NHTSA Complaint #11103645 — 2012 FORD FUSION

FORD FUSION SAFETY RECALL 15S18 POWER STEERING ASSIST.I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN AN ALERT APPEARED ON THE DASH THAT I NEEDED TO SERVICE THE POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY/SERVICE "AUTOTRAC" I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THAT THE REPAIR NEEDED STEMMED FROM A RECALL THAT OCCURRED FOR MY VEHICLE.I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED MY CAR FROM, SANTA FE FORD ALACHUA FL. I WAS INFORMED BY THEM THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO HELP ME IN THE REPAIR BUT TOLD ME TO REACH OUT TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AS SANTA FE FORD IS 80 MILES AWAY. I THEN HAD MY CAR TOWED FROM THE MECHANIC'S SHOP TO NICK NICHOLAS FORD IN INVERNESS FL. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT NICK NICHOLAS INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL SHOWING FOR MY VEHICLE AND I SHOULD REACH OUT TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE AND FILE A CLAIM WITH THEM. UPON FILING MY CLAIM WITH FORD DIRECTLY, THEY TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN BROUGHT IN TO SATISFY THE POWER STEERING RECALL IN 2015 IN MIAMI, FL AND THERE WAS NO EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE RECALL. I PROCEEDED TO HAVE NICK NICHOLAS CONDUCT THE REPAIRS. I PAID NICK NICHOLAS $138.57 ON 3/29/18 TO "UPDATE THE SOFTWARE" FOR MY POWER STEERING. I DROVE MY CAR FOR MONTHS AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE. ON 6/7/18 I WAS DRIVING MY CAR TO WORK WHEN THE ALERT APPEARED ON MY DASH SAYING "SERVICE POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY" AND IT WAS AT THIS POINT I LOST ALL POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO GET MY CAR OFF OF THE HIGHWAY AND INTO MY PLACE OF WORK. I CONTACTED THE SERVICE MANAGER AT NICK NICHOLAS, BRIAN, WHO TOLD ME THIS REPAIR SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. I TOWED MY CAR BACK TO NICK NICHOLAS, AFTERWARD THEY INFORMED ME MY REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFERED TO PAY 250$ TOWARD THE COST OF THE REPAIR, THE SERVICE MANAGER BRIAN WOULD COVER APPROXIMATELY 500$ FOR THE REPAIR, LEAVING ME WITH ABOUT $1,100 WORTH OF REPAIRS TO PAY OUT OF POCKET.