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CarComplaints.com Notes: For the third year in a row, the 3rd generation Focus is experiencing massive transmission problems.

Most notably owners keep complaining about how there's bad hesitation and jerking when starting from a stop. This isn't the result of an old, worn out part. In fact, the average mileage it's reported to us is just over 15k miles.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
11 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,400 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.

2014 Ford Focus steering problems

steering problem

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2014 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 2 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #180

Dec 232021

Focus 4-cyl

  • 26,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 10 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal and pulled into the parking lot of her apartment. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed however, the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact to take the vehicle to a transmission specialist as they did not have a transmission mechanic or parts. The contact contacted other unknown dealers who advised as the first dealer. The vehicle was towed to a transmission specialist where the transmission was taken apart and the transmission assembly was replaced. The transmission specialist drove the vehicle to the contact's residence and informed her that the steering rack might have failed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was making abnormal grinding sounds while driving. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle did not qualify for the lemon law. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

problem #179

Jan 232022

Focus

  • miles
I was on the highway on my way home from work when the steering wheel got really stiff and i could not move it. I dont even know how i was able to pull over im lucky im alive!

- Lowell, MA, USA

problem #178

Sep 112021

Focus

  • miles
Transmission is overheated, burning smell, the car lost control, start zigzagging on the high way, and got into an accident, I was injured, and lost my job. The CarMax dealership, refused to take care of a car, or even take it back, because of the safety issues. Then, second time, the transmission slips on acceleration at starts and on highways. It feels like it's the transmission is in neutral. For the third time, the car was jerking and going forward and backward, that the transmission would slip badly, even totally disengage. I was getting on a very busy road and accelerated and suddenly the car decelerated; the car behind me almost rear ended me, honked his horn, but there was nothing I could do. As you can see, the problem been reproduced and confirmed by an independent service center as a non-safe to drive. But CarMax dealership ignoring the issues regardless.

- Albany, NY, USA

problem #177

Dec 022020

Focus

  • 64,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that a year ago the clutch fell inside the transmission. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The transmission was replaced with an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. There was no further assistance provided. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign number 14V514000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.

- Elgin, TX, USA

problem #176

Nov 032021

Focus

  • 167,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a near gas station. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the master control for the electronic system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.

- Bluffdale, UT, USA

problem #175

Mar 082021

Focus

  • miles
Power steering went completely out while driving. No accidents occurred but I almost drove off the road due to not being able to control steering wheel. Warning screen on dash notified me after power steering went out.. Took vehicle to my local Ford dealership for diagnosis; code U3000. Steering gear assembly was bad. Vehicle had 64,352 miles on it at the time.

- Pollock, LA, USA

problem #174

Oct 152021

Focus

  • miles

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

After turning the car on a warning stating Fault with power steering. Now I cannot move the wheel hardly.

- Holts Summit, MO, USA

problem #173

Aug 302021

Focus

  • 58,003 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The driver continued to drive the vehicle manually without power steering functionality back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,003.

- Williamsburg, KY, USA

problem #172

Jan 142021

Focus

  • miles
While operating the vehicle I lost all power steering. This nearly caused an accident as I was driving in city traffic at the time. Upon taking it to a dealership I was informed it was a $1500 repair caused by the electrical system. My vehicle was purchased new and has less than 54,000 miles

- Princeton, IL, USA

problem #171

Apr 192021

Focus

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle started pulling to the left. The contact manually pulled the steering to the center to correct the issue and pulled over to the side of the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle slowly in manual steering mode to his girlfriend's residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

problem #170

Feb 022021

Focus

  • miles

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

I had just left my house driving on the road and the power steering stopped working. Luckily there were no other cars on the road. I was unable to turn the steering wheel so I stopped got out and my boyfriend was able to get the car turned around and drove it back the short distance to my home where it has been parked since that day. I wrote a letter to Ford asking for financial assistance in getting the car repaired are repurchase it from me they replied stating that they understood but could not offer any assistance.

- Mansfield, TX, USA

problem #169

Apr 092021

Focus

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 80 mph, the vehicle loss power steering and a stop safely warning message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle to the side of the highway. A highway patrol officer arrived on the scene to assist with moving the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway. A tow truck was called and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the microchip connected to the power steering failed and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14V514000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included. The contact later went to larry H. miller super Ford (1340 500 w, salt lake city, ut 84115) where she was informed to schedule an appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Payson, UT, USA

problem #168

Mar 292021

Focus

  • 117,000 miles
My cars steering wheel default warning came up and my whole car froze.it was un drivable. There was absolutely no power steering I was I'm motion when this happened

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #167

Mar 312021

Focus

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was starting the vehicle, the steering malfunction warning message displayed on the instrument panel, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

- Lorain, OH, USA

problem #166

Oct 022020

Focus

  • 90,000 miles
While turning in a aldis parking lot the 'steering assist fault' warning popped up on my dashboard and the power steering stopped making it extremely difficult to move the steering wheel. I stopped the car to turn it on/off again to see if it would reset. It did not and I had to drive home with no power steering.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #165

Feb 022021

Focus

  • 120,000 miles
My main concern now is the dash board message that reads ( steering loss stop safely ) I have lost all power steering of my car and cannot drive it. I almost had a wreck when this happened. The car is now parked waiting to find out if this a defect as was on earlier models of this same model. I am also experiencing gas gauge is irregular readings before and after driving as well as very poor gas mileage code P1450

- Mansfield, TX, USA

problem #164

Feb 102021

Focus

  • 84,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled as the power steering assist service warning light illuminated. The contact managed to coast the vehicle to the shoulder, steer the wheels off the freeway on to the main road and came to a complete stop applying the brake pedal in the parking lot. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then towed to germain Ford of beavercreek (2356 heller dr, dayton, oh 45434, (937)429-1300) where it was diagnosed however, the contact was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the diagnostic information. The contact mentioned a power train recall associated with the VIN and research NHTSA campaign number: 13V523000 (power train) was referenced as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000. ## VIN failed ## 2014 Ford Focus ##

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #163

Dec 202020

Focus

  • 99,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while stationary, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the eps to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

- Salisbury, MD, USA

problem #162

Jan 212020

Focus

  • 97,000 miles
I took my car into my mechanic for a horn problem and while there he told me that there is a problem with the power steering. I had issues with the steering locking up before but thought it was is a stuck gear or something till he told me it was because of the epas. He had mentioned it could lock up and I never said anything about it to him before. It's locked up a few times but the most recent one was not even a few months ago. I thought it was just cold and it had to warm up a bit as it was rather cold out. Looking more into this there was a whole lawsuit out of ca for this same issue with the same year and make of cars. They threw it out even though Ford said they knew about the problems. That was back in 2017 and yet the cars still have this issue and they have done nothing to fix it. Ford should have to fix this but they want me to pay over 2,000$ to have this fixed. This is a huge safety concern. I don't even let kids in my car any more because you never know what will happen. I have no other transportation and I have to worry constantly if it is going to lock up again. I have tried to get a hold of someone at Ford about this issue but they all say the same thing. ' there is no recall so there is nothing I can do. You have to take it to Ford to be fixed. ' I have had issues after issues with this car yet they know about all it's problems from the radio to the transmission and they still do nothing till people are getting hurt or worse.

- Salisbury, MD, USA

problem #161

Jan 132021

Focus

  • 98,000 miles
Electronic power steering assist fault. Vehicle requires a great effort to turn directions especially at a stand still.

- Douglasville, GA, USA

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