Power Steering Failure on brand new 2012 Focus

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by notmike

I am the latest victim of the "Steering assist fault. Service required" error message. I was pulling out of a parking space Sunday evening, when the wheel violently jerked and the error message popped up. Fortunately, I was only 2 miles from home and traffic was light. I tried a few more key cycles, but the message kept coming back.

My car is a blue candy 2012 Ford Focus Titanium with 1876 miles.

This morning I called Ford's roadside assistance to tow the vehicle to my dealer. The dealer says the part to fix the steering is on national back order until at least 8/17. They gave me a silver Focus SEL as a rental (I already miss having the MFT and keyless entry/ignition). I just wish that $5 per day tax on the rental wasn't coming out of my pocket.

I never like hearing about this, but I'm glad you and the dealer are on top of it! I want to escalate this with your regional Customer Service Manager; please PM me your VIN, mileage, phone number, and dealer information.

Originally Posted by dlocher

I have a question for FordCustomerService rep., or anyone else who may know, I'm purchasing an ST in October...do you know if
this power steering failure problem has been resolved from the factory. I know there are issues with all vehicles, just wondering if the issue has been resolved. Just curious as a soon to be ST owner...

Congrats to you and your soon-to-be Focus ST! We appreciate your concern with the Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS) feature. All feedback from customers and dealers are reviewed. We would never release a vehicle with known issues; we continuously monitor and test products for the best quality.

Originally Posted by CriticalMass

...ANd make no mistake, it IS a safety issue...But of course Ford is concerned for your safety! Just not enough to do something about it.

It is also rather disgusting that Natasha would talk about Ford being concerned with people's safety while the dealership is ignoring (and possibly clearing) those thrown codes and claiming they aren't going to fix it. And she is probably doing it for about 10-12 bucks an hour.

I need to type the following statement again: Safety is a top priority. I've been the Ford rep in this forum since early June; it's a pleasure to type to you. If you feel your dealer is doing this, please PM me your VIN, mileage, phone number, and dealer info. I'll forward these details to your area's Customer Service Manager and he/she will discuss it with the dealership.

Originally Posted by raptor1956

If this is an ongoing issue and Ford has been less than helpful maybe you can do this:

The next time this happens to anyone, pull off the road, take a picture of the display before turning off the car...

Good advice; I can be reached by PM too.

Thomas

[cyndyfurby]

Here's my experience....My first 2012 Focus SE....Build date 12/11 had the same problem with the steering going out and "Power Assist Fault" coming on...It first happened at 1900 miles...It did it many times and it didn't matter if I was in forward or reverse or low speeds...It even did it when traveling at 50mph....The dealership tried twice to fix it and failed then it happened to them too...They were going to replace the steering gear assembly....After waiting 30 days for the part, I ended up trading that car in for a different 2012 Focus with build date of 5/12....The new one with only 200 miles on it also had steering problems....Only this problem was different....It actually wandered back and forth at higher speeds....They did replace the steering rack and seems to be better.

Here's the weird thing....When I traded the first car in, it was at a different dealership that was trying to fix it....The other dealership had the car towed to them and has told me since, that the problem was the "AC Compressor"....Since it was defective, it was working hard to perform therefore draining voltage from the electric steering....Really....So they replaced the compressor and drove it 500 miles and say it's Ok now....They're selling it today as an used car...Good luck to the new owner....I wouldn't trust it.

Does this mean every time something goes out on our car, it's going to bog down the electric system to the point of draining electric from other components?....If this is true....It scares the heck out of me to drive my new Focus.

[dlocher]

Fordcustomerservice rep., I understand Ford will not knowingly and willfully release a car with known issues and safety problems, but I’m starting to have second thoughts on my “soon to be” purchase. If numerous people have had this problem, why isn’t it addressed at the factory and not with the beta testers….i.e. public? If I’m driving down my local interstate here in Houston, which is basically a novice racetrack, and the “STEERING” goes out, not talking about a minor issue here, I’m going to be pissed off, not to mention the destruction derby I will probably cause We’re not discussing older models here, that I could understand, but new technology in this day and age, it should be more reliable directly from the factory. This new Focus ST will cost me over $31,000, I got the ST3 version, and I would expect only minor issues, not potential “STEERING” problems. It sounds like the issue is so prevalent; Ford had the part on backorder.

Is Ford planning on correcting the problem at the factory, or are they going to install potentially bad steering components, use up their stock, and wait for people to complain about it to make the repairs?

I’d like an honest answer on this issue, not a politically correct answer, from what I understand STs were only going to be built for the amount of orders that were placed. So by the time mine is built, it should have the new improved corrected steering components installed in it.

[CriticalMass]

Originally Posted by FordCustomerService

I never like hearing about this, but I'm glad you and the dealer are on top of it! I want to escalate this with your regional Customer Service Manager; please PM me your VIN, mileage, phone number, and dealer information.



Congrats to you and your soon-to-be Focus ST! We appreciate your concern with the Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS) feature. All feedback from customers and dealers are reviewed. We would never release a vehicle with known issues; we continuously monitor and test products for the best quality.



I need to type the following statement again: Safety is a top priority. I've been the Ford rep in this forum since early June; it's a pleasure to type to you. If you feel your dealer is doing this, please PM me your VIN, mileage, phone number, and dealer info. I'll forward these details to your area's Customer Service Manager and he/she will discuss it with the dealership.



Good advice; I can be reached by PM too.

Thomas

Educate me on EXACTLY how SAFETY is a top priority when the code for power steering is being thrown, the tech's are SEEING the code, but then sending the driver on their way because they can't REPLICATE the issue.

Educate me on how it is NOT a safety issue when said person gets back out on the road, has a failure, and slams their car into a wall or another car full of children.

Please, EDUCATE me. I'm sure we ALL want to understand your line of thinking here. Because those cars should NOT be hitting the road again until the problem is SOLVED if safety was really a TOP PRIORITY.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by cyndyfurby

...My first 2012 Focus SE....Build date 12/11 had the same problem with the steering going out and "Power Assist Fault" coming on...It did it many times and it didn't matter if I was in forward or reverse or low speeds...It even did it when traveling at 50mph....The dealership tried twice to fix it and failed then it happened to them too...They were going to replace the steering gear assembly....After waiting 30 days for the part, I ended up trading that car in for a different 2012 Focus with build date of 5/12....The new one with only 200 miles on it also had steering problems....Only this problem was different....It actually wandered back and forth at higher speeds....They did replace the steering rack and seems to be better.

Here's the weird thing....When I traded the first car in, it was at a different dealership that was trying to fix it....The other dealership had the car towed to them and has told me since, that the problem was the "AC Compressor"....Since it was defective, it was working hard to perform therefore draining voltage from the electric steering....Really....

Does this mean every time something goes out on our car, it's going to bog down the electric system to the point of draining electric from other components?....If this is true....It scares the heck out of me to drive my new Focus.

I'm glad it's been fixed for you! How long have you had the new steering rack? Different issues may affect other components; our dealers are the best to investigate and determine the root cause.

Originally Posted by dlocher

Fordcustomerservice rep., I understand Ford will not knowingly and willfully release a car with known issues and safety problems, but I’m starting to have second thoughts on my “soon to be” purchase...

Is Ford planning on correcting the problem at the factory, or are they going to install potentially bad steering components, use up their stock, and wait for people to complain about it to make the repairs?

I’d like an honest answer on this issue, not a politically correct answer...

If any issues come about, especially with new vehicles, they'll be addressed at the factory level. We'll never allow vehicles to be sold to customers with defective components. This is as honest as I can be.

Originally Posted by CriticalMass

Educate me on EXACTLY how SAFETY is a top priority when the code for power steering is being thrown, the tech's are SEEING the code, but then sending the driver on their way because they can't REPLICATE the issue.

Educate me on how it is NOT a safety issue when said person gets back out on the road, has a failure, and slams their car into a wall or another car full of children.

Please, EDUCATE me. I'm sure we ALL want to understand your line of thinking here. Because those cars should NOT be hitting the road again until the problem is SOLVED if safety was really a TOP PRIORITY.

I see you have a 2009 Focus; are you experiencing said issue? If so, I'd like to have your CSM look into it and fill you in on how important safety is to us. Please send me the material I've described and I'll make it happen.

Thomas

[Paladin]

these new foci have an electric motor running the power steering system yeah? if so don't you think a loose ground might cause the same issues? i mean it makes sense to me, if the sensors still have power but the motor loses it it should trip the light.

just thinking out loud, dunno if it will help anyone. with electronic parts it's always best to start at the beginning.

[KillerKarma]

I have also been getting the "Steering Assist Fault" error message on my 2012 Focus :( I got it a 2-3 times (always when I first started the car) but it went away after a restart. Last Wednesday morning I got into my car to go to work and the power steering was completely out. I had it towed to the dealership and that is where it has sat ever since. It's been a week. I have yet to get even one call from them!! I called the day after I dropped it off and was assured that the part was ordered and would be in by 2pm that day (Thursday 8/22). I call every other day and get the same story..."waiting on the part." This is my first focus and I was so excited about it. I just wish I could get my car back already. It's costing me $12+ per day for the rental with the rental coverage through the warranty. Not to mention that my rental is an Impala which is much less efficient when it comes to fuel. I don't know what to do at this point. I just want my own car back.

[ruthrj]

Been a while since I've posted to this thread but since I suffered the issue myself I thought a status update would be in order. Having the power steering rack replaced on a brand new car certainly didn't provide me peace of mind. Anyway, long story short, I hired an attorney to represent my Florida Lemon Law case due to other issues with the car. Ford just bought my car back today. Never buying a Ford again as long as I live after that f'in debacle!

[sxd854]

I too have experienced massive problems with my ford focus and ford road side assitance. This steering assistance malfunction error has occurred twice in my first month of owning the vehicle which has done 12,000. After restarting the vehicle the error had disappeared although the steering has been temperamental. It is an approved used ford direct vehicle and obviously had a lot of trust in the vehicles reliability. However this evening the problem happened again, however upon restarting the engine the error did not clear. I subsequently phoned ford assistance for help and waited over three hours for someone to see me and no one had contacted me regarding an expected time of arrival so I had to re-phone after waiting for 1 hour.

I am most upset by this and I will be asking my dealership for a full refund for the car as I no longer feel safe driving a car with steering malfunctions

[coldbear]

I feel your pain man. If I was put on hold for that long and then a recall, I'd call a rollback and park it{2012 FF} in front of the dealership so that everyone would get to see the LEMON! MADE IN MEXICO,MAN!