There are 50 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2016 Ford Fusionin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel started to shake while driving at slower speeds, and the shaking ceased while driving at higher speeds. The message "Steering Fault - Service Now" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed an ABS and power steering failure and determined that the power steering rack unit needed to be repaired. The independent mechanic scanned the vehicle and retrieved DTC: U0131, 87-48, C102D, 00-8a, and C200D, 49-08. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.
The steering gear went out causing the steering wheel to completely lock up. It’s costing thousands of dollars to repair. Not sure why this recall isn’t associated with my VIN number but other 2016 ford fusions. My car is in the shop now to be fixed and was quoted over 3k
I get in my 2016 Fusion to go to dinner and I can barely turn my steering wheel. I put it in park and check the power steering fluid. FULL. I tried resetting the power steering assist by starting the car and turning all the way left then right then center. Still can barely turn. Tried disconnecting the battery hoping it would be an electrical glitch. Come to find out it’s could be a steering assist motor on the steering column that’s going bad and CAN CAUSE THIS PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING! That’s insane!
I called way scarff ford to have the safety recalls taken care. Got my appointment, stopped the car off in the morning. They kept the car for 3 days and after the 3rd day they said everything is good to go. Go there in Auburn WA couldn't find my car. Took 4 people or including myself. Then it took another half hour to 45 min to find my car. Go get in the vehicle and something doesn't seem right. Everything still felt the same. I look under the hood and find that the the recalls for the cable bushing wasn't corrected so let led me to think that the other recalls were not completed. Befote calling ford corporate to have this issue taken care of we called [XXX] in enumclaw to have this taken care of. Since the car was at way scarff my car started to act funny. Lean idle, really rough idle vibration with now a code P0299 which is the underboost. I do not think they hooked the hoses up correctly. So now my car is acting really funny. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
STEERING WHEEL ALMOST DETACHED FROM STEERING CULLUM. THERE IS A RECALL ALREADY ATTACHED TO OTHER 2016 FORD FUSIONS BUT NOT MY TRIM MODEL (2016 FORD FUSION ENERGY PLUG IN HYBRID). THE VEH IS NOT DRIVABLE
Transition light it pulls when put into gear and lost power when trying to accelerate when driving.
Lost power in the steering wheel. My safety and others is at risk because the steering wheel locks up completely at slow speeds and it's difficult to turn the steering wheel when turning a corner or trying to back up. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. The component has only been inspected by an independent service center. On 12/5/25 I received a warning on the dashboard, Steering Assist Fault. I drove to work and parked the car. When I got in the car around noon and proceeded to drive the steering wheel was really difficult to turn and I started seeing other notifications that flashed on the screen. As I drove the steering wheel because more difficult to turn. At low speed the steering wheel locked up and I managed to pull the car over to get out of traffic.
My 2016 Ford Fusion SE had a prior safety recall repair in 2020 involving replacement of the steering wheel retaining/attachment bolt with a longer bolt. The bolt now appears to be loosening again. This seems like a recurrence or failure of the prior recall remedy. The dealer told me I had to pay out of pocket and ford corporate said the repair only had a 12-month warranty, but this is a steering safety issue involving the same recalled condition. I am concerned the steering wheel could loosen or separate from the steering column.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after her son started the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (STEERING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the assist fault error and an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with steering gear failure. The contact was informed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,263.
I purchased a 2016 Ford Fusion S new from the dealership in 2016. Earlier this year, multiple indicator lights turned on including "Service AdvanceTrac", ABS light, steering and hill assist lights. As time progressed, the Power Steering has become more of an issue to a point now that it is difficult to make tight turns going at low speed. I never received a recall notice, but when I did a search of the 2016 Ford Fusion S vehicle, there is an outstanding recall on similar models in 19V632000. The list of states include the state of Missouri which is where the vehicle was purchased from. At the time the recall notice was sent out (August 28, 2019), the vehicle would have been registered in Kansas. A search by the VIN number does not show a recall notice for it. Presently, the vehicle is registered in Iowa. I hope to get review of my VIN number to see if this recall should have included my vehicle as there are similar models distributed in similar states, with exact issues pertaining to my vehicle which was not included in the initial recall. I have service scheduled for this vehicle at an authorized Ford dealership on July 17th, 2025 which was the earliest I could get the car in. I'm concerned as this is a substantial issue that puts the vehicle at risk for a serious malfunction should the power steering fail completely while being operated. This is a relatively low mileage vehicle for the year which likely why the issue hasn't arose until this point. I appreciate your time and consideration on this matter.
I have never had this issue before with this car. I started the car up to go to the store and saw all these lights on my dash. I keep my car maintained well. Tires, oil, tune up etc… and when I saw the lights on the dash it said service advance trac and steering loss stop safely with 2 other icons above it. So I didn’t know what that was so I sent to get power fluid not knowing it wasn’t a reservoir. I know Ford had/has a recall on 2016 ford fusions model for THIS EXACT ISSUE! My steering cannot turn at all I need my car, PLEASE I am on disability and it’s not right that the recall won’t cover all ford of this model with this issue. I beg, I need my car fixed.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, and the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The power steering failed suddenly while driving. The vehicle became nearly impossible to steer and control. Our safety and the safety of others vehicles or pedestrians was put at risk because the car could not be steered or controlled properly. The failure could have easily caused a serious and perhaps life threatening accident. Luckily, due to circumstances, we were able to pull over safely without causing an accident. It suddenly became extremely difficult to steer the car to a safe stop. No warning lamps were illuminated until the problem was actually happening. The warning lamps read "power steering assist fault; pull over safely immediately". The car was towed to a auto mechanic. The mechanic was able to "reset" the power steering but could not diagnose the problem. We then took the car to a Ford Dealer for further inspection. The Ford Dealer diagnosed the car and said it needs a new Power Steering Rack. We were told the original part is "failing" from the inside. The repair at the Ford Dealer is priced at $3170. The car is 9 years old and the mileage is approximately 80,000. For about two days before this incident we noticed that the steering occasionally felt slightly "jerky" while making turns but there was no warning lamps until the power steering completely failed.
I have had road salt contamination with the electrical wiring to the power steering causing the wires to become brittle and break causing a power steering failure in a right curve which caused the steering wheel to jerk the car to the left nearly causing a collision. The power steering failed again due to high friction inside steering gear and has a broken bolt on the EPAS motor to the steering gear.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at a slow speed, the steering wheel started to wobble with the "Power Steering Assist Fault Service Now" message displayed. The contact pulled into a parking lot and the “Loss of Power Steering - Pull Over to the Side of the Road for Safety" and "No ABS" messages were displayed. The contact attempted to read the safety manual but found no information about the failure. The contact called her husband who had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic later called the contact and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be serviced because no fault codes were found. The vehicle was later towed to a dealer and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact called the manufacturer and was provided a case number and the contact was then transferred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 180,000.
My car is a 2016 Ford fusion and it was working fine until February of 2025. There was a message that appeared on the dashboard as soon as I started the car. The message was “steering loss, stop safely” making it extremely difficult to turn. The steering can’t even turn left or right. It’s locked in place. I had to get it towed and now it’s undrivable. I can’t even get it fixed because my specific VIN # is not listed for a recall and I’m unsure what to do. I need help what can I do?
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the message steering loss was displayed on the instrument panel and the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the failure was temporary. The vehicle then regained power steering functionality and the contact continued driving. The contact stated that the following morning while starting the vehicle, the failure recurred. The vehicle then became inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V632000 (Steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Electric rack and pinion steering failed while driving. It will not be available because the core need to be exchanged for the new part. I could not steer the car. I had no power to the steering. Luckily I could get it into my driveway before it completely locked up. Yes the garage I had it towed to had to push the car into the garage because it was not drivable. No one but the mechanic has inspected the part. I received a warning stating my power assist steering needed attention, and please drive slowly to a stop. I do not have any repair invoice because my vehicle is still being repaired The reason I am filing this complaint is that Ford has had problems with this steering component and was recalled in other Fusions but when contacting them, they said that mine was not covered under the recall for what appears the exact same reason.
Electric Power Steering Motor Attaching Bolts Corrode (NHTSA 19V-632, OEM 19S26): Corrosion of bolts in the electric power steering system can lead to loss of power steering assist in 2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles in certain states. Dealers will replace bolts and apply a sealant, or install a new steering gear.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026