2012 Ford Fusion
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 2,616 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 15 Fusion model years with reports.
Of the 2012 reports, 111 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 66 people were injured and 3 people died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleMar 10, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
Campaign 21V158000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalFeb 16, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Campaign 21V081000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 16, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Campaign 21E013000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleDo not drive until repairedJan 7, 2019
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Campaign 19V001000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleDo not drive until repairedJan 10, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Campaign 17V024000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, electric power assist systemJun 2, 2015
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Campaign 15V340000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: steering
1,511 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Electrical system, Oct 26, 2022
Power steering went out. Then traction control went out. Due to. Module and all components for power steering along with pins and rods.
Steering, Oct 26, 2022
Electronic steering rack binding. Check engine light indicates power steering not working. Vehicle is difficult to control and requires significant force to steer and turn. The dealer confirmed that this model of vehicle was part of a recall due to power steering failures in 2015, but this particular vehicle was not included in that recall. The Ford dealer replaced the faulty steering rack and charged me $1604. A case was created with Ford. They are not providing any financial support at this time.
Steering, Oct 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal sounds and experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electric power steering motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Steering, Oct 24, 2022
My steering went out one day while I was driving. Took it to crown ford Fayetteville NC and they reset software and it worked for about 5 seconds then went back out again. They said it was the Gear box needs to be replace which is power steering.
Steering, Oct 20, 2022
My mother's car suddently became difficult to steer(she is elderly). she almost deove into another vehicle becuase her power sterring went out and the sterring became very diffuclt to turn. Ford had a recall for the Gear Assy Recall# 15N01, they are no stating that it is past the warranty date and will not cover the repair. They do admit in 2017 ther was a reporgram of this part at anpother dealership and it extended the ewarrantly but they are stayting it will not be covered. this is a saftey issue and should be covered as it almost caused an accidnet and for knows this part is faulty.
Steering, Oct 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the steering wheel became firm with the power steering assist and service now message displayed. Due to the failure, the contact called a relative to tow the vehicle to her home where it remained in her possession. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact also called the manufacturer and was notified that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Oct 18, 2022
Sudden loss of power steering with dashboard message "Power Steering Assist Fault" Unable to turn steering wheel. Problem comes and goes. Took to Ford Dealership, $3,000 repair and Ford refuses to cover under a recall claiming it is a "Customer Satisfaction" problem and not a safety problem. Hundreds of complaints for this model year on this site for the same issue.
Steering, Oct 17, 2022
The electric power steering went out while driving. It is available for inspection upon request. The steering failure made the car very hard to control. The vechile will be inspected by an independent service center. The vechice has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others yet. The power steering error light came on and the traction assist error light came on. The failure occurred on September 20, 2022.
Steering, Oct 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the message to "Check Power Steering" suddenly displayed and the steering became very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Modular was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 53,000.
Steering, Oct 12, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized, and excessive force was needed to steer. The contact's wife was able to turn into a parking lot and the vehicle was turned off. After the vehicle was restarted, the steering wheel seized as the service power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module and the rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the mechanic's shop awaiting repair. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering), however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.
Steering, Oct 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed and the steering wheel lost electric power steering assist. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel operated as needed. The contact was able to continue driving however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly more while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Steering, Oct 5, 2022
Traveling at around 30mph on a narrow and curvy road, the car lost a majority of the power steering aide. I was teaching my younger sibling how to drive, and the car lost control and we were heading straight for a deep ravine. Thankfully, the emergency brake was available.
Steering, Sep 30, 2022
My electrical power steering system failed as I was driving . It is available for inspection. As I was pulling into traffic from a gas station my power steering failed . An automotive shop confirmed the power steering issue I did not notice any immediate warnings until after my car stopped
Steering, Sep 30, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Service Power Steering "warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was loaded onto a trailer and taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with electric power steering failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Sep 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering assist needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the local dealer informed him that the repairs would be covered under warranty for the electric power assist steering (EPAS) however, he was then informed by the local dealer that it would be at his own expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and also confirmed that the repair would not be covered under warranty and advised him to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.
Steering, Sep 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while making a right turn at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the power steering needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Sep 18, 2022
The power steering assist fault code came on the dash, I since had the car at the dealership and was told it was covered and would be repaired 2 days later I got a call telling me it was gonna cost $1801.00 this problem came on suddenly and could of caused a deadly accident was told at dealership that repaired it that the warranty ran out after 10 years the car is a 2012 and warranty ran out a few months ago but this being a major steering problem and could cause a major accident or fatality(s) I believe this should have been a major recall but as owner of this vehicle there was never any outreach from the dealership on this steering problem
Steering, Sep 15, 2022
My car was under a recall to have power steering gear replaced and ford will not fix it. The wheel is so hard I can barely move it .
Steering, Sep 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 229,000.
Steering, Sep 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist fault and the check advancetrac warning messages appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in an Extended Warranty coverage or NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer referred him to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 218,000.
Steering, Sep 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving into a parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the Service Power Steering message displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electric power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Steering, Sep 10, 2022
My car has had steering issues since purchased a year ago. I had to pay $1600 for a new steering rack as the car is electronic and is not a cheap fix. My car was not included in a recall that was done with the same plant my car was made at and literally 2 days after the end built date. I called and out a complaint in and was trying to get my car included in this recall. This car continues to show steering issue alerts on dash. The car has to be shut off and turned backed in and sometimes don’t bother driving it because it’s nerve racking to know if it will stop working. PLEASE SOMEONE LOOK INTO THIS AND ADD MY CAR TO THE RECALL THE STATS ON THE RECALL AND HOW CLOSE MY CAR IS TO IT SAME PLANT AND A DEW DAYS AWAY, PLEASE PLEASE HEAR THIS. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
Steering, Sep 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact then stated that she heard an audible sound indicating that the power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed that the electric power steering gear failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) had expired and no further assistance was provided. The model year vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Steering, Sep 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. Additionally, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000.
Steering, Aug 28, 2022
Driving 45 MPH, Power Steering Fault came on, lost power steering. Thankfully I was able to get off the road safely. Have no power steering, several other models with the same year have the same problem I am being told mine was not part of the recall. RIDICULOUS! This is a very costly repair