NHTSA Complaint #10985668 — 2012 FORD FUSION

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, MY WARNING SENSORS BEEPED ALONG WITH THE WORDS FLASHING THAT SAID 'POWER STEERING FAILURE.' THANKFULLY I WAS NOT ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS A GAS STATION CLOSE BY. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED INTO THE NEAREST GAS STATION YET THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD HARDLY TURN. I BOUGHT SOME POWER STEERING FLUID AND PUT THAT IN THE CAR YET IT STILL WOULD NOT TURN PROPERLY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP THE NEXT AM. AFTER FORD LOOKED AT THE CAR, THEY CALLED ME TO TELL ME THAT IT NEEDED A POWER STEERING GEAR BOX REPLACED AND WOULD COST $1,675.00. AFTER TALKING TO THEM AND OBTAINING A SECOND QUOTE FROM A DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOP, I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL THAT INVOLVED THE POWER STEERING ASSIST. I THEN CALLED FORD MANUFACTURER TOLL FREE AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT YES THERE WAS A RECALL YET BECAUSE I DID NOT TAKE MY CAR IN TO HAVE IT CHECKED IN 2015, THAT FORD WOULD NOT COVER THE COST OF THIS REPAIR. I INFORMED THE MAN THAT I WAS NOT TOLD OF ANY RECALL SO HOW WOULD I HAVE KNOWN TO TAKE IT TO THE SHOP? FURTHERMORE, I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO THIS DEALERSHIP AFTER THE RECALL WAS PUBLISHED (FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE) AND THEY DID NOT SAY ANYTHING TO ME AT THAT TIME ABOUT THERE BEING AN OPEN RECALL. I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING AT THE TIME I WAS THERE FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE IF THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. NOW I AM BEING CHARGED $1675 FOR A REPAIR THAT FORD HAS FIXED FOR OTHER CONSUMERS FOR FREE OF CHARGE. THIS WILL BE MY LAST FORD CAR AS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS EXTREMELY UNFAIR. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THE CHARGES THAT I AM SPENDING TO REPAIR MY CAR.