2011 Ford Fusion Steering Problems

The vehicle experienced a sudden, complete failure of the electronic power steering assist while operating, resulting in a dangerous increase in steering effort and an immediate safety hazard. A professional OBD-II diagnostic scan retrieved active trouble codes C1277-20 (Steering Wheel Angle Sensor Signal Failure) and C1963-20 (Stability Control Inhibit Warning). This internal sensor failure matches the exact physical defect detailed in NHTSA Campaign Number 15V340000 (Ford Recall 15S18). Ford Corporate and the local dealership refuse to authorize a hardware replacement because they claim a software update completed in 2015 closed the recall on this VIN, despite the software patch failing to prevent the underlying physical hardware failure.

NHTSA ID

11751213

Incident

Jul 6, 2026

Yesterday evening, my power steering went out (EPAS), it did that when the car had been parked for the night and not in motion thankfully so nobodies safety was at risk, but I don’t know if and when it’ll happen again. According to Ford, it has been a recurring problem with ford fusion modules similar to mine, that the EPAS has been defective, and therefore making it dangerous to drive. My exact car has been inspected by a mechanic, and while it has been looked at, there were no warnings of this error happening, the vehicle was driving fine and all of a sudden, the error occurred.

NHTSA ID

11750620

Incident

Jul 14, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11746482

Incident

Mar 22, 2026

Having loss of power steering assist the advanced trac peering steering says service now I feel it should fall under a recall cause I took it to a mechanic shop and they told me they ford fusion have issues with the power assist steering cause it goes out

NHTSA ID

11744954

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

The power steering keeps going out after it was brought in for recall years ago and the recall is up the the issue keeps goin on with the car I don't understand what to do because the shop i brought it to said the power steering is brand new they don't understand why it's even doin it and also they couldn't even reprogram the system I wanted to know why doesn't ford fix this and why wouldn't they want to help

NHTSA ID

11742395

Incident

Jun 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the power steering became inoperable. While reversing, the steering wheel became inoperable but corrected itself. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The local dealer was called, who confirmed there were only certain vehicles covered. The dealer informed there was no recall coverage for his VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer referred him to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

NHTSA ID

11741256

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Mileage

165,000 mi

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction. In addition, the power steering failure warning light illuminated. The contact had to apply all of her strength to turn the steering wheel in the intended direction. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall which had a similar failure description, however the contact's VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11735496

Incident

May 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at a low speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the steering wheel started operating as intended. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11734391

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "Service Power Steering Now" was displayed and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was restarted and regained power steering functionality. The following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and an appointment was scheduled for the vehicle to be diagnosed and repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

NHTSA ID

11732676

Incident

Apr 19, 2026

Mileage

44,000 mi

On my 2011 Ford Fusion the power steering has failed and it seems to be covered by 15V340000 (15S18), specially supplement 3 but the dealership doesn't wish to acknowledge the warranty replacement. Currently the vehicle cannot be driven safely. I have had several mechanics look at the vehicle including a Ford authorized dealership. The suggested fix is as explained in the 15V340000 (15S18) and 15N01.

NHTSA ID

11732287

Incident

Apr 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn left or right. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated, and the message "Service Power Steering Now" was displayed. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn as needed. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11730776

Incident

Apr 11, 2026

Mileage

120,000 mi

Power steering issue

NHTSA ID

11729219

Incident

Dec 3, 2025

I experienced a complete loss of power steering on my 2011 Ford Fusion. Luckily I managed to avoid an accident and had the vehicle towed to my mechanic. When he told me what caused the issue, I looked up all recalls on this vehicle using my VIN for the 2011 Ford Fusion on both Ford's website and the nhtsa.gov website. There was a recall in 2015 for Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist NHTSA ID Number: 15V340000. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18. I called Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and they told me that this recall was no longer open. I bought this vehicle in 2020 and was not made aware of this recall at all, otherwise I would have gotten it fixed like I did for the airbag recalls. This was something that happened with no warning. The Ford customer service is refusing to acknowledge this recall or assist me on this.

NHTSA ID

11725033

Incident

Mar 14, 2026

Vehicle: Ford Fusion 2011 Component: Steering Mileage: 169600 Description: While driving, the steering suddenly became very heavy and difficult to turn. The steering wheel feels stiff, and in some situations the wheels do not respond properly when turning the wheel. The issue appears related to a worn or failing rack and pinion steering system. This creates a dangerous situation where the vehicle is difficult to control, especially at low speeds or when making turns. This problem increases the risk of losing control of the vehicle and could lead to an accident. There was no warning before the issue occurred. The vehicle has not been involved in any accident prior to this issue. This appears to be a mechanical failure.

NHTSA ID

11724829

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 MPH and turning left into a driveway, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. The contact stopped, turned off and restarted the vehicle, and drove back to the residence. The contact had researched online and associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). An appointment was scheduled with a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact informed the service manager of the recall and was informed that the VIN was no longer covered under warranty, and that the vehicle was previously covered under Manufacturer Recall Number: 15N01. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ID

11720502

Incident

Feb 14, 2026

Mileage

82,000 mi

Complete loss of power steering while driving, Service Power Steering Now warning light came on right after, service advance trac warning right after that. After doing some research this is a known issue to Ford and customer service agent confirmed this in chat, screenshot included.

NHTSA ID

11719026

Incident

Feb 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the steering wheel, the steering wheel seized, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11716237

Incident

Feb 6, 2026

Mileage

65,000 mi

Power steering failed, there is a recall (15S18/15V340) that was done in Jan 2017 but all they did was electrical reprogramming. My power steering system (referenced in the recall) mechanical issues failed and I took the vehicle to Ford and Ford Corporate denied the recall claim. I called Ford Recall department on 1/15/2026 at 4:36PM CT and requested to speak to a manager and got connected with the manager on 1/15/2026 at 5:08PM CT in which the manager ended up hanging up on me. Therefore, I called Ford Corporate Customer Service to file a complaint on 1/15/2026 at 5:38PM CT and the representative denied me my complaint and would not provide me the recording of my conversation with her or the representative and manager even though they all told me that our conversation would be recorded. The fact that this mechanical failure occured under the recall terms is dangerous to the public as I was on the highway when my power steering just failed, it was not a wear and tear problem. This recall needs to be seriously looked at again and a complaint should be issued to Ford customer service and Ford Recall Service. This should also be a class action lawsuit.

NHTSA ID

11711274

Incident

Jan 2, 2026

UNKNOWN I WAS TOOD IT WAS DUE TOA RECALL AND EVEN WITH MY EXTENSED WARRANTY I AM BEING REFUSED AND MY VWHICLE HAS BEEN AT WILLOWBROOK FORD FOR TWO MONTHS, I cannot afford the repairs up front and sunbilt will only approve for $500 financing. Please help me if there are any solutions to fix my only means transportation and have the customer satisfaction service codes approved for repair

NHTSA ID

11709839

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

While driving on a state highway at approximately 45 miles per hour got a message on the dash saying “service power steering now”. Drove another mile and a half and then suddenly lost all power steering. Steering was stiff annd difficult but I was able to drive another half mile to home and then had the car towed to a mechanic for repair. Mechanic stated that my 2011 Ford Fusion has EPAS (electric power assisted steering) and the steering rack had to replaced to fix the issue at a cost of $1900. Apparently there is a recall for this issue on 2010-2012 Ford Fusions but my VIN was not included in the recall.

NHTSA ID

11709277

Incident

Dec 30, 2025

I was driving down the highway, when my power steering failed it almost caused me to crash. I took it into a ford dealership and they are refusing to honor code 15S18 to replace the power steering box. Stating that it’s past warranty but for a safety recall it should not have an expiration date please help make this right.

NHTSA ID

11708516

Incident

Dec 30, 2025

Turning into a parking lot, power steering disengaged and warning message "Power Steering Assist Fault" appeared. Took the vehicle to an O'Reilly's auto store to have the DTCs read and the printed sheet listed code C1277-20: steering angle sensor signal failure. This issue was dealt with under the recall 15S18 and then customer satisfaction 15N01 for Ford, but I can't tell after calling Ford if my vehicle was part of the recall or not and they say it's not covered. I can't get any real answers one way or another.

NHTSA ID

11706483

Incident

Dec 19, 2025

Power steering no longer works.

NHTSA ID

11697550

Incident

Nov 4, 2025

Electric power assisted steering failed while driving. There was no accident , but had to react quickly to avoid mishap. Back in 2015, there has been a recall for Ford Fusions (2010-2011) that were manufactured from the Hermosillo facility. My vehicle was built at the same location and is a 2011, but does not qualify for a recall based on the records of Ford. I can’t find any record if the previous owner the vehicle serviced or if Ford ever sent me notifications. Between 2015-2017, I was deployed to Afghanistan and then reassigned duty stations,in which I changed my registration to Louisiana to Arizona . Between being oversees and having different addresses, I am not sure if I was ever notified. Currently, I don’t qualify for the customer program due to being over 10’years and having over 150,000 miles. Please help me in any way possible and ensure this doesn’t happen to others.

NHTSA ID

11696248

Incident

Oct 23, 2025

am filing this complaint regarding a serious safety defect in my 2011 Ford Fusion. The vehicle’s electric power steering (EPAS) intermittently fails while driving, causing the steering to become extremely heavy and sometimes lock up. The dashboard displays a “Power Steering Assist Fault” warning. Restarting the car temporarily restores steering assist, but the problem recurs. This is a direct safety hazard. Driving the vehicle in this condition is dangerous, as the steering can fail at any time, including at highway speeds. They say The vehicle was previously repaired under recall but the issue has recurred. I have contacted Ford Customer Service and a Ford Safety Supervisor multiple times, and they refused to perform any further repair, citing that the recall occurred over 10 years ago and my VIN may not be in the current “recall bin.” I am requesting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate this issue and require Ford to repair the electric power steering under a recall reoccurrence / safety escalation program, at no cost to me. This is a critical safety issue, and the current refusal by Ford puts me at risk of serious injury or death while driving.

NHTSA ID

11695486

Incident

Oct 24, 2025