2012 Ford Fusion Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal was soft and spongy. The brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard before the vehicle stopped. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the failure was not duplicated. The contact was informed that an inspection was completed, and the brake pads and rotors were in good working order. The contact stated that the failure had occurred two months after the brake pads and rotors were replaced by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.

NHTSA ID

11755210

Incident

Feb 6, 2026

Mileage

149,000 mi

I am submitting this formal complaint against Ford Motor Company and its authorized dealership network for falsely reporting a safety recall repair as "resolved" while applying an unauthorized, temporary workaround that left the primary safety defect active. In 2023, I brought my vehicle to an authorized Ford dealership to perform mandatory safety recall service regarding the Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) failure. The dealership subsequently updated Ford’s central database (OASIS) to show that the safety recall was fully resolved and completed for my VIN. However, the official Repair Order / Invoice provided to me by the technician explicitly documents that a permanent remedy was not performed due to a lack of replacement parts. The technician’s exact written notes state: "Customer states power steering is not working. Tech and advised verified concern finding that the ground wire pin on the high current wiring harness to PSCM had backed out of the connector. Reconnected pin and cleared codes finding issue resolved. Issue will continue to happen until the harness is replaced. Harness is unavailable at this time. Glued pin into connectors."Because the dealership glued the loose pin rather than replacing the backordered wiring harness, the temporary repair failed shortly thereafter, resulting in a total loss of power steering assist. For the past three years (approximately 47,698 miles driven), I have been forced to operate this vehicle without functional power steering. Every attempt to have Ford or its franchised dealerships address this safety hazard has been denied because Ford’s internal system incorrectly lists the recall as "The Harness Powers the Recalled Module: The "high current wiring harness to PSCM" is the primary electrical supply to the exact module being recalled. Reprogramming software on a module while leaving a damaged, glued power connector defeats the entire purpose of restoring power steering safety.see photoes of invoice below

NHTSA ID

11754874

Incident

Aug 17, 2023

I had purchased these tires P225/50R17 for my son‘s car in 2022. They have an 85,000 mile tread life warranty in April of this year. He had a blowout on the left rear tire where the tread separated from the tire and in late July this year is preparing for a 3500 mile trip as I was inspecting his car before his trip. I noticed the tire on the right rear looked to be defective. It looks like the tread where it meet the sidewall is separating from the tire on the inside with a tear about 8” long where the metal is showing. Two tires out of 4 losing their tread is disturbing and a concerning safety issue with these tires, see the Photos I have supplied.

NHTSA ID

11753653

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The failure was a recurring failure. The first failure was serviced by the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, a year later, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the rack and pinion was replaced but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA ID

11753103

Incident

May 27, 2026

Mileage

138,000 mi

No check engine, light or anything lost my electronic steering capabilities I’m going down the road

NHTSA ID

11751442

Incident

Jul 19, 2026

The power steering system, failure. completely without warning I see recalls on this model. But do not see it on the website. Nor will ford repair it

NHTSA ID

11751292

Incident

Jul 10, 2026

My car does not always respond when the brakes are tapped. They are soft/squishy at times and I have to push the pedal all the way to the floor for the car to stop. This issue has been occuring off & on for approximately 3 years though it's been more frequent since June of 2026. I have never seen any warning or failure light/notification any of the times this has happened. The issue was determined to be a faulty master cylinder by the service department at Colley Ford in Glendora, CA.

NHTSA ID

11747816

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and almost caused a crash. The message "Service Power Steering Now" was displayed. The contact was able to drive to the destination. The contact stated that the vehicle had become undrivable due to the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11747366

Incident

Jun 28, 2026

Mileage

130,000 mi

unknown. just bought this car

NHTSA ID

11746983

Incident

Jun 18, 2026

Brake system. Pedal is soft and braking force to stop is reduced. Yes, at first they thought it was the brake booster, and know thinking it is the master cylinder, now they aren't even sure what it might be. Ford dealership techs. No, pedal was "squishy" when braking

NHTSA ID

11746316

Incident

May 30, 2026

I was just driving and I lost power steering, it was incredibly difficult to steer and it was Heavy Steering, and warnings appeared on the dash.

NHTSA ID

11745989

Incident

Sep 8, 2025

Se traba y se pone duro el "gobierno" junto con la cremallera electroasistida el volante no gira ni con el carro prendido, no eh echo uso de la campaña 15S18, nunca ah Sido asistido por el fabricante Ford, ni mucho menos lo eh metido a un taller de servicio independiente ni con aseguradoras y no me marco algún sensor del tablero antes de que me sucediera este problema con la "dirección asistida averiada"

NHTSA ID

11739739

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the steering wheel was hard to turn. The low tire pressure message was displayed. There was another unknown system message being displayed. The contact indicated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering pump was the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11738704

Incident

May 11, 2026

Our 2012 Ford Fusion had a sudden and complete loss of power steering & “Power Steering Assist Fault’ flashed on dash. The steering immediately became extremely difficult to operate, requiring both hands and excessive physical force just to turn the wheel. It felt less like driving a passenger car and more like wrestling a fully loaded dump truck with flat tires. This created a serious safety concern because the failure occurred without warning and fundamentally affected our ability to steer the vehicle safely. Fortunately, my wife was not driving at the time. The amount of force suddenly required to turn the wheel could easily be overwhelming, particularly during an emergency maneuver, in traffic, or while entering an intersection. After the failure occurred, we discovered vehicle had previously been subject to recall 15V340000 and Ford Safety Recall 15S18, both involving the exact electric Power Steering Control Module (“PSCM”) that has now failed. Under that recall, a Ford dealer performed only a software update on 10/17/2016. We opened a case with Ford, brought the vehicle to a local dealer & paid for a diagnostic inspection. Using Ford IDS equipment, dealer confirmed the condition and documented ‘NO COMMUNICATION WITH PSCM’. The dealer report quoted “Steering Gear Assembly - Rack & Pinion Assembly Replace: $3,215.81.” The diagnosis was reported directly to Ford under the active case number. Despite the recall history and confirmed failure of the same steering system covered by the prior recall, Ford denied assistance because the earlier software reprogramming had already been completed. Our position is that this is clearly a hardware failure involving the recalled electric power steering system itself — the precise condition the recall was intended to address. Ford’s own recall communications dated May 17, 2019 specifically instructed owners to retain recall documentation in the event this exact situation later occurred.

NHTSA ID

11737842

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering became inoperable with the electronic power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,020.

NHTSA ID

11736047

Incident

May 6, 2026

Mileage

176,020 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and making a left turn, the driver's side door unexpectedly opened. The contact stated that the door ajar warning light was illuminated. The failure became a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V177000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact informed the dealer of the recall and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

NHTSA ID

11730008

Incident

Feb 3, 2026

Mileage

124,000 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving, but the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance due the manufacturing date of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA ID

11729931

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

Mileage

56,000 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer, and the power steering control module was updated under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); but the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

NHTSA ID

11729073

Incident

Mar 22, 2026

Mileage

190,000 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. While the contact’s girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel jerked and pulled to the right. Due to the failure, the steering wheel seized, and excessive force was needed to turn the steering wheel. The driver was able to avoid striking the curve. An unknown code was displayed. The contact was called and went to the scene of the failure. The vehicle was driven back to the residence nearby. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. While researching, the contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING) and associated the failure with the recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11728638

Incident

Mar 25, 2026

Mileage

160,000 mi

The steering locked up and was completely unable to turn the wheel. This resulted in an accident that sent the car into a ditch. The safety recall for the steering was fixed and it failed again, in which it cost me 1700 to replace the same part again. It has AGAIN failed!!! This is extremely unsafe and should not fail on multiple occasions. This problem needs to be resolved!!!!

NHTSA ID

11725444

Incident

Mar 18, 2026

Good evening, I’m emailing to you regarding my ford fusion q20212. My steering has went out non drivable. I did see where that year had a lot of power steering issues.. could you help me out on the power steering recall and the power train.. also need to get airbag completed. Text me a Time to meet I can’t drive it ar all will need towed. Thank you for print ur time… I really need to get fix so I have ride to work… [XXX] ’s [XXX] text me . Vin number is [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11723156

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

The Power Steering Assist Fault notice keeps popping up on the dashboard screen. When this happens, the power steering is inoperable leaving me stranded. I've had my mechanic fix it several times (after the Ford Recall on steering didn't properly repair the issue) costing an insane price. It's very unsafe to be on the road & have the power steering go out. It is unsafe not only for me & my family but also for the vehicles traveling around my vehicle. It causes mental distress & anxiety as I never know when I'm going to be left stranded. This time, I'm stranded at the laundromat, on a Sunday. Not knowing how I'm going to get home or to work tomorrow. My receipts for repairs are at home. Until Ford makes this right, I'll never see the Ford brand as a reliable manufacturer nor will I ever purchase or recommend the Ford brand.

NHTSA ID

11722784

Incident

Mar 8, 2026

I have a recall, I need to know where I have to fix that

NHTSA ID

11722108

Incident

Jan 4, 2026

I am writing to formally report that the safety recall repair on my 2012 Ford Fusion has failed to resolve the dangerous loss of power steering. My vehicle underwent the 15S18 recall update only at Tom's Ford back in 2015. On January 20 2026, the steering failed again while driving, creating an immediate safety risk. The dealer has failed to provide a permanent remedy at Jim Hudson Ford in Lexington SC. As safety recalls do not expire, I request a permanent fix of the steering gear replacement within 14 days of this letter, per NHTSA guidelines. If this is not resolved, I will pursue further legal action.

NHTSA ID

11717684

Incident

Jan 20, 2026

I am writing to formally file a complaint and request resolution regarding a serious safety issue involving my 2012 Ford Fusion SEL (VIN: [XXX] ). I have been a loyal Ford customer for over 20 years and have owned only Ford vehicles. Unfortunately, my recent experience with Ford Customer Care and my local dealership has been extremely disappointing and concerning. A few weeks ago, my 2012 Ford Fusion suddenly lost power steering while my young son was driving home from school. This created a terrifying and dangerous situation that could have resulted in a serious accident or injury. Thankfully, he was able to safely pull over, and no one was hurt. However, this was clearly a major safety failure. After this incident, I contacted Ford Customer Care and my local Ford dealership to seek assistance. I was informed that the Customer Satisfaction Program related to the EPAS steering system had expired for my vehicle and that Ford would not provide further support. However, this directly contradicts the information shown in my Ford app. The Ford app clearly lists Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign 15N01 – “EPAS Steering Effort” and instructs me to schedule a free service with a dealer. I later learned that an update was performed in 2015, but the EPAS steering system itself was never replaced—only updated—and that the program was considered a one-time offer. It is extremely upsetting to now face costly repairs for a known safety-related issue that was clearly not resolved correctly the first time. The fact that my Ford app continues to show this campaign as available, while Ford Customer Care claims it cannot be seen in their system and provides no further explanation, is unacceptable. As a long-time Ford customer, I expect transparency, accountability, and support—especially when it comes to safety-related defects. A loss of power steering is not a minor inconvenience; it is a serious hazard INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11715658

Incident

Jan 20, 2026