2013 Ford Focus Steering Problems
Owners have filed 273 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2013 Ford Focus, 13% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 74,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “steering assist” (29% of reports).
- 273steering complaints
- 74,000median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 35%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Steering assist: mentioned in 78 of 273 complaints (29%)
- Rack pinion: mentioned in 22 of 273 complaints (8%)
- Difficult turn: mentioned in 17 of 273 complaints (6%)
- Fault service: mentioned in 16 of 273 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical steering repair on the 2013 Ford Focus at $2,500, and half of them between $2,200 and $3,050.
Based on 23 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2015–2020), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 237 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 273 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Ford Focus steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Focus | 30 | 4% | 47,500 |
| 2017 Focus | 20 | 2% | 61,800 |
| 2016 Focus | 45 | 4% | 48,000 |
| 2015 Focus | 93 | 9% | 61,610 |
| 2014 Focus | 221 | 8% | 51,000 |
| 2013 Focus | 273 | 13% | 74,000 |
| 2012 Focus | 927 | 25% | 78,000 |
| 2011 Focus | 10 | 9% | 40,000 |
| 2010 Focus | 13 | 5% | 58,000 |
| 2009 Focus | 9 | 4% | 6,500 |
| 2008 Focus | 12 | 5% | 23,000 |
| 2007 Focus | 13 | 3% | 59,360 |
| 2006 Focus | 5 | 2% | 47,073 |
| 2005 Focus | 18 | 4% | 60,133 |
| 2004 Focus | 29 | 7% | 54,111 |
| 2003 Focus | 73 | 7% | 70,500 |
| 2002 Focus | 53 | 6% | 44,586 |
| 2001 Focus | 86 | 5% | 41,000 |
| 2000 Focus | 168 | 5% | 61,574 |
| 1999 Focus | 1 | 9% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists steering for the 2013 Ford Focus. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Steering wheel became hard to turn and then no steering and steering loss Stop safely came on the instrument panel, had car towed home and have had no one look at it yet
During recent freezing weather, upon starting the car and attempting to turn, I realized that the steering wheel was frozen solid. While researching what could have happened, the war warmed up enough to melt the water in the electric power assisted steering motor, allowing the vehicle to turn. Now…
While driving, the electric power steering went out. I purchased this vehicle on Aug 15 2025 and the Carfax report did not have any information pertaining to an issue with EPAS. To have this repaired will cost me over $3k which I was not prepared for. Being that other Ford vehicles have this EPAS…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Ford Focuss have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 273 owner complaints about steering for the 2013 Ford Focus (13% of the 2,112 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Ford Focus steering?
No recall currently lists steering for this vehicle.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 74,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix steering problems on the 2013 Ford Focus?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,500 (half paid between $2,200 and $3,050), from 23 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2013 Ford Focus?
The most frequent phrase is “steering assist”, in 78 of 273 complaints, followed by “rack pinion” (22).
Other 2013 Ford Focus problems
See all 2013 Ford Focus problems or steering problems across all Focus years.