NHTSA Complaint #10650780 — 2012 FORD FUSION

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING HAS FAILED ABOUT 6 TIMES SINCE I RECEIVED THE CAR NEW AT THE END OF 2011. EACH TIME THE POWER STEERING FAILED A MESSAGE WOULD APPEAR ON THE DASH STATING THAT THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED, THEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES VERY, VERY HARD TO TURN. SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING IT CORRECTS THE PROBLEM UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS - THIS COULD BE 10 MONTHS OR AS SHORT A 2 DAYS. THE FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED IN DIFFERENT DRIVING ENVIRONMENT - PARKING LOTS TWICE, TOWN ROADS, AND HIGHWAYS. WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILS THE FORCES REQUIRED TO STEER THE CAR ARE EXTREME. I'M AN AVERAGE PERSON (5'8" 180LBS) AND HAVE BARELY ENOUGH STRENGTH TO TURN THE WHEEL IN A FAILURE CONDITION. MY SISTER (5' 2" 105 LBS) WILL LIKELY CRASH. TOOK THE CAR TO THE FORD DEALER TODAY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM REPAIRED, AND AFTER $148.00 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHARGE THEY SAID THEY FOUND NO FAULT CODES IN THE CAR COMPUTER INDICATING THERE HAD BEEN ANY POWER STEERING FAILURES, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT UNTIL THEY PHYSICALLY SAW THE PROBLEM. NO FAULT CODE REGISTRATION FOR SUCH A SERIOUS PROBLEM IS UNBELIEVABLE - A SERIOUS DEFECT IN ITSELF. I CONCEDER THIS CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR