NHTSA Complaint #10682625 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

ON 2/9/2015 APPROX. 4:00PM, MY WIFE CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE IN A PANIC, CLEARLY STRESSED. SHE SAID SHE ALMOST WAS IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE STEERING ON HER 2012 FORD FOCUS SE HATCHBACK LOCKED UP WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH AND MERGING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. SHE TOLD ME SHE GOT OVER AND OFF THE ROAD WITH 0 STEERING. SHE SAID A SOUND CAME OVER THE CAR AS IT HAPPENED AND A MESSAGE WITH STEERING ASSIST FAULT SERVICE REQUIRED. UPON ARRIVING ON SCENE, I RESTARTED THE CAR AND GOT THE SAME MESSAGE AND 0 POWER STEERING. I CALLED FORD SERVICE AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT IN THE NEXT DAY. AS I TYPE THIS THE CAR IS STILL AT THE DEALER. PART TO FIX WITH LABOR $1,652 BEFORE TAX ON A PART FORD KNOWS IS DEFECTIVE. I DID A SEARCH ON THE FAULT CODE THAT WAS DISPLAYED AND I WAS TAKEN ABACK FROM WHAT I SEEN AND READ ABOUT THIS MODEL YEAR AND CAR AND THE STEERING JUST GOING OUT WITHOUT WARNING. FORD ACTS LIKE IT IS NOT A PROBLEMATIC OR DEFECTIVE PART, BUT HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE SAME BACK-ORDERED PARTS TO FIX IT. SHE WAS LUCKY SHE OR NO BODY ELSE DIED YESTERDAY. DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE PART. I HAVE ALSO SEEN THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THAT WAS FILED IN 2014 IN CALIFORNIA. FORD DO THE RIGHT THING! *TR