Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2014 Ford Fusion submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 327 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 327, in the owner's own words
Almost got into an accident twice. Complete steering loss while driving. Replaced my rack n pinion per the bhph dealership i bought it from and still having issues. Complete steering loss while driving.
SUBJECT: URGENT COMPLAINT: Deceptive Practices/Misrepresentation & Services Not Rendered (Woodhouse Ford of Omaha) I. Actionable Safety Issue Summary This complaint concerns fraudulent billing and dangerous misrepresentation by Woodhouse Ford of Omaha, which claimed a vehicle's 3rd rack and pinion system was "safe" on 2/19/2026 after a known safety issue, following a previous failure. They further charged $219.22 for unrendered/improper ABS programing repairs that was not successful because the electric rack and pinion is defective on 3/5/2026 and fabricated invoice records to shift liability. II. Parties Involved •Consumer: [XXX] •Dealer/Service Provider: Woodhouse Ford of Omaha, Service Manager Jeremy Sullivan, Technician Anthony Rubio. •Financial Institution: First National Bank of Omaha (Regulated by OCC). III. Nature of the Dispute 1.Safety Hazard/Misrepresentation (2/19/2026): Service Manager Jeremy Sullivan and Tech Anthony Rubio stated the vehicle’s rack and pinion was "safe" despite a prior failure. This misrepresentation has left me with a vehicle that has had the rack and pinion fail or require replacement three times in under a year. 2.Services Not Rendered (3/5/2026): Charged $219.22 for "programming the ABS module" which was not rendered or not performed correctly. 3.Fabricated Documentation: Woodhouse Ford created fraudulent service invoices stating I diagnosed the ABS fault and declined further diagnosis. This is an attempt to evade liability for ongoing, dangerous defects. IV. Regulatory Violations & Requested Action The described actions violate consumer protection laws, including: •Dodd-Frank UDAAP (12 USC § 5536): Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. •Fair Credit Billing Act (15 USC § 1666): Billing error/services not received. •Regulation E (12 CFR 1005.11): Procedures for resolving errors. Requested Action: Initiate an investigation into Woodhouse Ford of Omaha’s service practices and safety diagnostics. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),
As I was driving,making a right turn and with out warning my steering wheel before excessively hard to control, turn. Because of the sudden wheel tightening as I was making this right turn I almost collided with a vehicle in next lane on highway. My brakes were in good standing but I had to really step down on my brakes to gain control of the steering wheel. I put in the shop and got a multi point inspection with repairs costs of over 3000 to replace steering wheel gear bolts etc in which I can't afford at this time
While driving a 2014 Ford Fusion during a snowstorm, the vehicle displayed the warning message “Steering Assist Fault – Service Required.” Immediately afterward, the steering became extremely difficult to turn, requiring significantly greater effort to control the vehicle. This sudden loss of power steering assist created a serious safety risk for myself and others on the road. The vehicle was inspected by a dealership, which confirmed diagnostic codes U3000 and C200D in the Power Steering Control Module and recommended replacement of the steering gear assembly and related components. The dealer noted that my VIN was not listed as included in the relevant recalls, although many vehicles from the same model year were included in Ford recall 19S26 (NHTSA 19V632000), which addresses corrosion or breakage of electric power steering gear motor bolts and potential loss of power steering assist. No prior symptoms were noted before the warning message appeared. The failure was sudden and occurred while the vehicle was in motion. The steering gear and related components are available for inspection. Based on the dealer’s assessment and the similarity to documented recall conditions, the cause appears to be a sudden failure of the electric power steering gear assembly.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel remained stuck in the direction turned and failed to return to center. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. Due to the failure, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle while driving back to the residence. The contact’s stepson used a code reader to diagnose the vehicle and performed a reset, and the power steering assist feature returned. Upon investigation, the contact's stepson discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was informed that the repair was temporary and that the failure would return. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power Steering Loss (2019 - Recall 19S26): Affects 2013–2016 models. Corrosion of the steering gear motor bolts can lead to a sudden loss of electric power steering assist, making the car harder to steer. This recently happened to my vehicle, causing my wife to almost crash. Luckily she wasn’t far from home and was able to drive slowly with very difficult steering made it home safely. I took the vehicle to the local ford dealership that has described that the bolts have sheered off on my vehicle the exact thing described in this recall, but have informed me that according to my VIN this recall doesn’t apply.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became very firm. The contact pulled over, and the messages “Steering Loss” and “Service Advancetrac” were displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,904.
One day the car was fine, next morning went to start car and was greeted by multiple failure warnings - Adaptive Cruise Control Not Available, Service AdvanceTrac, Steering Assist Fault Service Required, and Hill Start Assist Not Available. Efforts to restart without errors failed. Power Steering lost and unable to turn the wheel without great effort. Parked car and towed to dealer, Failure of Electronic Rack and Pinion Steering per the dealership at a cost of $2500 - $3000. Car Donated to Charity. Concern in submitting is a record of other recent failures of this year, make and model failing in much more dangerous situation than mine but appears that this part has reached its useful life without identification from Ford of the likelihood of failure on these older cars.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at night in the rain at approximately 40-45 MPH, the contact drove over an unavoidable puddle, and the electric power steering assist became inoperable. The advancetrac and the steering warning lights were illuminated, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The water eventually dried up, and the vehicle returned to normal operation. The contact stated that the failure recurred. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering). The contact stated that the remedy was not adequate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who repaired the steering rack. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact drove over another puddle of water, and the failure reoccurred. The contact was unable to dry the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a claim on the contact's behalf. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering) in 2015. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Steering Assist Fault Service required along with message Check Charging System after I tried to pull out of work parking lot and steering wheel is hard can not turn it left or right.
Was driving at about 45mph on [XXX] on [XXX] and there was a lower control arm failure on the front passenger side of vehicle. Caused the vehicle to be inoperable. I was able to have someone pull me out of the way to not impeded traffic with the car in neutral but was unable to do much with it. It was late at night so I was unable to really access the damage. My wife had our insurance tow the vehicle to my home a few hours ago on [XXX] and it appears the lower control arm is gone, the axle has detached from the wheel (axle still hanging from bottom of car), pretty bad damage to the inner wheel well, passenger fender, and minor damage to the front bumper and passenger side skirt. I had read there was a recall on this vehicle online and wanted to find out more about my options. The car has just shy of 100k miles and is a daily driver. So I am stuck in a bad potisition with this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Was driving lost power steering shut my car off turned it back on all the lights were gone off the dash and it had power steering again . Parked went to work the next day and drove home fine parked and then all the same lights came on again and has lost all power steering .
Went too start the vehicle and power steering/steering at all was at a loss
AdvanceTrac stopped working in my car due a sensor. Had to get it replaced by Midas. When I went to turn on my car and put it in drive it started making an awful grinding sound and would not move and gave me an error code that just said service AdvanceTrac. It was insanely expensive to repair and thankfully didn't happen while I was driving.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clunking sound coming from the steering wheel while attempting to make a turn. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the electric rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact ordered the parts and had the dealer install the parts. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the same diagnostic was provided. The contact was informed that the electric rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The parts were ordered by the dealer. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the same diagnostic was provided. The contact was informed that electric rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 208,864.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the messages "Service - AdvanceTrac Off", "Hill start Assist Unavailable", and "Steering Assist Fault - Required" were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however the VIN was not included in the unknown recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
I am submitting this complaint regarding a complete loss of power steering on my 2014 Ford Fusion. The issue occurred without warning and was accompanied by multiple dashboard alerts including: “Steering Loss – Stop Safely” “Service AdvanceTrac” “Hill Start Assist Not Available” The steering became extremely heavy and difficult to turn, creating a major safety concern—especially while driving at low speeds or attempting to park. I have since researched this issue and found numerous reports from other 2014 Ford Fusion owners experiencing the exact same failure. While Ford issued a Customer Satisfaction Program (15N01) covering similar issues on 2011–2013 Fusion models, no such support appears to be available for the 2014 model—even though the symptoms and system design are identical. Dealers are quoting repairs in excess of $3,500 to replace the rack-and-pinion steering system, which is believed to be the source of the failure. Given the abrupt and dangerous nature of the malfunction, I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential safety defect and consider whether Ford should expand coverage or issue a formal recall for affected 2014 vehicles. This is a critical steering safety issue that could easily lead to accidents or injury if it happens at higher speeds or in traffic. I urge the NHTSA to take this seriously and evaluate Ford’s handling of this problem in 2014 Fusion models. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Steering gear in rack in pinion grinding and felt like car stalled and steering went hard..no warnings or indications prior to..67,000 miles on Car …now there is a continuous grinding sound coming from steering wheel and Ford had a recall on 2014 Fusion but my car doesn’t show any …afraid steering may lock up without warning
Our 2014 Ford Fusion was recalled under NHTSA Campaign Number 15V250000, issued June 24, 2015, for an issue with internal binding and corrosion in the power steering rack which could lead to a loss of power steering assist. In 2015, Brighton Ford (Livingston County, MI) performed the recall remedy. After that service, our vehicle's VIN was removed from NHTSA's active recall list. However, on [XXX], less than 10 years later, the exact same issue occurred again—the steering wheel froze and the front wheels did not respond. The "Steering Loss" warning appeared. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The car was diagnosed and repaired at Balise Ford of Wilbraham, MA. They retrieved DTC C102D:00 which indicates high friction in the power steering gear, a symptom specifically tied to internal binding caused by water ingress, as described in the original recall. The steering rack was replaced at our expense. The repair invoice and technician comments clearly describe the same failure mode the recall was meant to prevent. This indicates the original recall remedy was ineffective in our case. WHAT IS YOUR REQUEST TO NHTSA? We respectfully request that NHTSA: Reinstate our VIN on the 15V250000 recall list, acknowledging that the original repair was inadequate and the defect recurred. Enable us to seek reimbursement from Ford for the repair and towing costs now totaling over $5,400. This situation demonstrates that a single recall remedy does not always fully resolve the safety issue. We hope NHTSA will help ensure affected owners are protected and treated fairly. DEALERSHIPS INVOLVED Original Recall Service (2015): Brighton Ford Livingston County, Michigan Recent Repair (2025): Balise Ford of Wilbraham 1979 Boston Rd, Wilbraham, MA 01095 Phone: 413-858-6195 Service Advisor: John Gabriel Retrieved DTC: C102D:00 – High Friction in Power Steering Mileage at Repair: 60,468 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound and the steering wheel seized. The "Service Advancetrac" message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
On May 15, 2025 I experience a loss of power steering assist in my vehicle due to steering gear bold corrosion. There is a recall for this exact same issue, 19S26/19V632, issued on 2019-10-11, however, Ford is telling me my VIN number is not included in this recall. They are also claiming this problem was fixed as part of their recall 19R02 back in 2015. As part of the more recent recall, the remedy calls for replacing the bolts and applying a corrosion inhibitor, but they obviously did not do when fixing recall 19R02 back in 2015.
I currently have no open recalls on my vehicle however I feel as though my vehicle is apart of the the national recall involving the steer column. My vehicle jerks at high speeds randomly and I sometimes lose control. This issue has been seen by multiple mechanics and they’ve done numerous inspections but can’t find the problem. They only tell me they think it may fix the issue but none are certain. I’ve gotten two wheel alignments within a year and each time I’m recommended a wheel alignment by a different mechanic. I’ve bought several tires of this issue because the wear on my tires keeps wearing out and causing my tires to blow out. I believe it involves the national recall.
Around [XXX], I began experiencing issues with the electric power steering system in my 2014 Ford Fusion. The steering became noticeably stiff and difficult to turn, especially at low speeds. A warning message appeared on the dashboard — something like “Service Trac” or a similar alert. Despite the warning and steering difficulty, I was able to continue driving the vehicle for about a week, but it became increasingly unsafe and physically demanding to steer. The vehicle has approximately 138,000 miles and was purchased from a dealership in Michigan just a few months ago. The issue has not been inspected by a Ford dealer, but an independent service center diagnosed the problem as a failure of the electric power steering system. I was quoted $2,400 for a new part or around $1,000 for a used one, not including labor. I checked my VIN using Ford’s official site and confirmed there are no open recalls or Customer Satisfaction Programs for the steering system on this vehicle. However, this issue appears to match the symptoms described in Ford recall 19V632000, which applies to some 2014 Fusions with the same steering design. My vehicle appears to be excluded from that recall. Given the widespread nature of this defect and the serious safety risk it poses, I believe the recall should be expanded to include more affected VINs. This failure could easily result in loss of control at higher speeds and represents a hazard to both occupants and others on the road. Thanks for your time [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power steering rack and pinion
While driving on highway, my 2014 Ford Fusion suddenly reported loss steering power and it was requiring a greater steering effort to make a small turn. I have to stop unexpectedly on highway. This incident reminded me that a day or two, I started to feel some roughness while turning in low speed locally. But it didn't affect driving.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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