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
Power steering malfunction error code unable to move steering wheel. Happens when it is sitting still and you start the car. I have had this car in the shop 10 times between this and the transmission. They have replaced 2 nd gear, and the clutch and then told me nothing else was wrong with it until may 2015 when the car completely quit and it was the tcm . The error came up then on power steering failure, but they…
ODI 10786464
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Power Train · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. Within two weeks of purchasing the vehicle, it failed to start and the key was not recognized in the ignition. Also, the 6 speed automatic transmission failed to shift appropriately and the contact had to turn the vehicle off and back on due to the failure. There was also a sudden loss of eps and the steering assist fault warning indicator flashed. The vehicle became difficult…
ODI 10992644
Steering
Power steering assist indicator comes up intermittently when starting the car or while driving and it is extremely difficult or impossible to steer the car. Now it has not gone off for days and i am unable to safely operate my vehicle. It has happened to my mother a couple of times on the highway and she almost got into an accident at 70mph. Ford needs to address and correct this before there are anymore accidents…
ODI 10872807
Steering
I was driving in the interstate going about 65 miles per hour with my child in the car my power steering went out a semi was right next to me and i almost went off the trying to keep from hitting it.
ODI 10779980
Steering · Unknown Or Other
While pulling out of a drive thur my car suddenly became very hard to turn and a message appeared on the dash stating "steering assist malfunction". I was able to turn off the car and restart and the problem seemed to be okay. Now i am worried that this will happen again but in a more dangerous situation. There are many other complaints i have read about and it's not if it happens again it's when. Also tonight i…
ODI 10781181
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. When the contact started the vehicle, the steering assist fault service required warning indicator illuminated and the steering ability became very difficult. The contact stopped and turned off the vehicle. After approximately two minutes, the vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The dealer could not duplicate the failure. The failure recurred several times. The…
ODI 10764109
Steering
During normal operation the "steering assist failure" light came on and the steering locked up. Mileage at time of failure was 82,500. Ford would not cover under warranty. Very dangerous situation.
ODI 10823889
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated when starting the vehicle, the steering assist malfunction warning light illuminated intermittently. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,264.
ODI 10780633
Steering
While driving at a low rate of speed, the vehicle became difficult to steer and the power steering assist malfunction light came on. I was able to muscle the car safely and get to my destination (the grocery store). Thinking that perhaps it was the power steering fluid, i checked it and saw that it was a little over minimum, so i added more. I turned the car back on and the issue was still present. I drove home and…
ODI 10763046
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
While driving, my car suddenly stopped functioning. The engine light came on, followed by all other lights. I was able to pull the car over, but unable to restart. I called for a tow truck (aaa). After waiting for an hour, i tried the ignition again, and the car started right up. The same problem occurred the following night. The car was towed to the dealership, tom's ford in keyport, new jersey, where it still…
ODI 10761980
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While traveling approximately 30 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering wheel was extremely tight and difficult to turn. The vehicle was turned off and on to reset the computer due to the failure, but it progressed randomly. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
ODI 10761091
Steering
Power steering assist failure notification light came on and loss of power steering. Went away with a restart of the car. Next time we turned it on the same message was there as well as the loss of power steering and now it seems to be permanent problem. Research shows that ford has recalled several other models with the same issue and although it is aware of the problem it has yet to recall the focus. This is…
ODI 10761692
Power Train · Steering · Suspension
Excessive shuddering/shaking upon acceleration, vehicle does not seem to have any power. On 8/28 i was stopped at light in drive and vehicle would not move, after changing gears i finally was able to drive it, a short time later vehicle would not move again in drive but the engine light came on, on the way to the dealership vehicle lost power and would only go 15 mph crawled to the dealer with emergency flashers.…
ODI 10763789
Engine · Steering · Vehicle Speed Control
What has happened with my 2012 ford focus on august 18, 2015 has now happened 2 additional times since then. On 8/21/2015 my vehicle was dropped off at skinner & damulis to reprogram the transmission control module (field service action: 15b22 transmission control module reprogramming for overt tcm failure warning). On august 27, 2015 while driving down the road at 55 mph again i had the same loss of power, this…
ODI 10777825
Steering
After starting car a warning bell sounded and notification on dash said "steering assist failure". Called ford and spoke with service and explained the issue. I gave him my information. He told me that my car was out of warranty and this would be a out of pocket expense for them to even diagnose. He also acknowledged that he has seen a "few" focus's with the same issue. After researching online there are numerous…
ODI 10758724
Steering
While backing out of the driveway there was a complete loss of power steering along with a warning in the information center: "steering assist fault -service req'd". The vehicle was steered to the curb. After the car was turned off and back on, the power steering worked normally. The car was taken to a local ford dealer the next day to see if any computer codes were registered. No codes were found and the dealer had…
ODI 10749610
Electrical System · Steering · Unknown Or Other
Car jumps from 2000 rpm to 7000 rpm immediately when wanting to go from 35 mph to 45 mph after being sluggish and almost hit another vehicle. At highway speed of 65, the car's power becomes so low it only goes 40 mph and had to put hazard lights on and get off highway. Automatic transmission but have to put foot on brake and other foot on gas in city traffic on hill or it slides back to almost hit vehicle behind me.…
ODI 10785174
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the steering seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electric power assist system failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 68,000. The vin was not provided.
ODI 10782573
Steering
63000 miles on car. Power steering rack needs replaced. 1800 dollars to fix.
ODI 10749559
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to steer and the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle did not regain steering capabilities. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,362.
ODI 10748525
Steering
Electronic power assist failed and i have no power steering
ODI 10747543
Steering
Steering assist failed. After multiple restarts it worked again. This has happened now 10 times.
ODI 10762094
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact started the vehicle and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was then able to operate normally. The failure recurred two times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,520.
ODI 10747344
Steering
While driving down the highway the steering started to act weird. It would give a lot and go tight then give again. A lot of play in the wheel, when it was perfectly fine before. Then after 30 seconds or so of this, the information light popped up and said "steering fault stop safely". I pulled over to side of road and stopped. Then it turned red, locked the steering wheel and said "steering loss stop safety". Now…
ODI 10747182
Steering
On august 4, 2015 i was driving my vehicle and when i went to turn at the red light, my steering wheel locked up and then i heard a beeping sound. I looked down at my dashboard and a messaged appeared. I was unable to read the message right then because i was having to jerk my steering wheel to get the car to make the left turn and not run up on the curve. Traffic was coming so i couldn't just stop in the middle of…
ODI 10748718