Focus Power Steering Assist Failure!!

[Scott TDCI]

In need of some advice guys,

I was driving home and had the warning lights on the dash go off! then the following message "power assist failure" then my steering locked up and was crazy stuff, i really struggled to get to a safe place. I turned it off, then back on after five mins then drove some more because i was so close to home and made it to the last corner and it locked up again?

i was looking around her for a while and finally discovered that the battery light came on which prompted me to look at the fuse box in the engine bay and there was a a badly corrosion fuse which happened to the the battery smart charging fuse?

so i know in the 1.8 TDCI the power steering runs of the alternator not the engine belt, so would the crap fuse cause my battery to drain due to poor charging and there for cause me power steering to mess up? getting some new fuses tomorrow when the shop open!

Really hope this is a easy fix!

Any advice would be sweet!

P.s my power steering fluid levels is spot on lol :)

[Scott TDCI]

Anyone got any other ideas? The steering seems to work fine for a while then just lock up?

Thanks

Scott

[artscot79]

Power steering pump on its wsy out or a leaky steering hose

[painterman]

hi,did you get this sorted as my 2006 1.8 tdci has just done same thing tonight and rac man couldnt find any fault come up on laptop

[ChrisH]

mine has done this as well. aa chap coulnt find anything wrong so gave the pump a tap with his hammer. this cured it for a bit, but it needed a new pump.

[painterman]

mine says steering assist failure then engine systems fault and engine wont even start !!

[k13r4n]

I had this message pop up on mine then went away never locked up or anything but starting was an issue earlier electrics went on but not start could of been not pushed all the way on the clutch though stupid power start

[Scott TDCI]

Mines seemed aright after some new fuses but it started flashing up again so she's booked in to my local ford garage on the 19th!

[jeebowhite]

are any of you using an OBDII adapter? if so remove it, I had exactly the same issue on my CMAX, I started the car with the phone listening to the car through the OBDII bluetooth device, warning lights, car juddering, refusing to accelerate, steering locked. Disconnected the battery (thinking it was an ECU fault) took out the OBDII and started the car with no issues. Recently it happened again on a garage forecourt, I just took the OBDII adapter out and everything returned to normal...

Its a basic, so check it if you have one of these adapters :)

[painterman]

have no idea what one of these adapters are ??

[jeebowhite]

in that case its probably not the problem :)

[painterman]

trouble is getting someone to look at it cos it wont even turnover and prob cost me fortune to get it towed somewhere

[jeebowhite]

most mobile mechanics will come and have a look for free, but you probably will need a tow at least. If you have a friend with a tow rope and can roll it to an appropriate garage, thats your best bet, but it does sound like pump or pipe is the issue unfortunately.

[btmaldon]

_{I thought the power steering on the later Focus diesels was partly electronic, so any battery or charging issue may be linked.}

[andysvision]

mine says steering assist failure then engine systems fault and engine wont even start !!

Hei friend did you find out what it was?i have just the exact scenario on mine :(

[Scott TDCI]

well i have sorted mine now............. i got a friend to clear the error codes then took it to a dealer and swapped it for a brand new zetec S,

But on a more helpful note ford said they couldn't pin point the problem! is was costing me a small fortune to just find the problem!!!

Then a friend of mine suggested a home mechanic who looked at the car and advised me to sell it due to a list of error codes longer than my arm, the guy knew his stuff and he had some amazing computer that ran tests and he got stuck it the old fashion way to!

[CTHunter]

Hello guys im new here. Did anyone change the steering rack of the focus due to failure and had the same problem again after some time or years ? Can you please help me understand if i have to live with this problem ? 

[Boa8]

My focus cuts out then it says on dash steering assist failure.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Vivien T]

Got the same steering assist failure with my cmax, told by mechanic to sell it for scrap , nobody can solve the fault even though there isn't one, no steering sensor when stripped down only 2 wires taped,  shows some one has had a problem before , been off the road for 3 months , mechanic tried everything any suggestions please would be helpful

[Darren87]

It’s the clocks

the connection on the back becomes loose over time and has to be replaced

[Humayun]

Hi guys I have Ford Focus 2012 I had sign it says the steering assist malfunction is required then after that the steering stopes working then I called the recovery they check in the computer it shows the power steering is gone and I bought that one aswel we change it but still have the same issue plz if anyone knows about this to help me thanks 

[Rafael Hernandez]

Ford Focus ST 2015 steering assist failure. Disconnected batery, checked all fusibles related are good. Scanned it only showed o2 sensor because catalytic was removed. No other code

[Lisa Dianna]

I drive a Ford focus 1.6 diesel 2012. A warning came up on my dash "steering malfunction assistance required"  my mechanic tried a new battery in it as the steering locked up on me and it worked fine for 5 days then it locked back up on me again with no power steering. I'm hoping it's just an electronic fault some where 🤞🤞

[Richardhenderson]

Fault popped up on my car but then started working but after a year it completely seized,garaged fitting a new one for £1,100 and 24 hours it’s doing the same so could be something else 

[Grieg]

Try having a look at two wiring blocks behind the carpet on the passenger side just under the glove box. you have to remove the kick panel first. The wires get damp and need a clean. this causes all sorts of problems and prevents the car from starting. Once cleaned use OBD2 to remove codes. worth a try!