2012 Ford Focus complaints

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 deale

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My son was traveling on 3 lane highway in the far left passing lane when the vehicle acted like it went into neutral. He was able to coast through traffic on the busy highway to get pulled over onto the right hand side of the road. The motor was still running but the vehicle would not move. He could not put the vehicle into park so he shut off the vehicle and called a towing service. The towing service was also unable to get the vehicle into neutral. There were no initial warnings that anything was going wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to Nielsen Ford in Morristown, NJ where it was diagnosed as being a Transmission Control Module issue.

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 Ford Focus 2012 has a very common problem that the transmission control module consistently malfunctions even after repairs, and the car loses power at 70 mph. This is what happened to me on a major highway, and I was fortunate to steer my car to the side of the road. The transmission on the Ford Focus 2012 should be recalled since this is very dangerous: losing control on a highway at high speed. Just because I was able to steer to the side of the road does not diminish the potential danger to me as the driver, and indeed I have read accounts of drivers getting into accidents because of this problem. Unfortunately, the transmission control module issue is not officially a recall; this seems like a dangerous oversight.

The clutch was replaced on my 2012 bought new ford focus sel. That cost was $3000. After it was replaced within 5 miles of driving down the road the TCM module AE8Z-7Z369-F starting flashing warnings on the engine light, the transmission went to neutral and engine revved. I coul not drive and had to pull over for safety. The unit keeps shifting up and down or out of gear at any speed and is dangerous to drive. the TCM module is 6 months back ordered and Ford does not supply the part itself anymore. Has been confirmed issue by Transmission repair shop. I am at risk of getting hit if the car does not work. Or hitting someone when it jerks forward when stopped and started.

While driving on city streets (25-35mph) with consistent pressure to gas pedal, the engine revved with RPMs spiking while the car slowed down. Check engine light came on. The car was taken to a local mechanic who cleared the check engine light but did not otherwise intervene--they said it was a transmission error code and referred me to a transmission specialist. The car drove normally again after that. Transmission shop gave me the error codes for transmission (P090C-00), Body Control Module (B10D7-81 & B10D7-94), Tire Pressure Monitor (B10D7-81 & B10D7-94) and OBDII Codes (P090C). This is the second time this has happened to this particular car.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000.

Purge Valve became stuck closed which caused fuel vapors to become trapped in the fuel tank. Fuel tank collapsed inward. This is a common occurrence with 2012-2018 Ford Focus models but my vehicle was not covered under a recall warranty.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speed, the vehicle would not accelerate and the vehicle started to shake, causing the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 116,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the gear shifter failed to shift into the intended gear while the RPM fluctuated. Additionally, the engine was revving loudly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate and shake upon the depression of the accelerator pedal as a "transmission overheating" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective dual-clutch transmission. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not covered under warranty or recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning light illuminated indicating not to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that she was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road. The contact then notified her son and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that parts were on back order and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on numerous occasions the transmission warning light intermittently illuminated. The contact then stated that on multiple occasions while making a right turn, she heard a bumping noise. The vehicle was first taken to an auto shop however, the vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and produced code: P073S:006C stating that the engine failed to engage in gear one and the dual clutch module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there was no extended warranty on the vehicle and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping and failed to recognize the intended gear. The failure nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195,000.

2012 FORD FOCUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ILLUMINATED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle would not accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the Service Transmission or Transmission Failure warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking however, she was able to drive home safely. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact was informed that the vehicle warranty would not cover the repair. The failure mileage was 156,000.

My 18yr old daughter just purchased this car and drove it for 2 weeks when the transmission went out. IT STOPPED WORKING MID TURN!! LUCKY SHE DIDN'T GET HIT BY ANOTHER Vehicle. Now it has been towed to a Ford dealership that is stating the part is on "back order" so this car that she saved her own money to purchase is sitting, out of commission, for who knows how long!

The contact's son owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM revved up and the vehicle decelerated independently. Additionally, the vehicle started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's son was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact continued driving at slower speeds. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics where it was diagnosed that the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage Campaign Number: 14M02 because the campaign expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The car would not go out of first gear when driving it home and put my son in a dangerous position on the road. We had to have it towed to the dealership(Hiller Ford) from our house. It was determined that it was the TCM (transmission control module) needed replacing and the car thinks it is in gear so it would then not even start. It is undrivable. This is a known problem by Ford and they did a customer satisfaction 10 year extended coverage if something happened which expired on our car 7/2/2022. The TCM is on back order with some stating they have been waiting 6 months and still not arrived. We bought the car used from a Ford dealership with a certified pre-owned warranty. We never received anything from Ford regarding this issue and it was never recalled. There was a class action lawsuit but we did not receive any information from Ford on this. I talked to Ford and they opened a case, but said there was no recourse. The dealership also told me that they have had cars with the TCM replaced that failed again and required further transmission work. There were no warning messages or problems prior to the failure.

Power steering stopped working while driving at 65 miles per hour and wheel locked almost causing an accident. Power steering malfunction

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel started to vibrate increased while accelerating. The contact stated that steering wheel continued to vibrate abnormally while decelerating. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure was related to the transmission shudder. The independent mechanic informed the contact to take the vehicle to a local dealer for an accurate diagnostic test and to contact the manufacturer for assistance. 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.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle decelerated and downshifted independently. The contact stated that the shift action warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park the vehicle safely and after 5 minutes the vehicle was restarted and driven to his destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,821.

Transmission over heating stop safely light comes on transmission hot stop wait 5 second I do the restart of the transmission and it keeps doing it

My dad n me bought a used 2012 ford focus titanium from a local ford dealer. Had some odd noises when we got it figured from sitting. Well it's been in the Dealership for the noise n other problems. The one service guy said they were going to replace the clutch due to throw out bearing and clutch n other things going bad with in 45 days. We brought it back 2 more times never could figure it out,then finally the 3rd time which we pay for an extended warranty from fords 3rd party company called GWC warranty company and said they would not replace anything with trans or clutch or assy due to it being external which they want $1700. But the guy who we spoke to (don't recall name) said they take care of it but now no one wants to fix it they already got money out of us for down time n rental and other fixes. It was a pre existing condition and we want someone to fix it and pay for it. They kept giving running around for a different car more money down and we are living day by day with money. Ford or this dealer doesn't seem to care about safety or people getting hurt if someone does or car breaks. So we're looking to see what can be done. Which it's been a big problem for years with these cars and the TCM has been flashed and replace two times the roof leaked, dash has mold.. etc, we needed a car we already put new tires, brakes, many other parts into it and the one thing they won't do is fix what they said. And the clutch connect on other side of transmission it's the power shift

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the safety alert and other unknown warning lights illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who confirmed that parts were on back order. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and failure. The approximate failure mileage 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as designed. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power while driving. The contact stated that after driving for several minutes the vehicle started to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the transmission module was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle was running roughly. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank was deformed. The contact was informed to keep the fuel above a half tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

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 that on several occasions, when the vehicle was shifted into gear, the engine revved and the RPM increased rapidly without acceleration then shifted into a different gear. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the transmission overheated. The transmission temperature and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic that the TCM malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was jumpstarted. The contact stated that while driving back to her residence the vehicle was sputtering however, the vehicle had not lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) as a possible cause of failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced rough driving with the Transmission Fault message displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it lost motive power and the mechanic jumpstarted the vehicle. The mechanic related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 14M02-S5 (Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage) however, the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The mechanic advised the daughter to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

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

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.

Failure of the TCM

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 75,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped in traffic, the vehicle lost motive and electrical power. The contact stated that the Transmission Failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and a case was filed. The failure mileage was not available.

TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE I called for and they now claim my vechile cant be covered because it's out of this stated warranty by a few months. We hThe car has been in for service regarding the transmission on this car multiple times. We have broguht in for service as well as call for many years, over and over again, we've been told there is nothing wrong with the car. even though it has a warning for tranmission malfunction service now. ave been trying to get this resolved since my dad bought the car in 2012! weve been turned away. I need to have this fixed.

I bought the car in 2019. Up until recently I have had no problems with it. One day I went to leave home and noticed a studdar when I pressed on the gas. It only did it at take off from a stop. Then today I went to back out of the driveway and now the car won’t go in reveres. A red light popped up and told me the transmission is overheating turn off car and wait 5 minutes. I waited 15 minutes, started my car back up and it said transmission malfunction..

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced and resealed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under warranty and the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 129,475.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the traction control and check engine warning lights were intermittently illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The mechanic called the dealer and was informed that parts for the repair were on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The transmission is shuddering and making noise on 1st gear and changing to 2nd gear. The reverse gear is also making noise. There are class actions and recalls for this model but I didn’t see recalls on my car.