NHTSA Complaint #10630079 — 2011 FORD FUSION

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD TO GET TO WORK AND A ICON POPPED UP ON MY DASH IN ADDITION TO A COUPLE MESSAGES APPEARING WHERE MY ODOMETER READING TYPICALLY IS. THE MESSAGES READ : "SERVICE ADVANCED TRAC & SERVICE POWERSTEERING." THERE SEEMED TO BE NO DIFFERENCE IN THE CONTROL AND HANDLING OF MY CAR UNTIL I WENT TO PARALLEL PARK (MY STEERING FELT STIFF) SO I CONTINUED ONTO MY APPOINTMENT. AFTER RETURNING TO MY CAR AND TURNING IT BACK ON THE ICON WAS BACK AND THE MESSAGES RETURNED WITH THE ADDITION OF SAY "NOW" AFTER THE INITIAL MESSAGES. MY DRIVING EXPERIENCE HOWEVER WAS DIFFICULT. MY POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING AND I HAD TO EXERT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. IT ALSO FELT AS IF MY TURNING RADIUS WAS MUCH WIDER TO TURN CORNERS. MY DEALERSHIP CHECKED MY CAR AND GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE JUST UNDER $2000 TO REPAIR THE ISSUE INCLUDING THE INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF THE ISSUE. THE REPORT INDICATED THAT THE "MODULE ON THE STEERING RACK" WAS AT FAULT, BUT TO REPAIR THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE WHOLE STEERING RACK. *TR