I had just put the car into reverse and the steering assist came up as a malfunction and the car would not move and the steering wheel would not move. Through an internet search I have found this a major safety issue with very high repair costs that needs to be addressed by the Ford Motor Company.

- Parkersburg, WV, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle loss power steering assist and became difficult to steer. The vehicle was turned off; restarted and driven to his destination. The failure recurred twice at start-up. The vehicle was taken to murphy Ford located at 3310 township line rd, chester, pa 19013, (610) 494-8800, however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,277.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

Entire power steering control module needs to be replaced. I've lost power steering multiple times almost causing a collision and now cannot cut the wheel to the right with losing power steering.

- Florence, KY, USA

Steering assist fault failure. Wheel will not work the wheel is extremely hard to move. Car was stationary in my parking lot at home, but will not work. It has done this while on a highway as well, the steering assist fault or failure came on and I had all I could to pull over because the wheel was extremely hard to move. Used car dealer did not inform me of this issue when I bought it in February 2020.

- Port St. Lucie, FL, USA

Power steering fault at start up would appear then go away but now vehicle no longer has power steering at all. Seems to be a problem with other Ford cars of the same date range (Fusion, flex Lincoln mks & mkt, mkz, Mercury Milan)

- West Sacramento, CA, USA

Electric power assist steering total failure. Needed to replace entire steering rack. Vehicle was fortunately stationary at the time. Fault was found to be in the module unit. Vehicle becomes very difficult to steer and would be unsafe if it occurred while in motion.

- Lowell, MI, USA

Saturday morning went to the store. Got back in my car turn the car on put the car in reverse and all of a sudden the steering will got hard to turn. I check my dash and it said steering malfunction need assistance. Put the car back in drive and put the car back in the parking spot. Turn the car off turn it back on the steering went back to normal. Pull out of the park spot and as I put my foot on the gas pedal the steering malfunction need assistance went back on. Am concern for my safety and the safety of other as well.

- Lakeshore, FL, USA

The transmission shutters and shakes very frequently. Vehicle also periodically will almost stall while driving. Overall the vehicle just feels incredibly unsafe and unreliable while operating.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

The electric power assist steering stopped working suddenly while driving. My vehicle only has 49K miles. It did this many times in the past. The advice I got from the dealer was to turn the vehicle off and restart. That worked in the past, but this time there is a warning message on the dash. I called the dealer and followed up with their offer to load new software. They told me to bring it in. I did. I also researched the topic and see that Ford recalled other makes for this problem. The dealer said the whole steering rack and pinion has to be replaced, but it is just the electric motor that is bad, just like the recall. This is totally unsafe to drive. I have complained to the dealer many times, but they never helped.

- Pomona, CA, USA

Steering assist message popped up and steering wheel locked up at the same time. The car was parked on the street.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

The steering assist failure has been coming on for several months when I start my car and I cannot turn the steering wheel. I have to turn car off and start it again. There is a recall #15S18 for 2012 Ford Focus but Ford is telling me my 2012 Ford Focus does not fall under this recall. Why? its the same make and model.

- Diboll, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving, and turning the steering wheel in either direction, there was a clicking sound coming from the steering. Additionally, on several occasions the horn failed to function as designed. The vehicle was taken to auto park Ford located at 1825 centerville rd, sturgis, mi 49091, who indicated that the steering rack was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Howe, IN, USA

Purchased May 2019. Power steering goes out intermittently when driving and varied speeds also on startup. Sometimes it will come back after restart and sometimes not. Issue has started to become more frequent. Took to local dealer 7/24/19 for recall 18S32 in which PCM was updated also transmission control module was checked but no work done. Dealer said there were no other recalls or tsb's.this morning when started had no power steering for 10 seconds then kicked in. I called Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 twice and went through the menus to be placed on hold for 20 minutes before I was disconnected. Only a matter of time until an accident will happen, let us pray no one is injured or killed due to this known issue.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

When starting vehicle steering would lock up and display error message of "steering assist fault needs service"

- Glendale, AZ, USA

Power assist steering error has occurred numerous times while stationary and moving. Error code flashes and sometimes clears after restarting engine or disconnecting battery for a period of time. This is a known problem with many Ford vehicles of the same build period utilizing the same equipment technology. Why this issue was not included in those recalls is not understandable. Just like the dual clutch issue, which I paid Ford $2,300 to rebuild the transmission, I am told that there's no warranty or recall. This means another $2,000+ to repair a known defect. 2 issues alone has caused repair bills the equate to 25% of the purchase price. Nice to see Ford has other options to add to the price tag at the owners expense and safety. Hopefully no fatalities will occur before Ford and NHTSA acknowledges this issue is in line with other recalls for similar equipment.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus and stated while driving the power steering suddenly failed. The steering wheel became difficult to turn. The cause was not yet determined. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph the message "power assist malfunction" displayed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer cross road Ford (1330 North Carolina why 66S. Kernersvillle nc) was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,300.

- Kernersville, NC, USA

The steering just stopped working in the middle of me driving down the highway. The steering wheel is completely locked up. Then after the fault warning came on the car's steering would not move at all and was locked onto a slight left trajectory which almost caused a serious accident.

- Renton, WA, USA

On vehicle start up power steering is occasionally unresponsive. I have been able to restart the vehicle to try to correct the issue which has overcome the problem in the past.there are no warning signs on the dash that address this problem. Now the vehicle has lost all power steering and maybe unsafe to drive. I have notified my Ford dealer with the problem, they said to have the car towed in for a $3000. Repair" this sure looks like a safety problem as no one can say if it is safe to drive with manual steering? what if I keep driving it as is? if I give the vehicle away can I or Ford be held liable if someone is injured. The car now not worth the cost to repair. Somebody is going to get hurt and I thought Ford was all about safety" I will be sure to let my friends and family know.

- Antioch, CA, USA

After receiving the recalls serviced by mike white Ford in cda Idaho.my vehicle is no.longer safe to drive.the 2012 Ford Focus that was perfect now stalls lacks power.the safety features no longer work.the car now has steering issues.since the recall work was done the car has sat in the driveway.it is unsafe for myself and others. When the car is in motion and you depress the gas paddle the rpms will race all the way up then plummit.while driving there is no power.when driving an incline or hill the gas paddle has to be pushed to the floor and still loses speed.the car shakes and the steering is erratic. One of the safety features in which the stereo mutes unless the seatbelts are clicked in while the car is in motion no longer works the Ford motor certified mechanics or technicians refuse to honor the. National traffic and motor vehicle Safety Act and the letter of recall concerning my 2012 Ford Focus that has under 60 thousand miles on the odometer.

- Spirit Lake, ID, USA

We recently purchased a 2012 Ford Focus hatchback for my 16 year old son. This morning, he started the vehicle and began driving away from the house. While doing so he was having difficulty maintaining control of the car due to the power steering being non-functioning. Fortunately I was sitting in the passenger seat and noticed he was struggling. He told me the steering wheel was very hard to turn. I instructed him to pull over but he couldn't turn the wheel hard enough so I asked that he just stop the car. At that time, we switched seats. Sure enough, the power steering was not functioning and the wheel was very difficult to turn. An amber colored warning light was illuminated on the dash. I was able to get the car back home to park it. After shutting it off and returning to check on it later and likely take it to the mechanic as I figured the power steering was completely out, I found that upon restart there was no issue. Since that time I have been conducting research and have found numerous complaints and concerns about the same problem with the same vehicle. Several persons have warned that this has happened to them while in motion, some of which at high speeds on the interstate. This is obviously incredibly concerning, particularly for younger, inexperienced drivers who may panic should this occur while in motion. According to complainant reports and the NHTSA website there is no current recall by Ford for this issue and the particular model. Please help remedy this issue so the safety of drivers of this vehicle, particularly children, and those that share the road with them is ensured. Thank you.

- West Jordan, UT, USA