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CarComplaints.com Notes: Power steering problems started rearing their ugly head in the 2010 Fusion, so you'd think Ford had plenty of time to make sure those problems didn't creep into the 2012. But here we are.

The Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS) is a mess. It fails at an alarming rate. Don’t believe us? Take a look at NHTSA’s data on the subject.

And much like the power steering, we’re still seeing the same throttle body failures that started in 2010 continue in 2012.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,500 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Ford Fusion engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #106

Sep 062021

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Transmission issues. Jerks and shudders and loss of power, broken motor mounts, PCM issues, misfire issues and etc. Car threw codes, many expensive trips to Ford dealerships, excessive undriveable down time, unsafe to be on a highway or go up a hill when it shifts (automatic), 6F35 Transmission in my 2012 Ford Fusion

- Nixa, MO, USA

problem #105

Jan 012019

Fusion

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at high speeds the vehicle shut off, restarted, and shut off again. The contact was able to drive, but the vehicle shut off. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #104

Aug 182023

Fusion

  • miles
Pulled out of a side street Taylor onto a main highway 39 beach Blvd and car jolted and didn-??t have much go. Seemed sluggish. Transmission mount bolt had snapped off and I could have been in a major accident because I had oncoming traffic coming at me when I merged into the street and lost power because of the incident.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #103

May 212023

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Their is a recall for Ford Abs Module yet their needs to be one for 2012 Ford Fusions Se as well I have paid over 3200 dollars for my brakes alone. I have had 2 near misses and was in an unreported incident today from power loss on my breaks. Very unsafe for me and those around

- Robinsonville, MS, USA

problem #102

Nov 082022

Fusion

  • miles
The power steering assist randomly went out and caused me to almost crash into a wall when I was on the freeway taking the car home. The previous owner had gotten into an accident with the vehicle which had also resulted from the power steering randomly going out, and the power steering is now out completely on the vehicle and yet seems to come on randomly while having to manually steer the vehicle. I just got the vehicle and am the most recent owner, but since the vehicle has over 150,000 miles on it and it has been over 10 years, Ford and its dealerships are saying there-??s nothing they can do to fix it. However, I know that these issues going on with the car (power steering assist and electronic throttle body issues) are related to the recall on the vehicle. There are apparently no active recalls on the vehicle, but I know that the previous owners may have taken the car in for problems related to the recall. However, I also know that the company is required to fix problems related to the recall no matter how many years the warranty is or how many miles the vehicle has on it, so I-??m unsure why both Ford and its dealerships are saying there-??s nothing they can do and that I-??ll have to pay for a diagnostic fee and then the repair fees associated with the problem, and I just got the vehicle. I don-??t feel that it-??s fair that I pay for repair costs associated with a recall on several other Ford Fusion vehicles as well (2011-2012) when those recall related problems almost killed me, and upon researching it no other cars have power steering assist, electronic throttle body and airbag problems like the ford fusion.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #101

Jan 012020

Fusion

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal. Both the power train and check engine warning lights would appear on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to both an independent mechanic and a dealer but neither could diagnose to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Peoria Heights, IL, USA

problem #100

Jan 032022

Fusion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car has a very hard time shifting when I go to take off, I have not been in a wreck because of it yet but when it does shift it shifts very hard I-??m afraid to even pull onto a busy road I-??m worried one day it will just not shift and I-??ll cause a crash.

- Sardinia, OH, USA

problem #99

Apr 182021

Fusion

  • 69,000 miles
My car just dies while I'm driving. Are there recalls I haven't been notified about that could be causing this? if so, how do I get it repaired in the most expeditious manner. I only have the one car and it is pretty unsafe at this point.

- Melbourne, FL, USA

problem #98

Nov 262020

Fusion

  • 55 miles
I was getting gas and I cut my car off when I got back into my car it did not start. I continued to start it. Car would not start. I popped the hood and touched the battery some and tried starting the car the car started then about 5 minutes after driving it suddenly cuts off. This is a ongoing issue. Car suddenly stops in the middle of street almost causing accidents that can nearly kill someone!!! very unsafe and extremely dangerous. This happened on highway and street. And its so random no signs just cuts off at any speed.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #97

Dec 082020

Fusion

  • 149,000 miles
The wrench light comes on and the vehicle cuts off it will start back up but it's random and cuts off anytime it wants. It's done this while parked and moving. Throttle body extended warranty. My car is under the 150,000 miles and met the requirements for this to be replaced and I took it to ravenel Ford ravenel SC and was told that because they didn't get that code that they we're allowed to fix

- Moncks Corner, SC, USA

problem #96

May 202019

Fusion

  • 215,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. While driving 35 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the right and the traction control warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The vehicle was restarted and was towed to walterboro Ford (located at 902 bells hwy, walterboro, SC 29488, (843) 549-5581) to be diagnosed. The results were unknown at this time. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 15V340000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 215,000.

- Walterboro, SC, USA

problem #95

May 212019

Fusion

  • miles
I went to stivers Ford about the air bag be to the end of January and the beginning of February the mechanic took my recall information said they would call me as soon as the new bags got in never heard from them I called every month only to be told nothing came in yet so I called Ford customers service they had me on hold the mechanic in montgomery stated that there was no record of me ever being there. Customer service left me on the phone with the mechanic to make an appointment she hung up the phone I gave the mechanic my first and last name then he repeated back to me my first and last name with my address keep in mind he had all of my information in the system the whole time. So I made an appointment for Friday May 31 2019. There is a faulty tire light on that won't go away even when I had the tire checked the car stopped in the middle of the intersection during the green light in heavy traffic the 🔧 light came on with the check engine light and the flashing faulty tire light. I put the car in park and turned off the engine then restarted the car and drove home I was very afraid because the cars behind me were moving pretty fast I was blessed to not be hit from behind. Next day drove the car to a repair shop. Every thing was working fine they ran a diagnosis showing the throttle was stuck and would not reset so it is stuck.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #94

Mar 302019

Fusion

  • 104,000 miles
I was driving my 2012 Ford Fusion to work one day when suddenly I got an alert reading "service power steering now" and was no longer able to use my power steering which made turning extremely difficult. I was on a highway and had to pull over and park in the closest fuel station.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #93

Mar 212019

Fusion

  • 2 miles
I was going 55 miles an hour on busy street in Florida, all of sudden car was getting no gas, had to pull over, shut off car and restart, this has happened twice, very spuratic, very dangerous, had it towed to executive auto, they could not find anything, and could not get it to fail again. Do not trust

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #92

May 012017

Fusion

  • 160,000 miles
My vehicle began to overheat as a result of a recall. I brought the vehicle into my dealership and they told me the manufacturers defect had ruined my engine and it needed to be replaced. Ford has refused to repair the vehicle which is now inoperable. They claim it's out of warranty but how can my warranty be void if it's a recall defect.

- Daphne, AL, USA

problem #91

Jan 212018

Fusion 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,809 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. While driving 45 mph, the steering wheel seized and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact drove the vehicle to his destination with no power steering ability. The vehicle was powered off and restarted, but the failure recurred. Griffeth Ford Lincoln (located at 213 main St, presque isle, me 04769, (207)-764-4129) diagnosed that the steering gear and rack failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 67,809.

- Marion, NY, USA

problem #90

Oct 182018

Fusion

  • 94,983 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. While driving, the check engine indicator illuminated and the power steering ability was reduced. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rack and pinion was sensing over effort and shutting down the power steering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (al packer's white marsh Ford, 9801 pulaski hwy, middle river, md 21220, (443) 777-5000) and they reprogrammed the power steering module, although they recommended it be replaced. The failure mileage was 94,983.

- Essex, MD, USA

problem #89

Nov 302018

Fusion

  • 170,000 miles
Was accelerating in my vehicle when the car hesitated and then just shut off in the middle of the road showing only an orange wrench light on the dash. Thankfully I was driving in town and actually to the dealership to get my airbag recall fixed when this happened and nobody other than my boyfriend was behind me. I turned the key into the off position and turned it back on and the dash (wrench) light indicator went off. I could have seriously injured myself or another vehicle due to what seems to be be a system failure! I refused to take my car home from the dealership until they checked into it. They acted as if it was no big deal because the (wrench) light on the dash went off but I'm very concerned it's a safety issue and bad accidents can be a result of this.

- Pearl River, LA, USA

problem #88

Nov 222018

Fusion

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. While driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle decelerated and stalled. Also, the front passenger side wheel detached from the vehicle, and the power steering and traction control warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to bob thomas Ford West (5321 Illinois road, fort wayne, Indiana 46804, (260) 436-3673) where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and provided the contact with case number: 16451951. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

problem #87

Oct 152018

Fusion

  • 76,000 miles
Electronic throttle body error codes lead to loss of engine power and engine being throttled back to approx. 10 mph in "limp home mode". issue is intermittent, and NHTSA has studied the problem previously. Ford says my etb is not included in the recalls, and that I need to pay for the repairs. It is a known problem with this year Ford Fusion, and Ford supposedly made a 10yr 150,000 mile warranty on the part....just not my etb.

- Parker, CO, USA

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