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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.

And while you wait for your steering to disappear, you'll be greeted with a transmission that shudders, vibrates or won't shift at all.

7.6

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,418 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Ford Focus brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Ford Focus Owner Comments

problem #4

Jun 202012

Focus 4-cyl

  • 6,750 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When making a left turn from a main road onto a side street I encounter massive grinding noises coming from what sounded like my left front tire area. I thought maybe it was my imagination. From then on there is intermittent noises coming from that area (sounds like plastic rubbing on something) I took it to the dealership on sat, 7/14 they did a visual safety exam and found nothing wrong but they did rotate my tires just in case. I am also experiencing a grinding noise when pressing on the gas from about 0-20 mph (going straight) (sounds separate from the grinding issues under the tire, but I am unsure if this is related. I am scheduled to take the car back to the dealership on 7/19 to see if they can find a problem. Very frustrating as this car is just over 6 months old!

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #3

Jun 192012

Focus 4-cyl

  • 12,126 miles
The vehicle was parked. I started it up and backed out of the parking space. I shifted into drive and began moving forward. After going approximately 20 feet the "I" sign illuminated on the instrument panel and the message "steering malfunction, needs service" came on, along with the alarm jingle. I tried to steer the car out of the middle of the drive lane and managed to get it over to the side, but the steering was practically frozen. I turned off the ignition and looked for any obvious signs of trouble, but could find none. After reading through the owner's manual and checking the engine compartment, I restarted the car (about 20 minutes after I shut it off) and no warning sign came on. I test drove it in the parking lot for a minute to see if the steering would function properly and then drove home and experienced no further problems. I took it to the Ford autoway dealership for inspection and they diagnosed the problem as stemming from an ABS "corrupted" program. They told me the epas gets it power through the ABS. They rebooted the ABS program and I've had no further problems.

- Brooksville, FL, USA

problem #2

Dec 092011

Focus 4-cyl

  • 5,200 miles
I have experienced several potentially fatal occurrences related to left foot braking and the brake over throttle override software installed in my 2012 Ford Focus. When braking with the left foot and in a turn while feathering the throttle with the right foot, the automatic transmission shifts into neutral, the engine continues to rev without going into any gear. This condition has occurred no less than 22 times. The first incident happened while making a right hand turn but the next was a left hand turn. Although the second incident occurred crossing one lane of traffic, I would not like this condition to occur crossing 2 or 3 lanes of traffic and becoming a fatality. I am not the only person in the world who brakes using the left foot. Now that I know what is causing this issue, I can duplicate it even braking at any speed and in a straight line. Car has been to Ford and had flashes of the computer installed with no change. Ford is aware of this problem through emails from the service manager at my dealership. This condition can result in a serious and potentially fatal accident. This fix for the so called Toyota floor mat problem has created an even more serious safety issue caused by of all things braking with the left foot. At the least, I should have the option to override the brake over throttle portion of the software by turning it off.

- Nixa, MO, USA

problem #1

Dec 042011

Focus

  • 1,596 miles
While backing out of a driveway the steering system failed, I rolled down a hill and into a wooded area. The system gave an indicator light of steering system failure and also the braking system did not engage. I lost complete control of the vehicle.

- Huntington, WV, USA

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