2017 Ford Fusion: loss of power steering

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Engine · FL

While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost engine power (it shut off) and displayed "auto start stop shift to P, then restart engine". The vehicle has never done this before, and thank goodness my wife did not have the kids in the car at the time. She was able to pull over safely only because she was on a small road with light traffic, and not at highway speed. Clearly, this put not only our vehicle at risk, but others as the brakes and steering became very hard to use when the engine just shut off out of nowhere. Since it happened today, I have not taken it in to be inspected as of yet. Upon my wife getting the car restarted she came the few miles straight home, where I did test the battery and it read good at 12.57 volts with the engine and accessories off. So the Motorcraft battery is good and as such should not be a cause in this case. To say the least, we have now lost confidence in this vehicle as being a safe mode of transportation.

Filed Dec 29, 2025 · Electrical, Steering · NE

Car warning states “steering assist fault service required” total loss of power steering in the vehicle after sat parked for a week, vehicle started without issue, no warning codes can be found with OBDII scanner

Filed Jun 19, 2025 · Engine · IL

Engine is losing coolant into the cylinders which causes car to overheat. When this happens car shakes and runs rough. When this occurs while driving down the road, thick white smoke comes from the exhaust blinding the cars behind us. If car dies, you lose power steering and brakes become very difficult to push. We had a repair shop check it out and coolant is leaking on top of the piston and exiting through the exhaust. The engine light comes on just before car begins to act up. According to our mechanic, it appears the engine block has a design flaw and Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin explaining the problem. Attached a picture of when it just begins to smoke. After a few seconds it fills the entire shop.

Filed Aug 15, 2024 · Steering · 69,236 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH and making a left turn, the power steering failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel had seized and became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with rack and pinon failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,236.

Filed Mar 6, 2024 · Steering · 69,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the steering rack. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 69,000.

Filed Feb 27, 2024 · Driver assistance, Steering · 86,720 miles · MA

The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the power steering assist, traction control, and hill stop assist warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,720.

Filed Dec 16, 2023 · Steering · NY

I was driving my car one day and the power steering fault message popped up on my dash of my car. So I turned around and went home. I turned the car off and then turn the car back on. Then the power steering fault message showed up with other warning messages. So I tried turning the steering wheel and noticed there was no power steering at all. So the next day I had it towed to the Ford dealer to have them look at it and fix the issue. They ended up replacing the rack and pinion and the power steering motor. When I picked the car up I asked the service person if it was a common part that broke on the car and he said it was a common part that broke. I was surprised that they had that specific part in stock when they told me the problem. Also I was not happy that I had to $4,400.00 to fix it. In my mind if it is a common part that breaks then why hasn't been a recall on that part.

Filed Apr 19, 2023 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 142,245 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, she heard an abnormal clicking noise as she depressed the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle kept moving forward. The contact started pumping the brake and suddenly the vehicle lost power steering assist and became very stiff. The contact stated that the brakes, traction control, and Hill Start Assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact let the vehicle coast to a stop and turned the vehicle off and on and the power steering returned. The contact stated that the brake failure had become constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and parts were not yet available. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 142,245.

Filed Jan 25, 2023 · Steering · OH

I got in my 2017 Fusion SE to leave my house. As I started out of my driveway, I noticed that the steering was hard and I had a " Steering Assist Fault, Service Required" lamp on. I did not drive the car that day. The car drove fine the day before. I called my local mechanic to take my car into the shop to have him check the vehicle. As I drove the vehicle to the shop, I noticed that it was very hard to steer and the steering made a grinding noise. The shop called later and advised that the rack and pinion sensor was bad and needed replacing. The shop advised that the only way to repair it was to replace the rack and pinion. My mechanic advised that he has seen this problem with other 2017 Ford Fusions. The shop advised that the cost would be $3000.00. I was shocked at the cost, but I authorized the repair. The mileage on the vehicle was 39,650. I am just thankful that I was not driving the car on the road at the time that this went bad. There was no warning with this. I did look on this web sight and found that this is not an uncommon problem with the 2017 Fusions. I believe that because the sensor cannot be replaced on its own, that Ford should fix this dangerous problem and do a recall. How long until this happens a second time? Should I sell this vehicle before it happens again? I just hope I am not driving the next time the sensor goes out.

Filed Dec 20, 2022 · Steering · 59,250 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after his son came to a stop at a stop signal, there was a loss of power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The TPMS warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module needed to be updated and the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,250.

Filed Mar 8, 2022 · Steering · MO

Power Steering became difficult to turn and handle while driving, this just suddenly happened without warning, my Son's safety was at risk by not being able to handle the steering, shortly after the Steering Assist Fault warning light came on, Service Traction Advance warning light and Hill Assist not working light came on. He shut the car off for about 10 mins and restarted the same lights are on. He is unable to drive it due to the steering is so hard. About 2 weeks prior to the above incident, transmission went out (it was repaired). Waiting to hear back from warranty company

Filed Oct 29, 2021 · Steering · 34,886 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering assist Fault" and "Service Advance Track" messages illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the steering wheel lost power steering and was significantly more difficult to steer. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for diagnostic testing. The contact referenced the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 34,886.