What 3,789 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Focus RS

THE PURGE VALVE OF THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS STUCK OPEN CAUSING THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL TO CRUSH THE FUEL TANK BECAUSE OF THE VACUUM EFFECT. ALL OTHER PARTS OF THE FUEL SYSTEM HAVE BEEN OVERHEATED BECAUSE OF THE INCONSISTENT FUEL FLOW SO THEY ALL HAVE TO BE REPLACED.THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM INCLUDING GAS TANK. THE CAR WOULD STALL OR WANT TO STALL WHILE DRIVING ON STREETS, STOPPED IDLING, AND DRIVING ON HIGHWAY CAUSING VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. THIS WOULD OCCUR EVERYTIME YOU WOULD DRIVE VEHICLE.THE PROBLEM STARTED IN SEPTEMBER WITH NO WARNINGS AND FINALLY WAS SO BAD ON OCTOBER 13TH I HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE FORD DEALER TO GET EVALUATED THE CAR COULDNT BE DRIVEN ANYMORE.

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WAS BEGINNING TO GET STEERING FAULT WARNING LIGHTS BACK IN LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO. IT WOULD CORRECT AND WOULDN'T COME ON TILL LATER IN TIME. PROBABLY HAD 6-8 OCCURRENCES. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO I HAD NO STEERING AT ALL. TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THE ELECTRONIC ASSIST HAS FAILED AND THE ENTIRE RACK & PINION NEEDED REPLACE. THE COMPLAINTS ARE SIMILAR ESPECIALLY WITH IN THE LAST YEAR. ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TO THIS SINCE EVEN OTHER FORD CARS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND BEING RECALLED. I CALLED FORD AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL OR NECESSARILY THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE WITH MY CAR. THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A FORD DEALER TO HAVE IT 'PROPERLY DIAGNOSE' TO DETERMINE IF 'MY' ISSUE CORRELATES WITH THE COMMON ONES OUT THERE. THAT ALSO WILL COST ME MONEY FOR DIAGNOSTIC. IF THEY READ ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA THEY WILL SEE IT IS COMMON. MY MECHANIC TELLS ME IT IS GOING TO COAT ME $1900 TO REPLACE. THE PART AT FORD ALONE IS $1200. WE SHOULDN'T WAIT TILL SOMEONE GETS HURT TO SEE THE OBVIOUS THAT IT IS A PROBLEM. I NOTICED 3 MORE COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM SINCE I HAVE CHECKED IT AT THE NHTSA A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. FORD, CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES IF THIS ISN'T PROPERLY ADDRESSED.

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4/01/2017 - STARTED UP THE CAR AND GET A WARNING MESSAGE THAT "STEERING ASSIST FAULT. SERVICE REQUIRED." LOST POWER STEERING, NEED A LOT OF EFFORT TO STEER WHILE DRIVE IS PARK. TURN ENGINE OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN, POWER STEERING RESTORED, WORK NORMALLY. THEN HAPPEN AGAIN 9/23/2017 (TURN OFF AND ON ENGINE TO RESOLVE). BUT TODAY (10/16/2017), THE SAME SYMPTOM AND THIS TIME, TURN ON AND OFF ENGINE DOES NOT CLEAR THE PROBLEM. FORD DEALER SAID NEED TO PAY $2600 TO REPLACE THE STEERING RACK TO FIX THE ISSUE.

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STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MOVE AND WHILE DRIVING IT LOCKED UP, I HAD TO USE ALL MY FORCE TO GET WHEEL TO MAKE A SLIGHT MOVEMENT. THE CAR LEFT ME STRANDED DUE TO UNABLE TO DRIVING, STEERING WHEEL IS STUCK. IT HAPPENED IN A BUSY MAIN STREET.

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WHEN I GO TO TURN MY CAR ON THE DASH READS STEERING MALFUNCTION AND THE WHEEL WON'T TURN. ONCE I HAVE RESTARTED MY CAR THE STEERING WORKS AGAIN. THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS AND THERE IS NO WARRANTY COVERAGE IT COST ME $197 TO GET MY CAR REPROGRAMMED SO IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. SEEMS LIKE A WASTE OF MONEY JUST TO GET IT REPROGRAMMED SO I DON'T GET INTO AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11033946

STEERING ASSIST MALFUNCTION WHEN STARTING THE CAR, RENDERING POWER STEERING UNUSABLE. HAPPENS RANDOMLY. PREVIOUSLY WENT AWAY WITH RESTARTING OF THE VEHICLE, BUT IS NOW PERMANENT.

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THE POWER STEERING TO THE VEHICLE JUST WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME BUT HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET IT REPAIRED DUE TO WAIT TIME. DURING THIS TIME I STRUCK AN OBJECT IN THE ROAD THAT WAS A DEAD DEER BECAUSE I COULD NOT MANEUVER TO AVOID HITTING THE DEER. I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TIME. THE POWER STEERING ASSIST LIGHT CAME ON AFTER IT WENT OUT.

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RECEIVED SPURIOUS STEERING ASSIST FAILURE ALARMS UNTIL IT FAILED COMPLETELY AT START UP. SEVERAL OF THESE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSED THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS FOR MY DAUGHTER. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 32K MILES. TOOK TO TALLAHASSEE FORD AND WAS QUOTED $2154 TO REPAIR. AFTER NEGOTIATION, FINAL PRICE WAS STILL $1830.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, "STEERING WHEEL FAULT" DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RANDY MARION FORD LINCOLN (1011 FOLGER DR, STATESVILLE, NC 28625 (704) 235-6214) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING GEAR MODULE ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

NHTSA ODI 11032836

STEERING ASSIST FAILURE OCCURRED THREE TIMES-ONCE IN THE STREET, ONCE IN OUR DRIVEWAY, AND ONCE IN OUR GARAGE. IN EACH INSTANCE, FRESTARTING THE CAR RETURNED OPERATION TO NORMAL.

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POWER STEERING FAULT VEHICLE SUFFERS FROM ELECTRONIC STEERING FAULTS AT RANDOM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON DEFECT WITH THE MODEL YEAR 2012 AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE FROM A STATIONARY POSITION, THE POWER STEERING WILL NOT ENGAGE. POWER CYCLING THE CAR A FEW TIMES WILL INITIALIZE THE STEERING CONTROL FOR THE TIME BEING. I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE AT SPEED AS OF YET, BUT AM CONCERNED.

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MY 2012 FORD FOCUS SE ONLY HAS 57,000 MILES ON IT AND THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT MULTIPLE TIMES. LUCKILY SO FAR IT'S ONLY GONE OUT WHILE PUTTING THE CAR IN REVERSE AND AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED BUT I'VE READ HUNDREDS OF REPORTS ONLINE ABOUT POWER STEERING SUDDENLY LOSING POWER WHILE AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED. I HAVE A 2 YEAR OLD SON AND THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE. THE 2012 FORD FUSION WITH THE EXACT SAME POWER STEERING SYSTEM WAS RECALLED. WHY WASN'T THE FOCUS RECALLED? WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO HAVE SOMEONE TAKE CARE OF THIS? WILL SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE FOR SOMEONE TO DO A RECALL? THE AVERAGE FIX FOR THIS PART IS $1500. AS A SINGLE MOM PLEASE TELL ME HOW I'M SUPPOSED TO AFFORD THAT AND EVEN IF I GET IT FIXED WHO'S TO SAY IT WON'T GO OUT IN ANOTHER 50,000 MILES? FORD NEEDS TO SUCK IT UP AND RECALL THIS PART BEFORE THEY HAVE A MAJOR LAWSUIT ON THEIR HANDS.

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I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO FORD MULTIPLE TIMES SAYING MY STEERING FELT "TIGHT" OR I WOULD HAVE TO JERK IT BACK INTO TURNING BECAUSE IT WOULD GET "STUCK" WHILE TURNING. MY STEERING ALSO "FREEZES" IN COLD WEATHER. MY STEERING WHEEL WON'T MOVE AT ALL WHEN TEMP DROPPED BELOW 42 DEGREES. I WOULD HAVE TO WARM CAR UP TO GET IT TO UNFREEZE. MY STEERING TOTALLY STOPPED WORKING 2 NIGHTS AGO. NO LIGHT CAME ON, NO CODES, IT JUST STOPPED TURNING. LUCKILY I WAS ON MY STREET GOING 25MPH, BUT TRYING TO GET IT TO TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY WAS VERY HARD. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP I GOT A WARNING THERE IS A STEERING FAILURE AND TO STOP SAFELY. I NOW HAVE A CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY THAT I CAN'T MOVE BECAUSE STEERING WON'T MOVE. I HAVE TO GO TO FORD AGAIN AND SEE WHAT THEY SAW, THEN HAVE IT TOWED THERE. I HAVE HEARD IT IS $1200 TO FIX. I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY. I AM ON SSDI, AND ONLY CAN WORK PT. I CAN'T SELL IT BECAUSE OF NEGATIVE EQUITY, AND NO GAP INSURANCE. FORD, PLEASE RECALL THIS! SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE. I USE HIGHWAY EVERY DAY, AND I COULD'VE SERIOULSY HURT STRANGERS. THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO A CAR.

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WHILE DRIVING ON SURFACE STREETS @ 25 MPH, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TRANSMISSION SHUDDERING, ROUGH SHIFTING, OVERHEATED AND NEEDED TO STOP DRIVING TO COOL DOWN. AFTER PARKED OVERNIGHT, CAR WON'T START. TRIED THREE TIMES AND THEN HOLD KEY AND CAR RESETS AND STARTS. WAITED NEXT DAY, CAR WON'T START. TRIED THREE TIMES AND THEN HOLD KEY AND CAR RESETS AND STARTS. DROVE CAR TO DEALERSHIP. NEED NEW CLUTCH, BATTERY IN TRANSMISSION, TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE AND OTHER PARTS. CAR HAS ONLY 118K MILES ON IT.

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TRANSMISSION FAILING UNSAFE TO DRIVE

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I OWN A 2012 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING AT VARYING SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO A FORD DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTICS THIS PAST WEEK, HOWEVER, THEY SIMPLY BLEW ME OFF, STATING THAT THERE WAS RECALL FOR THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY PRIVATE MECHANIC YESTERDAY AND HIS DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE ELECTRONIC EPAS MODULE WITHIN THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000 MILES. I HAVE HAD THE FOUR TIRES REPLACED ALSO YESTERDAY AND I GOT MERELY SOME RELIEF FROM THE STIFF STEERING WHEEL WHEN DRIVING FAST, AS OPPOSED TO WHEN I DRIVE SLOWLY. IN FACT, THE STEERING STIFFENS COMPLETELY WHEN MOVING THE VEHICLE FROM A PARKED POSITION.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. WHILE REVERSING AT 4 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD, FAILING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FRASER FORD SALES LTD (815 KING ST W, OSHAWA, ON L1J 8N5, CANADA), BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER FLUSHED THE BRAKE LINES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO FRASER FORD SALES LTD, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, BRAKE LINES, AND CALIPERS, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

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MY SON WAS STOPPED BEHIND ANOTHER STOPPED CAR ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY, AS A CAR 2 IN FRONT OF HIM WAS PREPARING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE PERSON TRAVELING BEHIND MY SON, WAS LOOKING INTO HIS REARVIEW MIRROR AT HIS CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT AND FAILED TO STOP. INSTEAD, AT FULL SPEED (45-55MPH) HE REARENDED MY SON IN THE FORD FOCUS THEREBY PUSHING HIM INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF HIM. NO AIR BAG DEPLOYED, AND THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK CAUSING MY SON TO PLANT HIS FACE IN THE STEERING WHEEL.

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I STARTED THE ENGINE OF MY FORD FOCUS AND A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THAT SAID STEERING ASSIST MALFUNCTION. AT THIS TIME, I NOTICED THAT MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. MY CAR WAS IN PARK. I THEN TRIED PUTTING MY CAR IN REVERSE AND TURNING THE WHEEL. IT ALSO WOULD NOT TURN. I THEN PUT MY CAR BACK IN DRIVE AND RETURNED TO MY PARKING SPACE. I SHUT THE CAR OFF. A BIT LATER ON, I RESTARTED THE ENGINE TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM WOULD REOCCUR. NO WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL JUST FINE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THE SAME EVENT OCCURRED FOR HIM ONE TIME, BUT THEN NEVER AGAIN. HE ALSO WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE STEERING DURING HIS INVESTIGATION OF IT. I WOULD LIKE THIS MATTER LOOKED INTO BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO, THERE MUST BE A MALFUNCTION SOMEWHERE IN THE STEERING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. UPON ATTEMPTING TO LATCH THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT, IT FAILED TO LATCH. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 106,000.

NHTSA ODI 11030826

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN MY STEERING ASSIST FAULT LIGHT CAME ON ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAD NO CONTROL OF MY STEERING IN MY CAR LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO RUN OFF THE GRASSY PART OF THE ROAD TO STOP. I HAVE BEEN READING OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT FAULTY POWER STEERING PROBLEMS IN 2012 FORD FOCUS. I'M THANKFUL I WAS ABLE TO STOP MY CAR SAFELY BUT SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. PLEASE RECALL THIS PROBLEM BEFORE MORE PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIFE'S OVER SOMETHING CAN NEEDS TO BE FIXED CAUSE THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE.

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THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT ON MANY OCCASSIONS WOULD NOT LATCH, WAS DIFFICULT TO LATCH, AND/OR BECAME STUCK AND WOULD TAKE A GREAT AMOUNT OF FORCE TO UNLATCH. THIS HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY ON CITY STREETS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A FORD DEALERSHIP IN MARCH OF 2017 FOR A RECALL ON THE DOOR LATCHES AND THE SEAT BELT PROBLEM WAS REPORTED THEN. THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED, BUT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY TYPE OF WARRANTY.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE FAILURE BEGAN APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO, IT COULD BE CORRECTED BY RESTARTING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE HAS BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING ABILITY WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. PHIL LONG FORD IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC EPAS MODULE WITHIN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 82,000.

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STEERING ASSIST MALFUNCTION, CAN'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SEVERE VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FAIRWAY FORD (2322 LAURENS ROAD GREENVILLE, SC 29607) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE YEAR BEFORE, THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER AN UNKNOWN FORD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN FOR THE SAME COMPONENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 105,431.

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