What 1,774 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi

Traveling down a major interstate at 70 mph the steering assist light comes on without warning and the vehicle looses power steering. No prior indications of any problems. This could have caused a major traffic accident resulting in great bodily injury and/or death had I not been able to control the vehicle. The problem was confirmed by an auto repair shop. The vehicle was not inspected by anyone other than the repair shop. What is disturbing is that I have since discovered this is an issue with these vehicles as there were THREE prior recalls for this problem, but the recalls did NOT cover this vehicle's VIN. That's on you!

NHTSA ODI 11585145

I bought my car in 2020 and immediately when I got home my car had died and I had to have it towed back to the dealership. Since then I have had 2 new batteries, 1 new lithium battery, and a new transmission. Issues with my vehicle include but are not limited to: 1. sporadically when I am driving all my dash lights come on and my power steering goes out and my car becomes difficult to steer safely. 2. my car has rolled back twice while I am in park. 3. Passenger airbag randomly will fault when I am driving. 4. My e-brake will randomly fault while I am driving. All of these issues happen very often and are happening more and more often. I have brought my car in a few times but I am told it needs to replicate the issues in order to be diagnosed but these issues happen sporadically and I cannot demonstrate them at will.

NHTSA ODI 11583526

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the electric power steering function became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was due to the rack and pinon. The repairs were made by the mechanic. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 169,819. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11578896

Power steering assist light appears and you lose power steering which is hard to turn the wheel at all. I’ve had it looked in to and they say it’s a steering problem for years in them models

NHTSA ODI 11578761

Car suddenly would have power but no start. After replacing what was thought needed replacement, the alternator is when it wouldn't steer anymore. Further inspection concluded it was the electrical rack and pinion, leaving no steering and or assist.

NHTSA ODI 11576384

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while making a right or left turn, there was friction and a rubbing sound coming from the steering wheel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle had been repaired under an unstated recall in 2015. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. The contact has been experiencing a friction type noise when turning the wheel traveling slowly. The noise has gotten a little louder over the past few weeks but the noise isn't noticeable while traveling at faster speeds on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11573461

I was driving my car when suddenly the steering went out which was dangerous for me and other drivers because I could not turn my steering wheel. I thought this was a recall that had been fixed but has not. Since this incident I have not had the car inspected yet. After I was able to get the car back to my garage…the message on my dash read “power steering fault”.

NHTSA ODI 11568111

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was loosened. The driver was able to wiggle the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11563794

Power steering Fault lights and no steering. Steering wheel becomes very stiff.

NHTSA ODI 11561282

I was driving down the road about to start slowing down at a stop sign, then my steering wheel started to shake and I got a warning on my dash that my power steering system needed assistance and my steering wheel now is very hard to turn. I had to drive it back home and it was very difficult to turn my wheel the whole way home. could have been in serious accident when wheel start to shake or if my wheel completely locked up. fortunately, I was not injured or in no accident.

NHTSA ODI 11559384

On December 2,2023, I was driving my 2013 ford fusion down the road and all of a sudden a warning came up that Steering Assist fault and required service. I was going about 40mph there was no warning at all. I could have bee. Seriously hurt. Upon research there have been others that have this problem. When check my model is not on the recall list. Why is this?

NHTSA ODI 11558165

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact heard abnormal sounds and the steering wheel wobbled making it difficult to control the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was due to faulty steering wheel bolts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

NHTSA ODI 11554941

My daughter was on the way to work, in the middle of traffic going around another vehicle at the time and without any warning, the power steering just went out. It was as though the steering wheel locked up or there was no power steering capabilities whatsoever and she barely made it off of the roadway. This could have caused an accident and It scared her so bad that she was crying when she called me immediately after it happened. I didn’t know what to do so I told her to crank up, put the car in drive and see what it does. The steering was fully functional then so she drove on to work but was very nervous thinking it may happen again. I did read that there is a recall for this exact issue on particular models of Fusions but it does not include our model; therefore, I am submitting our complaint and requesting that the recall to be updated to include ALL models of 2013 Ford Fusions for the safety of ALL owners. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI 11552474

COMPONENT FAILURE (ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE). MY STEERING WHEEL WHILE TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT, MADE A SCRATCHING NOISE. ALSO WHEN TURNING RIGHT AND LEFT, IT DROPPED AN INCH AND WHEN I TRIED RECOVERING IT WAS HARD TO CORRECT. IT WAS LIKE MANUAL STEERING OVER POWER STEERING. NO WARNING INDICATOR ON DASH EVER CAN ON. THIS ISSUE BEGAN RIGHT AFTER I PICKED UP THE CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THEY PERFORMED THE RECALL ON THE BRAKE HOSES.

NHTSA ODI 11547133

Sterling gear rack n pinion got very hard and the vehicle couldn't be controlled . Lost control and caused to crash

NHTSA ODI 11546235

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle swayed left and right, and the steering wheel had limited maneuverability. The instrument panel displayed the warning message: steering system failure. The electronic power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number 13V232000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000.

NHTSA ODI 11545619

I was driving on 7/26/2023 and the power steering system malfunctioned, resulting in complete loss of power steering. I received a warning message: "Steering Assist Malfunction Service Required" I lost control of the vehicle momentarily until I realized I could still steer, but with great difficulty. I pulled over, turned off the car, restarted it and regained power steering for a few seconds before it failed again, giving the aforementioned warning message. From that point, power steering was completely lost and did not come back after stopping and restarting again. Fortunately, I was able to get my car home without incident but it was very difficult to steer and making tight turns was impossible. I took the vehicle to Varsity Ford in Ann Arbor, MI who told me, "The power steering rack has an internal failure that won't reset or clear." They indicated that the only way to restore the power steering is by replacing the electronic power steering rack. I was quoted $3950.80 for this and my car is currently undergoing repair because I need a mode of transportation. There is a known issue with the Ford Fusion (https://www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/ford-recalls-nearly-445k-vehicles-for-power-steering-failure-fuel-leak-issues/) and Ford has issued recalls for 2011 to 2013 model years. Mine is a 2013, but the specific model (Energi) is not covered. I experienced the same issue so Ford's recall should cover the Energi model and I should be reimbursed for the repair costs.

NHTSA ODI 11537156

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the message "EPS Warning System" was displayed, and the vehicle suddenly lost power steering assist functionality, causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to steer. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel responded as needed. However, upon starting the vehicle the following day, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the electric power steering (EPS) system. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign number: 15V250000 (Steering). The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 111,000.

NHTSA ODI 11536266

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle overheated, with the power steering system, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle shut off and the contact was unable to depress the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle was stuck in the middle of traffic. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an unknown sensor failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was currently at the dealer and the repair was pending. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no further assistance. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11535790

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the power steering failed, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the messages "Service Power Steering'', "Hill Assist Not Available" and "Service Advance Track" were displayed. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11535470

My daughter in law just had her brakes serviced at Jack Demmer Ford and the next day the power steering suddenly failed while she was driving with my grand daughter in the back seat. She was unable to steer the car but did manage to stop safely. I understand the Electric Power Steering Assist (EPSA) failure is a very common problem on this vehicle and has been recalled on this model and year but not on her VIN. Now Ford says they cannot even look at the car for 3 weeks so she is driving my car while I will be driving hers with no power steering. I have owned and driven cars from 1966 to 2023 and never had power steering fail while the car was in motion. Older cars that never had power steering are still easy to steer and drive but the 2013 Fusion Hybrid is very difficult and almost impossible at lower speeds meaning she absolutely cannot drive the car. Amazing how she can get her car into the Ford dealership for brake maintenance but not for a immediate safety issue like not being able to steer.

NHTSA ODI 11528853

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering Fault" message was displayed, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor was faulty, and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11524859

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was loose and wobbly, and not completely secured to the steering column. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 206,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521225

While traveling at low speed and making a turn, sometimes loss of power steering assist that is requiring a greater steering effort occurs. Increasing the risk of a crash. Dashboard warning lights turns on as in the attached photos. Similar problem resulted as a recall for certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, Steering Gear Motor Bolt Corrosion. However my vehicle, which is assembled in Hermosillo, Mexico, has exact same issue this recall mentions were not recalled by Ford. NHTSA Safety Recall: 19S26

NHTSA ODI 11519837

Power Steering Assist Failure while driving. Problem is intermittent but persistent and can happen suddenly. It nearly caused me to go off the road when it happened while going around a curve. If it happens suddenly it is extremely hard to steer and could definitely end up in an accident. I have not had it inspected yet by a mechanic. No warning lights appeared before the failure but when it happened the message read "Power Steering Assist Failure"

NHTSA ODI 11517822