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.
Steering
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.
ODI 11053306
Steering
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…
ODI 11056147
Steering
Started getting random steering assist faults when starting car. Would shut car off and restart car and everything would be fine. Started car and to work on monday morning without any issues. Went to start car at lunch time and got the steering assist fault again. Turned off car and restarted - problem still there. No power steering at all now. Had to carefully drive car to dealer without any power steering. Car is…
ODI 11050912
Power Train · Steering
Nov 27, 2017. Got in my car after work and steering assist light came on. Put hands on steering wheel and i had no power steering. Called a mechanic he said it would be $1800 to fix it. Same thing has happened to five other people he knows.
ODI 11048801
Steering
I saw a warning on my dashboard saying 'steering assist malfunction' . Power steering is not working, it was very hard to turn. It was in city, glad i'm not on highway. Help me in resolving this issue and also please let me know if it covers under manufacture warranty !
ODI 11048421
Steering
Got steering assist sensor fault. Steering wheel locked and was unable to be used. This happened while car was in drive and in motion in a parking lot at first then on the road. Was able to turn car off and on several times before it would unlock steering wheel. It happened the last time as i was going down the road and wouldn't unlock. Took to dealership for repair and it cost $2000 to fix a sensor. I looked up how…
ODI 11052091
Steering
Steering wheel locked during driving. Unable to make turns. Power steering rack malfunctioned.
ODI 11174377
Steering
Steering assist fault light came on periodically over past 5 thousand miles, mentioned during last visit. Now it came on and won't clear. Have read of many people with 2012 fords with this issue. This is second problem with car, have also had clutch replaced twice.
ODI 11045048
Steering
The steering locked up while making a turn this could be dangerous and cause serious injury or death.....i have no power assisted steering
ODI 11044397
Steering
The power steering (electric steering assist) fails intermittently and without warning. This occurs either hot or cold. It occurs with vehicle stationary and in motion.
ODI 11044893
Steering
My power steering assist is completely malfunctioned very hard to steer. Very hard to turn and steer went out on me while i was at the stop sign in town.
ODI 11047844
Steering
The metallic trim on the column is peeling, ever so slightly, but enough to have left my knuckles and fingers bloody and in pain on more than one occasion when i turn. I asked the ford dealer for help, however, was told i need to spend $500 for a new console. This is a safety hazard i think ford should fix. I really like my car, but i am not happy that my car is cutting me when i turn the wheel. I have to hold the…
ODI 11045522
Steering
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.
ODI 11042951
Steering
The electric power steering is starting to fail. It locks the steering wheel while the car is moving while the on my city street. Need to turn off engine and restart the car. Sometime the steering becomes difficult while driving at city speeds.this happen roughly 6 months ago but went away.
ODI 11043139
Steering
The power steering assist has gone out, i had just started the car and had no power steering and it is very hard to steer, i almost wrecked trying to get it hiome.
ODI 11041627
Steering
The electric power steering stops working while driving and also at start-up. This has happened multiple times. We are now reporting this after the 4th occurrence.
ODI 11041332
Steering
This is a 5 year old car. With 750000 miles on it. The power steering assist has already died costing up $2k in money we don't have to fix it. The fix is replacing the entire rack and pinion. We had started for the first time the day it went out. We were parked i had to drive it to the dealership with no power steering. If you shut of the car it would temporarily fix it's self. And it did the guy at the dealer shut…
ODI 11042734
Steering
My power steering shut down without warning while stationary. Thank i was not turning in front of traffic and did not have a customer in my car. My employment is driving. Oh and just two days prior the transmission computer was replaced. It shut down without warning . Stopped for gas came out and car would not start.
ODI 11040820
Steering
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…
ODI 11039908
Electrical System · Power Train · Steering
Sync module failed. Costing $1000 to fix. A smog part failure resulted in ford wanting 2000 to repair and replace the fuel tank. The clutch fails to engage on low speed turns creating a loss of control. Ford fixed with the recall. Steering fault detected making it near impossible to steer the car. Recall is available on other models but not focus. Another 1000 to fix it. Ford is unsafe!
ODI 11039796
Steering
My electrical steering is acting up, making a weird noise after i start my car, is stiff at times and hard to turn. I received an error message, " steering assist, service required" on the dash recently. That message has gone, but the problem still exists this is a danger to me when i drive. Whenever i start my car, the steering is rigid and stiff in the city.
ODI 11043045
Steering
At least 4 times in the last couple of months, upon starting the car there was the message "steering assist fault" and i could not turn the wheel. It went away after i turned the car off and restarted. However, i am concerned: if it happened any time other than when parked this could be fatal.
ODI 11040982
Steering
Tl* 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…
ODI 11057189
Steering
Steering wheel became hard to move and while driving it locked up, i had to use all my force to get wheel to make a slight movement. The car left me stranded due to unable to driving, steering wheel is stuck. It happened in a busy main street.
ODI 11033935
Steering
Steering assist malfunction when starting the car, rendering power steering unusable. Happens randomly. Previously went away with restarting of the vehicle, but is now permanent.
ODI 11033469