NHTSA Complaint #10664033 — 2011 FORD FUSION

STARTING IN MID-OCTOBER 2014, WE STARTED EXPERIENCING OCCURRENCES OF POWER STEERING FAILURE WITH AN ODOMETER READING OF APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES. EACH OCCURRENCE WAS INTERMITTENT; TYPICALLY THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WAS DISABLED WHEN FIRST ENGAGING THE TRANSMISSION IN "DRIVE" FROM PARKED POSITION. AS A REMEDY, WE WOULD STOP THE CAR, TURN OFF THE ENGINE, AND RESTART THE IGNITION. THIS PROCEDURE WOULD REACTIVATE POWER STEERING ASSIST AND ALLOW NORMAL STEERING. HOWEVER, THE LAST POWER STEERING FAILURE IN MID-NOVEMBER LED TO A PERMANENT DISABLEMENT OF THE POWER STEERING, AS RESTART PROCEDURE FAILED. WE CONTACTED FORD DEALER TO NOTIFY OF THE PROBLEM, AND RECEIVED ESTIMATE OF $1500.00 FOR REPAIRS (VEHICLE'S STANDARD WARRANTY EXPIRED), AND DECLINED TO REIMBURSE THE REPAIR COST DUE TO NO RECALL. AFTER FURTHER DISCUSSIONS, DEALERSHIP AND FORD OFFERED COST SHARE; FORD WOULD BEAR 60% OF THE REPAIR COST WITH THE REMAINDER BY US. WE AGREED TO THE ARRANGEMENT; DEALERSHIP PERFORMED NECESSARY REPAIR (REPLACED STEERING GEAR INCLUDING ALIGNMENT) ON NOVEMBER 21, 2014 (ODOMETER READING OF 50,774 MILES) @ TOTAL OUT-OF-POCKET REPAIR CHARGES OF $583.44. WE BELIEVE THE VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING FAILURE WAS GROSSLY PREMATURE. ALTHOUGH OUT OF WARRANTY, WE BELIEVE THE POWER STEERING GEAR WAS DEFECTIVE, AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY A FORMAL RECALL OR EXTENDED WARRANTY. FURTHER, POWER STEERING ISSUE WAS NOT CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE WEAR AND TEAR, BUT WAS THE BY-PRODUCT OF A LATENT DEFECT BASED ON INFERIOR QUALITY. THIS POSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD AS LOSS OF POWER ASSIST MAKES "MANUAL" STEERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ANY DRIVER. OUR DRIVING HABITS HAVE BEEN REASONABLE, AND HAVE BEEN IN LINE WITH THE INTENDED PURPOSE OF THE AUTOMOBILE. BASED ON THE ABOVE, WE REQUEST FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS CASE, AS WE BELIEVE OTHER FUSIONS OF THE SAME MODEL YEAR MAY BE SIMILARLY IMPACTED. *TR