NHTSA Complaint #11131839 — 2012 FORD FUSION

AT 119,889 MILES ON 6/26/2018, I TOOK A FORD FUSION TO THE DEALER AFTER THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN A WARNING FLASHED ACROSS THE DISPLAY THAT THE POWER STEERING NEEDED TO BE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY, HOWEVER THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING FINE UNTIL I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE, THE POWER STEERING WOULD NOT FUNCTION. I TOOK THE FORD FUSION TO THE DEALER AND THE STEERING GEAR WAS REPLACED AND THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE WAS REPROGRAMMED AT NO CHARGE. THE POWER STEERING WORKED FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. ONCE AGAIN, WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A WARNING TO SERVICE THE POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY FLASHED ACROSS THE DISPLAY, ALTHOUGH THE POWER STEERING STILL FUNCTIONED UNTIL I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. UPON RESTARTING THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING DID NOT FUNCTION. ON 9/22/2018 AND AT 124,591 MILES, I RETURNED THE FORD FUSION TO THE DEALER. I WAS CHARGED $134.95 FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND GIVEN AN ESTIMATE OF $1057.58 TO REPLACE THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND PERFORM AN ALIGNMENT TO FIX THE POWER STEERING. THE DEALER SAID THE BEARINGS HAD WORN OUT SINCE 9/22/2018, AND THAT THE CODE TO FIX THE POWER STEERING WAS A HARD CODE AND THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE COULD NOT BE RESET TO FIX THE ISSUE. THE DEALER SAID THE BEARINGS WERE WARN OUT, CREATING FRICTION IN THE STEERING, LEADING TO THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE TO SHUT DOWN THE POWER STEERING. THE DEALER SAID THE ONLY FIX FOR THE POWER STEERING WAS TO REPLACE THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS THAT INCLUDED THE BEARINGS, THEN RESET THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE.