How To Reset Power Steering Assist Fault Ford Fusion

Ford Fusion is an incredibly popular midsize sedan for convenience and fuel efficiency family ride except for the downside of power steering fault. Do you know how to reset power steering assist fault in Ford Fusion at home?

If your Ford Fusion dashboard is showing this error message, check fluid level and make sure fuse, steering motor, strut plus, rack, and pinion are working properly. However, your best bet should be towing the vehicle to the nearest Ford dealership to diagnose and repair the car if it’s not covered by warranty or recall.

What Does Power Steering Assist Fault Ford Fusion Mean?

Ford’s power steering system consists of a normal hydraulic system and a power steering assist system to make steering easier and enhance regular power steering.

But power steering assist system was deactivated due to problems like a faulty power steering control module or a bad electric motor. It can trigger a power steering assist fault message.

It’ll make your car dangerous to drive as power steering can malfunction. Car may also shut down suddenly and you may need to tow it to a repair shop. When you notice this message, inspect power steering fluid level.

How To Fix Power Steering Assist Fault in Ford Fusion

Ford Fusion is designed with Electric Power Steering Systems (EPS) which makes it more prone to causing power steering assist malfunction. If your car displaying the error message, follow these techniques to fix intermittent issues and remove the warning message:

1. Replace Blown Fuse

Power steering pump and other parts in power steering system contain plenty of fuses. If any of these fuses blows out, it can turn on the error message. To verify, check fuse box under instrument panel for blown fuses. If so, you have to replace the bad power steering pump fuse to turn off power steering assist reduced error message.

2. Change Electric Power Steering Belt

If your Ford Fusion displays a steering assist fault message only after driving the car for 20 minutes, it can be result of wet electric power steering. If so, dashboard will also show service advance trac and hill start assist problem messages at a time. Power steering pump’s belt cause glazed or worn out due to causing moisture during heavy rain.

If so, the ESC ABS function won’t work and can turn on the warning message. To fix this issue, you have to replace power steering belt and adjust tension properly. If this doesn’t work, use an OBDII scanner to determine the exact cause. If you don’t have a scanner, tow your vehicle to the nearest repair shop.

4. Replace Steering Motor

An electric power steering assist fault can also be set due to a damaged steering motor. Motor is a built-in part of steering rack assembly on the Ford Fusion. When a motor fails, steering motor sensor delivers wrong readings to computer.

Hence computer can turn off the power steering assist and activate error message. This problem leaves a trouble code that you can determine using a scanner.

To fix this issue, you’ll need to replace the faulty motor and update sensor software. However, before placing a motor, you should check for bad electrical connectors, broken wires, or wire harnesses in the motor that can be repaired.

Ford also recalled for motor’s missing or broken retainer clip and motor mounting bolt corrosion. If your Ford model is applicable for recall, you’ll have steering gear replaced for free.

5. Get New Strut Plus

If one of the struts plus engine mount goes bad, it can turn on power steering assist fault on Ford Fusion. Though it won’t trigger a check engine light, your car won’t be safer to drive. Steering wheel will be so hard to turn and take lots of muscle to turn slowly. Car may also vibrate when taking off. If so, you have to replace the faulty strut plus to disappear power steering fault message.

6. Replace Rack And Pinion

If you experience any play in the steering wheel and have a power steering fault message on dash, it can be a result of a damaged rack and pinion. Your car will also vibrate while driving at higher speeds and make humming noise during turning for the same reason.

If so, you may charge thousands of dollars to replace steering rack and pinion. Complex design and location of steering rack make it expensive to repair and replace. Power steering wears out due to using flat tires for a long time.

7. Add Power Steering Fluid

Insufficient or contaminated fluid can turn on power steering assist fault message on Ford Fusion. Hydraulic fluid can be contaminated if foreign particles enter the engine and reach hydraulic system. Dirty or low fluid level makes it difficult to steer. If so, changing the fluid should fix the issue and remove warning message.

When checking fluid level, look for leaks in the tank and puddles of red or pink fluid under the engine as it can drop fluid level quickly. Change hydraulic fluid every 50000 miles to maintain engine performance and avoid consequences.

Is There A Recall On Ford Fusion Power Steering Assist Fault?

Power steering assist fault is fairly common problem on Ford Fusion particularly in 2012 for fusion. This problem is so extensive that Ford had to issue a safety recall to fix it. Recall for power steering issue is applicable on certain models including 2011-13 and 2016 fusion. The recall issues in 2017 and extended in 2021. It should still be in effect.

So, if your vehicle showing a power steering fault message, check your year model using VIN with an active recall to verify if it’s one of the affected models. If your model is included in the list, contact a local Ford dealership to schedule a recall repair.

You’ll have a car with a replaced power steering assist system or power steering gear assembly within a few hours for free of charge.

How To Reset Power Steering Assist Fault Message?

To reset power steering assist fault message turn off your car and remove ignition key from slot. Then open driver’s side door and wait for around 30 seconds. Close the door and start your vehicle.

This will reset all electrical components of your vehicle and remove error message from dashboard. However, resetting won’t solve the underlying issue that triggered the code.

Your car will still be risky to drive. The error message can also come back after a while. If you reset the power steering fault message, your car may also stop without warning you. It can cause a serious accident or you may need to tow the vehicle to the nearest repair shop. So you shouldn’t reset power steering assist fault message.

Can You Drive With A Ford Fusion Power Steering Assist Fault?

Power steering fault message is a serious issue for Ford Fusion. So you shouldn’t drive with this issue. This message indicates motor has detached from power steering assist. If so, steering wheel will become very stiff, making it harder to turn and challenging to park.

Your vehicle will turn slower than usual if it cuts down wheel’s responsiveness. Though you can continue to drive with manual steering, your vehicle will still be risky.

Damaged power steering will also affect collision avoidance, lane keeping, and parking aid fault that require computers to apply steering commands. So bring your car to the nearest Ford dealership instead of continuing driving.

You should tow the vehicle to a repair shop instead of driving to avoid causing an accident. If your car isn’t part of recall, you may charge around $300 for diagnoses.

FAQs

Final Words

If your Ford Fusion shows a power steering assist problem, first check if it is applicable for recall. If not, contact a certified Ford mechanic to diagnose the car using a scanner and repair or replace the faulty part.

However, if you have skill, knowing how to fix power steering assist faults can let you restore its functionality without visiting mechanic shop. But don’t ignore power steering assist fault message as it can bring worst consequences.