2016 Ford Focus steering problems

STEERING

The contact called on behalf of his girlfriend, who owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact became aware that the steering wheel was extremely loose. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 154,000.

NHTSA complaint #11654502 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Stearing went out and car would not start after filling tank with gas

NHTSA complaint #11632511 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Continuously get the message steering fault assist service required. It’s impossible to turn the steering wheel.

NHTSA complaint #11619218 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Electrical power steering goes in and out and the dash displays “steering assist fault” warning, and the power steering goes out entirely. You can still turn, but it takes a lot more physical effort to do so. Since it goes in and out, it can happen at any time and is very hard to get diagnosed through a diagnostic if the mechanic or dealer cannot replicate the issue.

NHTSA complaint #11616319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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My 2016 Ford Focus SE is stalling at higher temperatures while driving at high speeds, which is very dangerous. This issue occurs primarily during hotter daily temperatures. I have previously taken the vehicle in for the recall (NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000) related to the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) malfunction, which was supposed to address excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system. However, this did not resolve the stalling issue. This has stalled my car out at interstate highway speeds (75 MPH) which makes me lose power steering and acceleration and has nearly ended in accidents numerous of times due to this.

NHTSA complaint #11606887 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Power steering fault light came on and the vehicle is very hard to now drive because it is difficult to turn the steering wheel, which could cause an accident.

NHTSA complaint #11595020 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the steering wheel locked inadvertently. The message "Transmission Failure" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned on the hazard lights. The contact stated that the vehicle continuously lost and regained electrical power independently. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the transmission was malfunctioning, and the contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the TCM was replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under Ford Campaign Number: 19N08. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 97,069.

NHTSA complaint #11584917 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The car is not running right I can feel shaking, but no one else can

NHTSA complaint #11555319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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No issues with steering at all and then stopped for gas and when restarting the car got multiple messages regarding steering assist fault resulting in an inability to properly be able to control/steer the vehicle. Left stranded 5 hours away from home.

NHTSA complaint #11549890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the message "Steering Assist Fault. Service Required" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be charged a repair fee. The contact also stated that the hatchback had opened independently while driving and while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V698000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure). Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved to 4,000 but the vehicle failed to accelerate. Additionally, the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly, and the vehicle was downshifting unexpectedly while driving, nearly causing a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond while shifting into reverse (R), and while shifting into drive (D). There was no warming light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA complaint #11546071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Car turned off while driving three times. Once when put in park it locked on a busy road. Replaced fuse to battery, still turned off while driving. Lights stay on and its a pretty new battery so thats nit the issue, when turning the key there is no noise, no clicking or grinding. Main issue is the fact it turns off while driving and the fact it locks up when put in park. That's helpful to no one. Windows can't be rolled up either which meant being trapped guarding a vehicle in 92 degree weather. Anti theft is literally so dumb and in annoying. Great thought, terrible in practice. Am currently waiting on tow truck. Open invention on what caused this now.

NHTSA complaint #11540454 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The car worked fine in the first couple months and slowly declined. The rpm will shoot up and down causing the car to jerk and not able to surpass certain speeds. It works sometimes, so when going to work in the freeway it was fine then it started acting up again, causing other cars to almost crash into me. I had to drive with hazards and luckily i was able to safely pull to the side. Instances like this occur a lot more now because the car doesn’t act normal anymore. I took it to a mechanic and it was a gear issue and a module error. I had asked how i was to fix it, and they said only main dealerships can fix a module board. It’s making my transmission overheat and now my steering wheel is stuck and won’t move.

NHTSA complaint #11533784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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On my way to the gas station to fuel up. Turned off car and when turned back on power steering malfunction light came on making steering a lot harder. Ran codes to find out it was a water damage fault based off manufacture design after doing research

NHTSA complaint #11532245 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Driving down the windy mountain road and all power steering fails and the steering locks up and cause it to jerk hard. Can’t control vehicle at any speed. Not inspected but put on computer and it says steering module failure. 06/20/2023.

NHTSA complaint #11530054 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Electric steering rack failed while driving, making steering almost impossible.

NHTSA complaint #11516712 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Car stalled at stop sign after filling up on gas. Completely shut off. Would not start back up for 30 seconds. No check engine lights on. It has done this multiple times and I have taken it to the shop but they can’t find a problem. I know there was a recall on the 2.0 but this is a 1.0

NHTSA complaint #11513771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The transmission started failing in 2020 and part of it was repaired on a recall and part we had to pay out of pocket. The entire steering rack failed in July of 2022 requiring replacement. Reports suggest this is a known issue yet Ford offered nothing. Now the transmission is slipping and failing again less than two years since being repaired by Ford. This is a critical safety issue and they can't diagnose the car for 4-6 weeks and are offering no rental assistance for a known factory defect. These cars are dangerous and the fact that Ford won't do anything to jump on the problem when it happens means more liability for the drivers of these vehicles.

NHTSA complaint #11504024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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While driving my 2016 Ford Focus, the electric power steering suddenly failed. Instantly, it became extremely difficult to steer and fortunately, I was able to get the car off the road without causing an accident. A “steering assist fault” appeared on the information screen as well. This car has only 24300 miles on it. I firmly believe this is a serious safety issue and a recall is in order.

NHTSA complaint #11438739 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Power steering failed while driving making it difficult to steer car.

NHTSA complaint #11434277 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while reversing into the driveway, the power steering assist warning light illuminated, and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,500.

NHTSA complaint #11423752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

The steering assist shut off mid drive while turning off the highway and almost got killed by hitting the divider in the center

NHTSA complaint #11420374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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RETURNING HOME WHEN A RED WARNING ABOUT TOTAL POWER STEERING LOSS. COULD NOT STEER THE CAR WHILE GOING ABOUT 25MPH. NARROWLY MISSED PARKED CARS AND EVENTUALLY WENT ONTO THE SIDEWALK WHERE SOME KIDS WERE PLAYING BEFORE I STOPPED. PUSHED THE CAR ONTO THE STREET AND TOWED IT TO MY DRIVEWAY. VERY VERY LUCKY! CANNOT STEER CAR

NHTSA complaint #11402724 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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NO RECALLS WHERE REPAIRED ON MY VEHICLE

NHTSA complaint #11398297 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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29,000 MILES - CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF STEERING SYSTEM VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN STEERING ASSIST FAULT LIGHT CAME ON. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP. STEERING GEAR/RACK & PINION ASSY REPLACED BY FORD DEALERSHIP. FORD CASE #[XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #11339076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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I HAVE HAD THE CLUTCH IN THIS VEHICLE REPLACED 3 TIMES AND IT CURRENTLY HAS 37014 MILES. I HAVE HAD THE STEERING WHEEL REPLACED BECAUSE THE HEATED STEERING WHEEL DIDN'T WORK. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION MODULE REPROGRAMMED 3 TIMES. AND NOW MY BACKUP CAMERA SUDDENLY TURNS PITCH BLACK. IT'S RANDOM. I COULD JUST GO INTO REVERSE AND IT IS ALREADY PITCH BLACK. OR I COULD BE REVERSING WITH A CLEAR SCREEN AND THEN IT TURNS PITCH BLACK.

NHTSA complaint #11328772 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

THE ELECTRONIC STEERING RACK HAS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT TURN WITH OUT FORCING THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS HAPPENED LUCKILY AS WE MADE A SHARP TURN INTO A PARKING SPOT AND NOT DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA complaint #11309060 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

HELLO, MY CAR LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND IN A TURN. IT WENT OUT LIKE A LIGHT BULB WOULD. NO WARNING. I WAS LUCKILY AS NO TRAFFIC WAS COMING WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND THE ARCH OF THE CURVE WAS FAVORABLE FOR THIS SITUATION. I NOTICED THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT. GOD FORBID IF I WOULD HAVE HAD MY GRANDCHILDREN WITH ME AND THERE WAS TRAFFIC!! THIS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS AN ISSUE BEFORE WITH EARLIER MODELS AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED BUT THE ISSUE STILL REMAINS WITH THE NEWER MODELS AS WELL. SOMEONE WILL HAVE A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT SOON WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSS OF LIFE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMETHING UNFORTUNATE HAPPENS. THANK YOU! :-) [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #11298244 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

2016 FORD FOCUS SE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO CROOKED STEERING WHEEL AND DEFECTIVE CHARGING PORTS AND BLUETOOTH. *LD

NHTSA complaint #11287350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.