NHTSA Complaint #11164443 — 2012 FORD FUSION

ON THE EVENING OF DEC 29TH, UPON TURNING MY CAR ON WHILE AWAY ON A TRIP TO MORIN HEIGHTS (QUEBEC, CANADA), A "POWER STEERING FAULT" FLASHED ON MY DASH, AND I WAS UNABLE TO TURN MY STEERING WHEEL. NEIGHBOURS IN THE COTTAGE TOLD ME TO DRIVE TO A GAS STATION 1 MILE AWAY WITH MY BLINKERS ON, AND ASK FOR POWER STEERING FLUID. I BARELY MADE IT HALF A MILE OUT OF THE MORIN HEIGHTS VILLAGE, WHEN I GOT STUCK MAKING A SHARP RIGHT TURN FROM RUE ALLEN TO RUE BENNETT TO GET TO ESSO (723 CHEMIN DU VILLAGE, MORIN-HEIGHTS, QC). MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN RIGHT, AND I DANGEROUSLY ENDED UP IN THE LANE FACING OPPOSITE TRAFFIC. I TRIED TO TURN IT LEFT AND CONTINUE GOING STRAIGHT, BUT GOT STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. CARS NEARLY HIT ME AND EVERYONE WAS HONKING AT ME. A STRANGER PULLED OVER NEXT TO ME AND USED MANUAL FORCE ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO STEER MY CAR BACK AROUND, AND DROVE IT TO THE ESSO HALF A MILE AWAY. I BOUGHT POWER STEERING FLUID, ONLY TO DISCOVER THERE WAS NO COMPARTMENT TO PUT IT INTO, AND LEARNT THAT THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. WE PARKED MY CAR AT THE GAS STATION AND DEBATED HOW LONG I'LL LEAVE IT THERE FOR, HOW I'LL DRIVE BACK TO NY 480 MILES AWAY, HOW I AM GOING TO RESOLVE THIS MEANWHILE IT'S -15 DEGREES CELSIUS OUTSIDE AND I'M GETTING FROSTBITTEN. AFTER TURNING THE CAR BACK ON, THE "POWER STEER FAULT" WARNING DISAPPEARED AND MY STEERING WHEEL WAS BACK TO NORMAL. NEXT DAY ALL SERVICE SHOPS WERE CLOSED (SUNDAY), AND MONDAY WAS NEW YEARS HOLIDAY. I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT DRIVING THIS UNSAFE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS BACK TO NY, BUT HAD NO OTHER CHOICE. I AM ABSOLUTELY MORTIFIED THAT AFTER SO MANY COMPLAINTS TO FORD CORPORATE ABOUT MY AIRBAG REPLACEMENT, THIS HAD TO HAPPEN. I DEMAND A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE AND FOR SOMEONE TO REACH OUT AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE RECALLS THAT ARE ISSUED, YET NO ACTION BEING TAKEN.