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
I was driving to work one more when my car dashboard lite up saying steering assistance service required. An at that point my power steering went out on me. I pulled over and turned the car off as steering became very hard. After turning my car off and back on the light went off and my steering was back to normal. Called the dealership who said at this point don't worry about if it happens again to bring it in. Well…
ODI 10716807
Steering
As i was backing out of a driveway my power steering failed. Had to have my car towed. *tr
ODI 10711813
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that the power steering failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer stated that the steering rack would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 56,000.
ODI 10705951
Power Train · Steering
Steering assist malfunction when starting vehicle, making it impossible to drive. However when restarted and "warmed up" vehicle function. Ford seems to be ignoring the issue as it did with transmission malfunction. Today may 5 i return to metro ford. *tr
ODI 10714563
Electrical System · Steering
Power steering electrical system failed without notice. Noticed that there is currently a class action suit against ford for this issue and other issues. Not on recall list at moment, and may have to pay for repair due to faulty design. *tr
ODI 10704955
Steering
First time 04/06/2015 started car like normal dashboard read power assist faliure contact service. Turned car off then back on dash cleared. Ran system check no issues. Called local ford dealer was told glitch in system shouldn't happen again no need to bring in car. 2 days later... Was driving on freeway when suddenly steering went out. Car was going almost 65 could bearly move steering wheel felt like it was stuck…
ODI 10704711
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would abnormally hesitate when shifting. Also, the steering assist error warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated that the hesitation was a normal occurrence and the steering gear assembly would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.…
ODI 10704774
Steering
While driving the car around a slight bend in the road at around 45 miles per hour, i began receiving notifications on my console saying hill assist start was not functioning and that i had a steering issue and to pull over safely. The vehicle had no power steering and was difficult to control on the road because the car wanted to swerve. It was also pulling to the right. After taking the car to the local garage…
ODI 10717346
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While reversing, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 34,200.
ODI 10717167
Steering
I started noticing this 3 days after i had my transmission shudder fixed. I got to the point that any time i started my car and tried to turn my wheel while going in both forward and reverse that i had no power steering assisting me in my turn. It would take all i had to turn the wheel, and sometimes it would give the alert for needing to take it in for service. I took it in, and the first time the dealer did a…
ODI 10705484
Steering
First time: was merging from one highway to another and power steering went out. Warning came on. I got off immediately. I turned the car off and the warning message went off and the car was fine. I took it directly to the dealer. They said they could not get the car to do it again and that they checked the connections and all was fine. Second time: was parked and went to turn the car on. The warning message came on…
ODI 10714037
Steering
I was driving at approximately 30mph on a busy road when the alert sound went off in the car. The message on the dash said that there was a power steering malfunction. It immediately became very difficult to steer. I was able to arrive at my destination just up the road without incident. The steering had returned to normal when i turned the car on again about 30 minutes later. I have not experienced any steering…
ODI 10694732
Electrical System · Steering
Power steering quit and driving was almost impossible for a few blocks. Power steering then came back intermittently. Manual said to shut vehicle off for 10 seconds and re-start. That worked for a few weeks and now steering is going out all the time for a few seconds at a time.
ODI 10722446
Steering
Could not move steering wheel at all when i started car. After multiple restarts, steering finally worked normally. This same steering lock has happened when i start my car approximately 20 to 30 times since the first incident. Ford dealer could not find anything wrong. They told me i needed a code for them to investigate the issue. This has not happened while driving, but am somewhat worried my steering may lock up…
ODI 10717322
Steering
A power steering error message came up after starting the car. Indeed the wheel could not be turned. Sometimes, the error message would go away upon another start, and the steering would operate normally again. My ford dealer eventually fixed the problem, but it cost me around $1800. Since previously i had the car in for a transmission recall, i thought i'd add this data point to what seems to be a growing number of…
ODI 10724320
Steering
On several instances while entering a turn the power steering shut off and a failure notification was displayed on the dashboard. This resulted in several near accidents, especially while having to quickly adjust to the increased strength required to complete the turn without hitting another car or curb. Turning vehicle off and back on resolves the issue temporarily, but power steering fails seemingly randomly every…
ODI 10690822
Fuel/Propulsion System · Steering
I had this car about four years i put a two new battery, new start, new radio, new radiator, thermostat the arms and rod replace now i got the steering assist fault going on in my car i get wired put money on to it !
ODI 11176365
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel seized and the steering assist fault warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000. Updated 4/29/15*cn
ODI 10690548
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was coasted to a safe location. After restarting, the vehicle resumed with extreme difficulty in turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the power steering assist would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10690698
Steering
On 2/9/2015 approx. 4:00pm, my wife called me on my cell phone in a panic, clearly stressed. She said she almost was in an accident because the steering on her 2012 ford focus se hatchback locked up while she was driving about 50 mph and merging on a busy highway. She told me she got over and off the road with 0 steering. She said a sound came over the car as it happened and a message with steering assist fault…
ODI 10682625
Power Train · Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse out a residential driveway, the power steering seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission shift needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.
ODI 10682337
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while making a right turn, the power steering failed and the message board displayed loss of steering, stop vehicle. As a result, the contact hit a curve and fractured the left strut and rack and pinion. The vehicle was only able to move when in reverse. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Crash reported
ODI 10682987
Steering
1. Driving on congested interstate highway at 70mph 2. Warning message in dash displayed "driver assistance steering failure" 3. Manually confirmed loss of power steering 4. Drove about 15 miles to a ford dealer but they were closing for the day 5. Started vehicle and had normal power steering. *tr
ODI 10679606
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Was driving with my mom when all of a sudden her power steering gave out and it was incredibility hard for her to steer. I took over and drove home now i drove vehicles with out power steering before but this was by far the toughest steering vehicle i drove. It was completely dangerous and irresponsible of ford to not address the issue as of yet. Thankfully i was with my mom that day and nothing worse happened but…
ODI 10678231
Steering
Started engine and electronic power steering failed to operate. This usually could be remedied by restarting the car, but not this time. Car is almost impossible to steer in this condition. I have seen several mentions of this condition on the internet. *tr
ODI 10670222