2012 Ford Focus Steering Problem

[jjessop]

No, Ford has not called me but Natasha has kindly offered in the past to help both publicly and privately. I respectfully declined so we could let the normal service process play out first without factory intervention. I have not given up, everyone has been genuinely helpful and sympathetic at the dealership but at the end of the day it has to be fixed. The other common 2012 Focus quirks and annoyances I can live with but not the steering issue. Will keep you all posted and hoping for the best.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by drvudoo

Natasha why are servicers still locked into this build date. There are a few customers seeing the same issue after that August 12th build date.

I can't speculate on the engineering processes to determine which vehicles/build dates qualify, but rest assured, all questions such as this are thoroughly researched.

Originally Posted by jjessop

No, Ford has not called me but Natasha has kindly offered in the past to help both publicly and privately. I respectfully declined so we could let the normal service process play out first without factory intervention.

My offer still stands. Just shoot me a PM if you would like me to assist.

~Natasha

[jjessop]

Appreciate the kind offer again Natasha. If things don't end up well come the end of the week I will take you up on this :)

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by jjessop

Appreciate the kind offer again Natasha. If things don't end up well come the end of the week I will take you up on this :)

Anytime! Have a great afternoon.

~Natasha

[Focus 2012]

I had the same steering problem described by other 2012 Focus owners on this site. The manufacture date of my Focus Titanium Hatchback was August 2, 2011. It has 17 inch wheels. The TSB (which is on the Ford computer system) dated 2011-09-08 addressed the steering issue on 2012 Focus cars built on or before August 1, 2011. I took the car to the dealer and after showing them the TSB they agreed to do the recommended repair "under warranty" not under the TSB. I did some checking and found that my car was manufactured with Steering Gear BV6Z-3504-CE (often referred to as the steering rack) which according to the TSB is for cars with 18 inch wheels. The TSB states that Steering Gear BV6Z-3504-DE is the proper one for a Focus without 18 inch wheels. I brought this decrepancy to the attention of the dealership's service advisor who verified with Ford Motor Co. that a Focus without 18 inch wheels takes Steering Gear BV6Z-3504-DE. The service advisor said that they would install the 3504-DE in my car as per the TSB. It took the technician 5 hours to replace the rack and do a wheel alignment. I took the car for a two hour drive on a divided highway running at about 110 Kilometers per hour (66 MPH). The steering worked perfectly. The car did not wander in the lane and the steering was free not stiff as before. The car is a pleasure to drive and the safety issue no longer exits. The wrong steering rack was installed at the factory. Your Ford dealer can go on the Ford in-house computer site (HVBOM) to determine which rack is installed in your car. I hope this helps others who have this same problem.

[Focus 2012]

After purchasing my 2012 Focus Titanium, I noticed that there was a constant glare in the door mirrors which was coming from the silver trim ring around the vents in the dash close to each door. These vents are at the same height as the door mirrors. I thought at first it was just glare from the sun but soon realized the glare was there even on cloudy days. I fixed the problem by removing the vents and replacing them with vents from a Focus SE model. These vents do not have the silver trim ring thus no glare. The vents are the same colour as the other vents but without the silver ring so they blend in with the dash. The other vents in the centre of the dash do not have silver trim rings so it is a mystery why Ford installed the silver trim rings on the vents closest to the doors.

[cbaldree]

Your post was very informative. Question - how do I determine which steering gear is in my car? It is a Hatchback Titanium produced in April 2011. Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Focus 2012]

Your Ford dealer can go on the Ford in-house computer site called HVBOM to determine which steering gear (or any other part for that matter) was installed in your car at the factory. According to the TSB it would either be part number BV6Z-3504-CE OR BV6Z-3504-DE. The TSB states that a 2012 Focus that came with 18 inch wheels should have a BV6Z-3504-CE and without 18 inch wheels, i.e. 16 or 17 inch, it should have a BV6Z-3504-DE. Hope this helps.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by Focus 2012

I had the same steering problem described by other 2012 Focus owners on this site. It took the technician 5 hours to replace the rack and do a wheel alignment. I took the car for a two hour drive on a divided highway running at about 110 Kilometers per hour (66 MPH). The steering worked perfectly. The car did not wander in the lane and the steering was free not stiff as before. The car is a pleasure to drive and the safety issue no longer exits.

Hi Focus 2012,

Excellent! Glad to learn your Focus is a pleasure to drive around.
Have a PROSPEROUS New Year!

Originally Posted by cbaldree

Your post was very informative. Question - how do I determine which steering gear is in my car? It is a Hatchback Titanium produced in April 2011. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi Cbaldree,

As Focus 2012 stated, the local Ford dealer will be able to determine the parts used in your Focus. So head on over if the steering is a concern for you. Please keep us posted on the results.

You also have a GREAT New Year!

Noemi

[dcamfam]

looking for accurate email address for natasha...having problems with my brand new 5 door, and want to have the correct address in case dealer does not respond