NHTSA Complaint #10882310 — 2011 FORD FUSION

STEERING, LEFT OR RIGHT, CAUSES SIGNIFICANT "GRINDING" TYPE NOISE. INDEPENDENT SHOP COULD NOT NARROW IT DOWN, ALTHOUGH FIRST THOUGHT WAS RACK & PINION. THIS VEHICLE (3.0L) DOES NOT HAVE A STANDARD RACK AND PINION. THIS NOISE OCCURS WHETHER STATIONARY OR IN MOTION. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE, HOWEVER, THEY COULD REPLACE THE CONTROL ARMS TO SEE IF THAT HELPS RESOLVE THE ISSUE. DUE TO THE COST (ROUGHLY $1500, WITH NO GUARANTEE IT WOULD RESOLVE THE ISSUE) WE DECIDED TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHERE THE ISSUE COMES FROM. IT OCCURS WHILE STATIONARY AND IN MOTION, SO IT IS NOTE RELATED TO THE SUSPENSION CYCLING, BUT IS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO STEERING LEFT OR RIGHT. SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO THE STEERING MECHANISM. THIS IS AN ONGOING/RECURRING ISSUE THAT IS GETTING WORSE, WITH NO SHOP TECH ABLE TO SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY. ALL RECALL/SOFTWARE UPDATES (PCM, ETC.) HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY THE DEALER.