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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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,682 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2012 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 2 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #322

Nov 102021

Focus

  • miles

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

Electrical power Steering assist malfunctioning

- Palmyra , NY, USA

problem #321

Nov 152021

Focus

  • miles
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

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #320

Oct 292021

Focus

  • miles
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.

- Chesterfield, SC, USA

problem #319

Oct 232021

Focus

  • miles

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

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.

- Hope Hull, AL, USA

problem #318

Oct 172021

Focus

  • miles
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

- Cumming , GA, USA

problem #317

Jun 102020

Focus

  • miles
Vehicle would shake and completely shut down whenever I would stop at a red light or stop sign. It put myself and others drivers at risk because the vehicle would shut down on extremely busy roads, this happened on multiple occasions. There was an inspection by a service center but at the time I didn't have the funds to pay for it.

- Mankato , MN, USA

problem #316

Sep 292021

Focus

  • miles

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

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.

- Arvin, CA, USA

problem #315

Aug 202021

Focus

  • miles
My car is sitting in the garage because I was told not to drive. Parts from Ford transmission issue are on back order. I'm a 66 year old and I need my car to go to work. I called Ford to see if they would do the Lemon Law and after review they said no. I have had numerous issue with my car. My car has only 45000. I took it to a couple of other places and they said they are back up 3 to 6 months on the same issue with Ford transmission. I read an article about the Ford issues in your web page and it's identical with the issue I'm having. Clutch locks and I am unable to reverse and the car is not accelerating when I hit the gas pedal. It jumps. I need help with this. Thank you

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #314

Aug 202021

Focus

  • miles
I was told I would need over $1,000 in repairs for bad engine and transmission mounts. It shuddered off and on the whole time I owned the car but it seemed to get worse in the last 3 years. Not sure how much of that is caused by a bad fuel and transmission system but it seems like there is one thing after another with the Ford Focus.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #313

Aug 222021

Focus

  • miles
I have an automatic transmission. Driving down the road the transmission feels as though it just goes into neutral as if it were a manual. It's like driving a manual & kicking it out of gear while your foot is on the gas pedal. This cause the RPM's rise all the while the car is in neutral. The one thing I found to get it back on track is to tap the brake. This will make it go back into gear. It has been doing this for a couple of years but it seems to be getting worse and more frequent.

- Campbellsburg, IN, USA

problem #312

Aug 162021

Focus

  • miles

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

The vehicle believes a door (Driver's side in this case) is ajar when it is in fact completely latched. This issue is intermittent and repeats several times during a short (10 min) trip. When the issue occurs the vehicle unlocks all doors (central unlocking) and turns on the dome light. When it randomly thinks the door is shut it will lock all the doors and turn the light off. This process repeats at random intervals. Unlocking the doors while driving is dangerous, especially for those of us who have children. I have engaged the child locks as a mitigation step. The dome light coming on randomly at night creates a distraction and degrades driver visibility.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #311

Feb 012020

Focus

  • miles
The transmission shuddering and slipping. The car has 160,000 miles

- Roselle, NJ, USA

problem #310

Jun 102020

Focus

  • miles
Upon accelerating the car vibrates and hesitates. I was almost hit entering an interstate due to this hesitation. It "feels" like it is slipping. I did return it to the place of purchase and they sent it to a Ford dealership. The used car lot indicated that Ford did a computer reset. It seemed better for a short bit, long enough for the computer to "relearn" driving habits and it began again, only worse this time.

- Franklin, IN, USA

problem #309

Sep 152020

Focus

  • miles
Just got transmission recall fixed and having problems again

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #308

Apr 142020

Focus

  • miles
My transmission was fixed by a recall and it's still hesitating and shattering when I drive.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #307

Jun 172021

Focus

  • miles
I had bought this car a little over a week ago and it has shown zero issues until yesterday June 17 2021, I was driving home when the car forced its self into neutral and the screen said transmission malfunction service now. I-??ve called Ford and talked to them about the 14M02 recall/ campaign that was posted for this car and they said they-??re unable to do anything because it-??s out of the required parameters. I spent all my savings on this vehicle and now am out of a ride for work and I can-??t even have a problem I didn-??t create fixed? When they knew it was an issue.

- Bradenton, FL, USA

problem #306

May 202021

Focus

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 FORD Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, accelerating from an intersection, there was brake loss without warning intermittently. As a result, the contact crashed into the vehicle in front. No airbags deployed. The contact sustained a fractured right ankle. A police report was filed. Medical attention was required where the contact was taken to the hospital for treatment. The vehicle was towed by the police to a lot where it was awaiting an investigation from the contacts insurance company. The dealer informed the contact that no recalls were under the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 112,000

- Punxsutawney, PA, USA

problem #305

Apr 292021

Focus

  • 7 miles
As I go driving on the highway, the instrument cluster shows a "stop safely now" message. The problem is that happens when the vehicle is in motion and losses all power, the power train goes death. This is a very dangerous situation specially when youre traveling on a pretty loaded highway at 78mph. The only good thing is that steering wheel is still alive and brakes too. I had 90% of battery life and it was a hot day out there at 94F degrees. I did not take a picture of the instrument cluster but I have the message I received in my cell phone.

- Lake Elsinore, CA, USA

problem #304

Apr 082021

Focus

  • 163,000 miles
While accelerating out of a parking lot to pull out into traffic, accelerating through intersections, or taking a right on red, the car will start to accelerate and then suddenly as it try's to downshift, it acts as if its stuck in neutral, and wont accelerate at all. On multiple occasions I have almost been hit by other moving vehicles. Some going 50 mph have had to slam their brakes on because I wasn't able to finish accelerating to get out of the way. When it isn't doing that, it has jerky/ rough/ downshifts. It also vibrates when I try to speed up and sometimes has a hesitation and then will kick in to gear. This is a very serious safety issue and has almost caused me to get hit by other cars in motion multiple times. Especially trying to pull out into traffic! I brought it to the used dealership I bought it from and they discovered there was a communication error code with the tcm. They did a system reset and 24 hours later, it was back to doing the same thing again. After doing research I learned that there was a recall on this issue and the recall does a free reset for you. Well, this does not fix the safety issue! it actually needs to be replaced to their newer updated model that isn't defective like this one. So, their current safety recall does nothing. Also, other research showed me that Ford went through a giant lawsuit over these exact problems in 2016 and one result was an extended warranty of 10 years or 150K miles. This doesn't help the people that are already over the 150K miles! their safety issue is still present! next I'm contacting the BBB, attorney general, the local new channels, and the governor! this recall needs to be updated to getting it replaced!!!! not just reset!! *recall 13V523000 *sources of my information: Https://www.cars.com/articles/Ford-Focus-fiesta-transmission-settlement-what-owners-should-know-420135/

- Portland, ME, USA

problem #303

Aug 142020

Focus

  • 89,000 miles
I'm still making payments on my 2012 Ford Focus SE. 3 days after buying it the check engine light came on said catalyst coverter is plugged up. Now the transmission is missing up. It has never one time passed the emissions control test since owning it. There isn't a day that goes by that this car hasn't throw me a different code from the check engine light. I got screwed. The car isn't safe to drive idk how many time my daughter and I have almost got hit because of the car not moving when giving the gas too it. I took it to the Ford dealership to get all my recalls done and they only did 1 recall and that was the tcm. They said that would fix the transmission problem im having. What lies

- Middlebourne, WV, USA

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