2012 Ford Focus Steering Problems
- 791
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 791 stored complaint records:
- 20 indicate a crash
- 21 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
- 3 indicate a death
What owners report
- power steering · 103 records
- steering wheel · 44 records
- steering assist · 43 records
- assist fault · 15 records
- steering failed · 13 records
- failure mileage · 12 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 339 |
| 30–60k mi | 165 |
| 100–150k mi | 138 |
| 1–30k mi | 76 |
| 150–400k mi | 19 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Power Train · Steering
Power steering completely stopped working. Almost wrecked the car. Transmission vibrates and makes noise
ODI 11074680
Steering
Power steering gets very stiff when starting car. Was intermittent but recently more frequent.
ODI 11242193
Electrical System · Power Train · Steering
On multiple occasions my 2012 ford focus got stuck in park and would not shift into drive. The steering wheel would not turn. The shift stick would not move from park back into drive. The electrical lights 'p n d s' turned off on the dash. When i pushed on the brake the car would not shift back into drive. Last night it happened in the middle of rush hour traffic at a red light. I turned the car on and off several…
ODI 11071730
Electrical System · Steering
Power steering electrical rack.i prepared to leave work,check engine light showed issue with electronic steering.two weeks prior to this event,my radio system(loud crackling)failed.with no power steering assist,drove home,two miles.i called ford dealer to have car tower to their shop.
ODI 11079862
Steering
Power steering went out completely. On a 3 and a half hour trip i stopped to get gas, turned the car off. After pumping gas i started the car and a fault appeared "power steering loss, stop safely". Had the car towed to the mechanic and replaced the power steering rack. Driving it home the power steering rack and computer faulted again while doin 70 mph on the highway! This is unbelievably dangerous. With the…
ODI 11073394
Steering
Starting in october 2017, my power steering failed while operating my car. The problem has started happening intermittent and unexpectedly. Sometimes, the issue occurs when turning on the car (before ever turning the steering wheel). Other times, it happens while driving (both times i was going straight and had to stop in the middle of the road).. Without powersteering, it makes it almost impossible to steer at…
ODI 11065342
Steering
My power steering went out when i was traveling home from work on the interstate. I came upon a curve to the right on the interstate and i almost hit another vehicle to the left of me as it was very difficult to turn the wheel but i slowly managed to pull the vehicle over onto the shoulder of the road. I turned my car off and sat there for a minute and turned it back on and my power steering was working fine and…
ODI 11064813
Electrical System · Steering
On many different occasions my steering wheel will completely lock up. Today was not the first day - just now knowing i can report this. Happens frequently and randomly since getting the vehicle. This is dangerous when driving, and it seems to be a common issue on these fords. When the wheel locks up - you have to stop the vehicle. If i turn the car off/back on 4 or 5 times it usually unlocks it. As far as the…
ODI 11064267
Steering
Car worked well yesterday. Turned it on today amber light and tone power assist steering need service. Power steering failed overnight. Car has about 41k miles on it, estimate for repair $2000+.
ODI 11064235
Steering
Started car and steering assist fault came in, drove it to dealership was told 110$ just to diagnose it. From the looks of it same problem that everyone else is having, this should have been recalled
ODI 11064206
Steering
The power steering on this car is detective. It can go out without notice and make the car hard to drive. On many, many occasions my power steering would not work when i started my car. I would turn off and then restart the car and it would work again. Recently, i loss power steering twice while driving on a city street. I was able to manually steer to a safe place both times. I restarted the car and retained power…
ODI 11062882
Electrical System · Power Train · Steering
Driving on a city street when it just would not go after a red light. When i did get it to move off of the city street to a parking lot it was hard to steer. All the lights started flashing. I could not lock the doors with my remote, would not start. I had to have it towed to my house. The next morning i put my code reader on the vehicle and found about 13 fault codes which i reset since then i have had multiple…
ODI 11063422
Steering
Started car put in drive the steering light came on and had no power steering drove out of drive still no power steering drove about 2 miles still no power steering stop put in park stop engine waited about 15 seconds started car light out and the had power steering . Talked to shop foreman at crouse ford told me they have not seen any problems with the focus but what i described say it is the electric power…
ODI 11060863
Steering
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..…
ODI 11170885
Steering
Power steering failed around 75000 miles suddenly while driving. I let it be because it went away after turning the car on and off but since january 2018, the car has been permanently without power steering. Ford customer service was no help and only requested that i get a diagnostic that cost 100$. The diagnostic confirmed what i said - that the steering needed to be replaced and that it was not working. They…
ODI 11110009
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. After the vehicle was parked, the steering seized and the steering assist fault indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to courtesy ford (1410 w pine st, hattiesburg, ms 39401, [redacted]) where it was diagnosed that the entire power steering electric rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure…
ODI 11063825
Steering
Driving home in traffic my cars power steering failed and it became difficult to steer. Was able to struggle with steering to get it home. Later went out to moved car and steering was fine. Called ford and they said they are aware of the issue but no recall yet. Extremely dangerous. Ford must be waiting for more related death before issuing a recall. Repair cost $1600 - $2300! Real nice ford.
ODI 11058079
Steering
2012 ford focus had intermittent steering assist fault warnings. Since 12/24/2017 the fault warning does not go away and i have no power steering. I called 2 different ford dealers, they both denied any knowledge of any known problems with this problem. I did a tiny bit of research and quickly found that many other owners are having the same problem and that your agency has had complaints and are or did investigate…
ODI 11056591
Steering
A notice on the dash appeared at startup(stationary) , stating power steering assist fault service required. This makes steering very difficult. This has happened before but the warning would go away on next start up. When i took it to a mechanic i was told that no codes were showing. I have had my car at a ford service department and they told me there are no open recalls or bulletins.
ODI 11055100
Steering
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…
ODI 11056847
Steering
While the vehicle was stationary, the electronic power steering went out on the vehicle. I had to drive the vehicle home with no power steering and made it extremely difficult to steer. If i was not strong enough to force the wheels to turn, this would have been an extremely dangerous situation. If this happened while the vehicle was moving, this would have been catastrophic. I feel lucky to have this happen while…
ODI 11054652
Steering
Power steering does not engage at start up. This has happened at least 4 times now over the last month; most recently this evening when i went to move it in the driveway (and only an hour after arriving home from a 40 minute commute). This has not yet happened while the vehicle is in motion, but it concerns me that it could. The steering wheel is nearly impossible to turn when this condition exists.
ODI 11054060
Steering
The electronic steering assist is failing causing the vehicle to randomly lose power steering. This make the vehicle very hard to steer and control. The car is a 2012 and only has 30,000 miles. No recall has been issued yet other models with the same electronic steering assist has been recalled. This has happened twice now when the vehicle has stationary and we did not drive the car. Seems the problem is…
ODI 11054396
Steering
On 12/8/2017 i drove me car downtown nashville from my house. Parked it in the gultch area. Walked to a return. Came back to my car and the steering assist fault light came on. It said contact dealer. I tried turning the car off and on again several times. The steering wheel would turn with great effort, however i was parallel parked and there was no way i was getting the car out of the position it was in without…
ODI 11054888
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving approximately 10 mph, the steering assist warning indicator illuminated and the steering wheel became difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to szott ford (8800 e holly rd, holly, mi 48442, phone: [redacted]) where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The manufacturer…
ODI 11054576