2012 Ford Focus Complaint Log

Automatic transmission on 2012 Ford Focus SEL hatchback has been stalling. I drive on heavily traveled highways, leading me to be at risk of a major traffic accident if my car loses power. Transmission also whine and grinds really hard. Dealership is aware of the issue, but refuses to recall these faulty transmissions, leaving several thousands of people at risk of losing power and getting hit. Has been inspected by the dealer and multiple mechanics, all point to transmission issues from a faulty factory clutch system.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse the vehicle, the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was restarted and failed to drive. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM needed to be replaced. However, the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact previously had the transmission replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission clutch failure. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

Problem: Reoccurring check engine light and ODB2 Code's P0443 & P0444 Repairs made: MAF Sensor Purge Control Valve Reset Computer Air filter Cap less Gas Fill, W0133-2022154 Related Safety recalls: 18S32, 19V515000, 18V735 or 18V735000 I believe the Problem occurs due to an recall that was not performed or performed correctly leaving the problem. I am requesting the recall repair history from form Motor Company Please. Thank You, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

was driving down the highway at 65 mph and went to accelerate and the transmission dropped out of gear and would not catch could not accelerate all you could hear is car reving in rpm was almost in a accident no warning light came on. Just driving regular speed the car the car with not shift properly and just Rev up in rpm and warning light will come on saying transmission hot pull over and transmission malfunction. When you take off from sitting still it will jerk and take forever to get up to speed.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after opening the driver’s side front door the vehicle independently started without the keys being placed in the ignition. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unsure of the cause of the failure. The contact was advised to manually manipulate an unknown box under the hood to turn off the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was sold.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The failure recurred. Additionally, the vehicle was unable to reverse. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was related to a Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign Number: 14M02 (Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage) associated with the VIN; however, the warranty coverage had expired. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was 149,929.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, a message stated that the transmission was overheated and to pull over and let the engine cool down was displayed. The contact also stated that the automatic clutch was slipping, and the vehicle was difficult to start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 162,500.

When starting the car, the message displays "steering assist fault. Service required". The entire power assistance is not functional. The car can be manually steered under heavy effort. This issue came and went multiple times. Some times, the steering system started to work and all was good. Other times, there was no recovery. The last time the issue occured was while driving down the road. The message appeared and the power assist was gone. It has not come back online. It did not cause an accident as I was able to manually force the steering to do what I needed to exit the road safely. It appears reading online that the only recourse is to replace the entier system requiring the removal of the rack and pinon and the front assembly sub frame. Estimate costs are over $3000 and it must be done at Ford as it needs software to work correctly. This does not seem reasonable for a car with only 120,000 miles on it.

I’ve been to several Fords for the Transmission control module TCM, the engine lagging or stalling all lights on my car going on now my whole right side of my car doesn’t work after telling Ford about these problems. They denied to fix my car even though there was a customer care warranty through Ford

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel locked and she was unable to steer the steering wheel on three occasions. The warning letter "I "was illuminated. The local dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle and removing the key from the ignition, the vehicle continued to run without warning. The contact stated that the engine eventually turned off after approximately 3-5 minutes. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where they informed her that they were unaware of the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was turned in and the consumer has a new vehicle.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with the "Transmission Malfunction, Service Now" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he reset the transmission control module; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Brakes go to the floor due to a faulty abs module valve constantly bleeding off.

Transmission slips and car shudders when gears shift. Car stalls slightly when moving forward.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the instrument panel displayed 30 miles to empty. The contact stated that she added fuel to the vehicle and the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that after the vehicle was returned to her, she was driving at an undisclosed speed and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure reoccurred with the vehicle running out of fuel and losing motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and returned to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed since the contact had refused to pay the diagnostic test fee. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

we had a recall and Ford Motor frauded us three times. we brought our car in for ford focus transmission module in 2021 to get it fixed wihtin greico Ford the ten year and they made us pay 176 to hold the part put us off for two years telling us no part on back order and then they called us said they had it and gave it away in a day as we were five hours away after making us wait two years and taking money from us they refuse to give us back our money and then we took to anohter ford dealer sarasota ford and they frauded us and just reset the old defective part and now they saying sorry to late now i demand something done we shjpuld have it markled as not fixed the recall it is outstanding they lied and we never got it fixed and they l;ying saying it was fixed and they just reset the old defective part they frauded us

The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 25 MPH, the vehicle began to stall. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that while adding fuel to the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and stated that NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) was serviced in 2018. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

I started feeling the transmission having problems going into 1st or 2nd. started right when I hit 90,000 miles. It would shutter like there wasn't enough power but only in lower gears. I've had the car since 2013 and now I have to be extra careful when I put the car in reverse because if the shifter is hit, it will slide the car into either neutral or drive, depending if the shifter is hit up or down. I was never contacted about a a transmission issue by Ford or my dealership. If this is a problem with Ford Focus 2012-2018 then why are customers not being contacted regarding this safety issue.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 30-35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started shuddering. The check engine and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove; however, the vehicle was shuddering significantly and increasingly while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch and the TCM had failed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 79,950.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to move in reverse. While driving, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. Additionally, while driving the vehicle stalled. The service transmission message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 172,000.

Power Steering Assist Failure warning appeared on dashboard and steering became extremely difficult. Frightened my pregnant daughter to tears.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check transmission warning light illuminated. The contact drove off of the highway and pulled into a parking lot, placed the vehicle in park(P) and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed and determined that the clutch assembly, clutch lever assembly, and Transmission Control Module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the transmission failure had been a recurring failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. A message indicating that the transmission was faulty was displayed and the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle within three minutes. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed but no issues were found. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage Campaign Number: 14M02 because no issues were found. However, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the Ford dealer who informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle under Ford Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage Campaign Number: 14M02 as the mileage of the vehicle had exceeded 150,000. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer then referred the contact to the NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Transmission slipping issues on acceleration

After starting the vehicle I had no power steering. I drove the car all the way home with no power steering. I shut down the car at home and restarted it and then the power steering worked. I’m very worried about others in my family driving this car and having an accident. This has happened in the past but after moving the car it would start working but not this time. I haven’t taken it to any dealer yet but I think Ford should fix this problem

Electrical power Steering assist malfunctioning

Transmission has spontaneously went from overheating to not while driving, gears are slipping have speed and when it goes to shift all power lost, then it kicks back in. It was coded with transmission control module failure. The module and both actuators have been replaced now car will not relearn shifting patterns. Spontaneous overheating transmission messages just when car is turned on. Transmission control module has been programmed by dealership but all problems continue to exsist.

We have had many issues with our Ford Focus since purchasing it the summer of 2020. First in October 2020 it needed new clutches & throw out bearing. Which cost over $1,400. Second we have had to have both left & right wheel bearings replaced. In August of 2021, we started having transmission problems. The Ford dealership reprogrammed it. It did not fix the problem. We contacted Ford & was told it is the transmission control module which is under warranty. We were told it is taking 3-6 months for the parts to get in. Our Ford dealership ordered one over 6 months ago & still has not got it in. We need our car for transportation but haven’t been able to drive it for two months. Ford needs to step up & offer a solution. We are very discouraged, disappointed & unsatisfied with Ford right now.

Was driving along a curvy road when it suddenly down shifted and I had no safe place to get off the road. I continued to try and get to a safe place and then it went in to neutral and couldn't move at all. Thank goodness another car didn't come it could have killed me. It then went back into gear and I did make it to a safe place to pull over and call a tow truck. The said it needs transmission control module. By the look of all the complaints on the TCM they need a recall before someone gets killed.

The contact's son owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the transmission started slipping. The vehicle was not shifting into the intended gear as designed. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The engine overheated and pull over safely messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that a radiator flush, spark plug replacement, tune up, and a transmission flush needed to be performed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about a buyback and then referred her to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Was driving on interstate when transmission suddenly quit working. The gears would not engage and then I got a "transmission overheating" message and the dashboard lit up in red warning lights. As I was pulling off to the side on the interstate trying to dodge must faster traffic, the engine quit. I waited for about 30 minutes then cranked it again. I got almost a mile down the road when the whole sequence started over again. I drained and changed the transmission fluid thinking that might be the problem but this had no effect. The transmission overheating warning would come on before I even made it a mile down the road. I have not taken to dealership yet because I am not sure I shouldn't just junk it. Ford is never going to recall these bad transmissions and I am sure I will have to pay between $3,000 to $5,000 for a new transmission and do not want it anyway if Ford is just going to put in another transmission that, like this one, their own technicians found faulty. You can inspect this vehicle any time you want.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was under warranty and was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with clutch failure. The vehicle was repaired, and the clutch was replaced. On another occasion, the vehicle started to lose motive power and failed to reverse. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the clutch had left residue, which caused the transmission to fail. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with clutch failure; however, the contact was informed that the clutch was not under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

I've already lost count of how many times I changed the transmission of this car and now I have to change it again. So I don’t know what to do now Thank you

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPM would rise however, the vehicle would decelerate. The contact stated the transmission fault warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle for 5 minutes before restarting and driving to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission and clutch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling and starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shifted into drive and drove several feet before losing motive power. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and then driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the canister purge valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that there was a recall for similar vehicles however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was provided the cost for diagnostic testing but declined to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

I bought my car from a Ford dealership about 2 years ago and on 2 occassions now i have had problems with my power steering. First time i started my car after work and a steering assist fault message illuminated on the dash and the power steering was near impossible to turn. I was not able to drive the vehicle and had it towed to my mechanic who also found the power steering difficult to turn the next morning and it ran a code for him of steering malfunction. He said he thought the rack and pinion needed replacing and stated that only Ford could do it as it would need to be reprogramed by them as it is electric. So i had the car towed to Ford and they were unable. To diagnose it. A week later upon starting my car to head to work the sane steering assist fault message came on my dash so I turned off my car and started it again after reading online how common this problem is with this make of car and how that remedies it in the beginning. Car was able to start but i had it taken again to Ford as i am scared of it going out while driving or getting stranded agaun somewhere without power steering and so far Ford can still not diagnose it. This is really frustrating as it is a huge safety issue. I no longer feel safe driving my car. I get anxiety about being in an accident or getting stranded again late at night with my car. And i read it costs almost 3000 tp fix. This should ne recalled. I only have had this car about 2 years and i will never buy feom ford again. If i could afford a new car i would get rid of it because it is not a safe car. So upsetting Ford will not do a recall. It is way to hard for a woman to try to drive this car with power steering loss. Someone will be injured before Ford cares.

The transmission has a problem, the car jumps and jerks and a lot of noise and vibration. When accelerating in first gear most noticeable. My safety is at risk because it is very distracting and the transmission sounds like it could break down at any minute. A lot of people online have same problem with this specific vehicle. No warning lights or nothing.

I previously had the 18S32 recall done. They said everything was fine even though ever since I had the tank, purge valve and computer retooling done it never drove right. It didn’t have accurate miles to empty and never seemed like it used to before all this was done. 2 months ago the car stalled while driving below 30mph. I pulled the car over and turned it off. I tried turning it back on multiple times and it didn’t work until finally I got it back on but it had a check engine light. It wouldn’t shift right and check engine light kept coming back on. We got it checked out and the Ford service center claimed it was the transmission and engine. We didn’t have it fixed then and we took it back home the check engine light never came back on. This last week 10/11/21 the car started smelling like fuel outside the car and wouldn’t accelerate well. Took it into the Ford Service center at a different location and they confirmed it was the fuel canister leaking and the fuel line to the fuel insert point was messed up. I noticed they had performed recall 18S32 on it before but it never fixed the issue and they did a 2nd recall on some vehicles because of it called 19S22. The Ford service center and customer care both said they can’t perform 19S22 recall because it doesn’t show up on my VIN number as needing done even though clearly I’m still having issues with the fuel system that was recalled in the first place. I’m now going to have to pay out of pocket for an issue Ford should be covering under recall work.

The transmission fails to engage 2nd gear from time to time so it will start to go then go to neutral many times leaving you in the middle of intersections.

The power steering assist failure warning came on and then went away after turning the vehicle off. The same issue came back the day after, with it being completely unsafe to drive the vehicle on the road. Turning the wheel is very difficult, and this problem has been commonly reported by others with the 2012 Ford Focus, yet no recalls have been issued. The car has not been inspected as of today, but others have reported up to $2600 of repair costs for this issue. Previous to this incident, the car did not have any other warning lights or other symptoms of dysfunction.

The back up camera flips and often doesn't work. Ford said it is a known issue but not fix available.

On engine startup the power steering doesn't function and there is a power steering assist warning. The fault is rectified by turning the engine off and on. I'm concerned that the problem may occur while driving.

Ok when I start the car and turn the key to on but I have to wait a second and during that second inside the engine it's like it sounds like when u change disc song on a jukebox and then when it does that then I could start the car but as of now nothing works or drives and barley bought it not even month ago from personal owner,but some advice and help please thank you.

While driving transmission seems to start to slip and then fails. Upon further research, found that there is a known issues with the TCM on vehicle. This issue came about while driving in traffic and could have caused an accident when the transmission stopped working if I was unable to get into a parking lot before it stopped working.

Before taking a cross country trip in July 2020 the vehicle was taken to a local Ford dealership and asked if there were any outstanding issues to do with the transmission or otherwise. The car was acting up some with shifting. They stated there was nothing and no issues. Of course they did not document this on the service ticket. On September 23, 2021 when pulling into a parking lot, a loud noise happened and warning lights (check engine and transmission reset) came on and then barely made it out of the path of the main road. Once in the parking lot, the car would not reverse. We managed to get the car pushed out of the way. Once the ignition was shut off, it took multiple attempts to restart, finally restarting in Neutral. The vehicle was towed to a different Ford dealership where we are told it's throwing codes related to the PCM Module for the transmission. After calling Ford Motor Company, we discovered the car was originally purchased in July 2011, so we are just outside of the 10 year extended warranty on this issues by a little over two months. We are the second owner and it only has about 90,100 miles, which is under the extended warranty mileage of 150,000. Ford Motor Company Customer Service has stated multiple times that I will get a call by a supervisor in one business day after I've asked to speak to a supervisor. I have yet to get a call back after a week and a half of trying. We have not had the car repaired as of yet since they won't call me back or escalate me to anyone.

The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when shifting into reverse (R) and would shudder when depressing the accelerator pedal. The engine revved to 5,000 RPMS, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission clutch actuator was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing inaccurate fuel gauge reading. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward, lost motive power and stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the PCM was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that he noticed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive fuel consumption. The contact stated that he noticed fuel leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank was deformed and overfilled. The contact stated that NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) had previously been completed on the vehicle; however, the vehicle was not experiencing the failure at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

My car has been shuddering but nothing ever pops to sensor there’s a problem. My car only has 109k miles on it. Serviced pretty regularly I think the transmission is going out and I have only had the car since November of 2019. If I would’ve did my home work I would’ve went with a Honda. Now my car won’t reverse or go any faster than 15 mph