NHTSA Complaint #11444495 — 2011 FORD FUSION

My husband was driving this vehicle two days ago and the power steering froze. Fortunately, he was able to steer it to safety because he is quite strong, however I would never have been able to manage this, and as such the incident presented a safety issue that could have been quite hazardous to us and to other drivers. I looked online and Ford does not have an active recall for the power steering unit, but instead posted a notice indicating "EPAS Steering Effort Campaign #15N01." I contacted the dealer, who told me that since the car is now out of warranty (as of May 2015, when we had no problems to have fixed) that they would not fix it for free but for approximately $2,500.00. I asked a Ford Chat representative for an email address and was told, "Thank you for your patience Jane. You are looking for an email to corporate? Ford would like to be able to better assist our customers quickly via Chat or Phone. For this reason, the Customer Relationship Center or corporate does not have a direct email address. I’ll be more than happy to help you today!" I will be copying this complaint to them in my next Chat to Ford. Additionally, the Ford Media Center posted the following: DEARBORN, Mich., May 27, 2015 – Ford is issuing two safety recalls in North America. Four minor accidents and no injuries are attributed to one of these conditions. Details are as follows: "Ford issues safety recall for certain 2011-2013 Ford Taurus and Flex vehicles, Lincoln MKS and MKT vehicles, for certain 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles, and for certain 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles in North America for potential issue with electric power steering" https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/05/27/ford-issues-two-safety-recalls-in-north-america-.html.