I purchased a new 2012 Ford Fusion sel car in August 2011. I now have 55K miles, mostly highway miles, so the standard warranty does not apply, even though I have not exceeded the 3 years. I did not buy the extended warranty due to advice that Ford Fusion are highly reliable. While under warranty, the advancetrac indicator light on the dash and advancetrac service message has happened multiple times. I was even leaving the Ford service when the service advancetrac indicator lit up and message occurred. I immediately returned and showed it to the service person. They checked it out and said it can occur if one tire turns more than another so it was not a problem. Recently, my wife was driving 25 mph when the steering suddenly became difficult and power steering failure messages and advancetrac popped up. She said she almost hit a parked vehicle on the side of the road. I took it to the dealer and they indicated the rack needed to be replaced. That is a $1,375 repair plus the $225 they charged me alignment. The Ford service department indicated that there are no recalls for this problem on the Ford Fusion. I believe this is a safety issue and have found many posting of recalls on multiple models of Ford for the same issue.

- Seminole, FL, USA

I got off the highway and when coming off the ramp I got an error message stating advancetrac power steering failure. There was also a chime and the dashboard light came on. I read that turning off your engine will reset it and it did but I am afraid to drive the car.

- Reisterstown , MD, USA

Tried to drive the car by backing out of a parking space and there was no power steering. Car information system indicated power steering sensor problem and told to check it. Got out checked the fluid levels and they were full. Got out to the major street to go to the nearby dealership for information and evaluation and turned off the car upon arrival. Car was again started and then the power steering was restored.

- Southfield, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact mentioned that the power steering and low tire pressure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 56,000.

- Ranch Cucamonga, CA, USA

Driving down the road and all the sudden the power steering failed. Car is extremely difficult to turn. Car alarms "power steering assist failure" and "advancetrac maintenance needed". was able to pull off side of road, cut the car off and restarted it--power steering returned. Has happened twice now. Took car to Ford dealership, they scanned it and found no service codes. Have been told it is most likely in need of a new steering motor but without the "code" they can't replace it under my warranty"?!?!?? so far this has occurred on straight roads--if it were to occur while navigating a curve the results could be deadly/catastrophic! there is no warning, no nothing--you just can't steer the car all the sudden. This is extremely dangerous and apparently a common problem with this year model car--why is there no recall yet?!?!!?? do I have to wreck my car or potentially hurt myself or others before this is addressed"!!!

- Toccoa, GA, USA

I was driving down the road at approximately 45 miles an hour when the alert came on my car dash to service power steering now. After the alarm sounded I was no longer able to turn my steering wheel. I tried turning the car off and restarted it and still not able to turn the wheel. I have read that numerous people have had this same issue over the past few years. I called the Ford dealership to see if there has been a recall and they stated that no there hasn't been a recall and that my car is out of warranty.

- Las Vegas , NV, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was not available.

- Warrensburg, MO, USA

I was driving down the high way in rush hour traffic as I started to slow down due to traffic all the sudden my power steering went out the warning lights and messages appeared power steering assist fault and service advancetrac messages appeared.

- Shawnee, KS, USA

The power steering failed while I was turning in a 270 degree cloverleaf doing about 40 mph. The steering wheel was difficult to turn and I could not maintain the required turn to stay on the cloverleaf. I had to apply the brakes and stopped halfway off the road and on the grass shoulder. The dashboard message read "power steering assist failure". the problem went away after I put the car in reverse and then back in drive.

- Inver Grove Heights, MN, USA

I was driving down a busy street at 35mph. All of a sudden out of nowhere I lost my power steering and a message came across my dash that said "power steering assist default, service required" I shut my car off and started it back up again. A few days later same thing happened. Dealer told me there was nothin they could do, and to just drive my car until it happens again. It is extremely dangerous.

- Weymouth, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the steering default warning light illuminated while starting the vehicle. After the warning light illuminated the steering wheel became hard to turn. The dealer performed a diagnostic which located a failure code within the electronic power assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000. The current mileage was 101,000.

- Branford, CT, USA

We are driving and the light appear (2 lights): 1.- is like is a car 2.- power steering light we arrive at home with the steering wheel hard, the next day took the shop, the expert said all Fusion have this problem.

- Houston, TX, USA

For about 3 months kept hearing a knocking noise in the steering column when making turns. Took it to a local Ford company- they checked it out and dx problems that didn't exist and never said anything about the power steering.then 2-3 weeks ago was driving it came to a stop light the "service electric power steering now" came on- 200 more yards the power steering was gone. Had to have it towed- contacted 2 other Ford dealerships and they said there wasn't a recall at this time. Also contacted the main Ford headquarters and reported it. I now have a car I'm making payments on and can't drive!

- Smithville, TN, USA

Power steering went out; shock at only 41,000 miles. This is my first Ford car I have bought - not happy. Had it tolled to dealership.

- Parsons, KS, USA

While making a turn the power steering suddenly went out. This has happened twice now within the past month. The wheel turned but it was difficult, as if there was no power steering. The power steering light went on. I turned the vehicle off and then restarted it and the steering worked ok again. This could be very dangerous if I was traveling faster.

- Norwalk, CT, USA

NHTSA #14V286 recalls Ford Explorer for loss of electric power steering assist, but this should include other models. My daughter's 2012 Ford Fusion had the same problem and nearly caused two accidents when she was turning at intersections.

- Bremen, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving the power steering light illuminated and the contact was unable to make a complete turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who provided a trouble code of (C200D). The approximate speed at time of failure was 15 mph. The approximate mileage at time of failure was 60,000.

- Weymouth, MA, USA

While driving on the interstate car went into power steering assisted default setting, rendering the power steering to little more than 15% usage while messaging an service advancetrak message. The automobile users guide mentions a 10 second wait in between starts. I performed the troubleshooting activity to no avail. This problem occurred while I was traveling on the interstate highway and could have been a serious incident while traveling the recommended speed limit. I purchased this vehicle used at a local dealership (cape girardeau, Missouri) on 3/18/2014 and have had this issue occur on more than one occasion. My hope is that you folks look at rendering the situation in a timely manner considering the safety of myself and others whom have experienced this issue. I appreciate your help and look forward to continued business with your company, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Carterville, IL, USA

While backing out of the garage, the warning chime came on, the warning message about the power assist steering failure came on, and there was no power steering. This has happened more than 5 times previously. It usually happens when backing out of a parking space, but it has happened while at freeway speed once. I took the car to the dealer and they indicated that there were no codes and they could not duplicate the problem. They suggested driving it to the service center the next time the power steering fails. That is not a safe idea!

- Vancouver, WA, USA

After running errands came home and parked car. Restarted car to go somewhere else and power assist fault message appeared and could not turn steering wheel. Turned car off and read manual. Restarted car and continued on my way. 5-19-2014 drove to ball park. Turned on car to leave. Power steering assist fault message. Turned car off and sat there a few minutes, turned it on an continued on my way. Mileage 16, 760. 5-21-2014. Driving to work at approximately 40 miles an hour. Power steering fault and advantrac trac warning came on. (mileage 17,403) barely able to get the car turned into a parking lot. Sat there a while until car started and drove to dealership. They were unable to get the car in that day and made appointment for 5-22-2014. At dealership, I was first told they didn't know anything about this happening to this model car. I researched and found many incidences of this and took the information to the dealership. They replaced rack and pinion. Dealership did not have part in stock and had to keep car overnight. It seems this is a common problem and the dealerships should have these parts in their inventory at all times. Also, the dealerships do not hire enough mechanics to service all the vehicles in a timely manner. I am very disappointed with Ford Motor Co. I purchased this car thinking I was buying a safe car to drive. It is only 2 years old with less than 18,000 miles on it and something as serious as this occurs. I am now wondering what will happen next or even if this will happen again.

- Moore, OK, USA