NHTSA Complaint #10609757 — 2011 FORD FUSION

STARTED MY CAR AND NOTICED ERROR MESSAGE ON DASH: POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT. I TRIED TO TURN THE WHEEL AND, SURE ENOUGH, I HAD NO POWER STEERING. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF CONFUSION I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN STARTED IT BACK UP. THE ERROR WAS GONE AND MY POWER STEERING HAD RETURNED. I BORROWED MY GIRLFRIEND?S CAR AND DID NOT DRIVE MINE BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO BE GETTING ON THE INTERSTATE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THEY FOUND NO ERROR CODE SAVED IN THE COMPUTER AND WERE UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE REP SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THAT FORD WAS PERFORMING A 2-STEP TROUBLESHOOTING PROCESS. STEP 1 CONSISTED OF THE TESTS THEY PERFORMED THAT DAY (?PINPOINT TEST B FOR CTC C200C FROM PSCM?). STEP 2 (IF PROBLEM RECURRED) WOULD CONSIST OF INSTALLING A ?NEW GEAR? INSIDE THE RACK AND PINION STEERING SYSTEM. I TOLD THE SERVICE REP THAT CONSENSUS ON ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM SITE SUGGESTS THE PROBLEM IS IN THE EPAS (ELECTRONIC POWER-ASSIST STEERING) CHIP WHICH IS EMBEDDED INSIDE THE RACK AND PINION SYSTEM ? WHICH CAN ONLY BE REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM (~$2000). SO I ASKED WHAT ?STEP 2? (INSTALLING A NEW GEAR INSIDE STEERING) WOULD ACHIEVE. THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION OTHER THAN ?FORD THINKS MAYBE A FAULTY GEAR IS CAUSING THE ERROR?. MY SUSPICION IS THE GEAR REPLACEMENT WILL CHANGE THE NON-POWER STEERING GEAR RATIO TO MAKE IT EASIER TO STEER IN THE EVENT OF A REPEAT FAILURE. I TOLD HIM THIS ?POSSIBLE FIX? (NEW GEAR) LEAVES ME WITH LITTLE FAITH IN DRIVING MY CAR. WITH SO MANY REPORTS OF OTHER?S HAVING THIS HAPPEN TO THEIR FUSION WHILE DRIVING, AND FORD HAVING NO CERTAINTY ABOUT INSTALLING THIS NEW GEAR BEING A DEFINITIVE RESOLUTION, HOW AM I TO TRUST THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN WHILE I'M DRIVING? AND AM I REALLY SUPPOSED TO JUST WAIT UNTIL IT DOES HAPPEN AGAIN? AND JUST HOPE (PRAY!) THAT IT'S NOT AT A CRITICAL MOMENT? *TR