Electric power steering failed at 65,000 miles. No power assist in the steering. Trying to steer the car with no power assist is very difficult and not safe.
2012 Ford Focus: loss of power steering
345 of the 3,772 complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 345
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 77,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
During some Christmas shopping within the past few weeks, my cars power steering went out completely with no warning or sounds to repair or seek assistance. Not only was my life in danger, but the safety of others in the vehicles surrounding me. I couldn't even turn my wheel if I tried. There have been other instances in other cars where I could strong arm the wheel and be ok, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about turning the wheel whatsoever! When my dad came with power steering fluid, we discovered that these cars don't even have a reservoir for power steering fluid and that this was more than likely a battery or module issue or worse the power steering pump. This is ridiculous that there is no service light or warning that the power steering is going out or losing power. Ford should fix this because it seems like this is an ongoing issue with Fords in general
Received Steering Assist Fault message. Vehicle has lost power steering ability without warning causing a safety issue
My son was driving vehicle to work when the power steering assist failure light came on and the steering became difficult. He was in traffic and this could have very easily caused and accident as the car is now very hard to steer. Have not had it looked at yet because from what I have seen the cost to repair is well over $2000 and I don't have that kind of money laying around.
My power steering went out so my rack and pinion needed replaced and my car is only at 85,000 miles. This is a manufacturer error on ford's part and would like it to be looked into.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the power steering assist failed with the "Service Power Steering Now" message displayed. The contact's husband used excessive force to drive the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
Power steering went out after a repair to the transmission control module.
On April 29, 2023 our 2012 Ford Focus SE with a 5 speed manual transmission indicated a dashboard warning stating the power steering assist was inoperable. Steering was still able to be done manually, but with much greater input required, especially at low speeds. Being a manual transmission, this is especially problematic as steering regularly has to be performed one handed. Fortunately this incident did not occur while driving, but reviewing many other similar complaints on the NHSTA website, as well as seaching '2012 Ford Focus steering issues' online, it is evident that this loss of assist CAN and HAS occurred to others when the vehicle was in motion. This poses a serious safety risk to not only the driver, but others on the road as well. This is an issue known to Ford Motor Company as they issued a recall (15S18) for similar problems on other Ford vehicles, but not the Focus. I am requesting the federal safety agency investigate this situation and take action to compel Ford to fix the Focus as well under a recall to prevent similar situations from causing potential injury or death. I encourage one of your investigators to try driving one of these vehicles without the power assist to see just how dangerous it is, especially in low speed maneuvers. This car is primarily used by my son for his commuting to and from college. He is the one that first saw the warning. I am very thankful this did not happen while he was in motion. I will be contacting my dealer on Monday May 1, 2023 to start the diagnosis/repair process.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer across a parking lot. The contact stated after investigating the failure online, she turned off the vehicle for a moment. The contact then restarted the vehicle while turning the steering wheel and the vehicle responded as needed; however, the failure reoccurred increasingly while driving. The message "Loss of Power Steering Assist" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electronic power steering rack and pinion and outer tie rod needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 15S08. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Power steering stopped working while driving at 65 miles per hour and wheel locked almost causing an accident. Power steering malfunction
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Electric power steering assist failed. Vehicle currently has no power steering. Problem confirmed by dealer who says steering rack needs replacement. Fairly common issue per online complaints. Ford issued recall on other models but not the Focus.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2012 Ford Focus power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2012 Ford Focus?
345 of 3,772 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus (9%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
How much does it cost to fix loss of power steering on the 2012 Ford Focus?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 60 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Ford Focus?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Ford Focus
Stalling 438Door locks 374Jerking 346Check engine light 345Shudder 336Loss of power 224Hesitation 212Transmission failure 140Slipping 136Steering lock-up 130Grinding brakes 116Won't start 102Won't shift 87Engine failure 79Overheating 70Fuel gauge 54Fuel pump 54Wipers 48Sudden acceleration 37No deployment 31Harsh shifting 28Seat belt 28ABS 23Headlights 19Misfire 15Warning lights 15Adaptive cruise 13Fuel leak 13Knocking 12Brake failure 11Fuel smell 11Fire or smoke 10Pulling 10Power windows 8Sunroof shattered 8Tire blowout 8Battery drain 7Airbag light 6Ball joint 6Screen failure 6Key fob 6
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