2016 Ford Focus Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 45about this part
- Share
- 4%of 1,183 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 48,000miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 45 complaints about the steering of the 2016 Ford Focus, 4% of the 1,183 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 48,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Returning home when a red warning about total power steering loss. Could not steer the car while going about 25mph. Narrowly missed parked cars and eventually went onto the sidewalk where some kids were playing before I stopped. Pushed the car onto the street and towed it to my driveway. Very very lucky! Cannot steer car”
NHTSA complaint #11402724, filed 2021-03, 60,700 miles“Was driving home lost power steering.. Pulled in my driveway thank god ...steering wheel got seized..called Ford they would not help only to say there was no recall ..my car is a 2016 Ford Focus s ..the car is almost 2 years old should not if happened”
NHTSA complaint #11142363, filed 2018-10, 56,000 miles“I drove the car the morning of the incident, no problems occurred . I went to a gas station later in the day. When I came back out and started the vehicle it said steering assist fault service required. Steering wheel locked up.”
NHTSA complaint #11123278, filed 2018-08, 43,711 miles“We were driving appx 57 MPH on a two lane highway, when an information warming came on saying steering assist fault service required and my boyfriend said all of a sudden the steering got extremely hard. He managed to steer it home and we read the manual about it, then tried to restart the car about an hour later and it was ok at first then about w minutes later it happened again. So we had it towed in. The dealership said the battery had to be charged because it was low.”
NHTSA complaint #11052113, filed 2017-12, 23,900 miles“Recently when starting my car I received a steering assistant failure service required warning I turned my car off and restarted it and it went away. This happened again when I went shopping and came out to my parked car. This time the warning would not go away. I tried disconnecting the battery to disconnect power and it did not work. I was able to drive the car (with no power steering) to a dealership. This appears to be a common problem in some models of Ford cars and believe it should be investigated.”
NHTSA complaint #11156065, filed 2018-12, 39,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10152466Nov 1, 20182013-2019 vehicles equipped with a LKS system with customer complaints of steering wheel vibration, steering pull or vehicle drift may be due to an alert and/or steering aid…
- 10095995Nov 17, 2016Some 2010-2016 epas equipped vehicles may exhibit steering related noises. The workshop manual (wsm) diagnostic procedures have been updated in section 211-02. When diagnosing…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 30 | 4% |
| 2017 | 20 | 2% |
| 2016 | 45 | 4% |
| 2015 | 93 | 9% |
| 2014 | 223 | 9% |
| 2013 | 273 | 13% |
| 2012 | 927 | 25% |
| 2011 | 10 | 9% |
| 2010 | 13 | 5% |
| 2009 | 9 | 4% |
| 2008 | 12 | 5% |
| 2007 | 13 | 3% |
| 2006 | 5 | 2% |
| 2005 | 18 | 4% |
| 2004 | 29 | 7% |
| 2003 | 73 | 7% |
| 2002 | 53 | 6% |
| 2001 | 86 | 5% |
| 2000 | 168 | 5% |
| 1999 | 1 | 9% |
Other parts of the 2016 Ford Focus
674 complaintsEngine
234 complaintsFuel system
230 complaintsOther or unknown
105 complaintsElectrical system
82 complaintsEngine cooling
50 complaintsVehicle speed control
36 complaintsAir bags
15 complaintsWheels
15 complaintsBody and structure
14 complaintsBrakes
13 complaintsElectronic stability control
12 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2016 Ford Focus
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology