2012 Ford Fusion Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Fusion years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 15 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 2,516 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Fusion. That ranks 3rd out of 15 Fusion model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (1,473 complaints, 59%), typically at around 83,243 miles. Complaints mention 107 crashes, 9 fires, 64 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
- 2,516owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 107complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Ford Fusion problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 1,473 | 59% | 83,243 | “steering assist” (26%) | $2,450 |
| Air Bags problems | 404 | 16% | 68,000 | “takata air bags” (27%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 164 | 7% | 63,400 | “power steering now” (8%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 158 | 6% | 51,700 | “throttle body” (8%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 119 | 5% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Engine problems | 111 | 4% | 52,389 | “throttle body” (17%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 104 | 4% | 72,809 | “master cylinder” (16%) | — |
| Structure problems | 99 | 4% | 65,500 | “door handle” (41%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 86 | 3% | 42,220 | “throttle body” (31%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 80 | 3% | 89,900 | “service power steering” (20%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 58 | 2% | 47,000 | “throttle body” (24%) | — |
| Suspension | 36 | 1% | 89,700 | — | — |
| Wheels | 28 | 1% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 24 | 1% | 54,931 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 21 | 1% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 11 | 0% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 11 | 0% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 0% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 0% | 137,221 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 0% | 65,600 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 6 | 0% | 83,300 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 0% | 86,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 0% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 5 | 0% | 35,100 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 0% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 3 | 0% | 7,931 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 0% | 121,258 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 0% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Tether, Lower Anchor (on Car Seat or Vehicle) | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Ford Fusion recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
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 occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: 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.
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.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Power Steering Failure (EA17004) — opened Nov 20, 2017, closed Feb 9, 2024.
- Electric power steering failure (PE14030) — opened Oct 2, 2014, closed Sep 10, 2015, led to recall 15V340000.
- Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction (PE13003) — opened Feb 21, 2013, closed Feb 28, 2014.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist, causing the steering wheel to be significantly difficult to turn. The contact was able to drive to the nearby residence and parked in the driveway. The message "Service Power…
I got a 2012 ford fusion se 2.5 4l power steering gone out in it,I put in the vin number to see if mine was recalled it said 0 but my car has the part in the car that made the car recalled ,on the dash its says power steering service its dangerous and I had my child in the car vin number on my car…
While I was driving my 2012 Ford Fusion on August 3rd the steering cut out. I parked the car and re-started it and it worked again. It went to the shop (Extra Mile Automotive) on XXX where they informed me of the 2015 recall on the steering. Recall number 15S18 and program 15N01 When I spoke with…
Vehicle experienced loss of power steering so it was hard to steer.When I called a ford dealership I was told my vehicle didnât qualify for any power steering recalls so I would have to pay full price which is unaffordable
Other Ford Fusion years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Fusion | 183 | 3 |
| 2019 Fusion | 316 | 3 |
| 2018 Fusion | 442 | 2 |
| 2017 Fusion | 1,112 | 4 |
| 2016 Fusion | 1,641 | 13 |
| 2015 Fusion | 994 | 13 |
| 2014 Fusion | 1,330 | 19 |
| 2013 Fusion | 1,792 | 19 |
| 2012 | 2,516 | 5 |
| 2011 Fusion | 2,792 | 7 |
| 2010 Fusion | 5,130 | 11 |
| 2009 Fusion | 1,023 | 6 |
| 2008 Fusion | 1,353 | 5 |
| 2007 Fusion | 1,064 | 4 |
| 2006 Fusion | 730 | 4 |
See all Ford Fusion problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
Embed this 2012 Ford Fusion badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford Fusion?
Owners most often report steering, air bags, electrical system problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 1,473 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Ford Fusion?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Ford Fusion a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Fusion model years, the 2012 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.