealership, made an appointment. Drove the car without power steering to the dealership, they looked at it and told us $2,200. I said there is a recall, the man said I am at 158,000 and that is over the allotted 150,000 miles. I was not informed about this recall, therefore I could not know to go get this fixed. I called Ford customer service and she said they cannot help. This is a SAFETY concern and I do not know how this is even legal. I am filing a formal complaint.
- Grand Rapids, MI, USA
I was driving on the highway and my power steering suddenly went out on me in the middle of traffic. My 2011 Ford Fusion SE had a "Power Steering Assist Fault" on my dash and it stopped working, it only had 117k miles on it. I then took it to the dealership to get it diagnosed and they said it was the Rack and Pinion that needed to be replaced. They told me that its a known problem, and for this generation of Fusion there was an extended warranty for this problem, but only 10 year/150k miles, whichever comes first and my car(12 years old) is now too old to get it replaced at no charge. Said that Ford around 2011 was introducing electric power steering for the first time. The Ford Dealership then wanted me to pay out something like $2300 to have them replace the parts needed. This was so incredibly dangerous to have this suddenly happen, I almost wrecked trying to get off the highway during rush hour. I have no clue why Ford would make a car and not make it a mandatory recall to replace parts for the electronic steering. After Googling my issue, I found many others having this same problem and getting screwed over by Ford. Please don't keep letting them get away with this. I just want to feel safe on the road in my car.
- Kansas City, KS, USA
I experienced power steering failure while driving nearly causing me to have a major accident. This failure is due to a Power steering module failure. Ford had a safety recall for this (14S06), link below. There was no warning. I had a mechanic inspect and confirm the problem. The car is nearly un-drivable. I tried calling a Ford dealership (Tasca Ford, Berlin CT) they told me the recall expired. I called Ford, they told me the same thing. However, Ford's recall support page clearly states "Safety, Compliance, and Emissions Recalls do not expire. Affected vehicles remain eligible until the repair is completed." Link below. I'm at loss. It's a very expensive repair that Ford should cover. Please Help. [XXX] [XXX]. Thanks, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Newington, CT, USA
on November 28, 2023, I was driving about 30 mph when my power steering completely went out. Two warnings popped up stating -??service power steering now-?? and -??service advancetrac-??. The two icons with what looks like tires sliding / tcs indicator are also present. I did nothing out of the ordinary and typical driving. I wasn-??t on icy roads or speeding. I didn-??t hit my brakes in any manner that would trigger a mishap with sliding. But this is scary to have happened and now because it-??s winter in Idaho, it will be absolutely unsafe for me to operate this vehicle. This needs to be taken care of.
- Twin Falls, ID, USA
As I drive the power steering is locking up and my steering assist vault keeps coming on. I have taken my vehicle to Clinton, Indiana Ford dealer & currently taking it back 11/28 for the same issue. Please help. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Montezuma, IN, USA
My power steering has gone out, making it very unsafe to drive. It-??s a workout to turn the car and I do not feel safe driving it.
- Springdale, AR, USA
I had started the car as usual and the dashboard had thrown an error saying power steering assist fault. The steering wheel was very difficult to move and trying to drive was very dangerous. Ford is refusing to cover this service even though the vehicles at 118k miles under the 150,000 mile mark. This is very frustrating as I have researched this is an extremely common problem for Ford Fusions made from this Assembly Plant under extended warranty 15N01 recall 15S18
- Falls Church, VA, USA
Power steering turned off while driving, showing error code U3000 after scanning
- Castro Valley, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to drive to the residence by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that upon arriving to the residence, the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
- Frostburg, MD, USA
The power steering in my car stopped working and I received a Power Steering Assist Fault error on my dashboard. I only have 60,000 miles on my car. I took it to a local Ford Dealer, who advised the steering rack needs to be replaced, which would cost $2,400 to fix. I googled the problem and found recall# 15S18 for the same make and model, but my VIN# was not included. I called Ford about it and they said that recall has been closed out in August 2015 and the issue is not covered under another recall. Why did the recall only cover certain 2011 Ford Fusions and not all of them? I see other people have filed complaints regarding the same issues, as their car was not covered under the recall either.
- Reading, PA, USA
While drive I experienced a complete power steering failure. The steering wheel barely moved while traveling around 40mph surrounding by traffic. The steering wheel basically locked with little to no movement. I immediately put on my hazard lights and pulled to the far right lane where I hit a curb. I heard a chime noise and I looked on the dashboard where it displayed POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT. This same warning message has popped up over the years from time to time when initially starting the vehicle but never while driving. There is a recall on for this issue from Ford # (15S18) for the same year, make and model but just not my exact vehicle Ford had told me. While having my vehicle serviced over the years from Ford I've informed them since 2015. While having an airbag recall fixed by Ford a few years back I informed them about the issue once again and was told I'd have to wait for a recall and not to worry about it. I've never been more afraid in my life of being in a car accident. Upon calling Ford today I was told they know about the problem and I'd have to wait to see if I receive a recall for my vehicle that's unsafe to operate and that I could've been seriously injured in or worse.
- Milwaukee, WI, USA
The power steering frequently stops working while driving the car, making the car very difficult to steer. This definitely puts the driver and others on the road at risk since it is unpredictable when the electric power steering will stop working and making emergency steering maneuvers is impossible when this condition occurs. The vehicle displays the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" when this condition occurs. The vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer or anyone else.
- Marietta, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering was inoperable, and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under an unknown recall repair a year prior and the power steering module was reprogrammed. The contact stated that the failure began after the recall repair was completed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and diagnosed with a failed steering rack. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the repair was not covered under the recall due to the mileage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000.
- Dayton, TN, USA
through due diligence it was found this complaint is related to NHSTA campaign # 15V340000 -??Failure of Electric Power Steering Assist-??. The "Power steering assist fault" messaged appeared while the Owner being [XXX] lost control of the vehicle. Thankfully she works close to home and was able to get the car to her driveway with help. A Dealership diagnosis was Hard steering/lack of assist. and needing rack replacement and alignment. We found that this defect was determined to exist and recall 15s18 was 'performed'. This was only a software update, and hasn't to this day been remedied.. the Gear replacement was never done. Only a software update was done back in Aug 26, 2019 apparently. The Dealership and Manufacturer has been contacted and have denied any actual remedy. According to Federal law The Manufacturer of the vehicle shall remedy the defect in any of the following ways. A. by repairing the vehicle; B. by replacing the vehicle with an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle; or C. by refunding the purchase price, less a reasonable allowance for depreciation. a software update was not a repair. We have the repair estimate which is directly relating to this defect that was foreseen which we didn't get notification of until Oct 17, 2023 and this defect is related to the existing recall afore mentioned. This safety defect has caused a substantial and total loss of the use of the car and is unsafe to drive in possession of the dealership. We seek equity, "Equity will not suffer a wrong to be without a remedy" [XXX] just wants the use of her car (well cared for and only 104k miles) and have the trust with Ford Motor Company to be restored. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Boring, OR, USA
- Orland, CA, USA