Print this page

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:
10 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,161 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

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Ford Focus:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2014 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 3 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #155

Sep 242020

Focus

  • 62,000 miles

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

Has anyone had any issues with power steering? I have a 2014 titanium and for the last month or so I've noticed my power steering taking a couple seconds longer to kick in when I start my car. Last week, an alert came on stating 'power steering assist malfunction'. I took it into a Ford dealer to get looked at, and they said the code that came up for them showed a power steering module/power steering gear issue. The whole thing needs replaced. I was backing out of my driveway when the alert came on.

- Decatur, IN, USA

problem #154

Dec 022018

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
I purchased my Ford Focus 2014 with 40,000 miles for $17,000, mid year of 2017. The car drove perfectly before its first recall in December of 2018. Ever since then the car has broken down at least every 3 months. I have had four recall repairs since the purchase, I believe the recalls are the reason it needs so many additional other repairs. Besides the car itself I have spent over $35,000 on additional repairs. I have paid Ford, murray's auto / acima, all 4 U auto, Firestone and best tires for repairs. I have researched the recalls and other people's experiences with the car, many of the customer experiencing way more troublesome activity with the cars with the recall than what is stated in the mail letter. I would like to request a settlement reimbursement of a new car due my unsatisfied experience with my car. I will attach all my paid and ongoing debt receipts for my car's maintenance. After one of my recalls in 2018 the car was returned to me in even worst condition, with engine failure at the wake forest nc location. I received a diagnosis at the cary crossroads, nc location that said the car would need a $10,000 new engine. I thought this was unfair because I had not had engine problems before the recall, and researching online many dissatisfied customer agreed that the specific recall was causing engine failure, and my advisor agreed that the recall fault part and engine could have negatively affected one another although refused to pay for the repair. I called Ford corporate and explain to them what happened they deducted over $6,000 from the entire engine price. I was not satisfied with the cost I had to pay but paid the cost because I still had close to $10,000 to pay my bank secu from the lease car loan. The alignment, rods, and brakes were also a major expense I had to pay.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #153

Aug 022020

Focus

  • 56,000 miles
Power assist failure when maneuvering in parking lot. Had to turn off and restart. This is reoccurring.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #152

Mar 052020

Focus

  • 130,000 miles

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

The power steering just stops working from time to time. This happened while taking a curve the last time this happened. I have found that numerous people are having this issue with a number of their Ford that have the electronic sterring assist. This happened to me the first time on March 5 this year. (2020) I remember because it was my birthday.

- Cordova, AL, USA

problem #151

Aug 032020

Focus

  • 45,000 miles
I started my car from a stationary position on a street and the console stated that the 'power steering assist was disabled. Service required.' The steering wheel would not move left or right. I restarted the car and the steering wheel would move.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #150

Jun 012020

Focus

  • 44,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while making a right turn, there was an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to his destination. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic and the contact was informed that unknown component on the steering gear needed to be placed. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 failure. The failure mileage was 44,000.

- Alton, IL, USA

problem #149

Jul 092020

Focus

  • 69,500 miles

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

Transmission kept overheating; would not move when in reverse and gas amount inaccurate, car jerks when gas pedal is pressed and it stalls when it turns

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #148

Jul 092020

Focus

  • 69,500 miles
Transmission kept overheating; would not move when in reverse and gas amount inaccurate, car jerks when gas pedal is pressed and it stalls when it turns

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #147

Jun 282020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 44,000 miles
The power steering on my car went out as I was driving, making it very difficult to make turns. I was on a city street and was able to pull of the road. I turned off the engine, made a phone calls. I started the engine again and headed home ( about 5 miles) there was no power steering. It was very difficult to maneuver. Two days later we took the car to our local mechanic. He told us that Ford has trouble with the steering system and that we needed to take it to a Ford dealer. We took it to Liberty Ford in parma, Ohio. Even though this is a safety issue and Ford is experiencing many cases of this problem, the dealership said Ford is not covering any of the cost.

- Columbia Station, OH, USA

problem #146

Jun 172020

Focus 4-cyl

  • miles
My vehicle stalls while driving, and shakes when I press on the gas. I have to drive my car extremely slow or else it will shake. Sometimes it gives me a problem when trying to start my car.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #145

Mar 202020

Focus

  • 123,000 miles

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

Power steering has gotten stiffer in the last few days. I believed it may just be fluid but I came to find out the steering is electric once the car would absolutely not move after being parked. I am glad it did not go out while driving because the system had begun to fail as I was making a 15 minute commute. Definitely will never buy a Ford again. This is the second expensive fix I have had to endure and have only had this vehicle a little over 2 years.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #144

Mar 142020

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that at vehicle start-up the power steering assist fault message was displayed in the message console. The contact stated that the steering became difficult to operate. The contact recurred several times. The vehicle was turned off and back on and operated as designed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Coarsegold, CA, USA

problem #143

Mar 012015

Focus

  • 10,000 miles
The car was difficult to drive from day one, hard to steer and keep on the road, along with the transmission problem, had it checked several times and told there wasn't a problem with the steering, then it it started making a grinding sound when the wheel was turned, kept getting worse until the car was not drive able, and it was stored. The transmission was recalled, but told the steering is not. Ford says it needs a new rack and pinon but is now out of warranty, as our complaint we turned in when it was under warranty had been wiped out, due to a new computer system. It only has 32,000 miles on it, and now they want $2200 to replace the rack and pinon.

- Bellingham, WA, USA

problem #142

Feb 252020

Focus

  • 99,000 miles
Recenltly without prior notice of symptoms, my Ford 2014 Ford Focus displayed steering assist fault when attempting to start the car and leave the office. The car lost all power steering. I shut off the engine, and restarted the car. The power steering was restored and I was able to make it home without further issue. The car perfomed fine for the next week. The following week, the car displayed the same fault, but this time the restart trick did not work. I tried many of the supposed fixes discussed on the internet, but none of them worked. I had to have the car towed to the shop as I was unable to drive the car. Further investigating on the internet revealed numerous other complaints of this same nature. I reached out to Ford customer service, and was hung up on each time. They people at the call center are like robots repeating the same line over and over regardless of my question. Then they hung up on me. I was made aware of a service bulletin that was for problems with the steering assembly, but apparently it only applies to a small number of vehicles. Ford customer service is a joke, and they refuse to take responsibility for selling a faulty product. I will never buy another Ford vehicle. I have been quoted a repair price of $2500 to replace the rack and pinion system, as the component parts are unavailable for purchase.

- Magnolia, TX, USA

problem #141

Jan 082020

Focus

  • 59,000 miles
Sometimes when I'm backing up, the power steering quits and I can't turn the wheel, which can result in a crash. I have to turn the car off and back on again, one or more times before it will work. So, while I have no power steering, I'm in the middle of road, blocking traffic, and hoping I don't get hit from another vehicle. This is a serious issue.!

- Fort Smith, AR, USA

problem #140

Apr 182018

Focus

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the gear shift selector was placed in reverse however, the vehicle failed to respond. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to norris Ford dealer, (901 merritt blvd, baltimore, md 21222, (410) 285-0200) and was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced previously, however the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not assist and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 96,000.

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #139

Jan 302020

Focus

  • 28,564 miles
While driving the vehicle, the steering became almost impossible to turn cause me to hit a curb in a city and then a light came on the dash saying power steering failure. The steering is very hard and sticks then release. Unsafe to drive. Scared to ever drive this vehicle again.

- Welcome, MD, USA

problem #138

Jan 172020

Focus

  • 78,000 miles
Power steering failure. Car loses power steering in the middle of driving.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #137

Jan 192020

Focus

  • 78,000 miles
Without ant kind of warning in went into the store for 10 min got into the car and the steering wheel was upside down I turned the car on and no power steering and and power assist code came

- Anderson, CA, USA

problem #136

Jan 012020

Focus

  • 63,300 miles
My 16 year old daughter was driving in her 2014 Ford Focus SE on the interstate. I was a passenger as she only has her learners permit. All the sudden she complained the vehicle was hard to steer. I saw her having a physically hard time steering the vehicle. I looked at the dashboard and saw the power steering assist failure indicator icon (electronic power assist steering - epas)activated on the dashboard. My daughter continued to struggle to maintain the vehicle safely due to the power steering issue. She drove to the nearest exit which was even worse than the highway. She had trouble steering through the "S" turns on the exit ramp. She came to the intersection, luckily the light was green and she didn't have to stop to turn right, but it wasn't much help. While turning onto another two lane highway she almost hit the concrete medium due to the epas failure. Watching her drive the vehicle reminded me when I drove my grandfathers old Dodge dart; no power steering. I understand

- Rochester, IL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?