Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Ford Fusion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her son was driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel locked, became difficult to maneuver, causing the contact son vehicle to encounter a tree. No warning light was illuminated. The air bag did not deploy. The contacts son called 911 after the failure. The contact son sustained injuries to the chest, face, back of his neck, and his knees. A police report was filed. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to Larry Campbell's Towing Garage. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle's steering wheel was repaired once. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and closed contact case due to not being able to obtain the vehicle to remove a part of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 189,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact had turned the vehicle on and as she was reversing (R) out of her driveway at approximately 3 MPH, she felt that the steering wheel had become very stiff, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or right. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality; however, one block from her residence the failure recurred. The contact stated that the steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The contact returned to the residence and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that subsequent attempts to reset the power steering had failed and the loss of power steering assist had become a permanent failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. …
I was driving my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid down the highway when suddenly i was unable to steer anymore. I was changing lanes and the wheel locked at an angle causing me to cross multiple lanes of traffic and eventually hitting another car. The car ended up being claimed as a total loss. I am still required to pay more for insurance now because the accident was caused because of my cars steering rack failing and locking. There have been hundreds of complaints describing exactly what happened to me. No warning lights or any other warning signs. Just sudden and total failure. Its more upsetting knowing that the 2011 and 2012 model years had a recall for this but the 2010 did not even though the steering rack has the same exact part numbers. Insurance didnt even do an investigationand i was told it was because theres no way to investigate it after the crash which i know is a lie. …
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. The contact stated that the "Service Power Steering" and "Advancetrac" warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering had failed once before and that he had just picked the vehicle up from the dealer when the power steering failed again. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering assist and rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the diagnostic test had retrieved DTC code: P07AE. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). …
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that adding 2-gallons of fuel to the fuel tank took an estimated 30 minutes. The contact stated that the pump nozzle shut-off valve was continually stopping the flow of gasoline into the tank. Additionally, the contact stated while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. An unknown message indicating power steering failure was displayed. The contact's son was able to drive the vehicle to his residence while using extra physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact associated the failure with two unknown recalls. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the power steering unit needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. …
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the messages "Service Advancetrac" and "Power Steering Service Now" were displayed, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to drive to the nearby residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA17004 (Steering). The dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. …
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the "Service Power Steering" warning light flashed on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that the steering wheel felt as if it had seized, and excessive force was needed to turn the steering wheel. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality. The contact left the vehicle on the side of the road. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times prior to the failure however, after turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle had regained power steering functionality. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and attempting to turn the steering wheel to the left or the right and while driving straight, the steering wheel was sticking as if the power steering functionality had failed. The failure occurred mostly after the vehicle had been idle. The contact had to use excessive strength to manipulate the steering wheel until the steering wheel loosened and could be steered as needed. The contact researched and learned that it was a common failure with the steering rack. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact of the cost of replacing the steering rack. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 164,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while in the driveway, the power steering warning light illuminated, and the service power steering message was displayed. The contact stated that the steering functionality became inoperable. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the control arm and steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering became inoperable. The steering wheel failed to move. The power steering failure and "Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. While driving for approximately 20-miles, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic again but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
NHTSA investigations
Power Steering Failure
On September 28th, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-011 to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles.ODI has received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at speed with no warning.During the PE16-011 investigation, Ford Motor Company…
Electric power steering failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate complaints of the loss of power steering while driving. The subject vehicles are equipped with a rack mounted Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) unit.Some of the complaints alleged that the steering assist failed and resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and in some cases a crash.The…
Power Steering Failure
On September 28, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE16-011) to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles. During the PE, ODI received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at various speeds with no warning.
Steering complaints in other Fusion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2010 Ford Fusion?
NHTSA has 1,662 complaints about the steering of the 2010 Ford Fusion, 32% of the model year's 5,130 complaints. The component named most often is electric power assist system (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Ford Fusion steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2010 Ford Fusion, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Ford Fusion steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 101,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 32 crashes, 1 fire and 19 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.