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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,226 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.

2016 Ford Fusion steering problems

steering problem

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2016 Ford Fusion Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #144

Jul 142024

Fusion

  • miles

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

Loss of power steering and multiple codes light up on dash about an hour prior to loss. Experienced a slow escalation of having difficultly steering of approx 1-2 days where steering did not seem as responsive. Was able to return home, but upon restart i had no power steering steering and multiple diagnostics failure lights coming on [Steering Loss Stop Safety, Service Advance Trac, Hill Start assist not available]. This currently is in a state of not being able to drive. Losing power steering assist puts safety at jeopardy at any speed to not allow for any fine movement or directional control. If this happened at any rate of speed this is a concern. It being the weekend I will need to discuss with my local mechanic as well as local dealership on course of action. I have tried to restart several times with the warnings and still lack of steering

- Ashland, MA, USA

problem #143

May 192024

Fusion

  • 101,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact used excessive force to pull to the side of the road and allowed another individual more capable of maneuvering the vehicle without power steering functionality. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the Traction Control and Hill Assist Failure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 101,000.

- Binghamton, NY, USA

problem #142

May 152024

Fusion

  • 127,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the steering wheel was seized. The message -??Steering Loss - Drive Safely-?? was displayed. The contact turned off the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact was notified of an unknown recall related to the steering. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 127,000.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #141

Mar 202024

Fusion

  • miles

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

Steering Wheel power steering no longer works. Can't turn the steering wheel. Became extremely difficult to turn before permanently parking. The 2016 Ford Fusion is currently at the dealership and they confirmed the issue. It's been inspected by a Ford Dealership Service Center. Yes, a light came on in the vehicle, but I do not remember which one. Nothing we did caused it to stop working. One day it just started jerking and catching while turning. Then it stopped working suddenly.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #140

Feb 152024

Fusion

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, he observed a popping noise emanating from the engine compartment and the power steering assist failure warning light illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel became stiff and did not operate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #139

Feb 192024

Fusion

  • miles
The steering wheel became wobbly and loose. Took it to the Whaling City Ford in New London CT. and they said that although this type of issue was the subject of a recall, this particular car/VIN was not part of that recall, and they would charge $60 just to diagnose the issue. Called Ford later in the day and they said the car had been repaired under the recall in 2018 and now it was not in warranty. Obviously the fix performed under the recall was not done properly, or it was otherwise ineffective. They refuse to fix it at their expense. I had it repaired elsewhere. at my own expense.

- Waterford, CT, USA

problem #138

Feb 162024

Fusion

  • miles

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

This problem randomly occurred. My steering wheel stopped working & it took a severe amount of force to control the steering wheel. No prior problems with the vehicle

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #137

Feb 032024

Fusion

  • 143,910 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the steering wheel was very loose. The contact spoke with the dealer where and it was confirmed that the vehicle was included in two recalls not related to the steering. The dealer confirmed that the failure experienced was related to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V632000 (Steering) and 18V167000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recalls. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 143,910.

- Harvard, MA, USA

problem #136

Jan 252024

Fusion

  • 82,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the traction control warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering) however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered because the VIN was not included in the recall. 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 82,000.

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #135

Jan 172024

Fusion

  • miles
Car initially showed a warning alert for failed traction control. Attempted to reset using steering wheel reset, failed. Tried backing car up and steering became extremely hard to do, requiring maximum effort to turn wheel. Steering power assist light lit up on dashboard. Parked car. Made appointment with Heritage Ford, South Burlington, VT. Upon subsequent investigation discovered that 2016 Fusion had been recalled #19V632000 but only when sold in Northern States where salt was being used or currently registered in (Vermont was included). I moved to Vermont to be with family in 2020. Failure occurred about [XXX]. 1). Had this failure occurred, while driving we could have had a fatal accident. 2). Shouldn-??t there be provisions for folks who move into northern states originally identified or is Ford dictating these non recalled cars remain in non salt applying states for their life" Shouldn-??t all cars have been recalled to prevent catastrophic failures" 3). Failing the recall shouldn-??t the cars be supplied with warning placards saying that exposure to excessive road salt could result in catastrophic steering failure? 4). I recently asked the service rep (Amanda) at Heritage if there were any other recalls for this car and she said no. Does that mean this vehicle is exempt from the recall because it got to the state after some arbitrary deadline" Does allowing cars to travel the roads of any Northern state with this defect make sense" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Williston , VT, USA

problem #134

Jan 122024

Fusion

  • miles

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

When I was backing out of my apartment complex and tried to turn left the car just stopped and when you turn the wheel it says service advance trac and hill Start car hasn-??t been drove since last Friday

- Gulfport , MS, USA

problem #133

Jan 152024

Fusion

  • miles
Steering fault indicator on dashboard and then steering loss displayed and now can not steer car

- Ludington, MI, USA

problem #132

Jun 172023

Fusion

  • miles
First of all steering wheel came loose from steering column luckily I was pulling into a parking spot due to steering wheel feeling very loose and the electric steering went out also this could have resulted in terrible accident as I was driving back from working offshore approximately 45 miles away. The dealership replaced the steering wheel due to a bolt which was a recall item after 3 weeks of sitting at the dealership but they told me the electric steering issue was not a recall item on my vehicle. They also said they fixed something with break system and something with transmission shift linkage which they did say were recall items. While the vehicle was getting steering wheel changed out they did something to the steering system which allowed the vehicle steering system to operate normal but two weeks later the steering went out again. I had seen online somewhere that 2016 Fusion also had some wires in steering column short out due to loose steering wheel but dealer said they were not aware of that issue. Bohn Ford Lapalco Blvd. Marrero, La. performed the repair on the vehicle. I-??m offshore Gulf of Mexico working so I don-??t have repair paperwork.

- Marrero , LA, USA

problem #131

Nov 192023

Fusion

  • 103,968 miles
Date of first incident was Nov 19, 2023. I was driving home from taking my elderly mother to the doctor and my engine just shut off. I had plenty of gas, my oil and transmission had been changed, no warning lights came on my dash prior to the engine stopping. The only message I had on my car said the car is not in park. No one can seem to find out why. It has done this at a moderate rate of speed (45mph). My steering wheel locked and I can't steer the car giving me the option to get to a safe place on the road. I have to hit another vehicle or hit a pole. I have good insurance but I don't want to use it to fix body damage. I can't afford that with a 300 dollar car payment. My break sensor error light will come on as well and I went to have the breaks changed and fluid replaced but it doesn't work. I am afraid that I might get hurt or someone else will, but I can't afford another care to help care for my parents or get to the doctor. The Ford dealership will not let me trade it in unless I give them 7000 dollars. The transmission will Jerk when changing gears. I still owe 9000 dollars. I looked online to see if I could find a solution and multiple people are complaining about the same problem.

- Athens, TN, USA

problem #130

Nov 092023

Fusion

  • miles
On affected vehicles, the steering-wheel bolt may not maintain enough pressure, allowing it to loosen over time. As a result, the steering wheel may detach.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #129

Dec 152022

Fusion

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the steering wheel was not functioning properly and had become extremely loose. The contact briefly lost control of the vehicle, nearly causing a crash. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the retaining bolt was loose and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #128

Jun 152023

Fusion

  • 133,804 miles
Was driving and my wheel was hard to turn the wheel. Had to get a tow truck to pull it to my house. No lights didn-??t show on the board indicating that there were any issues but, I can-??t and haven-??t been able to drive my car since the wheel locked.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #127

Sep 232023

Fusion

  • miles
The steering wheel has became severely loose to the point of almost detached. Ford claims there is no recall on this part for this model, however I've read that many people have had this problem. It is a high safety concern.

- Weaverville , NC, USA

problem #126

Aug 172023

Fusion

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 MPH and attempting to turn to the right, the steering wheel tightened as if the power steering assist had failed. The failure occurred and then self-corrected intermittently. The failure had become persistent over time. There were no warning lights illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering failed, and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN for the coverage of the repair. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.

- North Olmsted, OH, USA

problem #125

Sep 012023

Fusion

  • miles
This incident has happened to me more than once in the past few months. I am driving along the highway and all of a sudden I lose my power steering. The dashboard reads STEERING ASSIST FAULT. Service required. As well as Service Advance Trac. Safety issue because going at moderate speed to get onto highway and losing all power steering could cause me to go off road if in bad weather like rain or snow. In each situation all it took was me pulling off road and resetting the car by turning engine off and then turning it back on. I have take it to a Ford dealership near me and they ran a full diagnostics but couldnt find anything really wrong with it but it continues to happen at least once a month. Ive read similar incidents with Ford Fusion owners on Google and they werent sure as I that if it was the brake sensor or ABS Module that needs to be replaced. Any assistance or advice you could give me would be appreciated.

- Encinal, TX, USA

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