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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 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,982 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 6 of 23)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #350

Oct 292019

Focus

  • 98,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle stalled and shut off without warning. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000(engine, engine cooling). The contact called james hodge Ford Lincoln (1200 N main St, muskogee, ok 74401) and henryetta Ford (821 E main St, henryetta, ok 74437, (918) 652-0990) and was informed that the parts were pending and not available. The manufacturer was contacted and provided the same information as the dealer. The contact requested a loaner vehicle, which was denied. The vehicle was taken to henryetta Ford where it currently remained. The failure mileage was 98,000.

- Fort Gibson, OK, USA

problem #349

Dec 022019

Focus

  • 124,000 miles
We have had the clutch replaced 3 times and are ready with our fourth clutch (no longer under warranty! $2200!). the dual-clutch is a known problem and Ford has not fixed it. They continue to replace the part with one that fails at 25,000 miles.you know it's a clutch when the car is shuddering, struggles to switch between gears and does not feel like the engine is running smoothly. Ford refuses to stand behind their car that they knowingly sold even though they were aware of the problems. We first took our car in for shudders at 2,000 miles and were told it was normal. The last repair took almost 1 month.

- Glendale Heights, IL, USA

problem #348

Sep 172019

Focus

  • miles
We took the car in to get fixed because the check engine light was on. When I turn on the car and start driving the car feels like it loses its speed and it feels like the car is being pulled back every time its driven forward. The car feels as if its being forced to drive and it happens every time the car is being driven. We took it in to star Ford Lincoln glendale on 1101 S brand blvd glendale, ca 91204, phone number (818)502-1901 where they told us they fixed the car but the car remained with the same problems with no evidence of fixed difference. When we picked up the car after dropping it of at star Ford Lincoln we had to jump start the car because it no longer turned even though the car would turn on before we dropped it off. The car also started leaking water from the radiator even though that was not one of the reasons we left the car there. After picking up the car fro there it has been remained park because we can not move it.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #347

Nov 192019

Focus

  • 145,000 miles

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

I was driving about 40 mph on a city street when the warning message "transmission not in park" flashed and the speedometer went to zero. I pulled over and put the car in park and everything shut off. I was able to restart the car. I have had all factory recalls replaced and most recently the catalytic converter replaced as well.the check engine light or any other warning lights were not on when this occurred.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #346

Nov 062019

Focus

  • 279,000 miles
While in columbus, Ohio, caught in heavy traffic, uphill, a red "transmission malfunction!" light went on, and the car immediately started shuddering and lurching forward. I was only going 5 - 10 mph in traffic, but the car was also shaking and when I came to a full stop the rpms would go up and down

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #345

Nov 012019

Focus

  • 100,000 miles
Car shutters and stalls. Not much power. Had tcm repaired and the dual clutch multiple times.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #344

Oct 012019

Focus

  • 158,000 miles

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

The car jerks a lot while driving. It is like a stutter or something. I had napleton Ford check it out and they indicated that the clutch needs replacing. They indicated that there was a recall on the clutch and that it had to replaced by 100,000 miles. I bought the car used at 154,000 miles so I didn't have it at the time of the recall. My warranty won't cover the repair.

- Round Lk Bch, IL, USA

problem #343

Sep 272019

Focus

  • 118,834 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline) at star Ford Lincoln (located at 1101 S brand blvd, glendale, ca 91204, (818) 956-0977). After the vehicle was retrieved, it failed to start. The dealer was able to recharge the battery. The contact stated she was able to drive to her residence. Two days later, while driving 25 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate and the check engine warning indicator was illuminated. The contact replaced the battery. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but and the contact was unaware of the diagnoses. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 118,834.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #342

Oct 172019

Focus

  • miles
Massive stuttering issue. When pressing gas, seems to stutter and fail to get up to speed. Has happened many times and doesn't seem to change if engine is cold or warm.

- Bonney Lake, WA, USA

problem #341

Aug 062019

Focus

  • miles
Vehicle is reading code P0420 indicating hat the catalytic converter is operating under threshold. Light would turn on and off periodically until it finally remained turned on and soon after the vehicle started struggling to drive up hills and the gas milage has decreased.

- Pueblo, CO, USA

problem #340

Oct 092019

Focus

  • 61,500 miles

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

Recall 18S32. Brought the vehicle in to dealership on 9-8-19 when I received the recall notice. I was told that software needed to be updated. At that point, we had not experienced any of the symptoms of the recall. I was told that there was a check to see if the software needed to be updated and it did not. On 10-9-19 while my daughter was driving the vehicle, the gas gauge went up to full (it was only 1/2 full) check engine light was on (it has consistently been on for weeks) and most importantly and most frightening is the vehicle completely shut off while she was driving 65 mph on a highway. All of these things that occured are directly what the recall is for. Although my daughter was driving on a hightway, thankfully she was not hit or killed by other drivers and did not crash the vehicle. Now because the vehicle was initially brought in before any symptoms and Ford determined no software update was needed, they are denying to replace the canister purge valve which is what we were told by the dealership needed to be done. The vehicle cannot be driven now because of the fear of putting whomever drives it in danger. Not only is this is unacceptable but I am very frustrated and feel that this safety issue should be addressed by Ford immediately. There is also a recall (recall #19S22) stating dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. I have tried to get this addressed not only through Ford's customer service directly but by speaking to the service manager at the dealership where the car was bought and serviced. Seems like this is not an urgent matter for anyone but us. I do have a case number that was assigned by Ford which is: Cas-24503630-J8W6Y7.

- Davie, FL, USA

problem #339

Oct 102019

Focus

  • 680,000 miles
As many others, no, rather thousands of others have reported that the faulty dual clutch transmission offered by Ford failed and almost cause an accident that could of seriously injured me and my 2yr old daughter. Will it take a death for the recall of this faulty transmission that Ford knew about, before anything is actually done" how padded are they making your pockets" do your job and save lives.

- Ashland, OR, USA

problem #338

Jul 182019

Focus

  • 148,347 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving up a hill, the vehicle jerked and then stalled. The vehicle also hesitated to move forward. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk forward and backwards, and then stall. In addition, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The technician referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,347.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

problem #337

Dec 012018

Focus

  • miles
2012 Ford Focus. Consumer writes in regard to safety recall notice 18S32/ NHTSA recall 18V-735. They inquire when parts will be made available for vehicle. The consumer stated the vehicle would not reverse and drove slow while moving forward.

- Forest Lake, MN, USA

problem #336

Sep 272019

Focus

  • 72,000 miles
After being stopped at a traffic light on the highway, my vehicle began acting as if it did not want to get up to speed and would not go above 35mph without dramatically jolting forward. It did this a couple of times before swerving a bit and finally stalling completely, pressing the gas would do nothing to get the car to speed up. I did manage to get it to a side road before having it towed to the dealer.

- Lynn Haven, FL, USA

problem #335

Aug 292019

Focus

  • 101,000 miles
We purchased a 2012 Focus for our 18 year old daughter as her first car. The check engine light is illuminated and the car shudders as you accelerate like its shifting gears but it's a very aggressive jerk. Once it reaches certain speed it drives smoothly but if you stop at a red light or stop sign and accelerate again it does the same thing. The fault code for the check engine light states it's a catalytic converter problem. I did some online research and found a recall for what I thought was the cause of the issue (recall 18S32). Took it into the dealership to have the recall repaired and they reset the PCM but tech told me the gas tank "passed inspection" so no further repairs were needed. However, the car still shudders at acceleration. I was told I'd have to pay $135 for them to diagnose the problem. I am so afraid for my daughter who is a fairly new driver to be driving this unsafe vehicle. I will be searching for a class action lawsuit as I've read several complaints of the same issue on this website. I don't feel comfortable selling this car to anyone else with these problems either. Ford really needs to rectify this problem immediately before someone gets hurt or worse, dies! the car has 101,000 miles on it.

- Ellenwood, GA, USA

problem #334

Sep 272019

Focus

  • 116,519 miles
My car turns off while driving

- Dickson, TN, USA

problem #333

Sep 212019

Focus

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. Upon approaching a stop and depressing the brake pedal, the motor dropped out of the vehicle without warning. The motor fell on top of the axle and knocked the axle loose. The contact maneuvered the vehicle to the side of the road and assessed the damage. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the motor support fractured and caused the motor to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact spoke with matt bowers Ford (3724 veterans memorial blvd, metairie, la 70002, 504-887-8410) and was informed that there were no recalls related to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. The VIN was unknown.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #332

Mar 092017

Focus

  • 9,664 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving 15 mph, the transmission malfunction warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred and the vehicle moved slowly. The contact called ciocca Ford of quakertown (321 S West end blvd, quakertown, pa 18951, (215) 536-8600) and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was towed to ciocca Ford where it was diagnosed that the clutch, gasket cylinder, tie rod, in and out lug nuts splash guards, gasket valve cover, lower control arm and bushing, oil pan gasket, pollen filters, air filter element, all four tires, wipers, and the battery cable negative and positive needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,664.

- Bethlehem P, PA, USA

problem #331

Sep 132019

Focus

  • 178,388 miles
19S22 recall. I was driving home from port huron to clinton township. My car went from 70 mph hour on the freeway to 35 mph. Absolutely no warning. I cannot accelerate more than 35 mph. The very next morning I brought my car into the Ford dealership at 9 mile in harper because the same problem had occurred months before in May. I told her that same thing happened before my car is not accelerating my RPM shot up and I cannot go anywhere so she asked me to bring it in I did I asked her about the outstanding recall on the car she told me that her guys forgot to look at it. Ford had my car for a week I lost my job and I also do lift on the side so I'm out $1200 just in the week. They called me, and said itll cost around $2K for the clutch system. That's funny because I don't use the manual side of the car but apparently it's built into the transmission. So again I asked about the recall. It clearly states on your website that if Ford has to do the recall and there's any other repairs that need to be done with for the cause of all of this that the parts and labor are free. They charged my dad's credit card $1938.78. I asked her again but there was a recall down on the car she said oh well we did the recall and that was for the purge valve I said ok well where is that located she told me was in the engine so you didn't do the recall 1st you just went straight for the clutch? then you're telling me that had nothing to do with it well how do we know now after he took the 2000 and even admitted that you didn't do the recall 1st gear went straight to the clutch system so if you wouldn't did the recall 1st I wouldn't have been out $2000 if you just did your job. Then I pick up the car. And the same thing happened again, and the check engine light came on. So again I had to drop it off.

- Clinton Township, MI, USA

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