What 2,604 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Fusion Hev

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 ODI 11745989

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 ODI 11722784

I recently started to experience hard steering while in transit the power assist light came on and so does the advanced track warning light. I discovered there was a recall so I took it in to the Ford dealership, which was JC Lewis Ford in Savannah, Georgia, but the technician told me that there were too many miles and after 150,000 miles, the recall was null and void

NHTSA ODI 11708126

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the A/C unit failed to operate as needed, causing the cabin of the vehicle to become hot while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the evaporator temperature sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.

NHTSA ODI 11651178

service power steering now and service advancetrac codes came on the cluster. Nothing seems wrong, no burnt fuses or relays. Just lost power steering

NHTSA ODI 11649019

Ford issued recall 15s18 for electrical issue in sterring gear in 2015 Our fords power steering system failed on 01/13/2025 Huntington Ford dealership refused to repair after diagnostic shows a power steering system fail claiming that we are not covered for the recall

NHTSA ODI 11644800

Power-steering failed as well as received a warning on dash to "service advance trac, service power steering now" All warning came up during a approx. 1 hour drive and the power steering fully shut off after turning car off then back on at a gas station on the way. Lack of power steering puts lives at risk due to the difficulty the driver has in controlling the vehicle particularly at lower speeds where it is more likely there are pedestrians around.

NHTSA ODI 11643924

I was going down the road around 50 mph and advancetrac lights came on , service power steering now . Showed up on dash . Couldn't steer vehicle almost crashed

NHTSA ODI 11632005

I was driving down the road around 50 mph and the steering wheel locked up on me and has not let goes in any electrical in the car keeps glitching radio the dash light

NHTSA ODI 11631896

Same issue as others have stated with the power steering just stopping all of a sudden. The car randomly starts yelling about service power steering now and service advancetrac, you put the car in park or turn it off and then the power steering goes out. Had it cleared by a mechanic who said it is a sensor issue. We didn’t get to replace the sensor but power steering came back when he cleared the codes. About a week later it happened again. And like others, there isn’t a recall listed for it with my vehicle just something about the air bags.

NHTSA ODI 11627004

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated after a week of the vehicle not being driven, the battery was drained. The contact stated that the battery was new and should have not drained so soon. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11604312

While driving with family, power steering assist fault came on and suddenly it was hard to move the steering wheel which resulted in drifting and an extemely close call car crash on highway. Had to get it towed due to safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11597599

My power steering failed. The steering is very difficult to steer and maneuver at low speed. The error code on the dashboard beeps every time I enter the vehicle “power steering assist fault” and is available for inspection. This is extremely unsafe when driving at any speed because of the extra effort required to maneuver the vehicle putting other drivers or pedestrians at risk in the event of needing to avoid a collision. The problem has been inspected by Ford and another independent mechanic. Ford did not honor the recall. There was no warning for the issue, other than the beeping and the message on the dashboard. I had drove to the store and parked with power steering, when I started the car up to leave the store I suddenly had no power steering and had to have the car towed.

NHTSA ODI 11592038

The electric power steering assist (EPSA) function of the car is no longer functional. It is available for inspections upon request. The vehicle began intermittently losing power steering when the vehicle would start. The problem can now be re-produced each time the vehicle is started. The problem is a known issue with this model Ford Fusion and was part of a previous recall. This vehicle was serviced by the Ford dealership during the times the recall was in place and had the EPSA re-programmed. The issue still persists, and the vehicle is unsafe to drive. The recall is no longer in effect and Ford will not remedy the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11590418

Unknown electric power steering shut down while traveling leaving me with no power steering

NHTSA ODI 11585791

Car was impacted by previous recall related to the power steering electrical systems and power steering assist fault light. Ford needs to pay for these issues, so many people with this vehicle have had this issue and ford is refusing to pay for it.

NHTSA ODI 11582699

Power steering went out. The steering rack has now gone bad in this vehicle twice. The first time it was covered under a recall, 15S18, and then there were further issues, so they issued a customer satisfaction recall with the number 15N01. 2012 ford fusion with 110,000 miles, two steering racks, but because the customer service recall is expired, they won’t replace my second bad steering rack, and it is going to cost me 3,000 dollars, more than half the worth of the car according to KBB. I find this to be incredibly unfair that Ford can put a crappy part that costs 2000 dollars in a vehicle, and then say because the customer service recall is expired, it’s my job and responsibility to spend 3,000 dollars fixing their crappy part.

NHTSA ODI 11578396

The power steering will go out and will make the wheel lock up

NHTSA ODI 11548461

I was driving down the highway, and out of no where my powersteering shut off, we almost wrecked with my 2 kids and wife In the car. I had a message pop up on the dash saying “service powersteering now” “service advancetrac”. We pulled over, I tried disconnecting the battery hoping the issues was electrical. It didn’t help. I checked every fuse both under the dash and under the hood, all were good. I got to doing some research, turns out there was a recall on 2012 ford fusions without the 3.5L (mine is the 2.5L) for this exact issue. The Electric Powersteering has issues that could cause severe accidents. I reached out to Ford about the issue, and I was told the recall didn’t apply to my vehicle. Even though I do in fact own a 2012 ford fusion with the 2.5L engine, and I’m having the same dangerous issue that was replaced in other vehicles like mine. The recall I found doing research is (NHTSA Recall ID: 15V340000)

NHTSA ODI 11547845

Brakes failed while driving. Finally stopped after multiple attempts after pressing brakes to the floor. ABS, advancetrac, and ABS lights came up on dash while this was occurring (not prior). Dealer reproduced /confirmed concern. ABS module fix of $2750. Luckily I was driving slowly and no other cars, people, or animals were in the vicinity; otherwise, this could have resulted in injury/deaths.

NHTSA ODI 11519697

The electric power steering went out and the wheel will not turn. There is a similar recall in other cars with the same issues

NHTSA ODI 11517884

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake without warning. The contact then stated that she attempted to operate the A/C unit, when she heard an abnormal sound inside the unit. The contact also stated that the unit failed to dispense cool air. Additionally, the contact stated that after the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated to respond for five seconds. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that due to an unknown electrical failure, the A/C compressor needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage as approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11514808

Service advance trac and service power steering now keeps coming on . I’ve looked this problem up and seems to be a VERY common thing amongst ford fusions. Because of this , my power steering turns off and no matter how many times I reset the code , it keeps turning back on . It makes it very dangerous to drive the car especially if it turns off in the middle of a trip/drive.

NHTSA ODI 11513289

Power Steering Gear , no had it fixed at ford diagnostic code P07AE . Was driving on the freeway power steering went out and car jerked wheel all the way to right almost hit guardrail with 5 yr old daughter in car. Yes . yes. No.

NHTSA ODI 11503064

Service advance track light came on , the car was turned off then back on and the warning light was gone. Begin driving, made it 10 miles or so then the electric power steering went out while driving the vehicle. Service advance track light came on. The car then lost all power steering. This resulted in difficulty steering. When the steering went out this almost lead to a collision.

NHTSA ODI 11497345