Ford Fusion power steering failure

Maintenance/Repairs
1

My power steering has gone out four times now. Appears to be a common problem on 2010-2012 Fusions. I wonder when the NHTSA will investigate it?

Power steering went out on my 2012 Fusion four times. First two times at approx. 5000 miles while driving on interstate. Torrance CA Ford dealership fixed it based on a Ford TSB that said the lower arms needed to be replaced. That didn’t fix it. Second two times were at around 9500 miles including once in a parking lot where I almost hit a car when the PS suddenly went out mid-turn. Had it towed to the same dealer and they replaced the steering gear assembly based on the diagnostic codes that they read. Hope that fixes it this time; since the last fix I went five months without a recurrence so it may be a while before I know whether it’s really fixed.

A few important notes: (1) If this happens to you, report it! Get on the NHTSA website and fill out a form. The NHTSA won’t investigate it if it’s not reported. (2) If driving, put transmission in neutral, turn off ignition then restart car, and keep going. That takes just about two seconds and is the safest thing to do. (3) Dealer had no problem reading the code each time (1 code the first two times, 3 codes the second two times). If your dealer says no codes show up then they’re probably not being truthful. (4) Keep good notes! Lemon laws exist for a reason; be prepared to pursue that course of action if necessary. Less than 10,000 miles on a $26,000 car that I can’t let my wife drive because it’s unsafe to do so!

2

You’ve written a good post. Sincere condolences.

3

I want to know what kind of mechanic replaces a control arm for a power steering failure?

As for the frequency of the problem, looking at NHTSA’s database to tell how often it happens can be a bit misleading. I’ve seen duplicate complaints there many times before, and remember that not all complaints about steering would necessarily even involve the power steering. For instance, on the 2010 Fusion, there are just 5 complaints of power steering issues in their database with no accidents or injuries reported. A 0.0023% failure rate isn’t going to get them too busy by itself.

That doesn’t mean a problem doesn’t exist.

In fact, from what I see, their supplier is (or was) JTEKT. Nobody seems to have had luck with them lately. JTEKT also supplie(s)(d) systems for many other vehicles, and quite a few of them have been recalled for power steering failure: