Ford Fusion Steering Problems Result in NHTSA Evaluation of Nearly 1M Sedans
Government auto safety officials are investigating reports of steering problems that may impact 938,000 mid-sized Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sedans, following more than 500 consumer complaints involving loss of power steering, including at least four incidents that resulted in an auto accident.
The Ford mid-sized sedan investigation (PDF) was opened by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) on October 2, in response to reports of issues where drivers lost steering power or required increased effort to control the vehicle.
NHTSA is evaluating 2010 through 2012 model year Ford Fusion, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and Mercury Milan sedans, which are equipped with rack mounted electric power assisted steering.
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Learn MoreAccording to reports, many of the vehicle operators observed a power steering warning message as the failure occurred. In some of the incidents, owners indicated the problem was temporarily resolved by restarting the vehicles, however the condition returned shortly after the restart.
The NHTSA has taken the first step which is to open a preliminary investigation that will analyze all of the incident reports including the Early Warning Reporting field report data from Ford to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of the alleged defect and determine if a safety recall is necessary.
12 Comments
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M ShafferOctober 12, 2015 at 3:17 am
My 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has become a rolling disappointment!!! I have had this shitbox since march 2013. It never ceases to amaze me how lengthy the list of issues is becoming!!! I will start by saying that I am a 36 y.o. single mother, and have let the meaningless and unfulfilling jobs go. My credit is very poor, following many years of "goofing off ", and I recently started taking some coll[Show More]My 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has become a rolling disappointment!!! I have had this shitbox since march 2013. It never ceases to amaze me how lengthy the list of issues is becoming!!! I will start by saying that I am a 36 y.o. single mother, and have let the meaningless and unfulfilling jobs go. My credit is very poor, following many years of "goofing off ", and I recently started taking some college courses to get a degree. I just passed the 2-year-mark in my sobriety and am (for the most part) loving life. Following an involuntary separation from our child's father, he is also in recovery and we have now found a new lease on life. However, my "Debbie Downer" of an auto has put quite a damper on things. My brakes have failed twice, the drivers door won't open from the inside without holding the unlock button at the same time, I have had to have it serviced twice for the blower motor and wiring harness failing, (*breath*), the floorboard on the drivers side leaks (water???) intermittently, regardless of the weather, the floorboard on the psngr side remains soaking wet-from underneath the mat-, the car sometimes loses the abity to switch over from battery to fuel power, the dealer failed to mention that the right front quarter panel is a different silver than the rest of the car, and, oh yea-almost forgot-I have calluses on the palms of my hands from having to manhandle the POS due to the power steering failure! I was willing to adapt to this recent development until I found out that I AM NOT ALONE!!!! The most upsetting thing about this ordeal is not the fact that Ford is believed to have known about the defect some time ago and chose not to rectify it; rather it is the fact that there has been a recall for the very same issue for the years 2011-2014, but, as my luck would have it, NOT the 2010. This is amplified by the fact that everyone seems to shrug it off as 'no big whoop' but where would I be if I was older, or younger, or otherwise less physically adept at adapting? It was mentioned to me that. "They all used to be like that" I could have choked the person who uttered it, except for the fact that she was a total stranger. If every other vehicle on the road had the same issue, maybe I wouldn't have to pretend not to notice the confused-looking passers-by, silently wondering if I should really be licensed to operate this vehicle, as it seems to be a bit of a challenge to park the damn thing. I'm upset because I am paying too damn much for nothing but grief, and I'm so upside-down on the loan that it will be several years until I can do anything about it! Thanks for reading and letting me vent, it may prevent an "accident" involving a certain ford motor vehicle and the front of the last building I walked into before this heap belonged to me!!!!!!
KimberlyMay 27, 2015 at 2:22 pm
I purchased a 2010 ford fusion in June 2014 and the power steering went out 9 months later. The dealership told me the part would be $1200.
claraMay 11, 2015 at 3:23 pm
I too have same problem lost power steering on 2010 ford fusion . I call headquarters and they documented it
belindaApril 16, 2015 at 2:20 pm
I too had problems with my power steering, I just called headquarters and they documented it but people need to call and complain to headquarters
RoxanneFebruary 8, 2015 at 6:41 am
Have a 2011 fusion. Same thing same cost $1800. Only have 42k miles on this vehicle. Angry and frustrated. Save all your receipts
CarolJanuary 3, 2015 at 2:53 am
My 2014 fusion lost power steering as I pulled into my driveway. The next time I was to use my car was to pick up my baby grandchild. It could have been disastrous.
CurtisDecember 5, 2014 at 7:57 pm
I'm on my third power steering rack on my 2010 Ford Fusion. The first two were covered under warranty the third isn't. I hope there is a recall on these as this one cost me over $1,800. and I want my money back.
ElizabethNovember 21, 2014 at 2:11 am
I have a 2010 For Fusion. Power Steering has also went completely out. I took car in to ford dealership and was told there was no recall and the repair will be $1600.00. I am a mother of three and I work full time, also in school. I contacted ford consumer and was told there was nothing that can be done on their part. So I said are you not aware that you are being sued because of this issue. She t[Show More]I have a 2010 For Fusion. Power Steering has also went completely out. I took car in to ford dealership and was told there was no recall and the repair will be $1600.00. I am a mother of three and I work full time, also in school. I contacted ford consumer and was told there was nothing that can be done on their part. So I said are you not aware that you are being sued because of this issue. She then told me that people are posting online and not calling them so therefore they don't have to recall. I said so what's it going to take? Someone lose their life (lives)? I don't understand this. Can you please give an update and let me know where this all stands? Thank you
StephanieNovember 17, 2014 at 12:43 pm
My 2012 Ford Fusion has been in the shop for over 1 week.. They keep telling me they don't know what the issue is or how to fix it and they want to keep driving it to recreate it. I asked them if they've read any of these articles about the investigation and if the headquarters of Ford have given them any indication of how to fix it. My service rep had no idea what I was talking about! They have n[Show More]My 2012 Ford Fusion has been in the shop for over 1 week.. They keep telling me they don't know what the issue is or how to fix it and they want to keep driving it to recreate it. I asked them if they've read any of these articles about the investigation and if the headquarters of Ford have given them any indication of how to fix it. My service rep had no idea what I was talking about! They have no clue what to do and want to keep it longer. I'm ok with that, but don't understand why Ford isn't giving their dealership better direction and information about this problem I almost wrecked my car turning a sharp corner in downtown Atlanta because of this. It has also gone out on me while driving on the highway. It is very scary when it occurs as you totally lose control until you physically wrestle the steering wheel into place and can pull over. Each time I've restarted my car, it resets and I have no idea when it will happen again. Be careful out there, Ford drivers!!!
KyleOctober 30, 2014 at 6:56 pm
Same as other comments. My stearing gear went out and I lost my power steering. Very difficult to drive. They charged me $1875 to put a new stearing gear in. Mind you this is a 2011 ford fusion sel. Of course I filed a complaint with the highway transportation administration
RobertOctober 27, 2014 at 2:44 pm
I have a 2011 Ford Fusion where this just happened on Saturday as we were coming home from church. Lucky I was driving and not my wife as she would not have been able to steer the car while doing 60 mph down the road. Talked to Ford today and was told that it would cost $1,700 to fix the issue.
KarleyOctober 23, 2014 at 4:07 pm
I have a 2012 Ford Fusion and I had this same issue happen yesterday. I was on the highway and was unable to move my steering wheel. The light came on with a message saying it was an error with the power steering. I brought it in to have it fixed and was told it would be nearly $2000.