Ford Focus Complaints (2012)

3,803 consumer complaints on file.

#11505165February 2, 2023
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact also stated that the vehicle would fail to start up after multiple attempts with the "transmission fault, service transmission now," message displayed on the instrument panel. The dealer was notified about the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504985February 1, 2023
SEAT BELTS
the buckle for the front passenger and back driver do not work properly. The buckles will not latch. It has not been confirm by a dealer because when i called to ask about repairing it and cost for parts I was told the part is discontinued and there is not another option for a replacement. 2 of the 5 have stopped working in the last 3 months. It puts my life and other passengers life's in danger every time it is driven due to not being able to put on a seatbelt. There was no warning just one day they would not buckle, we have tried different remedies and suggestions to fix the issue but nothing works and they need replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503693January 25, 2023
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25-35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact diagnosed the vehicle with purge valve failure by using an OBD reader. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown Ford Service Campaign that expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502929January 21, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Clutch failure. Shuttering and caused vehicle to lose acceleration and rpm did not match speed. Yes the problem was confirmed by the dealer. Yes the problem is KNOWN to the manufacture and vehicles are still on the road and sold and used. Check engine light came on with the event and stayed on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502582January 19, 2023
STEERING
Power steering will go out intermittently. Known safety defect by Ford but they still have not issued a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502621January 19, 2023
POWER TRAIN
After vehicle warms up good, the transmission shutters when taking off from a stop causing a dangerous hesitation when pulling out into traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502661January 19, 2023
STEERING
electric power steering works intermitently at low speed not safe when having to make turns or change lanes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502328January 18, 2023
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Was driving home came to 4 way stop when I tried to accelerate the car wouldn’t shift out 1 gear. Car was towed to Steve Rogers ford 8/5/22. Where their vehicle still sits waiting from a TCM ( transmission control module). No one will provide a loaner or rental which the part is on infamous backorder
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501801January 14, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In September 2020 I was on the expressway when my engine failed, I was able to get into the emergency lane after almost causing an accident, after inspecting the car it was concluded that the engine was no longer viable with no explanation of why the engine failed. So I replaced the engine and the car was still not drivable. In March 2022 I was able to get it started when I tried to drive the car the transmission was slipping, the “ transmission malfunction service now” warning came on, and the RPM gauge on the dash was not reading properly. I ran a code after the transmission warning came on, and the code said P0001, I called the Ford dealership to get it serviced when I was told that there was an unknown recall but the part was on back order for a year, so my car wouldn’t be fixed until the order came in, I searched my Vin number and had a recall for a fuel tank deformation, I also learned that there was a lawsuit against Ford for their 2012 Ford focus transmissions, which could explain the engine failure and the transmission problems.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500494January 6, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
The rear driver side door latch will not latch and stay closed. The door swung open while I was driving. it has not been reproduced. it has not been inspected. I believe something is wrong with the door latch, but I do not use this door very much.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500223January 4, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS
The vehicle was being towed by a Class A RV using a manufacturer approved towing system. All connections and safety measures were properly installed and tested just prior to incident. Vehicle has been towed using the same equipment for several years with no incident. The attachment from the frame to the front-end assembly completely separated and the vehicle body went into oncoming traffic. The vehicle in oncoming lane was struck and one individual injured. Upon visual examination, the frame component appears to have failed on both sides at the front-end. The bolts are still in-tack, tight and uncompromised. This is a frame component failure.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11499340December 29, 2022
POWER TRAIN
TCM transmission malfunction light came on. We just bought the car two months ago. Have had it in the shop more than it has been driven. We have and extended warranty but they said it would cost us out of pocket and we haven’t even driven this a long distance and has two year warranty or 24,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499017December 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was slipping in and out of gear and at times the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear while driving. The transmission warning light was illuminated. An unknown message indicating a transmission failure was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving on another occasion. The vehicle experienced rough starts. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second local dealer, Star Ford (1101 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499076December 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Transmission failure again after already having vehicle serviced by Ford dealership in Cedar Rapids Iowa due to fuel issue from what they said was the issue. Still showing same coded and same issues with hard shifting and vibration and loss of power while trying to drive. Nearly cause daughter to be in multiple accidents. Issue started at around 40k miles and still happening and put over $10k in parts in this car now. Including new exhuast manifold and catalytic converter, O2 sensor, new fuel pressure sensors, new throttle body and other parts all done by dealerships. Getting old chasing parts. Now another shop said I was told all wrong and it's been a Transmission issue this entire time and ford just didn't want to fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498535December 22, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Ford has acknowledged a problem with the Transmission Control Module (2012 Focus SEL) soon after this car was released. "Failure" caused the car to lose power while driving on the highway three seperate times. Warning light came on, but would go off after letting the car cool down. In 2015 and 2019 they sent notice to dealers, and to owners, to pay for replacement of this part if it failed up to 10 years or 150,000 miles. The issue for me is that my module finally required replacement (per dealer) after the "10 year point" at 89,700 miles. Software updates were done by Ford earlier for this issue, mine in 2019. (delivery was May 2012, replacement November 2022) I was also part of a class action lawsuit for this issue which Ford closed at the same "10 year point" leaving many customers now responsible for the replacement out of pocket, for me $1100, (part $967.21 - $300 core return charge, labor $428.99) or you have an undriveable vehicle. The second, even more frustrating, issue is that there are no Ford parts available to the dealer to even do this repair. I contacted Ford Customer Care directly, a case number was issued, was told they would "escalate my part request" but waiting period was minimum 4-6 weeks, unable to help me. Due to the lack of parts, I had to pay myself for a aftermarket module to be installed (thus now no coverage for labor charges per dealer for using an aftermarket part) after one month waiting for a Ford part, car sitting at the dealer, that two dealers told me would not available for months, if at all. As they KNEW this part was defective, replacement should have been done to all affected vehicles before they would fail, not making owners at risk for when the inevitable failures would occur.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497028December 12, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle began to shift hard while driving, making starting, stopping, and accelerating an issue. This continued for a few days with intermittent improvement until one day the vehicle would not even crank.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11496287December 6, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Car unable to go in reverse, risked personal injury from oncoming traffic because we were unable to back out of the way when light changed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494704November 23, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shifted out of gear and decelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the vehicle responded as needed while shifting into drive(D). However, the failure reoccurred the next day while starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D). The contact was unable to drive the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as an unknown Extended Warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494727November 23, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT, TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed but the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. The failure caused the vehicle to rear-end another vehicle. The contact sustained back injuries and scratches from the seat belt; however, medical attention was not yet received. A police report was filed. The contact then parked the vehicle in a parking lot, where it remained. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company due to a lapse in insurance coverage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle lost motive power with the ABS, TPMS, and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure, and the ABS, TPMS, and brake sensors were faulty, causing the battery to drain rapidly. The dealer replaced the transmission and the sensors for the ABS, TPMS, and brakes; however, the failure recurred. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11493654November 15, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping and failing to recognize the intended gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a local dealer; however, the mechanics were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, where the clutch was replaced under warranty. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred, and the contact stated that the vehicle was stalling while shifting between gears. Additionally, excessive force was needed to depress the accelerator pedal. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,903.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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