repaired · 2023 Q1
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
2012 Ford FusionProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 2,519 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford Fusion, most often about the steering. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 17V-024 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 5, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2012 Ford Fusion has problems
2,519 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
1,476Steering52 crash/fire/injury
404Air bags37 crash/fire/injury
165Electrical system
158Power train
111Engine
104Service brakes
99Structure
86Vehicle speed control
80Electronic stability control (ESC)
24821 other systems17 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 1476 | 52 |
| Air bags | 404 | 37 |
| Electrical system | 165 | 12 |
| Power train | 158 | 3 |
| Engine | 111 | 5 |
| Service brakes | 104 | 16 |
| Structure | 99 | 14 |
| Vehicle speed control | 86 | 18 |
| Electronic stability control (ESC) | 80 | 7 |
| 21 other systems | 248 | 17 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
5 recalls
2012 Ford Fusion recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
repaired · 2022 Q4
Air bags: frontal
Risk. 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…
repaired · 2020 Q2
Passenger side: inflator module
Do not driveRisk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
repaired · 2019 Q2
Passenger side: inflator module
Do not driveRisk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Show 1 more recall
repaired · 2016 Q4
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk. 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.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.
Mileage at failure
When do steering problems start?
83kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 1,123 steering complaints. 61% were reported before 100,000 miles.
109under 30k miles682under 100k miles441100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Steering
121 owners mentioned a cost$1,846median
Middle half: $1,575 – $2,100
Unknown or other
8 owners mentioned a cost$666median
Middle half: $223 – $2,051
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2012 vs. every other Fusion year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Fusion median. How we score
'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2012 Ford Fusion safety ratings
2012 Ford Fusion 4 DR AWD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
★★★★★Overall rating
Frontal crash★★★★★
Side barrier★★★★★
Side pole★★★★★
- Rollover: 5 stars (9.2% risk)
- Stability control: Standard
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
4 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2012 Ford Fusion, and the recalls they led to.
- Power Steering FailureNo recall
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
- Electronic Throttle Body MalfunctionNo recall
- Electric power steering failureLed to recall 15V-340
In owners' words
What Fusion owners report
Recent steering complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
Driving my car and the error message flashes "service trac now" and "service power steering". I got home, but the next morning I had no power steering. This is the second time this has happened. This first time Ford reset some codes and it was fine for 2 month but it happened again. Apparently my…
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle to start the engine, the power steering became inoperable. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the dealer refused to perform the steering gear recall…
Our 2012 Fusion suffered a sudden loss of power steering, was diagnosed with code U3000 at a Ford dealer, and that the dealer confirmed it matches the 15S18 recall symptoms despite being built two months outside the window. Our vehicle was manufactured at the Hermosillo plant in 2012, just two…
Own a 2012 Fusion?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.