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CarComplaints.com Notes: Ford changed a lot of things for its 3rd generation, just none of them were a good idea.

The transmission tends to hesitate and jerk when accelerating. The new electronically-driven power steering can fail suddenly and without warning. Even Ford's SYNC can be a headache. Actually, scratch that last one — it's always been a headache.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,769 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Ford Focus steering problems

steering problem

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2013 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 3 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #221

Aug 062020

Focus

  • 197,452 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

"steering assist fault".. "steering loss". vehicle experienced steering loss while driving at 45 mph and nearly cause a fatal accident. Electronic steering assist can fail with out warning, which results in loss of steering while vehicle is in motion potentially endangering the driver, passengers as well as other motorists. This is a huge safety issue and must be addressed immediately.

- Lake Luzerne, NY, USA

problem #220

Sep 012016

Focus 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
Power steering failed suddenly while driving on a straight section of city street - with no warning. The entire steering assembly needed to be replaced to replace a failed sensor module!!!!

- Fairfax, VA, USA

problem #219

May 212020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
My electronic steering assist system failed, I was driving back from doing errands, pulled into my apartment complex and the yellow light came on and the error code came on, my steering locked up couldn't turn steer wheel, lucky I was going slow pulled in parking space..this has come on before but then just went off, I can't imagine going any faster and the steering cease up, I think its dangerous, I got towed to dealership, now is on backorder and is going to take some time, thank you

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #218

May 052020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car jerks during acceleration, cpu was updated at Ford dealership but jerking is persistent, transmission overheating signal appeared, check engine signal appeared, car reverse gear faulty. All happened while car was in motion in a busy street. After car showed the transmission overheating signal it shut down and I was close to getting hit by another car from the rear end as it shut down simultaneously. Called towing service right after because car would no longer drive when on gear.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #217

Mar 162020

Focus

  • miles
The steering wheel got stuck! thank god I was leaving my home and noticed it.. and also I had to get the meter fixed because it was giving me the wrong gas mileage

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #216

Mar 062020

Focus

  • 160,000 miles
When the out side temperature drops to about 32 degrees or lower the electric power steering fails. This can happen from a parked situation as well as when you are driving.. it will lock up. Has occurred on city streets.

- Blacklick, OH, USA

problem #215

Jan 232020

Focus

  • 94,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel pulled to the left and right failing to stay straight. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to koons falls church Ford (1051 E broad St, falls church, va 22044) and also to stafford Ford Lincoln of salisbury (1902 N salisbury blvd, salisbury, md 21801) and was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

- Millsboro, DE, USA

problem #214

Feb 202020

Focus

  • 72,671 miles
Electric steering assist system went out. I was getting ready to head home when the steering was like a lead brick, luckily I was still in my work parking lot of newcastle heated storage 7115 132nd place SE newcastle wa 98059 when it went bad. I couldn't control the steering unless I was a body builder. I parked and called uber.

- Renton, WA, USA

problem #213

Feb 122020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 131,297 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. Contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the steering wheel ceased without warning. The contact took her foot off the accelerator pedal coasted to the shoulder of the road. The contact turned the vehicle off and back on which failed to resume back to normal vehicle operation. The vehicle was driven to the residence where the vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Obaugh Ford, Inc. 13 lee jackson hwy, staunton, va 24401, (540) 851-4800) was contacted and informed of the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,297.

- Afton, VA, USA

problem #212

Feb 222020

Focus

  • 42,000 miles
The electronic power steering assist feature failed when I was 100 miles from home.it occurred after the car was parked for about 2 hours. Prior to this it was working ok. This has happened one time before. When it happened before I disconnected the battery and cleaned the terminal. I charged the battery and the problem went away for about a month. Today I took the car to a service center and had the battery replaced. The problem did not go away this time. I had to drive the car back on the freeway without power steering assist.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #211

Jul 152018

Focus

  • 95,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the power steering warning light illuminated continuously. The contact stated that the warning light was not illuminated after the vehicle was restarted. In addition, after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel ceased. The contact stated the vehicle was able to be driven however, the steering wheel was very difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to corwin Ford of springfield 3241 S glenstone ave, springfield, mo 65804, where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

- Camdenton, MO, USA

problem #210

Feb 122020

Focus

  • 89,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact was unable to steer the vehicle. The dealer diagnosed vehicle with defective power steering needing an interior gear replacement the contact was unable to drive the vehicle. The vehicle had to be repaired out of pocket the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering ability became very hard. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring for approximately two years. The power steering assist failure illuminated every time the vehicle was turned on. The vehicle was taken to the shottenkirk Ford jasper (868 Georgia 515, jasper, ga,30143) twice, they determined interior gear replacement needed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

- Jasper, GA, USA

problem #209

Feb 112020

Focus

  • 107,000 miles
My check engine light is on and the code that was read is P1450. The wheel locked on me on two separate occasions. I was unable to make a turn while going across traffic to get to the other side of the median and had to completely turn the car off and start it again for it to unlock.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #208

Jan 212020

Focus

  • 82,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, through an intersection making a left turn with the accelerator pedal depressed, the steering wheel ceased with the power train assist warning light illuminated. The contact managed to veer to the shoulder, turned the vehicle off and back on but failed to operate as intended. The contact allowed the vehicle to rest for an hour turned the vehicle on and the vehicle operated as intended. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximation 82,000.

- Hollister, CA, USA

problem #207

Jan 272020

Focus

  • 125,000 miles
I started the car and while it was still in park, completely unmoving, an alert came up on the screen saying 'steering fault service now' and the steering wheel was completely unable to move.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #206

Jan 232020

Focus

  • 87,000 miles
My power steering seized and went out while driving on the freeway with my child. We are so lucky that we did not crash and die! I have had nothing but problems with my 2013 Ford Focus! I just wanted a safe car for my child and I. even after I fix it and pay over $2000 I will never feel safe in this car again! how can Ford be ok with this. The car itself should be recalled! power steering, transmission replacement, brake lines failing, radio has gone out, sync never worked, door latches failed, now I am told my gas tank is recalled! ugggg!

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #205

Jan 212020

Focus

  • 61,000 miles
Power steering went out. Alert for power steering. The rack and pinion have to be replaced. This car only has 61,000 miles on it at this time. Was told by repair shop that this was low mileage for this type of repair. Car is driven mainly on highway. Car is well maintained. Bought vehicle two years ago. It was a one owner car that only had 29,000 miles. I am 50 years old and a reliable driver. This car has had to have a clutch replaced and steering replaced in two years. The cars steering went out during a stop. Was able to get to the nearest repair shop with hard steering.

- Ardmore,, OK, USA

problem #204

Sep 212019

Focus

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving there was a grinding sound and the wheel locked, while the contact made a turn. The steering assist fault light illuminated and the contact could no longer turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer jimmy granger Ford natchitoches (7501 la-1, natchitoches, la 71457 (318) 252-8559) where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion system needed to be replaced. The manufacturer confirmed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was towed back to the contact's home and was currently unrepaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Natchitoches, LA, USA

problem #203

Oct 292019

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
Electric power steering failed. The following Ford error or fault codes were identified: U3000:49-48 and U3000:53-C8. Ford dealership advised replacement cost would be approx. $2,600. Vehicle is a 2013 Ford Focus ev with approx. 60K miles. Based on reports read on NHTSA website and other notable resources Ford has had issues with electric power steering in several models. Though this specific model and year are not identified in a recall, the electric steering failure and accompanying codes fit the bill with issues covered in a recall. When this issue occurred the vehicle was in motion on downtown city streets, traveling at an approx. Speed of 25 to 30 mph when the electric steering failed. This event caused the vehicle to veer off to one direction and strike a curb while at the same time I depressed the brakes to stop or slow the vehicle in an attempt to regain control. The vehicle never regained electric power steering control.

- Casselberry, FL, USA

problem #202

Nov 222019

Focus

  • 78,000 miles
When starting the car received the following error "steering assist fault". the car has no power steering and is undrivable. Turned car on and off trying to reset it but it will not reset. The car was stationary located in a parking lot.

- Amelia, OH, USA

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