2012 Ford Focus complaints

INADEQUATE CLEARANCE BETWEEN STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED CONTROLS FOR CRUISE CONTROL AND SYNC AND STALK MOUNTED CONTROLS FOR SIGNALS AND WIPERS RESULT IN FINGERS GETTING CAUGHT BETWEEN WHEEL AND STALKS. DURING A TEST DRIVE, THIS CAUSED ACCIDENTAL FLASHING OF BRIGHT LIGHTS AND WIPER ACTIVATION. IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO, THIS COULD PREVENT TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AT A CRITICAL MOMENT AND CAUSE A CRASH WITH INJURIES OR FATALITIES. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS DESIGN PROBLEM AND CONSIDER MANDATORY RECALL AND REDESIGN OF ALL VEHICLES SO EQUIPPED. *TR

AT BETWEEN 8000 - 9000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, CAR STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, CAR WOULD REACH APPROX. 8 MPH AND INSTEAD OF SHIFTING UP TO NEXT GEAR, WENT INTO NEUTRAL FOR 3-5 SECONDS, THEN PROCEEDED TO UPSHIFT AND TAKE OFF AT A LURCH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WHEN I STOPPED, THE REVERSE GEAR WAS ALSO LIKE BEING IN NEUTRAL. NOW IT IS SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE CAR HAS HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BY FORD ( HAS SPENT NEARLY 10 WEEKS AT FORD SERVICE). SINCE THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION, THE CAR DOESN'T "FALL OUT OF GEAR", BUT NOW WHEN STOPPING AND STARTING THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL OUT. THIS BEHAVIOR IS DISCONCERTING GIVEN THE HISTORY OF "FALLING OUT OF GEAR" WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND MERGE IN TO TRAFFIC. I FEEL THIS VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2012 FORD FOCUS HATCH. AS SOON AS WE DROVE THE CAR WE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE SALES MAN SAID HE DIDN'T FEEL IT AND THAT THE CAR HAD TO LEARN OUR DRIVING HABITS. DON'T THINK A CAR LEARNS 2 DIFFERENT DRIVING HABITS AS THERE ARE 2 OF US DRIVING IT. BUT AT LOW SPEEDS EITHER ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING THE CAR SHUTTERS AND SHIMMIES WAY TOO MUCH FOR OUR COMFORT. IT SEEMS THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM BUT WE THOUGHT WE'D BRING IT IN TO HAVE A TRAINED TECH LOOK AT IT. THE FIRST ATTEMPT WAS A NEW MODULE AND THAT SHOULD FIX IT.... IT DIDN'T... SO IN A SECOND TIME FOR A REMAPPING OF THE COMPUTER...DIDN'T HELP. ....IN FOR A THIRD TIME AND THE TECH SAYS FORD IS NOT ALLOWING ANY FIXES ON THIS CAR... WE HAVE TO WAIT! REALLY? WAIT? I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW $21,000 CAR...... AN AUTOMATIC CAR! I BEEN TOLD IT HAS TO LEARN HOW I DRIVE... I'VE BEEN TOLD IT NEEDS BROKE IN...IT HAS 5000 MILES ON IT NOW HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BREAK IN? I'M TOLD THAT IT'S AS IF I AM DRIVING A MANUAL AND THIS IS NORMAL.........HELLO!!!!! NOT A MANUAL. I'M TOLD THIS IS JUST HOW THIS TRANSMISSION REACTS... AND ALONG WITH THE SHUTTERING IS THE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATING THAT COULD COST ME MY LIFE ON A BUSY HIGHWAY............... THE REMOTE KEY LOCK HAS CONFUSION ISSUES. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS RECOGNIZE THE SIGNAL AND IT HAS TO BE OPENED OR LOCKED MANUALLY. ALL I WANT IS A FIX AND IF THERE IS NO FIX I WANT TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE LEMON LAW ON THIS CAR........ I EXPECTED MORE FROM FORD

I JUST BOUGHT MY BRAND NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AGO. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE IT ON HWY IN SPEEDS EXCESS OF 60MPH, I NOTICED IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR DRIVING STRAIGHT WITHOUT CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT TO THE STEERING WHEEL. SINCE IT WAS STORMING THAT NIGHT, I ASSUMED IT WAS THE WIND KNOCKING MY LITTLE CAR AROUND. I WAS VERY WRONG. IT HAPPENED EVERY TIME AFTER THAT...EVEN ON CLEAR, SUNNY DAYS. SEVERAL TIMES I ALMOST SIDE-SWIPED CARS IN OTHER LANES TRYING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF MY CAR. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND I'M HOPING A RECALL HAS BEEN MADE ON THE STEERING ISSUE. I'M TAKING THE CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY WITH PRINTOUTS OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. *TR

AFTER A WEEK OF PURCHASING OUR BRAND NEW FOCUS STARTED NOTICING THE AUTOMATIC TRANNY SURGES AND SLIPS. LIKE ITS BUCKING FEELING. SOMETIMES IT SURGES ALMOST HARD ENOUGH TO PUT YOU ON THE DASH. KINDA SCARY IN TRAFFIC. CAR HAS ONLY 4500 MILES ON IT AND NOW HAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN DASH AND UPON GOING DOWN THE ROAD YOU WILL VIBRATIONS LIKE A BENT AXEL OR WORN BEARING. ITS A NEW CAR!!!!!!! *TR

THE POWER STEERING FAILED AS I MADE A TURN AT LOW SPEED. THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INDICATING A POWER STEERING FAILURE. I WAS ABLE, WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY, TO STEER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE IS BRAND NEW. *TR

WHENEVER ACCELERATING FROM A STOP THERE IS A SHUDDER IN THE POWER TRAIN AS IF THE CAR IS GOING TO STALL. AFTER SHIFTING INTO SECOND GEAR THE CARS MOVES AND SHIFTS SMOOTHER. POSSIBLY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING INTO HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC FROM A STOP. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, HE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE JERKED BACKWARD. THERE WAS ALSO A GRINDING NOISE WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS, WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURES WERE NORMAL AND WOULD STOP OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20.

TL* THE CONTACT TEST DROVE A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE PARALLEL PARKED WITH THE ACTIVE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM ENGAGED THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED IN REVERSE AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL WERE NOT DEPRESSED. THE MANUFACTURER FILED REPORT CASE NUMBER 0401301881. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10.

WE BOUGHT OUR FOCUS EARLIER THIS YEAR AND IMMEDIATLEY NOTICED STUMBLING ON ACCELERATION AND ROUGH IDLING. THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT'S GOING TO STALL WHEN IT TAKING OFF FROM A STOP OR WHEN MAKING HARD ACCELERATIONS. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE FIRST WEEK OF OWNERSHIP TO HAVE THIS LOOKED AT, BUT FORD TOLD US IT NEEDED TO BREAK IN AND THAT THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES WHEN THEY RAN A DIAGNOSITC. THE PROBELM HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED ALTHOUGH THE SYMPTOMS WERE CONFIRMED BY THE SHOP FOREMAN. THE SECOND TIME WE TOOK THE CAR IN AS THE SHUDDERING WAS WORSE, THE DEALER HAD IT FOR OVER 30 DAYS AND PUT 700 MILES ON THE CAR TO NO AVAIL. WE HAVE ALL THE PAPERWORK DOCUMENTING THEIR TESTING AND THE DATES THEY HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE. A REP FROM FORD CAME OUT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE CAR AS WELL DURING THIS TIME, AND ONCE AGAIN TOLD THEM THIS WAS NORMAL AND WOULD GO AWAY. WE NOW HAVE ABOUT 2300 MILES ON THE CAR AND IT IS ONLY GETTING WORSE. WE HAVE FILED A CLAIM THROUGH FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR A BUY BACK ON THE CAR DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS BUT WE WERE DENIED AS OF TODAY, AND ALSO TOLD THAT THE CAR DOES NOT QUALIFY AS A LEMON IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THEY HAVE SET US UP FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO GO BACK TO THE DEALER AND SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. BEFORE FILING ANY COMPLAINTS, WE DID RESEARCH TO SEE IF OTHERS WERE HAVING A SIMIALR ISSUE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE FORUMS OF PEOPLE HAVING THESE SAME ISSUES (THE BEST SITE TO VISIT IS FOCUSFANATICS.COM). UPON READING ABOUT EVERYONE ELSES TROUBLES, NO ONE SEEMS TO HAVE

THIS VEHICLE HAS SOME SCARY AND SOMETIMES DANGEROUS TRANSMISSION ISSUES. IT'S NOT LIKE A NORMAL AUTOMATIC WITH A TORQUE CONVERTER, SO SOME ROUGHNESS IS EXPECTED. BUT, THIS CAR OFTEN GRINDS GEARS, SLIPS, GRABS AND LUNGES, AND ALSO ROLLS BACK ON INCLINES. I HAVE NEARLY BEEN IN SEVERAL ACCIDENTS WHEN I HAVE TRIED TO ACCELERATE INTO AN INTERSECTION AND THE VEHICLE DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR BEING DEPRESSED COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. IT SOMETIMES ACTS AS IF YOU ARE TRYING TO START FROM A STOP IN 3RD OR 4TH GEAR. FORD MOTORS HAS CONTINUALLY SAID THESE PROBLEMS ARE NORMAL AND THE VEHICLE NEEDS SOME BREAK-IN TIME. WELL, THIS VEHICLE NOW HAS OVER 6,000 MILES. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO GET BETTER. IF I GET INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS TO HANDLE WITH FORD. I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE IN THESE PROBLEMS. I HAVE BEEN ON FORUMS WITH MANY PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 600.

THE FUEL GAUGE READS MUCH HIGHER LEVELS THAN ARE ACTUALLY IN THE TANK. THE GAUGE WILL ACTUALLY GO UP FROM THREE QUARTERS TO FULL IN A 20 MILE RIDE. I DO HAVE PICTURES DOCUMENTING THIS. THE ONLY TIME THE GAUGE SEEMS TO BE CORRECT IS UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. *TR

WE PURCHASED THIS CAR ON 08/19/2011 AND THE NEXT DAY WHILE TAKING OFF FROM A STOP SIGN THE CAR WOULD SHUDDER, I DO NOT HAVE THIS ISSUE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS COLD BUT IN STOP AND GO DRIVING AND NORMAL CITY DRIVING AFTER IT HAS WARMED UP. ALSO WHEN YOU DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR FROM A STOP THE VEHICLE WILL GO FOR A SECOND THEN HAVE A NICE SIZED FLAT SPOT SO EVEN THE PEOPLE IN THE CAR WILL GO FORWARD AS IF THE BRAKES WERE COMING ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THE TECH DROVE IT AND VERIFIED THAT IT DID HAVE THIS ISSUE. THEY CONTACTED FORD AND FORD STATED THAT IT WAS NORMAL AND TOLD THEM TO DO NOTHING. I COMPLAINED TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ALL THE LADY HAD TO SAY WAS THAT IT IS NORMAL. ALSO FORD HAD STATED THAT THESE ARE ISOLATED INCIDENTS, IF THEY ARE INDEED ISOLATED THEN THEY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED NORMAL BUT RATHER A DEFECT THAT FORD DOES NOT WANT TO ADDRESS. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CLUTCHES REQUIRE A BREAK-IN BUT FORD DOES NOT STATE ANY BREAK-IN PROCEDURE THAT PERTAINS JUST TO THE CLUTCHES OTHER THEN THE NORMAL 1000 MILE BREAK-IN FOR THE VEHICLE IN GENERAL. I AND OTHERS I HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH ALL HAVE THESE ISSUES AFTER THE 1000 MILE BREAK-IN AND FEEL IT IS BOTH A SAFETY ISSUE AND A MECHANICAL DEFECT FROM FORD THAT WOULD COST TO MUCH TO REPAIR SO THEY CLAIM IT IS NORMAL. *KB

IN MY BRAND NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50MPH IT IS INCREDIBLY HARD TO KEEP THE CAR IN IT'S LANE WITHOUT CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE BEING BUFFETED BY STRONG WINDS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE FASTER THAN 60MPH DUE TO THE FACT THE VEHICLE ACTS LIKE A SNAKE GOING BACK AND FORTH SO MUCH. I'M NOT ALONE IN THIS, THE ONLINE FORD FOCUS COMMUNITY "FOCUSFANATICS.COM" HAS REPORTED MANY CASES OF THIS OCCURRING. THE THREAD OF COMPLAINTS IS HERE HTTP://WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=261200 THE SOLUTION APPEARS TO BE HAVING THE ENTIRE POWER STEERING RACK REPLACED. I'M WORRIED A PROBLEM SUCH AS THIS COULD CAUSE A SEVERE ACCIDENT IF SOMEONE ISN'T EXPECTING TO FIGHT WITH THEIR STEERING WHEEL. I ALMOST HIT A CAR ADJACENT TO ME BECAUSE OF THIS. IF HE HADN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN BAD. I REALIZE YOU ARE VERY BUSY BUT I SINCERELY HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS ISSUE AND THE THREAD I POSTED IN ORDER TO PREVENT POSSIBLE INJURY'S OR DEATHS IN THE FUTURE. IT WOULD BE TO THE BENEFIT OF MANY IF FORD WERE TO RECALL AND FIX AFFECTED MODELS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND STUCK IN TRAFFIC. GOING SLOW, 5-10MPH, THE CAR STARTED SHIFTING REALLY STRANGE, NOT MOVING WHEN INITIALLY ACCELERATING AND THEN JERKING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. MY DESTINATION WAS 3 BLOCKS AHEAD OF ME SO I STAYED ON ROUTE AND PARKED WHEN I ARRIVED. AS I GOT BACK INTO THE CAR IT WOULDN'T START. I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR TO START AFTER "MESSING" WITH THE AUTO SHIFTER AND LEAVING THE CAR IN NUETRAL. ONCE STARTED THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR, OR MOVE WHEN PLACED INTO D, R OR L. I SHUT THE CAR DOWN AND IT WOULD NOT START AGAIN AFTER THAT. THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM) IS WHAT TH EDEALER TOLD ME HAD FAILED. IT TOOK A SOLID 7 DAYS TO GET MY CAR BACK. THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS WERE SPENT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS SHIFTED STRANGE AND CONTINUES TO SHIFT STRANGE TO THIS DAY. THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED BUT I THINK IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT FAILS AGAIN. *TT

WILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH THE STEERING WENT TO MANUAL, WARNING DISPLAY READ "STEERING MALFUNCTION STOP SAFELY" CONTACT AUTHORIZED DEALER. THIS HAS ONLY HAPPEN ONCE AND STILL NOT SURE WHAT FIXES IT. STILL AT DEALER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE RIGHT AND SHE WOULD HAVE TO USE EXCESSIVE FORCE TO CONTINUE STEERING STRAIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED, AND THERE WAS NO REMEDY AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE WHEN HE NOTICED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDAL WERE LOCATED VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING NOR WAS IT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN A VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED BUT DID NOT COVER THE PILLARS ON THE SIDE OF THE WINDOWS CAUSING SEVERE INJURIES TO THE PASSENGER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED A BODY SHOP. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE PASSENGER OF THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. THE DOCTORS CONFIRMED THAT THE PASSENGER HAD SUSTAINED A BROKEN NECK, A BROKEN COLLAR BONE, FIVE BROKEN RIBS, A COLLAPSED LUNG, AND INTERNAL BLEEDING IN HER BRAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE 240.