CarComplaints.com Notes: You should probably steer clear of the 2012 Focus. Otherwise, you might not be able to steer at all.
The 2012 is the first Focus to offer Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS). It's also the first year with massive power steering failure. These things are not mutually exclusive.
Not sure the exact date/mileage when it started but the A/C sporadically stops working. I LIVE IN THE SOUTH. It gets hot as hell down here. And with a fairly new car, you would expect the A/C to be worth a damn. I haven't had it fixed because the problem "cannot be replicated" when I bring it into the shop. This is only one of the minor issues I've had with this car from my list of plenty.
Update from Jul 31, 2016: 70k miles now and my A/C still does this!
The first summer I owned the car the air conditioning got warm while driving down the highway. Then a few minutes later it starts to get cool. You have to put the fan on high for a minute or so to make it get cool faster. It's very noticeable especially with people in the car since they assume you turned the system off. The Ford dealer on two occasions said simply the ac was working fine and fully charged.
My technician doesn't mince words and says the air conditioning in the new Ford Focus sucks. It takes a LONG time for the A/C to cool the car down, in fact it's over 80 degrees I'd be lucky to get any cool air on max for the first 10 minutes.
At highway speeds the A/C works much better. My mechanic says that's usually a sign of poor air flow across the condenser at low speeds or idle, which points to a problem with the electric fan. He thinks these cars don't have fans that are adequate for the job.
My A/C condenser froze up last summer, which was a bad sign for a new car. To Ford's credit they handled it quickly under warranty.Three weeks ago the A/C started blowing hot air again. I was pretty frustrated thinking I needed another condenser, but this time it was just a burnt out fuse. But while it was an easy fix, this is a troubling sign for the A/C in this car.
This is a common issue on the 2012 Focus. Cooling system sometimes works, but sometimes doesn't. There are plenty of complaints all over the internet. The most common reason seems to be a sticking valve somewhere in the system. Considering that Ford have been making cars for over 100 years, this is astonishing. Even on max, the system blows out hot air!!! Then at other times it all works fine. Local dealer has had a look at it, but was unable to fix it because it was performing fine when he drove the car. This is what happens with annoying intermittent problems.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Not sure the exact date/mileage when it started but the A/C sporadically stops working. I LIVE IN THE SOUTH. It gets hot as hell down here. And with a fairly new car, you would expect the A/C to be worth a damn. I haven't had it fixed because the problem "cannot be replicated" when I bring it into the shop. This is only one of the minor issues I've had with this car from my list of plenty.
Update from Jul 31, 2016: 70k miles now and my A/C still does this!
- Julia K., Douglasville, GA, US