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
2,616 reports, newest first.
Steering, Nov 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. The EPAS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 88,000.
Steering, Nov 1, 2023
Power steering failed and we were stranded 300 miles from home. Repair completed 6/19/23 Safety of myself and others was at risk due to the fact this was a known FORD problem for many years. On this trip, I drove over 600 miles to pick up my stranded husband (his truck also failed), I drove over the Mackinaw bridge, many other roads and this issue could have resulted in serious injury or death. (please see details on attached summary) Fortunately, the failure occurred as i pulled into the motel parking lot. The repair was done, which took one month, while I had no vehicle to drive. Problem confirmed by FORD dealership who repaired. My car was in at the Ford dealership for various maintenance and repairs with no mention of this known problem many previous times over the years of ownership. There were no warning lights or other symptoms prior to the failure.
Steering, Oct 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm and difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that she heard a beeping sound on the instrument panel and the power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to AutoZone where it was diagnosed that the steering gear failed, and the contact was informed that the VIN was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that she was quoted a fee and the dealer declined to repair the vehicle under the recall and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed to notify the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
Steering, Oct 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her son was driving in a parking lot, the power steering assist failed without warning. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to her home. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where they informed her that there was a recall on her vehicle for the power steering. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a defective rack and pinion. The mechanic had the vehicle towed to the dealer where she was informed that the recall on the vehicle had expired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Electrical system, Oct 5, 2023, crash
The power steering will go out and will make the wheel lock up
Steering, Oct 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn while following a curve in the road. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact stated the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had recently become a persistent failure. The contact stated that she was afraid to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that an independent mechanic arrived at the residence to diagnose the vehicle. The mechanic determined that the power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Oct 2, 2023
I was driving down the highway, and out of no where my powersteering shut off, we almost wrecked with my 2 kids and wife In the car. I had a message pop up on the dash saying “service powersteering now” “service advancetrac”. We pulled over, I tried disconnecting the battery hoping the issues was electrical. It didn’t help. I checked every fuse both under the dash and under the hood, all were good. I got to doing some research, turns out there was a recall on 2012 ford fusions without the 3.5L (mine is the 2.5L) for this exact issue. The Electric Powersteering has issues that could cause severe accidents. I reached out to Ford about the issue, and I was told the recall didn’t apply to my vehicle. Even though I do in fact own a 2012 ford fusion with the 2.5L engine, and I’m having the same dangerous issue that was replaced in other vehicles like mine. The recall I found doing research is (NHTSA Recall ID: 15V340000)
Steering, Oct 2, 2023
Problem: Electric Steering Rack. In the past few months when first starting car, sometimes steering wheel will not move for several seconds (1 -2) then steering frees up, but lately it is getting worse, sometime having to turn car off and restart. Also, one time dash indicator saying, "Steering Assist Failure". Checking on recalls for this problem, a number of Ford models has had recalls on this electric steer issue but not this particular vehicle. This seems like a very dangerous issue and we are afraid to drive it, but Ford won't do anything about it. The wrecking yards say that there is high demand for used electric steering racks which indicates this is a common problem. This car has only 70K miles on it. Est cost to repair $2,200 to replace steering rack.
Steering, Sep 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon his son starting the vehicle, he became aware that the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. The electronic stability control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the steering column and rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 115,250.
Steering, Sep 20, 2023
This is a second failure of the steering rack on this vehicle after being replaced at a Ford dealer eleven months ago. Just like the first failure the vehicle is difficult to control and requires significant effort to steer. Dashboard message indicates power steering not working. This is clearly a safety issue resulting from a poor steering rack design. Winter driving with this vehicle will be very risky.
Steering, Sep 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the dealer and manufacturer denied the recall work stating the vehicle had exceeded the 10-year warranty period. The contact stated that the manufacturer performed the air bag recalls. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and the steering wheel become very stiff, requiring extra effort to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was turned off and restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and the contact was informed that NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V001000 (Air Bags) and 21V158000 (Air Bags) recall repairs would be performed; however, 15V34000 (Steering) recall repair would not be performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Steering, Sep 19, 2023
Leaving the gas station that is less than 1 mile from my home, the dash of my Fusion alerted me saying "SERVICE STEERING NOW". The car then lost all power steering capabilities in the middle of the road, making steering nearly obsolete and hazardous. After briefly searching the web, I found hundreds of complaints relating to this issue. NHTSA has a recall for this Electric-Steering component on this exact make and model of vehicle, specs and all. After contacting Ford, they said my vehicle was in fact NOT under recall and I would have to pay out of pocket upwards of $4,000. Keep in mind KBB is valued around $3,450. But how is my 2012, 2WD, 2.5L, 4Cyl. Ford Fusion not included in the recall? It is still equipped with the very first Electric-Power Steering technology the other Fusions have recalls for? I mean it even has the exact same same Electric-Power Steering failure as the recalled ones. Very unhappy Ford customer right now, I don't understand how my particular VIN made it out without making the recall list. Especially given the same parts were mass produced, and were installed on my vehicle. Hoping to get this particular car added to the recall list, as it has been recalled multiple times already for air bag issues, same as the Fusions with Power Steering issues that ARE included in the recall case.
Steering, Sep 18, 2023
The same power steering issue that was recalled for many 2012 ford fusions happened to my car. The power steering system fault notification would flash on the dashboard and the advanced traction control light would also flash. The dealership stated that my car was not covered under that known recall because my VIN number was not included. I find it very hard to believe that they would not cover this known issue. The same gear that went bad with that original 2015 recall (that my car was not covered under) failed in my car and I lost power steering and the wheels essentially locked into straight ahead. The traction control system also engaged making it very very very difficult to turn the wheel even a few degrees right or left. The pinion gear failed and the computer in the car caused even further issues with steering.
Steering, Sep 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH, the steering wheel seized on several occasions. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Engine, Sep 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at high speeds the vehicle shut off, restarted, and shut off again. The contact was able to drive, but the vehicle shut off. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Steering, Sep 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, he noticed that the steering wheel was not operating as needed. The contact stated that as he slowed down, the steering wheel became significantly difficult to steer. The steering failure warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road, where he inspected the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, and the power steering control module (PSCM) was reprogrammed. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
Steering, Sep 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering function was inoperable. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with power steering gear failure. The contact was informed that the power steering gear electrical system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 95,530.
Steering, Sep 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on three separate occasions the power steering failed to operate as needed while driving. After the first failure the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, a year later, the failure occurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the steering column was repaired out of pocket. Recently, the contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the "Service Power Steering" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home where the vehicle remained in her possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated the power steering issue was due to the rack & pinion and having a mechanic fix the problem again, out of pocket, as the warranty for the power steering recall performed in 2017 has somehow expired, according to Ford.
Steering, Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the steering locked up with the power steering malfunction message displayed. After the second failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer confirmed that the power steering had failed and needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Sep 5, 2023
AIR BAG LIGHT RECALL
Suspension, Power train, Engine, Sep 2, 2023
Pulled out of a side street Taylor onto a main highway 39 beach Blvd and car jolted and didn’t have much go. Seemed sluggish. Transmission mount bolt had snapped off and I could have been in a major accident because I had oncoming traffic coming at me when I merged into the street and lost power because of the incident.
Steering, Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The "Service Power Steering" message was displayed. The contact coasted into a gas station and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear 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 162,000.
Steering, Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to drive back to the nearby residence by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 235,440.
Power train, Aug 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park, the vehicle rolled backwards. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact activated the parking brake, and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the shift cable needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contact. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Steering, Aug 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the "Service Power Steering Now” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 125,000.