NHTSA Complaint #10785403 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

MY 2012 FORD FOCUS SEL HAS LESS THAN 9,000 MILES. ON OCTOBER 20, 2015 I GOT IN MY CAR TO DRIVE IT AND IT WAS COMPLETELY DEAD - NOTHING WORKED. MY HUSBAND TOOK THE BATTERY OUT, HAD IT CHECKED, BUT IT WAS FINE. HE PUT THE BATTERY BACK IN AND THE CAR STARTED. HE THEN DROVE MY CAR TO HIS LOCAL MECHANIC TO HAVE THE BATTERY CHECKED AGAIN TO SEE IF SOMETHING WAS DRAINING THE POWER FROM IT TO CAUSE THE CAR NOT TO START. AGAIN THE BATTERY CHECKED OUT FINE. AS MY HUSBAND WAS LEAVING THE MECHANICS, HE PUT MY CAR INTO REVERSE, STARTED BACKING UP, AND OUT OF NO WHERE THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. HE SAID A POWER STEERING FAULT WARNING APPEARED ON THE DASH. I WAS HORRIFIED THAT THIS HAPPENED AND EVEN MORE HORRIFIED THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME THAT WAS DRIVING MY CAR WHEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I'M JUST RELIEVED THAT MY HUSBAND WASN'T DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROAD OR HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WE TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED IT FROM AND FOUND OUT THERE WERE A COUPLE TRANSMISSION RECALLS FOR MY CAR. THE SERVICE GUY SUGGESTED THAT ONE OF THE TRANSMISSION RECALLS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY CAR BEING COMPLETELY DEAD AND NOT STARTING. HOWEVER, HE SAID THERE WAS A POWER STEERING FAULT AND THE POWER STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED AND REPROGRAMMED TO THE TUNE OF $1,700.00. WOW. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN TO MY 2012 FORD FOCUS SEL THAT HAS LESS THAN 9,000 MILES ON. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I WAS TOLD THE POWER STEERING IS AN "ELECTRONIC" COMPONENT AND ANYTHING ELECTRONIC CAN GO ANYTIME. IS IT JUST A COINCIDENCE THAT ON THE DAY THAT MY CAR WON'T START DUE TO THE FORD RECALL 15B22 THAT THE POWER STEERING GETS "SHORTED" OUT AND I END UP HAVING TO PAY $1,711.89 TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY AND FOR THEM TO "REPROGRAM" IT? I DON'T THINK IT'S A COINCIDENCE THESE 2 EVENTS HAPPENED TOGETHER - ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS "TALK" TO EACH OTHER.