NHTSA Complaint #10615138 — 2012 FORD FUSION

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING, GOING 65MPH WHEN A CHIME GOES OFF. THERE IS AN AMBER LIGHT ON THE DASH AND WORDS ARE UNDER THE SPEEDOMETER SAYING "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" AND THEN "SERVICE ADVANCETRAC". I WAS ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF I-35, SO I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW BAD IT WAS UNTIL I CAME TO MY EXIT RAMP. IT WAS VERY STIFF. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RAMP I NEEDED TO MAKE A SERIES OF MUCH SHARPER TURNS AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED HOW BAD IT WAS. I STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND PULLED OUT MY PHONE AND TOOK PICTURES OF WHAT IT WAS SHOWING. WHEN I GOT INTO WORK, I SENT THE PICTURE TO MY DEALER, WHO SAID THEY COULD LOOK AT IT, BUT THAT WAS AS FAR AS THEY WOULD COMMIT. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR 20 DAYS AND OF COURSE THE 3/36,000 EXPIRED 2000 MILES AGO. I TURNED TO THE INTERNET AND FOUND QUITE A FEW COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME THING WITH NUMEROUS YEARS OF THE FUSION. IT APPEARS THAT A SHORT TERM FIX IS TO SHUT OFF THE CAR AND WHEN STARTED AGAIN, THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARS, BUT MAY OR MAY NOT POP UP AGAIN. NOT EXACTLY REASSURING, FORD MOTOR COMPANY. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES IT TAKE FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS? A CAR WITH 38,000 MILES HAVING AN ISSUE THAT COULD BE LIFE THREATENING SEEMS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE IN THIS DAY OF CAR COMPANIES KNOWING ABOUT PROBLEMS, YET DOING NOTHING AND THEN PAYING THE CONSEQUENCES LATER. DO THE RIGHT THING, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, AND FIX THIS FOR THOSE OF US WHO CHOSE TO BUY YOUR PRODUCT AND PUT OUR FAITH INTO YOU DELIVERING A QUALITY, RELIABLE AND SAFE VEHICLE. I OWNED A 2005 HYUNDAI THAT I PUT OVER 270,000 MILES ON AND THE ONLY ISSUE WAS TO REPLACE A CLUTCH. I WAS GOING TO GO WITH HYUNDAI AGAIN, BUT I THOUGHT SINCE FORD DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN THE BAILOUT, I WOULD GO AMERICAN. AM I GOING TO REGRET THAT DECISION? *TR