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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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
81,882 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 transmission problems

transmission problem

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2012 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #26

Apr 172024

Focus

  • 112,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle was unable to properly shift gear. Additionally, the transmission began to lose motive power. The message that the transmission was overheating was displayed. The vehicle was able to restart after 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the transmission control module and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the dealer stated that the shift module also needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 112,000.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #25

Jul 152023

Focus

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift gear as designed. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module (TCM), resulting in damage to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 119,000.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

problem #24

May 242023

Focus

  • 146,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The message that the transmission had overheated was displayed. The contact was able to push the vehicle off the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The parts arrived and the transmission control module was replaced, but the failure recurred. The dealer informed the contact that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about an Extended Warranty coverage. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.

- Provo, UT, USA

problem #23

Aug 062023

Focus

  • 63,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle started shaking, and the gear shifter failed to shift into reverse(R). The service engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #22

Jun 252023

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle seemed to shift into neutral and failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the service engine message was displayed. The contact pulled over to allow the engine to cool down. The vehicle was restarted and taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission failure caused the clutch to fail. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Mountain View, CA, USA

problem #21

Jun 222023

Focus

  • 122,511 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that she received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact was then informed that the recall was completed and retained the vehicle however, the contact stated that while driving approximately 10 minutes away from the dealer at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound while on an incline. The contact then stated that she allowed the vehicle to drift back into the street while shifted into drive(D). The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal and shifted into reverse(R) and the -??Pull Over - Transmission Overheated-?? message was displayed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM (Transmission Control Module) failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was currently at the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,511.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #20

Mar 312023

Focus

  • 150,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond upon shifting into reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating, the clutch vibrated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer retrieved diagnostic trouble codes: P087A-00 (Clutch Position Sensor) and P287A-00 (Stuck Clutch). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Cummaquid, MA, USA

problem #19

Oct 142022

Focus

  • 200,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the vehicle failed to reverse while the transmission was shifted into reverse(R). The check engine warning light and traction control warning light were illuminated. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Automatic Transmission Control Module). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle warranty coverage period had been exceeded. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #18

Aug 302022

Focus 4-cyl

  • miles
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.

- Troy, PA, USA

problem #17

Mar 232022

Focus

  • 54,000 miles
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.

- Newcomerstown, OH, USA

problem #16

Sep 092022

Focus

  • 83,000 miles

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

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.

- Gladys, VA, USA

problem #15

Sep 022022

Focus

  • 81,000 miles
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.

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #14

Aug 062022

Focus

  • 132,155 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the TCM was recently replaced; however, the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to hesitate and then stall during acceleration while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was 132,155.

- Demorest, GA, USA

problem #13

Nov 132011

Focus

  • 101,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and inadvertently downshifted. The contact stated that the downshifting occurred while accelerating to merge into traffic. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had since become constant. The contact stated that the transmission control module warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the part was not available and he would be placed on a waiting list. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

- Lancaster, PA, USA

problem #12

Jun 202022

Focus

  • 169,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving, the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission and PCM needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance, but no additional assistance was provided. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 169,000.

- Strongsville, OH, USA

problem #11

Jun 142022

Focus

  • 110,888 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving and shifting gears the vehicle stalled. The contact stated, -??Stop Immediately-?? and -??Check Engine-?? warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, an audible warning chime was heard. The contact restarted the vehicle and the brake and power steering functionality were available. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was recurring and the contact had stopped driving the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,888.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #10

May 062022

Focus

  • 62,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle shuddered while accelerating from being idle. The vehicle hesitated to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a defective TCM module. The dealer reprogrammed the TCM module however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission clutch failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted and the vehicle had been inoperable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under an extended warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

- Centerville, UT, USA

problem #9

Apr 012022

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration and then lost motive power. The vehicle was towed 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 not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #8

Aug 012021

Focus

  • miles
I need to change my transmission control module

- Montreal , FL, USA

problem #7

Jun 102021

Focus

  • miles
Started the vehicle, it reported a transmission error and repair immediately message - the first indication of a problem. Drove home and made appointment to have transmission looked at. The car drove ok most of the way, then the transmission just slipped and died on the road in the middle of a construction site blocking traffic. After several minutes (after on site police called for a tow), the car restarted and was able to limp the last 1/4 mile or so to the shop. The transmission specialist referred me to Ford as they can't get the tools, suspected electrical. Towed to Ford. After waiting nearly 2 weeks for a diagnosis that only took several minutes, it was determined to be the transmission control module. It's a known issue and the warranty for this part is extended, however (1) if it had died on a major highway instead of a town road could have been a huge safety issue and (2) it's a known problem but Ford won't replace until it occurs, yet they have zero national stock and no idea when parts will be available.

- Newtown, CT, USA

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