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2013 Ford Fusion: steering wheel locks up

38 of the 1,793 complaints about the 2013 Ford Fusion describe steering wheel locks up.

owner complaints
38
of this car's complaints
2%
typical mileage
65,510
recalls
3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 6 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Steering wheel locks up by model year

What owners say

Filed Mar 17, 2026 · Steering · IN

The steering locked up while driving. I was unable to turn the steering wheel. My self and my brother were in the vehicle. At this time, I am contacting the dealer to look at the unit. It will not turn and is stuck in my driveway. I am being told the electronic steering rack may have failed. Why does this not break way and allow some turning like the old hydraulic models? If I had been driving highway speeds, this would have been a serious accident.

Filed Jan 2, 2026 · Steering · MI

A couple of weeks ago My Steering wheel locked up and the codes were reset which unlocked the wheel so i was able to turn it. Mechanic said it was moisture getting to the part and then the power steering light came on & it became Hard to turn the steering wheel while driving. There was no indication of a issue before it started.

Filed Mar 21, 2025 · Steering · NY

One day, my steering wheel locked up, and I get the message across my dashboard that says service power steering now I almost had an accident because of it

Filed Oct 22, 2024 · Steering · 65,510 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the steering wheel seized. In addition, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with power steering rack assembly failure. The contact was informed that the power steering rack assembly needed to be replaced and reprogrammed. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The contact stated that in July 2023 the first failure occurred, and the relays in the steering box were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recently reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V232000 (Steering); however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,510.

Filed Jun 28, 2024 · Steering · 130,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to steer. The contact slowed down and the vehicle was parked in a parking lot. The contact stated that the "Driver Assist Failure" message was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Filed May 24, 2024 · Steering · 146,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the driver's assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that moments later, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle became undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic became aware that the error code was related to a malfunction with the driver assist and the electrical module, which included all the driving features and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle could only be operated manually. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.

Filed Oct 29, 2023 · Steering · 156,790 miles · AL

My daughter was on the way to work, in the middle of traffic going around another vehicle at the time and without any warning, the power steering just went out. It was as though the steering wheel locked up or there was no power steering capabilities whatsoever and she barely made it off of the roadway. This could have caused an accident and It scared her so bad that she was crying when she called me immediately after it happened. I didn’t know what to do so I told her to crank up, put the car in drive and see what it does. The steering was fully functional then so she drove on to work but was very nervous thinking it may happen again. I did read that there is a recall for this exact issue on particular models of Fusions but it does not include our model; therefore, I am submitting our complaint and requesting that the recall to be updated to include ALL models of 2013 Ford Fusions for the safety of ALL owners. Thank you!

Filed Jan 6, 2023 · Steering, Transmission · 174,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, a message indicating a power steering failure was displayed. The steering wheel locked. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to her residence by using physical force to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the Powertrain Control module (PCM) had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as there was no open recall on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000.

Filed Aug 26, 2022 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · NJ · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 15 MPH downhill, the steering wheel locked. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle would not stop. The contact was unable to move the gear shifter and crashed between the trees and a restaurant sign. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained soreness on the neck, back, and left shoulder but did not seek medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side axle was fractured and the transmission shifter cable bushing needed to be replaced. However, the cause of the steering failure was not determined. The mechanic replaced the front passenger's side axle and referred the contact to the dealer for the transmission and the steering failures. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the parts for recall repair of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) were not yet available. Additionally, The contact stated that upon pulling into a parking lot, the steering wheel locked. The contact continued driving straight into a parking space. The steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Filed Jan 14, 2022 · Steering · IN

The steering locked up 2 times. Had I been driving when this happened it could have caused a serious accident. The problem has not been inspected by anyone at this time. I received a Steering Assist Malfunction message both times when starting my vehicle. After shutting the car off and waiting a little while and then starting the car back up the message is no longer there and the steering seems to be fine. But again if this happens when Im driving it, it could result in a serious accident.

Filed Aug 5, 2021 · Steering · OH

I was driving my car and my power steering assist fault came on and the steering wheel locked up. If I would have been turning at the time I would have wrecked. The vehicle had to be towed to the Ford dealership. Since I have on the car the light has came on a couple times but immediately turns off. It is at the dealership where they are telling me it is $2400 to fix.

Filed Jul 22, 2021 · Steering · MD

Last night when I got in my car to come home from work. When I turned on my car I got this message "Steering Locked Pull Over Safely". My Mother researched what would cause that to come up. One of the problems that she found was low tire pressure. She went around and checked all the tires and they where inflated to the right PSI. She even made sure that there was no screws or nails that would cause then to go flat. She also hooked up the ODB-2 Scanner to the car to make sure that it wasn't what was causing the issue. There wasn't any codes that popped up. We unhooked the battery and left it unhooked about 30 minutes that didn't correct the issue either. When she called the Ford dealer by our house they told me it would cost me around $2000.00 To fix the issue. What should i do about this issue since i don't have that kind of money to fix this problem?

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Steering: electric power assist systemReported August 29, 2019 · 116,160 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.
Risk
If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear motor bolts and apply a wax sealer. If any of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S26.

Recall number 19V632000 · Recall details

Steering: electric power assist systemReported April 28, 2015 · 487,301 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to March 20, 2015, and 2015 Ford Edge vehicles manufactured February 26, 2015, to February 28, 2015, and originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, snow or water containing road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.
Risk
If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist. Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply sealer and replace the steering gear motor bolts as required. If one or more of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S14.

Recall number 15V250000 · Recall details

SteeringReported May 31, 2013 · 20 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Fusion vehicles manufactured April 19, 2013, through April 23, 2013. The steering gears may be missing an internal retaining clip. If the clip is missing, components inside the steering gear may become dislodged inside the gear assembly.
Risk
This could result in impaired steering, including the loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2013. Ford's recall number is 13S06. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1‑866‑436‑7332.

Recall number 13V232000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2013 Ford Fusion steering lock-up

Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2013 Ford Fusion?

38 of 1,793 owner complaints about the 2013 Ford Fusion (2%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2010.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Ford Fusion?

There are 3 recalls and 6 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2013 Ford Fusion

Power steering loss 174Door locks 171Overheating 168Stalling 143Check engine light 113Fire or smoke 88Loss of power 77Engine failure 58Jerking 45Airbag light 36Won't shift 33Seat belt 29Won't start 29No deployment 26ABS 22Hesitation 22Backup camera 17Fuel pump 17Headlights 17Transmission failure 17Misfire 16Harsh shifting 15Wipers 15Slipping 13Shudder 12Brake failure 11Adaptive cruise 10Fuel gauge 10Fuel leak 10Grinding brakes 9Fuel smell 9Screen failure 7Warning lights 7Ball joint 6Battery drain 6Knocking 5Key fob 5Lane assist 5Water leak 5

All model years of the Ford Fusion

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