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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:
44 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
13 / 1
Average Mileage:
71,102 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2012 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 6 of 65)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1195

May 182023

Fusion

  • miles

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

Hit a bump and the Service Power Steering light came on but power steering was working. Shut the car off momentarily. When it was restarted there was no power steering. Car does have electic power steering pump.

- Center Point , IA, USA

problem #1194

May 302023

Fusion

  • miles
When driving, the vehicle lost power steering. After cycling the key as recommended, the power steering has not reengaged. This vehicle cannot be driven due to power steering. This going out when driving is a safety concern as it could cause accidents, injury and even death. The vehicle now displays SERVICE POWER STEERING NOW.

- Oak Forest, IL, USA

problem #1193

Mar 202023

Fusion

  • miles
Was driving my Ford Fusion and it said -??steering fault-?? in my info center on the dashboard and luckily it happened while I was turning into onto my road about to pull in my driveway-?? as soon as I turned into my driveway my steering completely locked up-??I contacted ford and they told me there was a recall on the steering module but my module was updated back in 2015 but if there is a safety recall on the part what will a update do?? Obviously nothing the module is still known to go bad and mine did and ford is telling me that the recall expired last year (10yrs from the manufacture date) how is this safe? A recall is a recall especially a safety recall..if I was on the highway I could or someone else could of been hurt or worst-?? this is my 2nd complaint on this issue and I haven-??t heard anything back -??I shouldn-??t have to spend 1500$ to fix something that should of been replaced under a recall

- Rochester, PA, USA

problem #1192

Apr 142023

Fusion

  • 154,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The "Service Power Steering" message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who performed an unknown repair; however, the failure recurred. The independent mechanic then determined that the vehicle needed an alignment. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the contact had not received the recall notification. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and declined to perform the recall repair due to the age of the vehicle and the mileage exceeding 100,000. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

- Oxford, MA, USA

problem #1191

Nov 012022

Fusion

  • 98,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #1190

Jun 162020

Fusion

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated when first starting the vehicle the power steering would not be functioning. The contact stated that he would turn the vehicle off and on and the steering would regain functionality. The contact stated that the "power steering control module" warning light was illuminated. The failure had been intermittent but had eventually completely failed. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer The vehicle had not been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact had researched on the manufacturer web site and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01 EPAS Steering Efforts (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #1189

May 142023

Fusion

  • miles

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

While drive the power steering went out with no warning,

- Tuscaloosa , AL, USA

problem #1188

May 102023

Fusion

  • 100,700 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving into a parking garage, a chime sounded and a message indicating that the power steering had malfunctioned was displayed. The vehicle then lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to park the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle 5 minutes later and the vehicle operated as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 100,700.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #1187

Apr 152016

Fusion

  • miles
In 2016 I took my 2012 fusion to the dealership where I bought it used with 11,000 miles on it to ask how I could fix my a/c as it's now out of waranty. We bought it in 2012. While there I asked why the dash cluster was stating POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT and why the power steering goes out when starting the car sometime and while driving yet reset able per manual instructions on page 219. Parts worker said he didn't know why but the last one they fixed was a little over$1,600 and there that was no recall on it. Over the next 6 to 7 years same thing would happen every few months until finally power steering went out at about 192,000 miles. Saw recall number and made appt. at dealer (KELLY FORD) in Melbourne Florida where I bought it and they told me it's to late plus it's over 150,000 miles. Very hard to drive and my wife and daughters unable to drive it. HELP! It was at 192,000 when it finally went out and made appt. at dealer. Called Ford customer service and they beat around the bush basically telling me they would not fix the issue for free and I was to late for a recall? NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE of any kind.

- Melbourne, FL, USA

problem #1186

Mar 182023

Fusion

  • miles
My Electric Power Steering Module was recalled my Ford and they stated that they reprogrammed the module (because at that time there were no fault codes) well now my steering went out and I almost wrecked my vehicle and when I called ford they stated they reprogrammed the module but also they are saying the recall expired 10 years from manufacture date (my fusion is a 2012) so the SAFETY RECALL expired last year in 2022 and they are saying they can-??t do anything for me-??how can a safety recall expire" And also the recall was issued in 2015..shouldn-??t it expire 10yrs from the recall issue date? I-??m sorry if this is a pointless argument but I almost caused an accident and even though when they -??reprogrammed-?? the module then because there were no faults at the time don-??t mean there can be an issue in the future!?!.. bottom line there part failed and could of killed me and people around me..shouldn-??t they still be accountable for replacing a known faulty part?? If I was on the highway at high speeds when it failed it would have been catastrophic-??. Can you please help me on this issue before someone gets hurt or even killed?? A safety recall SHOULD NOT HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE!! When that module failed on me the steering wheel locked up and after a few times of pulling very hard on the wheel it finally broke lose -??they say that even after the module goes bad -??manual steering-?? is available but I-??m telling you this thing locked up completely-??I can send you a video of it to prove -??please can you help me" Or help anyone else before someone gets hurt or killed, like I said, thank you Jim S.

- Rochester, PA, USA

problem #1185

Mar 222023

Fusion

  • miles

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

The electric power steering went out and the wheel will not turn. There is a similar recall in other cars with the same issues

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #1184

Apr 132023

Fusion

  • 171,000 miles
Power steering stopped working and dashboard message power steering assist fault appeared. I understand Ford did a recall on the 6 cylinder cars with this problem. Can some please help all the people that had this problem. It seem to be a lot of people.

- Lockport , IL, USA

problem #1183

Mar 212023

Fusion

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while a relative was driving the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The relative veered to the side of the road. After several minutes, the vehicle operated as needed and was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while he was pulling out of a parking lot. The contact was unsure if a warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he continued driving by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The power steering became operable. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Aliquippa, PA, USA

problem #1182

Jan 152023

Fusion

  • miles
My power steering suddenly just went out while I was driving did not return

- Henrico, VA, USA

problem #1181

Mar 242023

Fusion

  • miles
The electronic steering assist stopped functioning causing very difficult steering effort that could have caused a reduced ability to turn and avoid other cars, persons, or ovjects. The car showed -??Power steering assist fault-??

- Belleville, IL, USA

problem #1180

Feb 122023

Fusion

  • 140,000 miles
The owns contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that their daughter was driving approximately 55 mph when the steering wheel began jerking and shaking. While slowing down to make a right turn when the power steering suddenly failed causing them to crash into a guardrail. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed due to the power steering failing and being too difficult to drive. The driver did not receive any injuries or medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who installed a power steering and performed a computer flash. The failure persisted after the repair and had begun to do so more consistently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Shirley, NY, USA

problem #1179

Mar 272023

Fusion

  • 139,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering became inoperable. The power steering fault and service advance trac warning lights were displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

- Effort, PA, USA

problem #1178

Feb 152023

Fusion

  • miles
Service advance trac and service power steering now keeps coming on. I-??ve looked this problem up and seems to be a VERY common thing amongst ford fusions. Because of this, my power steering turns off and no matter how many times I reset the code, it keeps turning back on. It makes it very dangerous to drive the car especially if it turns off in the middle of a trip/drive.

- Indianapolis , IN, USA

problem #1177

Dec 152021

Fusion

  • miles
The car suddenly became hard to steer and had been working fine. No one was injured because the car was at a low speed. The car was checked and there is no power steering.

- Thomaston, GA, USA

problem #1176

Mar 142023

Fusion 6-cyl

  • miles
while setting in a fast food restaurant drive thru for 1 minute on 03/14/2023. I was asked to pull forward and could not steer my car. I pulled straight ahead to get out of the lane and couldn't steer left or right. I shut the car off for a moment, restarted and the steering works fine. I know that this car has electric assist power steering. I googled the problem with this model and found that many people have had the same issue. Some were saying that Ford covered it on a recall and others said that Ford took care of them on the problem. My car has only 108,000 miles and is in excellent condition. There are owners that have said that the dealership has replaced the rack & pinion, elec. motor, wire harness's, etc. and still have erratic loss of steering. Had this happened in traffic or cornering, the results could be disastrous. There was absolutely no control over the steering when this happened. I contacted Ford and they said that there were no recall/issues with this problem. It seems to me that when they replaced the passenger side air bag in 2019 that they may have done some type of power steering recall/software update?. I am afraid to drive this car until I can get some more info. or resolution on this. I have not been to a dealership at this time since the Ford factory rep. didn't acknowledge an issue or current recalls. When I pressed them on this issue, they suggested that I contact you. After the incident and restarting my car, I safely drove it home about 4 miles with no further incident. I did not notice any warning lights at the time of loss of steering. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Coon Rapids, MN, USA

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