Your Ford Focus's suspension system is made up of many parts designed to give you a smooth ride. Your car's parts wear out, so over time your suspension system may not be as smooth as it used to be. If your Focus isn't riding as comfortably as it used to, you can easily troubleshoot the suspension system.
Check your Focus' tire inflation levels because your tires are part of the suspension system. If one of your the tires is low on air, your care may pull to one side or the other. While looking at the tires, inspect for uneven wear. Replace the tires in pairs.
Test your shocks by pushing down on one corner of your car a few times. On the last push down, release your grip. The car should come to a stop smoothly without bouncing.
Look at the sway bar to see if there's any damage. A damaged sway bar can cause your Focus to be in misalignment or lead to uneven wear in the tires. Also make sure the sway bar mountings are attached to the chassis.
Raise the car in the air with a jack and spin the wheels to inspect your wheel bearings for play. Wheel bearing play can cause steering instability. Look for roughness or noise in the bearings, and also check the ball joints after the wheel bearings.
Measure the Focus' ride height with a measuring device to see if the springs are sagging.
Check the power steering fluid. If you need to add fluid, Ford recommends using Motorcraft Mercon ATF. The fluid lines should be between the MIN and MAX lines. Improper power steering fluids can cause problems with the steering system.
