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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.

1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
93,084 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2012 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #44

Nov 012023

Focus

  • 49,000 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 once the fuel level was less than a quarter tank full, the vehicle would begin to hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact discovered and linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #43

Dec 012023

Focus

  • 196,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact added fuel to the vehicle and was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the fuel tank had collapsed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 196,000.

- Mocksville, NC, USA

problem #42

May 152022

Focus

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the emission evap canister control purge valve and fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer informed the contact that no repairs were needed upon inspection. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled abruptly while driving, almost causing other vehicles to crash into the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a second independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank had failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the failure occurred due to the lack of fuel in the fuel tank. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to shift into gears as intended and would shut off while driving. The contact also stated that the vehicle accelerated independently while driving, almost causing her to strike pedestrians. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the dealer diagnosed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Pocono Lake, PA, USA

problem #41

Nov 092023

Focus

  • 140,000 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 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the residence. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) which she linked to the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Oroville, CA, USA

problem #40

Sep 182023

Focus

  • 179,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking underneath the vehicle with a fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired in 2021 under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed there would be a fee to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #39

Sep 192021

Focus

  • 56,000 miles
The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when shifting into reverse (R) and would shudder when depressing the accelerator pedal. The engine revved to 5,000 RPMS, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission clutch actuator was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing inaccurate fuel gauge reading. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward, lost motive power and stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the PCM was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that he noticed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive fuel consumption. The contact stated that he noticed fuel leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank was deformed and overfilled. The contact stated that NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) had previously been completed on the vehicle; however, the vehicle was not experiencing the failure at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #38

Jun 262023

Focus

  • 70,000 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 her son was driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the brakes locked up. The driver was able to coast to the side of the road and apply the parking brake. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel tank was deformed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Niota, TN, USA

problem #37

Jun 012018

Focus

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated after 2 hours, he was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving to his destination. The contact also stated that after refueling the vehicle the vehicle was difficult to start. The contact stated that the vehicle would then jerk intermittently while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Olympia, WA, USA

problem #36

Mar 252023

Focus

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 75-80 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the accelerator pedal went down to the floorboard. The contact then decelerated, and the vehicle began to stall. The contact veered to the side of the road, where the vehicle completely stalled. The contact then parked the vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, however, the vehicle stalled while attempting to drive. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the failure could not be duplicated. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number:?19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

- Haw River, NC, USA

problem #35

Dec 012022

Focus

  • 200,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle would not immediately start. The check engine warning light would be illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 200,000.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #34

Oct 152022

Focus

  • 70,000 miles

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

The contact's girlfriend owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after the vehicle was stopped at a stop sign, after continuing to drive at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, while parked, the contact was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign number: 18V735 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #33

Jan 012023

Focus

  • 200,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact also stated that the vehicle would fail to start up after multiple attempts with the "transmission fault, service transmission now, " message displayed on the instrument panel. The dealer was notified about the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Wyandotte, MI, USA

problem #32

Dec 112022

Focus

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25-35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact diagnosed the vehicle with purge valve failure by using an OBD reader. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown Ford Service Campaign that expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

- Heath, OH, USA

problem #31

Oct 222018

Focus

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the safety alert and other unknown warning lights illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who confirmed that parts were on back order. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and failure. The approximate failure mileage 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #30

Jun 012022

Focus 4-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle was running roughly. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank was deformed. The contact was informed to keep the fuel above a half tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

- Brookport, IL, USA

problem #29

Mar 012022

Focus

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel tank was suctioned into the frame of the vehicle and that the canister purge valve 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 NHTSA. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: (19V515000) Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Terrell, TX, USA

problem #28

Apr 152022

Focus

  • 78,400 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled and was difficult to start. The contact also stated that the vehicle inadvertently stalled while stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact and an independent mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The VIN was included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 78,400.

- Darlington, SC, USA

problem #27

Apr 232022

Focus

  • 152,038 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the canister purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 152,038.

- Jacksonville, AR, USA

problem #26

Dec 012019

Focus

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed with a quarter tank of fuel; the vehicle shut off as the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. After the contact refueled the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle eventually restarted after multiple attempts. The contact then called a dealer and made an appointment to have the vehicle serviced. The contact towed the vehicle himself to the dealer and after a few days of service, he was informed that no faults were found with the fuel tank. Once the vehicle was returned, the failure persisted; the contact then took the vehicle to Berglund Ford (834 E Main St, Salem, VA 24153) and he was informed that his vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the previous dealer had removed the recall from the vehicle after they failed to discover any fault with the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

- Copper Hill, VA, USA

problem #25

Dec 032021

Focus

  • 86,000 miles
The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 25 MPH, the vehicle began to stall. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that while adding fuel to the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and stated that NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) was serviced in 2018. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Salinas, CA, USA

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