Steering Failed problems of the 2012 Ford Focus - part 1

Vehicle steering assist failed as I was making a turn at approximately 20 mph. Steering the vehicle became extremely difficult. Vehicle was parked and turned off then restarted. Power returned after restart.

Warning readout steering assist failure. Steering locked up. Could not turn the steering wheel. Extreme safety risk. Ford knows of other Ford Focus cars with the same problem and refuses to pay for the repairs via recall. This is the second report I have made on this vehicle.

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.

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.

Vehicle electronic steering control failed and power steering lost.

We purchased this vehicle used about a year and a half ago for my teenage daughter. Driving to a friend's house, she stopped for gas. She started the car and the notification" steering assist failure - service required" came on. She turned the car off and waited a few minutes and started it again. The steering worked fine. . While driving, the power steering went out. Thankfully, she was on a side street and was able to pull over and turn the car off. . She turned the car back on and made it to a friend's home near by. Since last night, the power steering is completely out. I've just found this site which I was directed to from a consumer site stating a long history of this problem with the power steering on this vehicle. We are now waiting on a tow truck to take the car to a nearby dealership to find out what they have to say about the issue. I've already mentioned to them I've found this site and there is a long list of documented issues. ( they seem to be surprised about it ( go figure )) . . . .

I bought a 2012 Focus sel with 43000 miles on 1/15/2014. Drove from nc. To CA. 2 months later and never had a problem then 6 months after having I would get random alerts saying "steering assist failure" but I could turn off the car and restarted it and it would go away. When the message came up you lost all steering assist and goes into manual. On thur. Sept. 26, 2019, at 630am as I starting driving doing about 25 mph it came n and I lost all steering. As I slowed down and started a turn the wheels locked up and went up the curb and hit a cinder block wall. No damage to the wall other then scrapped paint. I have looked up this problem before and knew my time was coming but hoped Ford would do the right thing and recall the Focus as well as the other they did with the same problem. Next step is reporting it to ntsb. I do not have the $3125. 00 to fix this. You would have thought the car industry learned from the gm screw up but I guess not.

Son returning to college noticed steering was becoming difficult to turn. Called me and I had him pull over and check his tires. Nothing identified. But when he tried to get back on the interstate the steering failed and he ran off into a grassy area. He again checked everything under the hood and under the car to try and determine what was wrong. When he restarted the car he received a warning light stating steering failure service required. Car was towed to dealership. Complete electronic steering module replacement required. $3000. A little searching found hundreds of complaints related to electronic steering failures on the Focus. Some Ford models have been recalled for the exact same issue. Why is the Focus been left off of these identical failure recalls? do people have to die to get Ford to do the right thing?.

Failure of the electronic power assisted steering (epas). The system has to be replaced at a cost of $3k. The steering completely failed making driving not possible. The system has been going in an out of service. Upon start up it would not work and then begin working a short time later. Finally it has completely failed. The Ford dealer says that although this is a known safety defect, it is not being recalled.

Tl the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 18v735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Stuart powell Ford Lincoln Mazda (225 s danville bypass, danville, ky 40422, (859) 236-8917) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was notified and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact stated that the vehicle also experienced steering failures several times. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Tl 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.

Tl-the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 8 mph, the vehicle lost all ability to steer, the steering assist failure warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for a diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000. Bp.

Tl the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. When the vehicle was started, the steering wheel failed and became difficult to turn. In addition, the steering assist warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to wayne akers Ford (2010 10th Ave n & I-95, lake worth, FL 33461, (561) 582-4444), but was not diagnosed or repaired due to the fees. The manufacturer was contacted via mail and did not assist. The failure mileage was 37,000.

70k miles, steering assist failure. Leaving my 19 yo daughter stranding out of town. Car was parked and malfunction would not reset with restarting or disconnecting battery. $2000 to repair. . . I own four Fords and my patience is wearing thin from all the recalls on all four vehicles that I own.

Steering assist failure when wife was driving home almost lost control of the car leaving her work she had a horrible time controlling the vertical to make it home would not turn easy what so ever.

Car lost steering assist while driving making the car had to steer to avoid collision. The car was in motion, alarm came on the steering assist failed.

At times the steering locks up have to restart to fix problem. Warning light comes on >>>> steering system failure. What soes this mean ? can it lock up during driving?.

Driving and an error popped steering assist failure, get service. The vehicle was parked when the error appeared.

I went to start my car and the warning light came on that said "steering system failure". The car is no longer driveable. The manufacturer is denying responsibility. There is a NY times article this stating they are aware yet no recall yet. We need a recall. There are other complaints online by owners who have not yet filed with NHTSA. . Read more...

Steering assist failure notice appeared on and off for nearly a year. Notice would disappear after turning vehicle off and straightening steering wheel. At 77000 miles, warning came on again and would not clear. This is a serious safety hazard especially if it happens while driving on the road. I was lucky it was just in my driveway. Ford has recalled several cars of similar make and model for this same issue yet have not recalled the Ford Focus. This is a serious safety hazard especially if it happens while driving on the road. Ford needs to own up to their mistake and send a recall and fix the problem on all vehicles. I should not have to pay for a manufacturing defect. The car is now out of commission because I can't afford the repair and I am to scared to drive it as is.

Drove from my apartment to the mailboxes in our complex and when I went to start my car to leave the mailbox I go a "steering assist failure" and could not drive my car, the steering wheel could not turn.

I was driving on busy four-lane highway in fast moving traffic in my 2012 Ford Focus a light came on saying steering assist failure service required. This scared me very much. It was very dangerous and lifethreatening. The wheel was heavy and hard to steer getting off the highway curving exit. I was frightened I would hit the guardrails. Brought car to torrington, CT Ford dealer who is very nice said steering gear assembly needs to be replaced $1,977. Called Ford asked why was Focus excluded from recall issued for same reason to edge, fusion and explorer. Ford representative named pam said "reason it was not involved in recall is because built at different time and using different part affected by the recall. " I said but they all used same temkin manuf. Part. He said, "recalls are VIN specific. " would not pay for repair, and said my complaint would be forwarded to the "appropriate internal department". (that must be the do-nothing-about-it unit) how disappointing and embarrassing that an american company doesn't care about its customers. This is my third and last Ford car I will buy. Who is going to die before big business takes notice? there are 508 complaints on this website for the same problem with this vehicle!! and thousands more on other internet sites! why are we spinning our wheels with this agency that does nothing with this life-threatening issue. What is more important than being able to steer or brake your car? this steering assist failure is deadly and needs to be investigated and recalled for safety of 2012 Ford Focus drivers, their passengers, and other drivers on the road. -- tk (former Ford driver).

My steering locked up and I was unable to turn my wheel when driving. The alert "steer assist failure" appeared on dash. I had my car towed into the Ford dealership and I needed to replace my power steering which costs $2000. They implied that it would be unsafe to drive on the road as no power steering very well would result in an accident.

Steering fault failure began as an intermittent problem at 55,000 miles. The issue commenced when the vehicle was in motion and presents a dangerous situation. Steering the vehicle is difficult beyond description. Now the problem is chronic, repair estimate from fair oaks Ford in naperville, IL was $2,400. 00. Based on the number of complaints to NHTSA and evident on a number of other sites this is not an isolated problem. Ford should be compelled to issue a recall for safety reasons alone.

Steering assist failure notice appeared on and off for nearly a year. Notice would disappear after turning vehicle off and straightening steering wheel. In the past 2 months the issue happens several times a day. Last week it happened twice while I was driving and almost lost control and crashed.

I started my car and began pulling out of my parking space when the car steering became very hard to steer, the car felt like it was going to stall out, and an error message came on that said "steering assist failure service required". I had not fully pulled out of my parking space, so I turned off the car and let it sit for a few minutes. I started the car again, and the message did not appear when I began driving the 2nd time. I am very scared that this could happen while I am driving on a busy road and cause an accident. I have seen several other Ford cars being recalled due to this issue for the same year, but not the Focus. I have also seen numerous complaints online for this same issue. This steering assist failure needs to be investigated and recalled for safety of 2012 Ford Focus drivers, their passengers, and other drivers on the road.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to unlock and the steering assist warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to willis Ford (15 n dupont blvd, smyrna, DE 19977) where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000. The VIN was not available.

I have taken my car to Ford multiple times saying my steering felt "tight" or I would have to jerk it back into turning because it would get "stuck" while turning. My steering also "freezes" in cold weather. My steering wheel won't move at all when temp dropped below 42 degrees. I would have to warm car up to get it to unfreeze. My steering totally stopped working 2 nights ago. No light came on, no codes, it just stopped turning. Luckily I was on my street going 25mph, but trying to get it to turn into my driveway was very hard. When I came to a stop I got a warning there is a steering failure and to stop safely. I now have a car in my driveway that I can't move because steering won't move. I have to go to Ford again and see what they saw, then have it towed there. I have heard it is $1200 to fix. I don't have that kind of money. I am on ssdi, and only can work pt. I can't sell it because of negative equity, and no gap insurance. Ford, please recall this! someone is going to die. I use highway every day, and I could've serioulsy hurt strangers. This is the worst thing that can happen to a car.

Received spurious steering assist failure alarms until it failed completely at start up. Several of these occurred while driving and caused the loss of power steering and almost caused accidents for my daughter. This car only has 32k miles. Took to tallahassee Ford and was quoted $2154 to repair. After negotiation, final price was still $1830.

Steering assist failure occurred three times-once in the street, once in our driveway, and once in our garage. In each instance, frestarting the car returned operation to normal.

I have a 2012 Ford Focus that without warning lost all steering control, I have contacted Ford, who basically told me it's my problem. Luckily, we were not driving at the time but this is not an isolated incident and seems to be a common issue. My question to you is what if this had happened on the interstate going 70mph? how is this safe for myself or anyone else on the road near me? why is Ford not being held accountable for this problem? is it because people haven't been killed yet? there was no warning, no way of knowing that the steering was failing, one day it's fine and the next day it was gone. I do not understand why this has not been subjected to a recall as of yet?.

Electronic steering failed car went into safety mode. This seems to happen alot why is there no recall for this was driving down the road and steering failed thankfully only going 35 or this could have been catastrophic.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 5 mph and making a left turn into a parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later taken to rustyeck Ford located in wichita, KS where it was diagnosed that the control motor of the steering wheel failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

Steering rack failure, vehicle is at 62,000 miles. Daughter lost what we thought was power steering control while driving thru a somewhat busy suburban neighborhood road. Upon driving to a safe place, it was harder to steer than the traditional old school non-power steering cars. Was $1800 to replace.

While stationary, the steering power assist failure warning light came on and the car was almost impossible to pull out of the driveway. This is the second time this has occurred.