NHTSA Complaint #11296932 — 2014 FORD FOCUS

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