Problems with 2012 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On 1/23/2013 at appox at 10:15 am i was driving to work! i was driving west bound 10 fwy! i was going about 75 mph in the fast lane. when all of a sudden the car speed drops to 30 mph in a matter of seconds, i right away turn on my hazards! but do to the fact that i was` in the fast lane it was very hard to get over safety as the car felt like it was going to turn off. i was very scared and afraid for my life i honestly thought that i was going to get hit and end up in the hospital.the thought of not making it did cross my mind. i tried pushing the gas petal to regain speed as the car did not allow me to do so. the rpm cage was going from 0 to 7 with in seconds. i begin to attempt to get the car over to my right shoulder towards safety. all i can see throw my rear view mirror and hear was all the cars that started honking at me, flipping me off, barely messing me as all the cars had to swerving around me. i begin to shake as it was a very scary feeling being inside the car while all you can do is see which car will me the one that's actually going to hit my car and the chain reaction that it could have caused. as i get over the four lane trying to not get hit by the speeding cars, the car turns off and i am now stuck in between the 10 fwy going west bound and the interchange to the 57 fwy going north and south bound. now being stuck in the middle of these two busy fwy's i felt my life was in extreme danger as my mind didn't let me concentrate because all i my mind could pay attention to, was the rear view mirror as i seen the cars again swerving from hitting me and all i can hear again is the cars honking at me. i get on the my cell phone and call [xxx] for help !!!!(husband) we called ford roadside service!!!! and the tow company was there with in 20 mins !!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). ...

The electrical system has a short somewhere that causes the horn to stop working intermittently and also the brake lights to fail intermittently. i have checked fuses and contacted ford and there are no recalls. this caused an accident on 02/23/2013. a man backed into my vehicle in a parking lot (with my two babies in the back seat) and i couldn't blow the horn to let him know i was behind him. i was helpless to stop it from happening. i believe it is illegal in most (or all) states to not have a working horn on the vehicle. ford refuses to recall, diagnose, or repair this vehicle at no cost to me. i believe that this is a very serious safety issue and i feel that nobody will take me seriously. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while the vehicle was started, the gear shifter would not engage into reverse or drive. while driving at different speeds, the entire instrument panel illuminated. the vehicle was taken to randall reed's park cities ford of dallas (3333 inwood rd, dallas, tx 75235) where it was diagnosed that there was a transmission and electrical failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,078.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus electric. the contact stated that while attempting to decelerate on a rough driving surface, the vehicle stalled without warning. a warning message illuminated, advising the contact to move off the highway and into a safe location. the failure recurred twice. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the electrical connection was loose. the vehicle was repaired however, to no avail. the failure persisted. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 500 and the current mileage was 6,000. *tr

The car has more than three major recalls .and ford don't have the parts for repairs.. airbags , electronic clutch. and some other problems with no part s coming in!!!!! car has not been repaired.l have taken it in four time and told the parts are just coming in.temp repairs i am so so very tried of this! i have been a ower of 4 new fords cars. and a customer for ford & gmc not again.

Car started on the right side of the car windows stopped working and the lights started blinking . dealer replaced right side module . then next was the blue tooth stopped working and the whole touch screen blacked out . dealer replaced sync module and new touch screen . next was the wipers coming on by there self .dealer replaced wiper sensor . next was the door locks surging without a key in and dash cluster floating . dealer replaced drive module . right now the transmission is not working properly . i am just scared the death that the car is going to catch fire while driving the car . *tr

Experienced sudden electrical failure (loss of instruments, brake lights, turn signals, horn, etc.) - same problem as documented by other drivers (for examples, see http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282965). this behavior makes the vehicle undriveable and unsafe (had these issues occurred at night, the consequences could have been very serious). my dealer, franklin ford (franklin, ma) seems to be unaware of the prevalence of this issue. i look forward to a speedy resolution. ford motor company also claims to have no knowledge of the occurrence of this issue in other cases. a quick web search reveals that the problem is increasingly common. *tr

The new vehicle was purchased on 9/3/12. calls to the service department began on 9/5/12 for complaints of 'bucking and jerking' of the car in low speed shifting. the car was accepted on 9/8/12 for repair of multiple paint chips on the front of the car and for evaluation of the shifting irregularities. upon delivery of the car (53 odometer miles) the customer was informed that the paint chips had been repaired and the transmission computer was reset. the computer reset was not recorded on the service agreement for that date. on 12/5/12, the car abruptly stopped accelerating and metal grinding prevented use. the car was held from 12/5/12 until 1/8/13 (35 days, odometer reading 7,068 miles) for repair of a broken rear window channel, repair of transmission with replaced clutch. on 1/23/13 the vehicle was towed again due to not starting during multiple attempts by the owners and the tow truck driver. the vehicle was returned to the owner on 1/25/13 with a service report noting a weak battery. the battery was charged by the service provider and no other service codes were reported. on 1/28/13, the steering wheel required both hands to turn and the car narrowly missed going off of the road. upon attempt to restart, the ignition was weak and multiple warning lights displayed on the dashboard. the odometer reading reset to '0' and the mpg reading went blank. the car had significant change in ignition sound and with uncharacteristic humming noise and was turned off again. when the car was on the tow truck with the ignition off, key out, and door open, the radio began playing and could not be manually turned off. the car was transported to the dealership. as of 2/3, the car has been out of service for 46 days due to multiple infractions. the vehicle has had symptoms of stalling, failure to start, and loss of power steering. alternator being replaced 2/4. *tr

My car has almost gotten me in 3 accidents and it rolls back on hills i was pulling into a drive way and it started to roll back then it slowed down and there was a load noise and we started rolling backwards it was just a drive way. the car has absolutely no power at all it stutters and when you are driving in busy places and your car wont pick up enough ton enter on the highway or freeway its scary and its unsafe it will shake the whole car when it pulls back and stutters. it is awful and i went on a 3 hour drive to go on vacation i actually rented a car instead of taking my brand new car that i got to last me years fro now was the plan if it makes it another 1 year i will be surprised very dangerous ford. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that all of the wires on the trunk lid were exposed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who did not offer any assistance since they were unable to alter the design of the vehicle. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100 and the current mileage was 1,000.

Vehicle started up but the display screen that is visible behind the steering wheel was black. shut off vehicle and tried to restart but the vehicle would not start. also, i had no headlights and could not shift into neutral but the radio worked. a week previously to this incident my date on the my touch system changed back to 4/20/2011 and the time was off by 2 hours previous to the current time. it eventually went back to the correct date and time by restarting the vehicle several times with a delay of about 5 minutes. this is the second time in a month that i had to have the vehicle towed in for repair. *tr

2012 ford focus. consumer writes in regards to trunk lid, wiring and water flowing down rear window *tgw the consumer stated when the trunk was activated, the lid went from fully closed to fully opened at a high velocity in a very short period of time. the wiring routed to the inside of the trunk lid, was hanging down, and when it rained, water flowed down and through the gaps between the bottom of the window and the top of the trunk lid.

Car lunges when accelerating or attempting to shift thru automatic or sport mode of the transmission. transmission also temporarily pauses during shifting routine at all speeds, mostly at low speeds. it is like the cpu is overriding what the driver is prompting thru touching of the gas pedal or brake pedal. we've had it in to our local dealerships service department complaining about these conditions, they insist the car is working as designed. if so, ford is in denial and most certainly appears to be a design flaw. i describe these concerns as if i was having to learn how to drive, all over again. this vehicle is dangerous to drive, safety should always be everyone's number concern. ditto, the vehicle is not safe either. what is it going to take from ford to admit and resolve this problem, an injury accident? i hope not. then, top that off, we bought this specific vehicle for towing purposes. the factory requires the cpu and entire electrical system must be disconnected to tow. unfortunately, each time the cpu is turned back on (reconnect the negative wire at battery), the cpu thinks it is new, thus, the lunging, sporadic shifting starts all over again. help... ford won't listen. thank you *tr

Three weeks after buying my brand new 2012 ford focus, the car began to hesitate on the highway. i complained to the dealer who said it was a ford problem and not theirs. the following month, i almost died in the car. a regional manager from ford came to the dealership to speak with me, resolved nothing. i followed lemon law protocol and documented everything through the service dept. more than 12 visits. four visits before the near fatal crash and the remainder afterwards. ford ran out the statute of limitations on my vehicle so they did not have to pay me. the vehicle has a propensity of turning off when accelerating to 65 mph. when making a turn or u-turn the car hesitates. ford admitted to manufacturer defect and still would not put me in my original position which has left me with disc displacements beneath my brain stem. i have chronic neck pain every day of my life. i was making a left hand turn and had plenty of time to turn. a white utility van flew out of the lane to try to beat the light as i was turning. the car turned off and i had to brace for impact. the car would not start. two additional malfunctions caused the car to veer left and crash into curbs. last week, i had to make a u-turn. i had plenty of time. while turning, the car hesitated, and the car was stopping, the way it did in 2012. i was almost killed by an 18-wheeler who thought i was initiating road rage. he then followed me and ran me off the road coming one inch to the side of my vehicle. i tried to take pictures, but my hand was trembling. ford needs to replace my vehicle at the replacement value from july of 2012 and obey the va lemon law statute. ford offered me a buy out of $8,000 in december 2018. i had to lay out $14,000 for a new vehicle. they should have credited all of my car payments $17k, and provided a settlement for permanent spine and neck injuries. accountability is demanded.

Vehicle started but ran very rough.turned off ignition and restarted and my touch screen came up but then every thing went black. tried to restart but no ignition,no headlights no radio and could not even put it in neutral. towing service had to jump battery to get it into neutral so it could be towed. *tr

My car has transmission problems. every single time i start and stop the car shudders and hesitates. the car is unsafe to drive. also the car's cruise control broke within 3 months of owning the car, it was fixed and then broke again a month later. and hasn't worked in 2 years. this car is junk. i have taken it to three different ford dealerships and they refused to fix the problem. they would tell me there was nothing wrong with the transmission it was the way i drive. every time i took it in for the cruise control ford would tell me that they were unable to fix the problem because the cruise was working that day, when it never worked for me. they refused to fix the problems and i finally ran out of a warranty and gave up. i don't have the money to pay to have this car fixed when i bought a brand new car i college to not have to worry about getting work done to a car. this has been the biggest disappointment and i just want them to be recalled. ford owes it to all the customers that are currently stuck with this car and paying big money for a car that doesn't work. i don't not feel safe allowing my family in the car because it is too dangerous to drive. it stresses me out on a daily basis having to drive this car and never knowing when it's going to stop working. i have been having there problems since i bought the car in july of 2012.

Two incidents. while driving at a speed of about 25 miles per hour, the vehicle lost power and stalled on an arterial street. traffic was light, and there was no danger to me or other motorists. the vehicle would not restart. had the car towed to the dealer, and was told it was out of gas. the gauge had been reading 1/4 full at the time of the incident. the gauge continued to give false readings (moved from lower to higher amounts during the course of exhausting the fuel supply) over the next few weeks. eventually the dealer diagnosed the fuel tank was warped, and replaced the tank. one week later, while driving the vehicle at night on an interstate highway approaching a major freeway system interchange, at a speed of approximately 60 miles per hour, the vehicle lost power and shut off, causing me to have immediately attempt to move across four lanes of moderately heavy traffic. this happened on a slight uphill incline, so the car lost forward speed very quickly. during the emergency maneuver, i was forced in front of another motorist, nearly causing an accident. the car was exhausted of fuel, but within ten minutes prior had shown a reading of 1/4 tank remaining. immediately prior to the incident, the gauge needle was actually indicating 1/2 tank. *tr

Vehicle central locking system locked the car while parked with the keys in the ignition. locksmith was called to force entry. alarm did not activate when door was opened. *tr

Myfordtouch: unable to be heard when i call from the car using my bluetooth connected phone (3 different phones used with same outcome). when driving in the car, directions, traffic, and trying to get the operator is not possible. (note: directions sometimes work if the car is not moving.) i tried working with my dealership (bob maxey ford in howell, mi, visiting them many times. the last time i was there, they brought in a ford engineer (because i had escalated my need within the ford company). after that it worked "most of the time" for a week, when all four quadrants on my screen showed power off for about 10 minutes then slowly each quadrant powered up. from then on i was back to where i was before ie no traffic, directions, operator, and phone use. bob maxey ford's service manager told me on my last visit that there was nothing more they could do.............i've had it!! i've paid for something that doesn't work.......... :( *tr

When accelerating, whether from a dead stop or coasting, 1st, 2nd (& now starting to do it in 3rd) gears audibly rattle and clunk. very slow response time when accelerating after car is "warmed up." the more it is driven in stop and go and/or city traffic, the worse the acceleration (and rattling when shifting) becomes. so much so that when trying to pull out into traffic on 09/04/12 i thought the car would be hit. i had 3 kids in the car with me! and i always allow plenty of time to pull out because of this issue. it has been a near constant issue with this car which was purchased in may 2011. car jerks when accelerating in stop and go traffic and will sometimes "jump" and rev into a higher speed. all the above issues had been addressed and "fixed" twice before the "customer satisfaction" recalls were sent out in may. issues are resolved for a limited amount of time and then start happening again. car still rolling back when brake is released at a stop on slight inclines. another "customer satisfaction" recall. minor issues: *can barely be heard when speaking on the "sync" system while driving *clock changes time randomly *rear defroster doesn't automatically turn off *fan speed changes after car is turned off to a random speed setting *radio will change to a random station *sometimes* after making a phone call. *tr

I have had numerous issues with transmission and electrical problems with my vehicle. i have had it in for service about 6 times in the past year. car shifts hard, when driving, sputters, and even once stalled out in the middle of a intersection. i had these issues from day one with the vehicle but was told the cars computer has to "learn" how you drive. electrical, the locks sometimes works, or the doors lock when they aren't supposed to. key fob doesn't work sometimes. this is something that is ridiculous and ford motor co. should do something about it. my car has 27500 miles on it and runs like it is 15 years old! my warranty is up at 36000, so then all these issues become the consumer problem even though ford is aware this is an issue they are having and won't recall until someone gets hurt or killed. *tr

In may of 2012 my car had the transmission completely replaced after being in the shop for 6 weeks. the cruise control would stick on and not shut off. the power windows and air conditioner both decided not work at the same time. i have had the struts replaces before 10,000 miles. the gas mileage goes from 14 mpg to 33mpg randomly. the car likes to roll back and not go into gear when driving. i replace tires every 6 months because the car eats my tires up. my favorite problem is loosing power when driving. i have kept all papers regarding the car in the shop. my first year of owning the focus ford paid for my rental car to be driven 17,000 miles due to my car being in the shop. i have asked for help with this car for 2 years with ford to be told i need to learn to drive. i am driving a car know that completely looses power all the time and the transmission sticks. i have had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment on nov 3 to get these issues looked at. my car is far from safe and i have expressed to ford i feel this car is going to kill me. i spent 30,000 miles driving this car when in fact i shouldn't had. the dealership can never find a problem on my car. the gas also can only put 10 cents of gas at a time in or gas likes to pour out from the bottom. sometimes the gas knozzle can't fit in the gas tank because it closes up. once again ford couldn't find a problem. i call the dealership and ford customer care each time there is a problem. *tr

2012 ford focus. consumer writes in regards to engine, transmission, drive shaft and electrical system problems. *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle would jerk forward, hesitate and would not go into gear fast enough when changing lanes. the right passenger power window was slower that the driver's side, the door locks would not open properly. updated 05/25/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and as able to restart. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was undetermined. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer module needed to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred months later. the vehicle stalled recently without warning and was able to restart. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 600.

While stopped behind red light all screen system, sync system, radio including sound system went black. did not start over till next day in the morning and as soon as start the car errors after error came up for nav system, phone connection. had to reset every thing. these errors are coming up every day. there will be risk of losing other system including air bag, power steering, break and other important system while this system going off. took the car to dealer and service trained specialist told me that is my phone problem!!! after long drive when trying to take off car is shaking, there is big safety issue with seat belt. while driving, if for any reason unlock the seat belt there will be no warning light or warning sound that seat belt is off. if car is running and leave the car when you are back and start driving there will be no warning light and sound that seat belt is not in use and can drive all you want. after long drive while trying to take off car is shaking. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle was not shifting into gears properly, would stall sporadically and would jerk intermittently. additionally, the steering wheel would often seize. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer several times who had not been able to replicate nor diagnose the failure. the failure recurred and the dealer replaced the transmission and transmission sensor but the failure recurred. the contact also mentioned that the lights intermittently illuminated and the radio was making a loud noise when it was powered off. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who then diagnosed that the computer chip in the fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the transmission began to hesitate in a jerking motion and the vehicle stalled. the engine restarted and the vehicle was able to resume. in addition, on a separate occassion the transmission warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel for a few seconds. the failures occurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer eight times for the same malfunction. a diagnosis was performed in which a trouble code was not detected. the computer system, abs, and drive train were reprogrammed more than one time. the failure persisted and the dealer was unable to resolve the problem. the manufacturer and dealer stated that the vehicle functioned as designed. the approximate failure mileage was 350.

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. *tr

After a week of purchasing our brand new focus started noticing the automatic tranny surges and slips. like its bucking feeling. sometimes it surges almost hard enough to put you on the dash. kinda scary in traffic. car has only 4500 miles on it and now has electrical problems in dash and upon going down the road you will vibrations like a bent axel or worn bearing. its a new car!!!!!!! *tr

I bought my 2012 ford focus hatchback in july of 2011. almost immediately i noticed problems. the problems included the car rolling backwards on hills, sputtering when stopped (like at a red light), jumping upon acceleration, & briefly losing acceleration while the rpm??s revved. i took it back to the dealership & they told me that the backwards rolling, revving & jumping of the engine was a trait of the car. i told them it was dangerous depending on where i was when these things happened (for example, at an intersection or in stop & go traffic with a car in front of me). they assured me that there was nothing wrong with the car. on october 17, 2011, the car broke down. i pulled out of a parking lot & pushed down on the accelerator, at first the car started to accelerate, but once it got to about 15/20 mph, the rpm??s began to rev & the car would not accelerate so i took my foot off of the accelerator & the car stopped revving. if i had been on a highway, this would have been very dangerous. my car had to be towed to the dealership. they reprogrammed the powertrain control module & transmission control module. the car would then drive, but the rolling backwards on hills, sputtering when stopped, jumping upon acceleration, & briefly losing acceleration while the rpm??s revved still continued & after several trips to their service department, the dealership could still not fix these issues. i then received a letter from ford referencing a customer satisfaction program 12b37 dated may 2012. it acknowledged these issues so i took it back to the dealership. although they reprogrammed the powertrain control module, transmission control module again as well as the anti-lock brake system, the car continues to have the same problems. these problems could potential cause a wreck, injuring myself or others around me. *tr

April 2011 -- issues began within a week of purchasing the vehicle. complete electrical system shutdown (causing air/radio/sync system to be of no use). brought vehicle in because i was scheduled to go on road trip to mass. (sync system shut down in route to mass.). soon thereafter, the jerking and shaking of the vehicle. each time i called or brought the vehicle in, i was told "we cannot replicate the problem". back and forth meeting with management at waldorf ford dealership and phone calls with ford in detroit. continued issues with the jerking and vibrating of vehicle; continued complaints that the rpm needle would race up and down and the engine would revved because the engine was not getting into gear; may 2013 50k miles -- while in columbia, md was still having the jerking and "shifting" issues that the dealership "could not" and i received a message on the vehicle that said transmission failure service immediately. i was in traffic and was almost rear ended on several occasions until i arrived at a friend's. drove home hours later; transmission/powertrain system "fixed"; may 2014 74k miles -- jerking/vibrating/grinding sounds; engine light on and off (not flashing); vehicle not getting into gear from a dead stop and above 50 mph; autozone plugged into vehicle system and received following message/code p2862 "shift fork 'b' acuator circuit high" unable to access any information about the problem; an issue which ford considers a "common failure" with this vehicle. nothing like putting a driver and passengers at risk as well as causing accidents. why are these vehicles still on the road with as many complaints that have been made?? *tr