10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 23 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 25 / 5
- Average Mileage:
- 85,634 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I started my car and the steering wouldn't work any more without a hole lot of muscle power. The car was parked'.
- Lakeside, CA, USA
Takara recall, while driving I had to make a turn. When turning, suddenly the steering was difficult to turn and I was forced to stop the car. I got the message "steering assist malfunction". this was very scaring because I was in traffic and an accident could've happened.
- Yuma, AZ, USA
Power steering: Sometimes when I start my car an error message will say "power steering failure", and the power steering will not work. If I turn the car off, and then restart it within a few minutes it goes away. It started doing this within a month of when we bought it, and because the error isn't present when we take it to the dealership they tell me they can't do anything. I have complained multiple times to them, and they have done nothing. It has been doing this randomly for years now, and after bringing in my car to have the clutch looked at again (I've had it replaced 5 times now) it had the power steering error message show up and the techs were able to see that the car had no power steering along with the message. They told me I would have to replace the steering wheel column, and even though it has done this from the start I would have to pay for it.
- Mesa, AZ, USA
My power steering locked up while I was leaving my house. My car has only 90K miles and there has been tons of recalls in general for this car already. This is a serious problem and risk and I believe that I'm not the only person to have come across this.
- Benton City, WA, USA
The automatic transmition of my 2012 Ford Focus with 100K miles had hesitation and the engine suddenly shut off when driving due to the transmition fail (it happen too often drivind in the city), after I paid $ 2,200 to the dealership to get it fixed ( they changed clutchs and computer module). The steering wheels started to fail, it suddenly gets too hard to turn, then it gets normal and then fails again. Just when I was turning on a corner the steering wheel got hard to turn and the car was going out of the road (straight). Luckily I was able to hold the steering wheel too hard to control it. Ford want to charge $2,400 to fix the problem (rack and pinion replacement). I think there should be recalls for those dangerous issues. Thanks.
- Modesto, CA, USA
While driving on city street going home an error message displayed 'steering assist fault - service required'. the car became very difficult to steer. Will be scheduling with mel hambelton Ford to investigate the condition.
- Wichita, KS, USA
I had this car about four years I put a two new battery, new start, new radio, new radiator, thermostat the arms and rod replace now I got the steering assist fault going on in my car I get wired put money on to it !
- Scottsburg, IN, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. When the contact started the vehicle in the morning, the steering lost power without warning. The vehicle was taken to sill-terhar motors (303-469-1801, located at 150 alter St, broomfield, co 80020) where it was diagnosed that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
- Thornton, CO, USA
Driving to work steering started to get hard to steer on the high way and making turns. Then after work put in key turn key on says steering lost stop. At this time the steering was locked up my son was able to get the steering to where he could get it him but very hard to do I couldn't budget it. The way it acted on the highway I was afraid it would stop working cause it was getting more difficult to move the steering.
- Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Power steering always takes awhile to start when the car is started, now it has gone out completely.
- San Jose, CA, USA
Steering wheel locked during driving. Unable to make turns. Power steering rack malfunctioned.
- Prospect Heights, IL, USA
Steering wheel locking up when I start car, Ford denies any issue.
- Warrenton, OR, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was coasted into a parking lot and the engine was powered off. The vehicle was restarted and the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence without power steering. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact the VIN was not included in a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.
- Spring, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While exiting a parking space, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was powered off and restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven without power steering ability to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
- Bryan, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While the contact's son was driving 35 mph, the steering wheel failed and was difficult to turn. In addition, the power assist warning indicator illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000.
- Inverness, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the power steering failed. While steering, the contact had to use excessive force to turn and the steering wheel seized frequently. The contact stated that "service steering" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to koons Ford (2540 riva rd, annapolis, md 21401, (410) 224-2100) where it was diagnosed that a new power steering system needed to be installed. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
- Odenton, MD, USA
Came on after I was attempting to repair the heat/ac fan as it has failed after unhooking the battery post to atemp to reset computer to see if the code would reset it did not. Steering is hard and unsafe if it happens to fail while driving the speed limit on interstate or parkways. It may cause possible accidents if not recalled and a fix happen. Stationary when this issue happen
- Frenchburg, KY, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the power steering was faulty and the steering wheel seized, which made it difficult to turn. Also, when the vehicle was started and the contact shifted into drive, the vehicle automatically went in reverse. The contact had to immediately engage the parking brake. Also, while the vehicle was parked on the street, it rolled backwards due to the parking position. Furthermore, while attempting to reverse, the vehicle stalled. Also, the door latches were loose and in danger of becoming detached. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed multiple times. The vehicle was taken to ted russell Ford (9925 parkside dr, knoxville, tn 37922, (865) 444-6467) and serviced multiple times for each failure; however, each failure remained except for the power steering failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and did not assist. The failure mileage was 130,000.
- Sharts Chapple, TN, USA
I purchased a used 2012 Ford Focus that is equipped with the electric power assist steering. At about 116,500 I started having trouble turning the vehicle while driving. An "power assist malfunction" message appeared, but after restarting the car it "solved" the problem. However, at around 118,000 it came on permanently while I was making a left hand turn causing me to hit a granite curb putting a dent in the rim.. I recently had to have the car inspected (01/05/2019) and it failed the safety portion of the inspection. This is a safety issue, and I understand it will cost me over $2,000 dollars to have "fixed". this type of "steering units" have been recalled by Ford on previous models of their vehicles, but not on the 2012 Ford Focus. Why? this puts lives at risk because of their faulty design and really needs to be addressed. It is driveable but extremely hard to turn when at slow (5mph to 15mph) speeds, but still, it is extremely difficult to park in a crowded parking lot.
- Framingham, MA, USA
- St. Charles, MO, USA