NHTSA Complaint #11610477 — 2012 FORD FUSION

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated after starting the vehicle, the Power Steering Fault message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the message was no longer displayed. The VIN had been included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that because the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) was already updated, a diagnostic test nor the software update was not necessary. After the recall was removed from the VIN, the contact stated that after parking the vehicle and then restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault message and the Service Auto Tech Issue messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle had been returned to the dealer where it had been diagnosed that Power steering rack had failed. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01; however, the vehicle had exceeded the 10-year limitation. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure and denied coverage under Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000.