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, Apr 3, 2023
My power steering suddenly just went out while I was driving did not return
Steering, Mar 31, 2023
The electronic steering assist stopped functioning causing very difficult steering effort that could have caused a reduced ability to turn and avoid other cars, persons, or ovjects. The car showed “Power steering assist fault”
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Mar 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake without warning. The contact then stated that she attempted to operate the A/C unit, when she heard an abnormal sound inside the unit. The contact also stated that the unit failed to dispense cool air. Additionally, the contact stated that after the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated to respond for five seconds. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that due to an unknown electrical failure, the A/C compressor needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage as approximately 120,000.
Steering, Mar 30, 2023, crash
The owns contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that their daughter was driving approximately 55 mph when the steering wheel began jerking and shaking. While slowing down to make a right turn when the power steering suddenly failed causing them to crash into a guardrail. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed due to the power steering failing and being too difficult to drive. The driver did not receive any injuries or medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who installed a power steering and performed a computer flash. The failure persisted after the repair and had begun to do so more consistently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Steering, Mar 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering became inoperable. The power steering fault and service advance trac warning lights were displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.
Steering, Power train, Electrical system, Mar 22, 2023
Service advance trac and service power steering now keeps coming on . I’ve looked this problem up and seems to be a VERY common thing amongst ford fusions. Because of this , my power steering turns off and no matter how many times I reset the code , it keeps turning back on . It makes it very dangerous to drive the car especially if it turns off in the middle of a trip/drive.
Steering, Mar 20, 2023
The car suddenly became hard to steer and had been working fine. No one was injured because the car was at a low speed. The car was checked and there is no power steering.
Steering, Mar 19, 2023
while setting in a fast food restaurant drive thru for 1 minute on 03/14/2023. I was asked to pull forward and could not steer my car. I pulled straight ahead to get out of the lane and couldn't steer left or right. I shut the car off for a moment, restarted and the steering works fine. I know that this car has electric assist power steering. I googled the problem with this model and found that many people have had the same issue. Some were saying that Ford covered it on a recall and others said that Ford took care of them on the problem. My car has only 108,000 miles and is in excellent condition. There are owners that have said that the dealership has replaced the rack & pinion, elec. motor, wire harness's, etc. and still have erratic loss of steering. Had this happened in traffic or cornering, the results could be disastrous. There was absolutely no control over the steering when this happened. I contacted Ford and they said that there were no recall/issues with this problem. It seems to me that when they replaced the passenger side air bag in 2019 that they may have done some type of power steering recall/software update?. I am afraid to drive this car until I can get some more info. or resolution on this . I have not been to a dealership at this time since the Ford factory rep. didn't acknowledge an issue or current recalls. When I pressed them on this issue, they suggested that I contact you. After the incident and restarting my car, I safely drove it home about 4 miles with no further incident. I did not notice any warning lights at the time of loss of steering. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Steering, Mar 18, 2023
Steering: Electgric Power Assist System Failure Making the car almost impossible to steer at low speeds.
Steering, Mar 17, 2023
"Power Steering Assistance Failure" error message, along with total failure of the power steering, reverting to manual steering only. This makes the car unsafe for driver and passengers, and undriveable. The dealer has diagnosed it as an internal failure of the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) that will cost $2,100 to fix. This is despite the fact that the dealer made a software fix two years ago to the PSCM to avoid problems like this.
Steering, Mar 15, 2023
While driving down the highway car all of the sudden alarmed service power steering now and service advance trac system. The steering wheel then locked up on the highway putting my family in harms way because we were unable to steer going 70mph. We were able to slow down and turn the steering wheel just enough to get off the highway and wait for a tow truck. My car was examined by the local for dealership. There were NO warning lights prior event. No warning signs.
Steering, Mar 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while making a right turn, there was a popping sound coming from the steering wheel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the electronic steering assist motor needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to contact a dealer for assistance. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The failure mileage was 76,000.
Steering, Mar 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "Power Steering Control Failure" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel responded as needed; however the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear control module was faulty. The independent mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the vehicle was repaired under the recall in 2016. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be charged a repair fee as the vehicle was more than 10 years old. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
Tether, Lower anchor (on car seat or vehicle), Mar 9, 2023
The contact owns a Safety 1st Car Seat, Model Number: IC261BLBH, Model Type: Onboard 35 LT, Manufactured Date: April 19, 2022. The car seat was being utilized in a 2012 Ford Fusion when the contact noticed that the latches of the lower anchor had failed and were not securing the base of the car seat after several attempts. The child was in the car seat at the time of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The car seat was not replaced.
Steering, Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for routine oil change services, she was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering functionality with the power assist fault warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH in a parking lot, the vehicle went over a traffic speed bump, the brake pedal was depressed she felt soft. The brake pedal had to be depressed to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. 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 brake booster assembly, master cylinder, and vehicle suspension arms in the front wheels needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the brake failure recurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. The contact stated that repairs have been made but something is still wrong with the vehicle.
Structure, Mar 6, 2023
Driver inside door handle does not allow the door to be opened.
Steering, Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left or right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Steering, Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH the steering wheel became firm, making it difficult to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the Service Power Steering Assist message was displayed. The contact was able to drive back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the steering assist was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Steering, Feb 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message was displayed on the instrument panel and excessive effort was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the vehicle was diagnosed with power steering failure. The dealer informed him that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Steering, Suspension, Vehicle speed control, Feb 18, 2023
Steering failed rack and pinion
Steering, Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, and the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Steering, Feb 14, 2023
Bait n switch at the dealership two years ago “no open recalls except for the passenger airbag” that’s fine. couple nights ago, i go to get some groceries and my power steering fails. no problem, usually, i just turn my car on and off again but this time it’s actually quit on me. my dad tells me to check the recalls (which i think is pointless bc i already know there’s “only one”) lo and behold there was a recall on the power steering that coincidentally expired the year i bought the car. i’m at 100,000 now and i’m the fourth owner. got quoted $190 just for Ford to diagnose it. i’m not the type of person to make a big deal over this, i hate lawsuits, i hate haggling, i hate doing all this but i’ll be damned if anybody tries to f*** me over over and over again
Exterior lighting, Feb 10, 2023
This is a general concern, not limited to only my car. Daytime running lights do not turn on the tail lamps. People believe if they have the DRL turned on, they’re safe, but they are difficult to see in rain/fog/tunnels etc. DRL should include tail lamps Also, automatic headlamps only come on when it gets dark enough out. It’s surprising how many tail lamps come on half way through the turnpike tunnel. Auto lamps should simply come on when you turn on the key. That’s a frustration of mine. Thank you for listening.
Steering, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Feb 6, 2023, crash
The braking system failed. Yes it’s available upon request for inspection. The safety of myself and others were put at risk because it caused me to hit something in front of me. I stepped on the brakes and the pedal went straight to the floor. This has happened multiple times it is putting my safety as well as my children’s safety at risk. When I step on the brake pedal there is nothing goes to the floor till I pump the pedal. Initial Lu when hitting the pedal it jerks the steering wheel out of my hand to the right every time. It’s not only putting my children’s, and my self in harms way but any other driver that might be even near me while driving considering it takes the steering wheel out of my hand uncontrollably.