Problems with 2012 Ford Focus STEERING

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....

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 did not address it because they were blaming it on the tcm. so september 16th it started jutting again when turning right, on october the 2nd i went out at lunch to run some errands and of course power steering assist fault malfunction. yes this car has been in the shop 10 times and i even already had to put an alternator on it 9 months after i purchased it. i turned the car on and off 4 or 5 times and finally i was able to clear it enough i drove it to the ford house where it's second home is only to be told that it was not covered and i would owe them over $1500 in repairs because they did not catch it the first 10 times while under warranty. this car is a piece of junk and when you call ford they act like they do not know anything about his issue, but it is everywhere. so they reset it and told me it will go out again permanently and hopefully i could get it to the side of the road. really??? give me some assistance in getting it repaired. i have had 10 new ford products and never trouble like this. this is acting like my chevy cobalt and it's 7 recalls. recall it already before it's too late for innocent people.

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 or deaths. they did it in their other vehicles, why did they leave out the focus??? and for that matter, when is the nhtsa going to finally step in????

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 to steer intermittently. the dealer (dave knapp ford lincoln, 500 wagner ave, greenville, oh 45331, (800) 717-3673) was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 16v643000 (latches/locks/linkages) and two manufacturer service campaigns (transmission clutch shudder/transmission input shaft seal - 14m01, transmission control module extended coverage). the failure mileage was not available. parts distribution disconnect. updated 08/03/17*lj

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.

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 experienced my rear right side door is not able to close at all. which i have read numerous complaints about both of these safety concerns. that is a huge safety hazard, i am very thankful that i realized this before driving away with my daughter in the back seat. i will never buy another ford again!!!!

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.

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.

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.

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. *tr

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).' *jb

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. steering got so tight multiple times at 45 mph and all lights on panel came on and car stalled in middle of a major intersection and had to call police to ensure nobody hit my vehicle and direct other traffic. car shudders and vibrates and nothing wrong with tires, rims, brakes and alignment.

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.

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.

63000 miles on car. power steering rack needs replaced. 1800 dollars to fix.

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.

Steering assist failed. after multiple restarts it worked again. this has happened now 10 times.

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.

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.

I was driving on the freeway when the power steering system failed. the dash light came on with power steering assist fault. the car is very difficult to steer and created a safety issue failing on the freeway.

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.*jb

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.

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.

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.

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 *cn

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......!!!!

While driving the car experienced sudden failure of the power steering. i had to pull over and turn the vehicle off for several minutes and restart the car to get moving again with normal steering.

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.

I drove to the library with my baby, and parked. when i came out i started the car, and the steering wheel seemed to be stuck and difficult to turn. i was able with great effort to drive home, and i am going to be taking it in to the ford dealership tomorrow. i have already had problems with the transmission stalling at lower gears, and also problems with the radio not recognizing usb drives. the siding along the doors just comes right off, and started tearing within a few weeks of buying it. i've had some of it replaced, but the dealership wouldn't do it. the seat belt on the driver's side gets stuck inside the clip, and i have to struggle quite a bit sometimes to take off my seat-belt. the air deflector came right off one day, and the dealership tried to charge me $150 to replace that piece of plastic. this car seems to be really cheaply made, and the dealerships are all pretty crooked if you ask me.

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.

Driving 2012 ford focus on highway july 29,2015. mileage 41,100. warranty just expired. while driving 55mph, steering wheel locked, almost impossible to steer car over to roadside. dash message read steering assist fault, service required. once stopped turned car off, then started car again; steering returned to normal. after first occurrence of faulty steering, others began 3 days later: july 2, 2015; steering locked after pulling into parking lot,slow speed; turned car off, started up,steering worked again july 6, 2015, steering locked on start-up; this occurred twice after turning off/on. july 6, 2015, took car into dealer(northstar ford in duluth mn), where i bought car new. northstar took care of another recalltransmission, reportedly reprogrammed. upon northstar inspection, dealer said power steering was working fine, but further inspection revealed car needs a whole new steering rack, to cost me $2,300 to repair (stated that warranty expired, no recall on this model). i declined repair, after paying $100+ for diagnosis. i felt strongly that this is a clear defection in 2012 ford focus. after researching i found numerous complaints of 2012 focus steering malfunctions, as well as reports of nhtsa closely following the 2012 focus steering issues and california class action lawsuit filing for ford focus 20102-2014. driving little as possible hoping nhtsa will issue recall on the steering problem soon. july 7, 2015; after parking, steering locked up when pulling out. turned off and on twice before steering worked. haven't driven since july 7. worried about my safety, as well as drivers and passengers of other fords on the road, taking lives into their hands in event of on-road emergency, requiring quick action,operational steering. hopeful nhtsa takes urgent messages seriously, & issues steering recall on the ford focus 2012 .

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel seized and excessive force was required. the steering assist fault service required warning light illuminated. the contact managed to merge the vehicle to the emergency lane and shut off the vehicle. the vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred multiple times on multiple occasions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 41,000.

Electronic power-assisted steering (epas) failure due to rack-and-pinion steering defect. required to replace the entire rack-and-pinion module, which cost $1,700, due to the fact that this widely known and dangerous defect has not been acknowledged or recalled by ford and my vehicle is no longer under warranty.

My son was driving his 2012 ford focus se, when the steering assist service light came on and he lost steering. he pulled off the road with no incident. the dealership said that it is a bad steering rack, $1500.00

This is the second time in 2 months that i've had problems with this car's transmission. not only does it stutter when shifting and take time to accelerate, but now the transmission is not working. in april, the car completely stopped accelerating, almost resulting in a crash on the highway. the dealership diagnosed it as a transmission censor and cost was paid out of pocket. this time, the car began jerking and the transmission light flashed. i drove the car home and because of the violent jerking almost wrecked on several occasions. i am taking it to the dealership for repairs today. considering this car is only 3 years old, it should not be having any of these problems and i consider it unreliable and a hazard to my family and other drivers on the road.

The first time, the power steering failed on my daughter's 2012 focus while traveling 70 mph down the interstate. i had to have the steering rack replaced at my expense since it was out of warranty and ford claimed there was no known issue with this. less than 10,000 miles later it has failed again, luckily this time the car was moving slowly on city streets, still ford claims there is not a problem with this. even after all the complaints and information flooding the internet about it and a class action law suit being filed, they still claim there is not a problem. sadly, it appears that since dead men tell no tales, the death quota has not been documented enough to require a recall. i have no doubt that if this failure happened on a rural road with sharp curves, an accident would be almost unavoidable. i have spoken with ford on multiple occasions regarding this and they continue to deny any problems with the focus, all the while recalling multiple other cars with the same steering assembly.

In 2015 after i started my car the power steering went out when coming out of the driveway at home. it use to come back on but comes off when car is parked then driven again . now there is no power steering. on march 28, 2016, my car started honking twice when i push the lock button while the car is running on park and driving on the city street.

I have a 2012 ford focus sel, which i purchased used, from a ford dealership in october 2013. approximately 1 month ago (early may 2015), upon turning on my vehicle, my steering wheel would not move and would say something like "power assist steering fault." i would have to turn of my car and turn it back on in order for the steering to begin working. this became more and more frequent as the month went on (sometimes having to turn my car off an on 2-4 times for it to begin working). on may 26, 2015 i went to turn my car on and my electric power steering completely quit working. i would like to mention that twice my electric power steering shut off when i was driving, but both times i was driving at low speed, so i able to stop the car quickly to fix the problem (turn it off and back on). my car has already been given an extended warranty as the result of a problem with the transmission control module, so i cannot rule out that this problem is not a defect as well (especially with all the other ford recalls for the eps shutting off).

After 2 weeks of intermittent electric power steering engagement at start-up, the eps system failed completely, with just over 40k miles on this vehicle, a 2012 ford focus, i was surprised at this failure. with 50 years of driving experience, i am unimpressed with this new system. unless a fan belt failed, i have never had a hydraulic power steering system failure. although i had no accident or injury, someone with less upper body strength would have had a difficult time controlling the vehicle, especially in a turn or on wet or icy surfaces. this is an accident waiting to happen and should not need to wait for a 'blood priority' decision to be made to recall this system at ford's expense. since i need this vehicle on a daily basis, i was forced to pay over $1638 for this repair which involved replacing the entire electric motor drive assembly. other ford models have already been recalled for this problem and the 2012 focus should be also.

An alert comes up on the dash board claiming that steering assist fault service required. it is very difficult to drive although the faster i go the easier it is to steer' bit turns remain difficult this started happening in 2015, powering off the car would temporarily fix it. the issue was intermittent but is now very consistent and happening every time i drive the car.

While driving the power steering went out and i briefly lost control of the vehicle. regained control and made it to my destination. this has happened before and when i turned the car off and back on it fixed itself. this time i've turned the car off and back on 5 times within the past 5 hrs and it still isn't working. i have an appointment with ford in the morning but not sure how i'm going to make it the 30 miles to get there. *tr

A few weeks ago my son started experiencing intermittent failure of the electric power steering (eps) on his 2012 ford focus sel, which he'd owned for less than a year. if he had no power steering when he turned on the car, he could just turn off the car, take the key out of the ignition, replace the key in the ignition, turn the car back on, and occasionally the power steering would work again. that only lasted a few days. then the loss of power steering became permanent. he could still turn the wheel with a great deal of effort (more effort than is required to turn the wheel of a car that never had power steering), but as soon as our independent ford certified mechanic (used to work at our local ford dealership) pointed out that there were reports of the same steering system seizing up and making the car impossible to steer, we couldn't let our son drive the car again until the garage replaces the rack. our mechanic believes there might be a class action suit implicating the eps, but our local ford dealer and ford corporate say there's "no program" to fix/replace eps on cars where they've prematurely failed as did my son's. the local dealership and ford customer service in mi were polite, but they're neither sympathetic nor helpful in light of the seriously dangerous prospects arising from the defective eps they refuse to acknowledge.