Problems with 2012 Ford Focus STEERING

At a stop light car in drive brakes lock, shift gear locks. message appears transmission not in park. car takes at least 5 to 10 minutes to turn back over to start up. car stalls to go into different speeds, accelerates when turning a corner. *tr

I started my car ignition, began to back out of my driveway. after about 2 - 7 seconds, the power steering froze up and a caution light lit up on my dash. it reads: power steering assist malfunction, check manual. or words very close to that effect. this has happened about 10 - 15 times since approximately september !8, 2014. i took it to ford dealer and they changed the battery. they showed low voltage to the steering...or something to that effect. it did not fix the problem. the exact thing keeps happening. it happens right after i start up the car. i turn off the ignition, restart the car, and it works okay after that. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving approximately 5 mph, the steering wheel seized and excessive force was required to maneuver the vehicle. the hydraulic steering warning indicator illuminated. the contact had to shut off the vehicle and restart it in order to stop the failure. the failure occurred multiple times. the dealer stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 78,500.

On multiple occasions, i have had the power steering fail on my car. i've had it happen while driving at speeds ranging from 25mph-70mph. while driving i will hear the alert chime and i will receive the message power steering fault appear on screen, about 2 seconds later the steering becomes stiff and very difficult to control. i've been blessed to be able to get the car to the side of the ride and or freeway. generally what happens is i turn the car off, and restart and the fault message disappears. when i took it into the ford dealer, they charged me $150 to look at it, but "could not replicate" the issue so they sent me on my way. i spoke with a ford support rep who told me that there was not much they could do if the fault message was unable to duplicate, but their suggestion in the future was to snap a picture of the display when it happens. how dangerous would that be in a car that you can not steer to grab my cellphone and snap a picture? i've looked up this issue online in many ford focus forums, and this is not an isolated incident. for a car's steering to not function after 60k miles is ridiculous. and because i bought the car used, i have no warranty. but there have been several reports of customer's experiencing the same issue over and over, and ford is reluctant to fix it because the power steering module is difficult to replace. i've heard they have to replace the entire steering column. but how is the consumer at fault for this? i feel i am taking my life in my own hands whenever i drive this vehicle, and ford will be reluctant to do anything until someone is in a serious accident. *tr

I was driving in a residential neighborhood when an error message displayed on the dash computer indicating that there was an issue with the power steering. i was in the middle of a turn onto another street when the power steering went out. this was not the first time that the power steering went out. i have experienced the same issue at least 5 times. on the most recent occasion noted here, the power steering control module (pscm) had just been replaced at my local ford dealership 4 or 5 days previous. i was told by the dealership that both the original pscm and the replacement pscm were part of the same batch that were apparently defective from the manufacturer. my car is currently having yet another pscm installed by the dealership. if ford is aware of a defective batch of pscms, a recall should be issued. i am also concerned that the first outage of the original pscm took roughly 2 years to manifest, while the second pscm went out in less than a week. i am not sure if that indicates a broader electrical problem with the car, or was simply a coincidence that the second pscm went out that soon after replacement. *tr

Steering looses power (no power steering). after a restart or two power steering comes back only to go out again after a little while. *tr

My first encounter started in march with a warning condition indicating a default in my steering assistance only when i would turn on the ignition, i called ford dealership and was told it would go away by turning of the ignition and turning it back on.,and it did go away. now in august, i was driving on freeway and the warning light came on again while driving and the steering wheel became very hard to steer, i was able to make it to a safe stop on the shoulder of the highway. that was the most scariest for me while on the highway. god was with me.. *tr

Driving on freeway and my steering wheel locked on me. almost caused an accident. luckily a tow driver was by me and he was able to steer traffic away from me and he helped me move my car to safety. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle stuttered and rolled backwards, the steering wheel shook and failed to turn, and the accelerator pedal failed to respond and traveled to the floorboard when it was depressed. in addition, the "transmission ready" indicator illuminated. after the vehicle was restarted, it operated normally. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (camelback ford, 1330 e camelback rd, phoenix, az 85014, (602) 635-7551) where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failures recurred. the manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to nhtsa. the failure mileage was 77,000. the vin was not available.

I see you are investigating power steering problems with the fusion. i have a 2012 ford focus and the power steering is out. i would leave the car parked and running during the summer, if i was on my cell phone. the power steering assist light would come on, while in park and if i tried to move the car, the power steering would not respond. i could turn the car off for a few minutes, then back on and the problem would seems to fix itself. i don't recall how many times it happened, 5-7 times probably.the final time it happened, i was again parked and this time turning the car off did not correct it. that was approximately october 15, 2014 with about 38,000 miles. unlike some of the other comments i have read on the internet, i never had the power steering go out on me while driving. i will be going to have the car checked tomorrow at mac haik ford in georgetown, tx where i bought the car in january of 2013. i just had to learn to drive without power steering again. *tr

At first the power steering would go out in reverse when i was trying to back out of a driveway. it then started to act up when i would start the car. i would have to turn off the engine and restart it. now it doesn't work at all. i have found this to be unsafe to drive when going around curves and corners. also very hard to maneuver in parking lots around people and other cars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated slowly on occasion. other times, the rpms would race and the vehicle would jerk forward. the dealer stated that the body control module needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the dealer was not able to reprogram the computer to install the new part and had to re-install the old part. the manufacturer was notified and the vehicle was taken to the dealer a fourth time to have the new part installed. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the sensors intermittently illuminated for the brake assist and parking aide. in addition, while making a right or left turn, the steering wheel locked intermittently more than once. the contact also stated that the clock intermittently shorted out and the time display was incorrect. the dealer provided an interim remedy and suggested that the contact turn off the gps. the interim fix remedied the failure as long as the contact used the feature to disable the gps auto clock manually each time. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 3,000.

I bought a 2012 focus as a certified used car, trusting ford and having peace of mind with a warranty. within a few months of ownership i started the car and a message saying "steering assist malfunction" displayed. after turning the car off and back on it went away. i have complained about it about 3-4 times while at dealers for transmission "fixes". every time they said they could not duplicate the problem so even though there is a technical service bulletin, it never got fixed. now even if i restart the car, the steering is out. it is completely gone and they refuse to fix it without charge because it is not their fault they couldn't pull any codes before. so i'm left to decide, should i fight them for this and the transmission, or just give them another $100 for a warranty repair when i already gave them $2000 for a warranty. *tr

While driving the vehicle the steering failed fortunately i was at my own street and finally got it home by getting my grandson to help me turn the wheels. took to aamoco they scanned for codes and updated the pcm/tcm. it broke again in 3 days. i was fortunate again i had not left my driveway. this is a safety issue if yo are on a freeway or other roadway where traffic is moving fast. this whole endeavor cost over $2000 to fix. i averted the danger but whose to say others my not.

After sitting in neutral waiting for construction to allow us to proceed, started out and then power steering went out. turned off at next red light and started again and began working. a few miles later stopped for gas and when started vehicle, no power steering and is still out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the power steering became difficult to turn and the engine stalled. the contact also stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced and the pcm failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

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.

The steering wheel has sharp metal edges protruding from the top of the wheel. while driving on the highway, i sliced my finger on the edge. not a major incident... but upon reviewing the internet this is apparently a common issue with the ford focus. i have read on the internet that the metal edges can slice the airbag upon deployment. i am not sure if this is true but for the sake of my sliced finger and my air bag i would like someone to investigate! my hope is that ford will repair or replace the metal on the wheel so it is no longer a danger while driving. *tr

The transmission is knocking when it shifts gears especially the lower gears. it stutters really bad as well. *js

On two occasions the vehicle stopped running while in motion. in incident 1, this occurred at highway speed (65 mph) and incident #2 in local traffic (15 mph). in both cases all power was lost including the acceleration, power steering, etc. after incident 1, the car restarted and driven to the dealer - extensive repairs were made "to the transmission" (per the dealer). in the second incident after dealer repairs after incident 1, the car completely stopped at highway speed and would not restart - towed to dealer. again loss of all power including acceleration, power steering, etc. after incident 2 the dealer replaced the "master control unit". while both incidents were covered by ford under the "drive train" original warranty i am concerned about the loss of power in two incidents separated by about one month. *tr

The steering wheel would not move, there is an error message, steering assist fault. it happened before, but i turned the car off and back on again and it would turn. before this incident there would be times when the a/c fan would adjust itself, by going higher or lower and the radio volume would increase or decreases without any help from me. this particular time it would not move and i was forced to leave it in a parking garage overnight. while attempting to get it to work by turning the off and on the brakes went all the way to the floor, suggesting the would not work properly if i were driving the car. well, the car shut completely down and started to try to turn itself on without the key being in the ignition. after which it would not start at all. i had it towed in and of course it is no longer under warranty. *tr

Upon starting the car a message appeared that stated 'steering malfunction assist'; then driving/steering was almost impossible. shut the car off; then re-started and it was ok. next day the message appeared again. the car is now parked with plans to take it in. *tr

Was leaving my destination when the steering wheel locked and sensor light came on stating steering assist fault service required. brought car to gus machado ford of kendall was told needed new power steering gear and that i would have to pay $1778.81 to replace. after researching complaints about the 2012 ford focus, i could not believe how many consumers had the same problem. obviously there must be a defect in this particular part. thank goodness i was not in the middle of driving when this occurred, i could have caused a fatal accident. this should really be investigated in order to avoid a fatal accident from happening. i have contacted ford with this issue to get my cost covered in order for them to repair it. apparently this is not under warranty. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving approximately 75 mph, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. the steering assist warning sensor illuminated. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 50,000.

Loss of steering at 55 mph on two lane highway. crossed center line and hit by oncoming truck

We had a problem with ford motor company over our 2012 ford focus . as background, while my wife was driving 40 mph on a straight road the car steering locked and pulled her into a curb causing a broken wheel, rim, and tie rod (estimated at $1500 to repair by bob tomes ford in mckinney texas). after the car setting at the dealership waiting for word from ford's corporate office for seven weeks we just found out they are not taking responsibility for this issue. it's pretty incredible to me that it took ford seven weeks to respond while i made two car payments and paid for insurance throughout that time without a car. we had found through research on the web that many people are reporting steering problems on the 2012 ford's focus. for your information we do not feel safe with this car and are asking bob tomes ford to help us resolve the issue locally since ford has not offered any help. *tr

On march 13th, i was driving at approximately 55 miles per hour. all of the sudden i lost complete power in my car. the rpms revved up extremely high and i gained no power when pushing on the accelerator. i lost all speed in a matter of seconds and was forced to pull over. i was almost hit by another car as i was attempting to get out of the way. steering became hard and it took more effort to break and slow the car. i turned the car off as soon as i came to rest. i attempted to restart the car and the car would not even turn over. i called a tow truck and had my car towed to ford. they had the car for 4 days and replaced the transmission control module (tcm). the part was covered under the emissions warranty according to ford. i was told the car was fixed and sent on my way. on march 24th the car broke down again. the car did the same thing as the first time and again almost caused a car accident in which serious injury could have resulted. i sat with the car turned off for approximately 5 minutes and then tried to restart the car. the car restarted on the 4th time. i called my local ford and asked if it was safe to attempt to drive over, they said it was. they have now had the car for one week and are unable to locate an issue. i was given a loaner vehicle which they have now demanded they get back. i been told the process of ford deciding what to do can take up to 2 months. i am no left with no car and ford is claiming no responsibility and providing no customer service. ford needs to fix this issue and refund those affected. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel failed without warning and became hard to turn. the power steering warning light illuminated after the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 41,000.

While turning the steering wheel, my left hand middle finger was sliced open by a silver trim piece around the horn/radio control area. specifically, the silver piece is like a foil type covering with a raised edge which is sharp like a razor blade. once i was cut, i pulled over to see what had cut me and i realized it was the silver trim. upon further inspection, i was able to peel the silver piece back since it is like tin foil and remove it. upon further inspection, i noticed other areas around the steering wheel with the same issue for the silver piece being raised. further search on the internet revealed this is a common complaint. i am bringing my car to the dealer today (11-29-13) to take a look at the steering wheel. *tr

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.

The aluminum trim on the steering wheel where the driver can rest hands is splintering off. it is sharp and jagged metal. it cut three of my fingers deeply. ford will not warranty this even though many many owners are complaining of the defect. *tr

Power steering: sometimes when i start my car an error message will say "power steering failure", and the power steering will not work. if i turn the car off, and then restart it within a few minutes it goes away. it started doing this within a month of when we bought it, and because the error isn't present when we take it to the dealership they tell me they can't do anything. i have complained multiple times to them, and they have done nothing. it has been doing this randomly for years now, and after bringing in my car to have the clutch looked at again (i've had it replaced 5 times now) it had the power steering error message show up and the techs were able to see that the car had no power steering along with the message. they told me i would have to replace the steering wheel column, and even though it has done this from the start i would have to pay for it.

Started up car and put transmission into reverse. steering was very difficult. i was able to pull back into driveway. error message indicated steering assist failure and that service was required. i shut off the car, restarted it, and the steering seemed back to normal.

Chrome steering wheel trim began to peel off. cut my finger a few different times to where i was bleeding. *tr

Power steering assit pops up the day after purchasing and restarted car. issue went away until after used car lot warranty runs out. issue seemed to only happen in the warmer months of the year. has happened approximately 40-50 times. finally completely went out on june 10th 800 miles away from home while my wife and kids we on a tripped to see her parents. had taken car to dealership numerous times over issue since we purchased and they finally acknowledged that there is an issue but their hands are tied til i pay the $1850 or a recall happens. so right now im stroking a car not on one bigass paper weight. hopefully they will do a recall before they meet their"bloodshed quota"! its sad profit margins are more important than the safety of their customers. hey ford you might want to take care of your customers before you kill off client base!!!!

While driving power steering assist warning came on and lost ability to steer vehicle while driving. took car to dealership and they seem to have no explanation. vehicle is still not steerable at this time with no resolution. *tr

When driving home i heard a loud pop noise, the steering became hard to control and when i made a slow right hand turn the right front tire fell off the car. apple ford is trying to tell me i hit something. i would know if i hit something and for me to hit something that large i would have seen it, if there was a large pot hole i would have seen it... there is no body damage to the front end bumper of my car.. i just had the transmission replaced in this car, the sync module had to be replace since i had it.. the tow truck driver that picked up my car even said he had just picked up a 2013 ford fusion that had the exact same problem.. and the dealerships are telling people they are hitting something!!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel seized and the steering assist service flashed across the instrument panel. the failure recurred several times intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated that the electronic power steering gear failed and the power steering needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 45,000. updated 09/03/2015*lj updated 09/10/15 *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that when starting the vehicle or when in the idle position, the power steering would disengage independently. the steering and power steering warning lights would illuminate after the failure. additionally, when the contact was attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, there was a hesitation before the vehicle would respond followed by a brief rapid acceleration. the vehicle not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

The chrome metallic trim on the steering wheel began peeling off around the edge. pieces of sharp metal cut into my fingertips on a number of occasions. *tr

The chrome metallic trim on the steering wheel peeling off around the edge. sharp metal has caused numerous cuts to the driver's hands. *tr

My first incident was driving out of a parking lot, the power steering message appeared with a strange beeping noise followed by an extremely difficult to move steering wheel. when i turned off my car and got it back on, the power steering was back to its normal levels. later the next day, the car was in movement over 30mph while driving through the highway and the power steering message came on again making my car totally unresponsive causing me to almost crash. it was very difficult to get the car out of the high way in order to have the steering levels back by turn it off and back on again. today i took my car to the ford service complaining about this in order to get my car checked but the service manager indicated that there was nothing he could do about this incident for what suggested me to contact roadside assistance during the next incident and have them take in my car to there service to fix it at the moment. i mentioned that if that was to be done my car would obviously have to be turned off and on in the process causing the issue to momentarily disappear for what he would still not be able to witness the incident as he request, just like today. he refused to make any further comments indicating that was the best thing he could do. *tr

This happened twice within one hour. i pulled our of my company parking lot onto a busy highway and my power steering went completely out.on dash it read, "steering malfunction. service needed." it was very difficult but i managed to pull over to the side. i turned the car off and sat for a few minutes. hoping it was a fluke, i started the car up again and pulled onto the highway. i made it about two blocks before it happened again. i pulled over and had the car towed to a ford dealership. i am currently awaiting an explanation and a fix. my car also hesitated and shudders when at a stop and starting to go. the chrome is coming off of the steering wheel and is quite sharp. i bought this car used (it had been a rental). afraid i may be stuck with a lemon. *tr

When driver entered vehicle, started it, and began to steer, the silver finish on the right side, top of the steering wheel crossbeam had split and curled up, which caused lacerations across two fingers. the car had been fine on previous use, and had been unused for several days prior to the incident. this appears to be a defect in the finish itself. *tr

Metallic steering wheel trim is peeling at the top left side of steering wheel. peeling material is very sharp and can easily cut skin, as it did to me and many others as seen online after doing a simple search for "ford focus peeling steering wheel trim". i'm also concerned that in rare circumstances the airbag itself could be cut by the sharp trim when deploying. *tr

I was on the freeway and had my hand on the steering wheel . i moved my hand and the chrome on my steering wheel cut and took off a chuck of my pinky finger . my skin was struck on the chrome on my steering wheel , i had to put pressure on my finger to stop it from bleeding all over the driver seat . i pulled over to get my first aid kits to get a gauges on it. *tr

The chrome trim on my steering wheel has begun to crack and flake off. i did not notice at first and had my finger run along it. the trim is cracked medal and is very sharp. i have not yet cut myself enough to draw blood but have stuck, stabbed, and caught my finger on it embedding a piece of chrome trim in my finger like a sliver. this is a widespread issue documented on multiple focus forums, and by other 2012+ ford focus owners. this seems to only be an issue that is on 2012+ se sport packages. this is very frustrating, it makes driving the car difficult because in my case it is right above my steering wheel mounted radio buttons and catches my hand easily. ford is doing nothing about this in my case and actually blaming me for it, but in other cases has both replaced other owners pieces and in some cases like mine done nothing. this is very dangerous as many people in the forums have stated they cut themselves good enough to bleed. one even said his wife now refuses to drive the car. ford refuses to fix this because it would require them to warranty an airbag since they decided to make the airbag and trim one piece. because of this myself and others will continue to cut our fingers, hopefully not very seriously. thank you for reading this. *tr

I was driving on one of our first trips (400 miles) in the winter of 2012 in south dakota interstate 90. there was snow and ice patches on the highway and the steering was easy to slightly turn one direction, but harder to slightly turn the other direction. trucks and or wind always makes a car move and a person's steering makes a correction for this. this car's steering was easy one way and not as easy the other way. very difficult to drive this way. i have been driving vehicles for 60 years and never had this experience before. i took the car to the ford dealer and he said that ford did have some recalls on this steering behavior , but my car was not included. he did drive it and said it wasn't perfect, but okay as it was electronically made this way. i wrote a letter to ford motor company and they sent me back a letter telling me to work it out with the dealer. i guess they didn't understand my letter as i had already talked to the dealer and he couldn't do anything with it. i can only hope that we can trade it off before it causes an accident some day. probably not another ford! i also question why this steering behavior wasn't brought to the attention of the nhtsa? there were recalls before on this same problem. thanking you in advance for patience, i was driving. *tr

Chrome peeling away from plastic leaving sharp edges where fingers are on steering wheel peeling is bi lateral on the top part of the area where the controls are for the sync and vehicle data controls. running hand across this section of the steering wheel can result in jerking the hand away because of the sharp edge. *tr

My transmission shutters very badly i have had it at the dealer in los lunas new mexico. it is still not fixed. my streering assist light came on and ihaveno power steering. after the last oil change to change oil light will not go off even after the reset procedures have been followed. the lighter does not work. o and to top it off i just got a recall letter something to do with electrical failure . but had nothing to do with the above problems. this is way many for a car of its age i am sure i have a lemon. what can be done?