NHTSA Complaint #11162120 — 2013 FORD FUSION HYBRID

VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL LOST ASSIST FUNCTION AND BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THERE WAS NO ERROR MESSAGE OR CODE. TURNED OFF IGNITION AND RESTARTED STEERING BEGAN WORKING AGAIN. DROVE REMAINDER OF THE DAY WITHOUT ISSUE. PARKED CAR FOR EVENING. THE NEXT DAY STARTED CAR AND STEERING FELT LOCKED. PUT CAR IN REVERSE STEERING G WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. APPLIED BRAKES FIRMLY... FOUND STEERING WOULD TURN BUT WITH GREAT EFFORT. NO VISIBLE WARNINGS ON DASH. TURNED OFF CAR. RESTARTED CAR...GREEN GO LIGHT ON, NO WARNINGS STEERING STILL VERY DIFFICULT. PLACED CAR IN DRIVE ROLLED FORWARD A FEW FEET AND APPLIED BRAKES FIRMLY. STEERING BECAME NORMAL. DROVE CAR TO DEALER IN AUGUST 2018 AND EXPLAINED SITUATION. DEALER PERFORMED DIAGNOSTICS AND FOUND NO STEERING OR DRIVE RELATED CODES. CLEARED CODES AND SAID TO BRING IT BACK IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN. 4 MONTHS LATER (DEC) CAR REPEATED STEERING FAILURE UPON STARTUP WITHOUT ANY CODE OR ALARM. CYCLED IGNITION SEVERAL TIMES AND STEERING BECAME NORMAL. ON DEC 14, 2018 WHILE DRIVING RECEIVED VISUAL NOTIFICATION OF "STEERING FAULT SERVICE NOW". NO APPARENT ISSUES WITH STEERING SO DROVE HOME. ON DEC 15, I STARTED CAR AND RECEIVED VISUAL MESSAGE " STEERING LOSS STOP SAFELY" AND STEERING WAS AGAIN VERY DIFFICULT. TOOK CAR TO DEALER ON DEC 17. DEALER NOTIFIED ME THAT STEERING GEAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. $2300+. I FEEL THERE IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT IN THE STEERING MODULE AND MORE PEOPLE WILL HAVE ISSUES. THE LACK OF DIAGNOSIS BY THE VEHICLE SENSORS OF AN ISSUE AND THE DEALERS INABILITY TO VERIFY THE FAULTS I EXPERIENCED MAKES THIS CAR UNSAFE IN MY OPINION. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. I AM JUST LUCKY I WAS NOT DRIVING WHEN IT FAILED COMPLETELY.