I had been having issues with my car losing power when accelerating and shuddering really badly. A month before the recall letter cam out for the TCM (transmission control module) I took it to the dealership where I bought the car from and they told me it was normal for the car. After I got the recall letter I went back for a free diagnostic and informed them of the warning light that was often appearing that said "steering assist fault service required". They said it would be a separate $145 to diagnosis that problem. After taking nearly 4 months to get the part in my car wasn't able to shift out of 1st gear driving home one night from work so I had to find another dealership to take it to. They were able to replace the recalled parts with in 1 week and the same issue with the steering that I had described to the previous dealership I also informed them about. When I went to pick up my car they told me I shouldn't have that same problem with the message "steering assist fault service require" and the steering wheel locking up. 3 weeks after getting my car back one night my husband and I got in the car to drive to a restaurant and could even leave the parking lot because the same message appear and my cars power steering is now just completely out. Before it would correct itself after I turned the car off but now its just stuck and I can't drive my car. Ford corporate basically told me since there isn't a recall it isn't their problem. And the dealership told me they would tow it and run a diagnostic and if it isn't related to the recall repair I'm responsible to the cost of towing and repair. Online this repair appears to be $2,000ish dollars and I don't have that. So basically ford told me I was sol....
2012 Ford Focus steering complaints
Page 27 of 32: complaints 761 to 790 of 927, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the steering assist warning indicator illuminated and the steering wheel seized. The failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that there was a shortage in the steering gear box, and the steering gear box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 1/14/16 ln; updated 3/27/18
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 time had an 18 wheeler behind me that was not slowing down, I pulled over to the shoulder and needed to use reverse and the vehicle would not go into reverse, it just revved like it was in neutral. I turned the vehicle off, called ford, again, and told them my issue. After restarting the vehicle after the phone call I was able to put in reverse. I returned vehicle to skinner & damulis on 9/3/2015, vehicle was "repaired" on 9/4/2015 and invoice stated my concern: car having issues with revving and won't go into reverse at times and their correction was they found TCM & PCM software update and performed software update. On 9/25/2015 I again had the same issue with revving while driving (35-40 MPH) and was again unable to get the vehicle into reverse. Car had 90,111 miles at the time. Contacted ford and was given case# cas-7944030 and will be in contact with john from ford by monday evening. This no longer works for me. This car needs to go, it is going to kill someone, me, people in another vehicle, something and I am not going to have my family sued because this problem occurs again. I need a vehicle as an outside sales person and no longer feel safe in my 2012 ford focus. This car needs to be taken back by ford and destroyed. It has no trade value and I do not want another family to have this car and get killed because of it. Please do something about this, I know I am not the only one with these issues. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice where the transmission control module was replaced. Weeks later, there was an abnormal noise coming from the radio and it randomly failed to work. While driving, the steering wheel seized and the contact had to apply force to the steering wheel each time the failure recurred. The contact also mentioned that the eps warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000. Updated 11/12/15*lj, updated 3/20/18*jb updated 5/16/18
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 vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.
Total unexpected loss of power steering. Unable to safely steer vehicle. Power steering assist fault light came on. After stopping and re-starting the vehicle the warning light went off and normal steering was possible. This has happened twice to date.
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. Dealer had the vehicle for 5 days and completed the software update program 15b22, since receiving the vehicle back I am still experiencing low power and shuddering. Have been rear ended tapped once because it doesn't have any power, very concerned to drive vehicle to to loss of power and excessive shuddering. Contacted ford customer care and they did not have a sense of any long term fix to this issue nor does the dealership. Dealer states they are slammed with these vehicles every day.
I purchased the car used with 25,000 miles, shortly after the car began shuddering very badly and did not accelerate correctly. The problem progressed to a loud metal grinding noise, the clutch was deemed to be bad and replaced. Six months after the clutch failed again and was replaced and now a year later the clutch needs to be replaced again, making it the fourth clutch for a car with under 70,000 miles. Ford has extended the warranty so it is covered however the part is on back order for 4-6 weeks. Ford does not offer a replacement vehicle during this time. I do not feel safe driving this car with the transmission not working properly. This car also had the steering and suspension repaired within the first year of ownership.
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 turned off the car. The next morning, the code was not on and the power steering was working though there was a groan coming from the steering wheel every time I had to turn. I drove to work trying to ascertain what would go on and about 25 minutes into my drive, while doing 50 miles an hour, I lost power steering again. I got to work, turned off the car, and came back out 9 hours later and the power steering had again reset itself and worked all the way back to my house. I have not been driving the car since and have to say that this is the second major issue with the car I have had; the transmission went out after having the car for 2 years. I have done research and there are many other ford focuses of this year with this issue. I am now extremely concerned about the safety of this car and regret buying it most sincerely.
Steering assist failed. After multiple restarts it worked again. This has happened now 10 times.
The steering light had come on before then went off because the steering wheel ended up being able to move. This happened acouple other times and everything was fine. Then when it finally quit working was when I, the owner, had parked it to go inside somewhere, then came out to leave and the light came on and the steering wheel wouldn't turn. I had to have it towed to the dealership and pay $1,245.00 to have it fixed. They had it for 2 weeks.
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 remains.
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 absurd.
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.
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 complaints of the exact same nature. I have called ford and am awaiting a return call from them. There has been a class action lawsuit filed in california (phillips et al vs ford motor company) on this same issue. Ford does have a recall on the fusion #15s18 concerning this same malfunction.
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 no advice on what caused the problem and whether or not it would recur.
63000 miles on car. Power steering rack needs replaced. 1800 dollars to fix.
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 the intersection. Once I got to the parking area I read the message on the dashboard and it displayed, "power steering assist fault." as of today aug 14, 2015 I have not been able to drive my vehicle and I am very afraid to drive it. I have called the local dealership and they want me to pay for diagnostic because they said that there's no recall on theses vehicles. I refuse to pay for any service because my concern is that this is a safety issue that the ford company should be responsible for. When I called ford to report the issue and to see if there's a recalled, I was told that this is the first that they have heard of this problem but when I researched the issue, I found plenty of complaints about the 2012 ford focus. Can someone address this issue before there's a fatal accident. I will be willing to allow someone to come drive my vehicle, see the message that appears on my dashboard still and investigate the vehicle in order to save my life and someone else's life. Ford dealership says that they have not been able to duplicate the issue, well, my vehicle is more than available for someone to duplicate it because it is totally a locked steering wheel sitting in my parking lot. I had to have my male friend to drive my vehicle 2 miles home because it scared me so bad that I couldn't drive it on top of a torn rotator cuff and not being able to turn the wheel. Please help all of us having this problem.
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.
Electronic power assist failed and I have no power 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.
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 the car is stuck and I am on the side of the road calling a tow truck. It went to the mechanic who did something to get the car to work again, and 15 minutes of driving the car again this cycle repeated itself. It has happened to me 3 times as of the writing of this message. I am scared to get back in the car at this point as I have a newborn and don't want to risk it. I don't know what to do. I have to drive in order to get to work.
In less than a week, the power steering on my 2012 ford focus has failed three times. The first time occurred on tuesday, july 28, 2015, at 7:45 a.m. I had been driving for about two minutes when the following error message appeared on my instrument cluster: "steering assist fault/service required." I was just about to take the ramp onto the highway, but my gut told me to pull over to the right of the road (I had a child with me and did not want to take any risks). Just as I was doing so, my steering wheel locked, and I could not rotate it. As I pulled up next to the curb, I placed my car in park and turned on my hazards. I waited a few moments, but the steering wheel still would not budge. I turned my car off and on again, but the steering wheel still wouldn't move. I turned the car off again and waited about 5-10 minutes. Upon starting the car this time, the steering wheel was back to normal. I left my hazards on and made right turns all the way home (in case it went out again). This incident happened again on wednesday, july 29 at 4:50 p.m. And monday, august 3 at 5:05 p.m. Both times I turned off my car, waited about 5 minutes, and then started it again. The power steering would then be working. This problem is extremely frustrating and I worry about my safety because I drive on the highway to and from work. While this has happened on the side roads, there is now a constant fear of this happening while I'm on the highway. I've read other complaints on online forums about this exact problem, so I would like to also file mine. It is also frustrating because I have had other problems with this car, such as with the moonroof, AC, and compass. I feel like ford sold me a lemon. I purchased this car from a ford dealership as certified pre-owned only a year and a half ago, so I shouldnt have this many problems with it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the warning chime sounded and the power steering warning light illuminated. The steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was restarted and functioned normally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The failure recurred numerous times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000. Ma 10/16/15
For the past few weeks I occasionally get the "steering assist fault" message while driving and power steering stops working. Usually, when I restart the car it resets and works again. Today I got the message while at a stop light, restarted the cars a few times and it did not reset. I have contacted my dealer and they said they've never heard of this, despite my reporting it to them last fall as well. Update 9/15/15*cw update: I took the car into the dealership for repair, and the steering gear was replaced. So far, at 49,800 miles, the problem has not happened since the repair. The repair qualified to be covered by my extended service plan, and I paid 4100 deductible for the work. The repair was done at the same dealership where I purchased the car. Updated 09/29/15*jb.... Updated 09/30/15*bf updated 11/10/15.
The ford focus 2012 se hatchback, sport suspension. The chrome surface on the steering wheel began to peel off and flake soon after purchase. The shards are metallic and sharp, and have cut my finger while driving. The problem is a major irritant since this problem is located on surfaces that have buttons and are used to control various features. I attempted to make a warranty claim on the issue but ourisman ford, alexandria va declined the claim. Many other ford owners seem to have similar problems based on online research. Ford should offer to replace this inexpensive part which affects daily driving.
Chrome surface of steering wheel trim begins to peel without contact and is exceedingly sharp when it does so. I have now caught my finger on it twice, drawing blood on a highway traveling 70mph.
While driving the vehichle the steering locks up and is very hard to steer to even get it off the road. The indicator in the car came on and warned of steering malfunction. Lost all power steering in the middle of driving down the road multiple times. Had to turn vehicle off to see if it would help, did momentarily but continues to malfunction after driving it. I can no longer drive my vehicle because it is not safe to do so, nor can I let my teenage daughter drive it because of the risk it poses if it happens to her while she id driving. If it was her, she would propbably wreck, because she would not know what to do. Ford refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem......!!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving at approximately 45 MPH, all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering seized. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
Lost steering control, warning light came on to bring vehicle in for service. Steering became very stiff. Was passing an accident on the highway when this happened, scared me, was not sure what was happening. Brought it in for service, found out I needed to replace my steering rack and pinnon, electronic components, will cost me 3,400.00 (cdn). Warranty ran out one month prior. One month earlier my transmission seal went and now this, not very happy with ford at all. First new car I have bought and may be the last.
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