Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Ford Fusion problems

Owners filed 2,617 complaints about the 2012 Ford Fusion with NHTSA between Aug 2011 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is steering (1,512).

Complaints
2,617
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
111
Reported by owners
Fires
9
Reported by owners
Injuries
66
People reported injured
Deaths
3
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Steering1,512
  2. Air bags436
  3. Electrical system177
  4. Power train162
  5. Service brakes120
  6. Engine119
  7. Structure101
  8. Electronic stability control (esc)90
  9. Vehicle speed control87
  10. Fuel/propulsion system60
  11. Suspension37
  12. Wheels29
  13. Latches/locks/linkages24
  14. Exterior lighting21

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 2, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20115
201239
2013128
2014249
2015223
2016177
2017292
2018390
2019289
2020159
2021134
2022162
2023143
2024108
202584
202635

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Steering

1,512 reports47 crashes2 fires1 related recall
“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 repair because no Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) were present. The contact stated that the dealer was withholding Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) information to avoid replacing the steering gear. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 16, 2026SteeringODI 11771615

Air bags

436 reports38 crashes5 related recalls
“On [XXX] ,I was driving in my car heading home with my [XXX] son in the backseat when my steering wheel just locked up on me and didn't want to turn and it was just stiff. I turn off my car immediately and waited about ten minutes to turn on. The car started up and the steering wheel became un loosen but this situation is off and on and it's scary . It's the third time now it happened. Next im experience a airbag warning symbol on my dashboard today [XXX] and that's even scarier driving in the car with a toddler because it's not safety. I don't know how to remove it off my dashboard and don't know how to fix the problem either.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 2, 2025Power train, Air bagsODI 11691106

Electrical system

177 reports8 crashes4 fires
“While driving my 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid (VIN: [XXX]), the braking system suddenly failed. When applying the brake pedal, there was completely zero brake resistance, and the vehicle failed to engage proper braking power, creating an extremely hazardous driving condition. The vehicle was inspected by a certified Ford dealership (Lithia), which officially documented that the vehicle is "UNSAFE TO DRIVE due to having no brake resistance." The diagnostics confirmed that the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU), the ABS module, and the Brake Master Cylinder have failed and require total replacement. The dealership also noted that the necessary braking parts are currently completely unavailable (backordered/no parts available). This is the exact same safety defect covered under Ford's previous Safety Recall 19S54 (NHTSA Campaign 19V904) for older Fusion models. However, the recall was never expanded to include the 2012 models, despite them using the same problematic braking infrastructure and experiencing identical catastrophic failures. NHTSA needs to investigate and force Ford to expand the recall to 2011-2012 models before this braking defect causes fatal accidents.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 11, 2026Electrical system, Unknown or other, Service brakesODI 11763530

Power train

162 reports4 crashes
“Good evening, I’m emailing to you regarding my ford fusion q20212. My steering has went out non drivable. I did see where that year had a lot of power steering issues.. could you help me out on the power steering recall and the power train.. also need to get airbag completed. Text me a Time to meet I can’t drive it ar all will need towed. Thank you for print ur time… I really need to get fix so I have ride to work… [XXX] ’s [XXX] text me . Vin number is [XXX]”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 9, 2026Steering, Power trainODI 11723156

Service brakes

120 reports17 crashes
“My car does not always respond when the brakes are tapped. They are soft/squishy at times and I have to push the pedal all the way to the floor for the car to stop. This issue has been occuring off & on for approximately 3 years though it's been more frequent since June of 2026. I have never seen any warning or failure light/notification any of the times this has happened. The issue was determined to be a faulty master cylinder by the service department at Colley Ford in Glendora, CA.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 1, 2026Service brakesODI 11747816

Engine

119 reports1 crash2 fires
“The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message was displayed. The power steering function was inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated due to a possible canister purge valve failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 165,461.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 24, 2025Steering, Engine, Fuel system, gasolineODI 11689516
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 2, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.