Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact started her vehicle and the "power steering assist fault" warning alert illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and it functioned properly. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000.
2011 Ford Fusion steering complaints
Page 48 of 49: complaints 1,391 to 1,420 of 1,436, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving out of a parking lot and turning onto a main road, the power steering became extremely heavy and difficult. I heard beeping inside the car and the message- power steering assist failure light came on. I was able to maneuver the car to the side of the road and turned the car off and back on again and the steering returned to normal. This was scary as it happened with out warning so I immediately called the closest ford dealer afterwards (monday) and explained what had just happened and that I was worried it would reoccur and is dangerous but they couldn't take it until friday. Also, concerned about reading very similar complaints with no recall from ford to look into and fix before this malfunction causes a dangerous accident. Luckily, I had just made a turn at the time and wasn't moving fast at all but others have written that it happens at higher speeds as well.
I turned on my car. The powering steering assist fault light came on and it was hard to turn. I turned my car off and on again. The light was still there.
The power steering went of while I was driving at approximately 45mph. The indicator showed check power trac power steering. Took it to the dealer where I bought the car and they put it on a computer to see what was wrong. The computer showed the power gear needs to be replaced at $1600. But the service tech said that may not be all that's wrong, but first need to replace the power gear. This should be covered in the warranty and this should be a recall due to having occurred numerous times before. Neither of which is occurring. This could be very dangerous and cause serious injury if the car, for incidence, is in the passing lane. After the car lost its power steering, I was able to stop and restart, which corrected the steering.
My power steering has gone out on 3 separate occasions now. The first incident was june 26. I had parked the car (pulled over because of a bad rain storm). When I restarted the car and started to pull out of the parking place, the power steering assist default light came on and it became extremely difficult to steer the car. I pulled over again, turned off the engine for several minutes and when I restarted it, the default light was off and it was fine. The second incident occurred on june 28. Again, it happened when I started the car. I was parallel parked and when I started the car, the power steering assist default light came on and the steering was again very difficult to maneuver. I turned the engine off for several minutes, restarted and it was fine. The third incident occurred today, 7/4/2013, and this time it happened while I was driving. I was driving approximately 45 MPH when the power steering assist default light came on again. I was able to pull off of the highway safely. I turned the car off for several minutes and once again, it was fine. However, to just suddenly lose the capability to steer is quite terrifying and extremely dangerous, especially on a highway. Since this has happened, I have done some research online and this power steering assist default seems to be quite a common problem with ford fusion owners- especially 2010-2012 models. Ford needs to address this issue before there is a really serious accident. I've only made a few payments on my car and I am now afraid to drive it- it is not safe!!
The car suddenly developed some slop or play in the steering of the car with a clunking noise upon steering. A garage checked it out and determined that the "rack and pinion" assembly housing, which is made a aluminum, had a vertical crack in the middle of it. This is very dangerous situation that could cause steering failure resulting in a total loss of vehicle control. Car is drivable at this point.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic testing where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,250 and the current mileage was 60,344.
Was stopped at red light in right turn lane . Light changed and I started forward the steering locked up and lights and buzzers went off there was no one stopped at light in other lane so I was able to steer safely to right and clear traffic. Lights on dash said power steering assist failure and something about advance trac. Called the local ford place and they sent man to check problem. He cranked engine and everything was back to normal. Couldn't make it do it again.
In the beginning while driving I had the warning light of "power steering assist failure" come on, the wheel would become difficult to turn so I pulled into the shoulder and turned off the vehicle to check the power steering fluid and when I got back in and started the vehicle it would reset and work fine. I thought it was a fluke at first. Then it happened again a few weeks later so I called the ford dealership, spoke to the service manager who told me they wouldn't be able to figure out what it was if the vehicle didn't store a code that it would be best for me to bring it in once the warning light stayed on and it wouldn't reset itself. He told me this because a few weeks prior same thing happened with the wrench warning light and when I took it in the vehicle didn't store a code.. They kept my car for a week and couldn't figure it out. I had to pay to get my vehicle back. No work was performed 2 days later same issue, I have since fixed the wrench light issue and unable to pay for the power steering issue. These 2 items went out when I was on the highway and are unsafe conditions to loose acceleration on the highway all of a sudden is not good at all and to have power steering failure on a 2011 vehicle is not acceptable.
While taking a freeway exit ramp, an alert popped up on my dashboard and my steering immediately became labored. I wasn't doing anything unusual at the time, so my immediate assumption was that I had a flat tire. I began to slow as I neared the exit ramp, and at this point my dashboard showed a "power steering assist fault" error and a "service advancetrac" error message, which resulted in the loss of all power steering. At this point I pulled off the highway and into a parking lot, shut off my car, and let it rest for approximately 15 minutes while I read the ford owner guide for more information. After inspecting the engine and finding nothing unusual, I started the car and the power steering had returned. I have not experienced this issue again and it has been 24 hours, but I'm still weary of traveling at higher speeds lest my power steering suddenly fail again.
Traveling down the highway, the advancetrac light came on and system chimed. Message center displayed service advancetrac and power steering assist fault, I lost all power steering, the vehicle became very hard to control. Upon turning the vehicle off and back on I was able to regain power steering. Bringing vehicle to dealership today for investigation.
Myself along with my three children were traveling on I-45 from dallas to houston. While traveling 75mph, the indicator light for the power steer assist fault came on along with the service advancetrac. Once the alarm went off, I no longer had power steering. This seems to be a common occurrence with this specific vehicle, and can be very dangerous depending of the driving conditions.
About one year ago, the power steering failed while driving. After turning off the vehicle and restarting it, it was fine. It happened only a few times within the last year. Just this week alone now, at 35,000 miles, it has happened numerous times. I've stopped driving it due to this. I live in a busy city, and should it fail again at the wrong turn there could be a serious accident. I've seen numerous complaints about this, why has it not been recalled yet?
Drove the car for about an hour, for about 20 miles. Parked the car. Turned on car after it was parked in a parking lot for about 1.5 hours. As we attempted to pull out of our spot, it was apparent that the power steering was not working. Seconds later, the warning message appeared that there was a power steering failure, check the advancetrac system. We attempted to turn the car on and off to no avail. We added 3 bottles of power steering fluid and it didn't seem to fill up the tank nor did it help the power steering. Car was towed to the dealer, where they told us the rack and pinion needed to be replaced.
I was pulling into traffic when all of a suddenly steering became very stiff. A message appeared that stated the power steering was out. I will be taking the vehicle in tomorrow morning but I have read that this is a common problem. Also I have a one month old and if we would have been in traffic far away from home this would have been very detrimental.
The driver of this vehicle stated that while traveling on the interstate at 70 MPH the steering wheel locked up and he was unable to steer the vehicle. He forced the steering wheel to the right and it released and swerved severely then seemed to operate correctly for the remainder of his trip. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they replaced the control unit. The vehicle has since had the same problem multiple times with different drivers. It has been returned to the dealership twice. Both time I was told that the dealership could not duplicate the problem and no repairs were made. I have contacted the ford customer service department and filed a complaint with them and they are currently investigating.
On a few separate occasions, while either sitting in traffic at a light or driving my 2011 ford fusion has stalled in the middle of traffic. It hasn't happened for a few months and there is no rhyme or reason to when it will happen. When the stalling occurs the car literally shuts down in the middle of traffic and I have to restart the car to proceed.
2011 ford fusion -while driving on the interstate at 70 MPH, vehicle suddenly lost acceleration, tachometer started going up and down, traction light came on,fuel gage going up and down, a lock light was illuminated, bells were going off and car began to de-accelerate. When I pulled the car to the shoulder turned the car off and back on the problem continued. I immediately drove to the ford dealer which was close by at the time and had the manager view what was happening. He pulled the car into the shop, shut off the engine and it never restarted. This could have caused a serious accident if I was not able to react as quickly as I did. The car has only 37000 miles. This problem has been intermittently occurring in this vehicle for a year now. When it first started to occur I could turn off the engine and turn it back on and the problem would clear, but not now! The car is not safe! When is ford going to recall this car!!!
2011 ford fusion -while driving on the interstate at 70 MPH, vehicle suddenly lost acceleration, tachometer started going up and down, traction light came on,fuel gage going up and down, a lock light was illuminated, bells were going off and car began to de-accelerate. When I pulled the car to the shoulder turned the car off and back on the problem continued. I immediately drove to the ford dealer which was close by at the time and had the manager view what was happening. He pulled the car into the shop, shut off the engine and it never restarted. This could have caused a serious accident if I was not able to react as quickly as I did. The car has only 37000 miles. This problem has been intermittently occurring in this vehicle for a year now. The car is not safe! When is ford going to recall this car!!!
I drove for approx 5 mins from my home to a local store. When I restarted the car from the store the steering wheel was almost impossible to turn. The message "powersteering assist failure" appeared. The outside temp was approx 20f. My intention was to drive slowly back to my home and call towing but I decided to restart the car first. After restarting the steering was working normally. After reading other postings it seems that this type of failure could also occur while driving. This would pose an extremely dangerous situation. I will contact my ford dealership and am hopeful that they are able to repair this problem in a permanent fashion. Otherwise I would not allow my wife or kids to drive this car and would need to escalate this issue with ford.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized, causing her to crash into a curb. The vehicle was restarted and the steering wheel operated under normal conditions. The failure recurred several times however. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times and each time, the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were 20,000. The VIN was not available.
Beginning on monday, september 10, 2012 right up until this morning, thursday, september 13th, the power steering on my 2011 ford fusion has locked up six times. The first occurrence happened on monday 9/10/2012 as I was about to turn a corner at a very busy intersection. I was going approximately 30 MPH. As I was about to turn, bells and whistles went off, my power steering failed and a message on my dash board read "service advancetrac" and "power steering assist failure." the steering wheel became very difficult to maneuver - basically locked up. Luckily I was able to safely pull over to where I could turn my car off, take the key out of the ignition and restart it to unlock the steering. Since then, (3 days later) this has occurred another five times. Not all instances have been while turning a corner and it happens at random speed. The only way I can unlock the steering is by shutting the car off, taking the key out of the ignition and totally restarting it. I live in houston, tx and spend several hours in my car each day just commuting back and forth from work alone. I am truly terrified each time I get in my car - especially on the interstates during rush hour. I should not have to feel like this. This is a major safety issue and in my opinion, ford needs to administer a recall! I have an appointment scheduled to take my car in but from everything that I have read online, the parts that are needed to remedy this problem are all on back order. Please help! I know there are several others out there that are dealing with this safety issue. Don't let it get to the point of someone losing their life or someone taking another's life. Please please please help!!!! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Steering just quit all kinds of lights came on the dash they replaced it twice. And it still isn't right.
On 1/3/2012 I was driving at 40 MPH, and my service advance track light came on. I took my car to the dealer and they told me they couldn't duplicate the problem, they also told me the only code they could retrieve from the computer analysis was related to the car being started with an unprogrammed key. I questioned their explanation, but took the car and continued driving it. Today 8/30/2012, I was driving on the highway 65-70 MPH, a service advance track and power steering assist fault message came on, and my power steering quit working!!! I called the dealer, talked to the service manager, explained the problem, told him it was the second time I had had the issue, that I considered it a safety issue, and that I was not going to leave the dealership without an appropriate resolution. He told me he would need to keep my car and drive it for several days to see if he could recreate the problem. He further told me that if my car was hooked up to diagnostics and again failed to provide his technician with a repair code that he wouldn't be able to do anything to repair my car because ford wouldn't pay him to repair it. Once on the internet I literally found hundreds of the exact same complaint, for 2010, 2011, 2012 ford fusions....all levels including hybrids. I also found similar stories about dealers claiming to need to drive the cars to replicate the problem, dealers claiming no code was provided during analysis, dealers admitting there is a problem, but not being able to fix the car because apparently there is a large back order for the part. Bottom line, the dealers know it happens, and what is causing it, worse ford knows they have a problem and what is causing it. My young daughter is in my car at least 80% of the time. Come on ford, ford dealers, and the federal safety agency this is a no brainer. Get a recall going now. Hello steering!!!
I was driving home on the highway all of a sudden power steering froze. Warning light "service advancetrac" and "power steering failure came on. Next day 8/8/12, took it to the dealership where it still sits. Was told that the part that is bad (the rack and pinion) is on back order. Was just told today 8/17/12 that it will be october before the part will be shipped. Called ford (company) and was told that my case was made a priority and I would have to wait until september 10th for a follow up (ridiculous). A customer who is spending this kind of money shouldn't have to wait a month to get help or wait two months to have his/her vehicle fixed. As of next thursday aug. 23 it will be 16 days without my car. I will then send a letter to the ford for a "last chance to repair my car." after that they have 10 days to fix it. After ten days I can demand a refund or a new car. If ford doesn't comply then I can file a suit against ford according to the mississippi lemon law (consumer protection division of the mississippi attorney general's office) ford I will see you in court! Sincerely a disappointed customer.
While driving the vehicle I received a service advance track and a power steering malfunction notification and then the steering froze. I was able to pull to the side of the road. I turned the car off and then back on which seemed to reset something. The vehicle is presently at the dealer and I was informed there was a back order for 2000 of the defective parts.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering box needed to be replaced. The part was on backorder and was not available for repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000. ..updated 09/12/12 *bf updated 09/12/2012
As early as january this year I turned a corner and the power steering failed. I parked the car as I had arrived at my destination and when I restarted it the steering was working fine. This has happened at least three times since then while I was on the highway. I would turn off the ignition for a few seconds and turn it back on without stopping and the power steering would return. Monday I parked the car at my office and when I restarted it I got two alerts one was for a steering fault and the other was for advance track needs service. I got the car to a dealer today and the problem can't be repaired. The steering column must be removed from the car as the dealer is not allowed to repair the electronics. I thought this was a minor problem with a sensor receiving the wrong signal but ford has turned it into a major repair job. If this problem is something that could happen to any fusion it could be very dangerous as the car is very hard to steer. The computer should not be allowed to switch off the power steering while there is not a problem with the actual power steering mechanism.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford fusion. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle powers steering failed. The contact was able to manage the vehicle by exiting the roadway. The power steering warning light illuminated prior to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 11, 000 and the current mileage was 11,400.
2011 ford fusion. Consumer states safety issues with vehicle related to driver controls and distractions, battery failure and loss of electric power steering capability *tgw the consumer stated there was no warning that the steering was about to freeze while driving. The consumer also stated it was difficult to read the instrument panel. The headlight control was located in an inconvenient place, the obstruction of the left side plastic molding inside the steering wheel prevented a clear view of object.
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