Problems with 2012 Ford Focus POWER TRAIN

First incident traveling approximately 45 mph, as automatic transmission shifts gears, the transmission slips out of gear. shifting to neutral and back into gear does not work. pulled vehicle onto the shoulder, put into park, turn off the engine. engine will not start, no crank. let vehicle sit for a minute, retry starting, vehicle runs normally. next incident around 2 weeks later. similar experience, but travelling approx 75 mph on highway. required to pull over, restart vehicle. check engine light on at restart and engine running at lower rpm than normal in all gears. vehicle rests overnight, runs normally with no check engine light. subsequent incidents increase in frequency, without check engine light. simply need to pull over, restart vehicle. most frequently occurs while traveling on the highway at higher speeds. 6th or 7th incident, about a month after the initial incident. check engine light remains on. vehicle service scheduled but not yet performed due to backlog of transmission service repairs at ford service center.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle lost acceleration. the contact had to shift into park in order to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the transmission control module failed. as a result, the vehicle transmission control module needed to be reprogrammed. the failure recurred once. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle started to decelerate. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and shut the engine off. once restarted, the gear shifter failed to shift into drive. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 68,800.

Had a 2012 ford focus, that went into world ford here in pensacola, florida five times due to the transmission issue. it had staled out on us in the middle of a very busy intersection, with our two grandchildren, seating in the back... they are very dangers cars.

Car shudders failed multiple times taken to ford dealer for recalls clothes replaced flashed tcm module multiple repairs by dealer and serviced by dealer also purchased service program for vehicle all documented had to get towed to delearship because of stationary failure said not to drive

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated drastically and would not accelerate when approaching a red light. suddenly, the vehicle surged into an intersection and "transmission bad..service now" appeared on the instrument panel. the vehicle was driven to bob thomas ford lincoln (310 w coliseum blvd, fort wayne, in 46805, (260) 482-4456) where it was diagnosed that a new transmission was needed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a case number. the failure mileage was 63,000.

I have taken my car in for service 16-18 times for problems with the sync and the transmission since i bought this car. i have had both the sync module and the transmission module reset repeatedly and finally replaced. i have had the clutch replaced twice in two years. the worse incident and the reason for the second clutch was because the car's transmission failed completely while i was driving approx. 45 miles an hour down a very busy two lane city road. i was able to pull over, turn off the car and restart the car and got about 3 miles from home and it failed again. i was literally in the turning lane for my subdivision and it failed again. i had to have the car towed from my house. i was lucky i was not involved in an accident. ford refused to buy back my car when i requested it. i have copies of my service records as does cherokee lincoln ford of alpharetta, ga.

I was driving my ford focus one morning in reverse after pulling out of a parking lot. when i went back t drive and started accelerating the car didn't accelerate. i got the error light saying " service car immediately" i finally got the car home (thankful i was only a few hundred yards away). car has since been incredibly shaky and sporadic with the acceleration. i had the car taken to auto zone for a engine test and was informed the car has been getting stuck in first gear. its clearly something to do with the terribly designed transmission that ford did.

Entering expressway the car lost power. the engine continued to run but there was no drive train. this cause a very unsafe condition as there was no notice at all. i was almost hit in the rear due to this. i coasted to the side and shut down the car and restarted. the car went into gear and i started driving. less than an a mile it happened again. i continued to stay i the right lane and drove slowly. i called the ford dealer that has performed all the work on this car and told them i was bringing it in. during my trip to the dealer (akins ford winder ga.) the condition happened 12 more times. the check engine light did come on as well as a notice saying that the "hill assist was not available" . i have had this car returned to the dealer for recall related to transmission issues as notified by ford. this also appears to be a big issue with other owners across the country.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that there was a random failure in which the various instrument cluster gauges flashed and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to a dealer more than five times, but they could not duplicate or remedy the failure. the manufacturer was notified and provided no solution to the dealer for months. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

Was traveling at about 35 mph, car lost power, rpms went up, car started rolling backwards. after a few minutes and tries i was able to get the car home (happened 2 times on way home also)

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle started to lose power and stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but they could not locate a failure. when the failure occurred, the vehicle would restart but could not move. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer, but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000.

I was driving on a four lane highway around 1030 pm.. i started up a hill when all of a sudden and i do mean sudden! lost all power to the transmission and if there had been a lot of cars on the road i could of been injured or killed.. i have had previous problems with the transmission shuttering rolls back when you come to a stop on a hill..

The car shudders/hesitate when going from first o second gear in the aromatic transmission/6 speed transmission. i have had it checked by a ford dealership and they informed me the clutch/transmission is going. this is the second transmission for this care and now i am looking at a third one to be put in. ford has made a transmission that is faulty in m eyes.

The transmission jerks and will not shift to gears

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle sped up and slowed down independently due to the transmission. the contact stated that there was a hesitation when shifting from one gear to the next. also, while stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, the engine revved while the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to pat milliken ford (9600 telegraph rd, redford charter twp, mi 48239, (313) 731-6436) where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (tcm) needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the tcm was replaced twice, but the failure recurred. the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 13v523000 (power train). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while traveling 35 mph and coming to a complete stop, the vehicle proceeded into the middle of traffic due to brake failure. the vehicle was previously repaired under a recall; however, the failure was persistent. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be updated and possibly replaced. the vehicle was reprogramed, but not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that there was a progressing failure with the transmission clutch. the vehicle was taken to the dealer more than five times, but they were unable to replicate and diagnose the failure. while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle independently reversed while being operated in the drive gear. the vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failure. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

When excellerating the car shuddered shifting into 2nd gear, had loss of speed and check engine light came on. this continued until the car was shut off for several hours and then drove fine. this pattern of shuddering and not shifting correctly happened for 1 week until i was able to get an appointment with the dealership where i purchased the car. the transmission seal was replaced and after picking up the car, it shuddered and the check engine light came back on yet again. it was so bad that i was not able to climb a hill on the interstate and the more i pushed on the gas the slower i went and the rpm's climed to 5 1/2 which it has never done. with fear of blowing up the engine, i had to pull off the interstate and shut the car off for 5 minutes. i was then able to drive home and back to the dealership the next morning. the transmission control module (tcm) was replaced and the car now shifts fine. i had complained on several occasions of the shuddering and lack of shifting and loss of power on other occasions when getting my oil changed and was told that the tcm was calibrated to the current specs but it would continue intermittently since i purchased the car new in 6/2012. it was worse in very cold weather. i had received a letter from ford extending the transmission seal warranty to 100,000 miles and the tcm to 150,000 miles. this has definitely been a hassle and problem. ford did a crappy job of addressing it and should not continue to build cars with the duel ability of standard/automatic shifting.

Completely stopped accelerating, janky transmission and constant rolling when accelerating from a stop. i have never had any real issues or any warning lights come on with this car until it completely stopped accelerating while on the freeway with a two year old in my backseat. all of my lights/ ac/ radio still worked but the car wouldn't drive, it almost felt as if it was in neutral because the engine would rev but wouldn't move. i pulled over and finally got it started after a few tries. after i tried to start my car again when leaving the house later that day my car wouldn't even turn on. again, the radio/ lights/ etc all worked fine, but the car would not start. when you try to start it, there isn't even a sound in the ignition when you turn the key. i had to get it towed and brought it to a close friend and very good mechanic who tried everything from resetting the key to unplugging the battery to trying to start it from neutral and nothing worked. so then he said it must me something electrical. they went in and saw there was loose wiring and fuses and once they tightened those up the car was able to start. he also found the kill switch was activated which is a safety measure with these cars when they get too dangerous to drive and he deactivated that as well. once they got it running to test it for a bit it just shut right back off. he tried to put it in reverse and the dash would light up with a warning saying transmission not in "p" and we are now back at the beginning. there are still no warning lights on and with the car not recognizing gears we saw that it is a transmission issue. i still haven't gotten the car fixed because this just happened, but what i've read many people are having the same exact issue. filing a complaint and taking it to the dealer! that is way too big and dangerous of an issue to have with no warning and only being at 60,000 miles! *tr

While driving in stop and go traffic, my cars engine light came on, as i was accelerating to move forward in line a warning stating the transmission is overheating pull over safely for 8 minutes. this is the fourth time something has went wrong with the transmission since buying this car in september of 2012. the first time this happened i was driving on the interstate going 70 miles per hour and i didn't have anytime to pull over safely, i had to coast because my car was running but would not go forward. that happened in december of 2014. then two weeks ago i was again in stop and go traffic and the engine light came on and the car would not move forward, but no warning to pull over safely. i have taken the car to two different ford service centers and though my car has codes stored they state it is how i drive or that an update was needed. when i ask about the car just stopping with the transmission overheating they say it is a safety feature for the transmission. in most circumstances this would be great but when this happens in a situation where the car can't or won't make it to pull over safely then someone is going to be seriously injured. i am very unhappy about the way my car repair has been going especially since i bought this car new and to tell me it is just the way the car runs or it needs an update and that will take care of it is ridiculous. someone is going to get killed driving this vehicle and i pray it is not me. *tr

I have been to my ford dealership 10 times last year and 4 times already this year. i have multiple check engine light that came on and each time they replace a part on my car. i had my car last week for service and now it's back this week again for service. i have all my repair receipts and i am completely sadden that ford cannot do anything for me as i called the ford cooperate office and have their specialist looked at my case and i am having the same issues. my car shuts off on me so many times while driving with me 1 year old son in the middle of the street. they will fix it today and next week i am back in the shop. they have my car more times in the shop than i have on the road. i am extremely tired! i told them to test drive my car each time they "supposedly fixed" my issue and the problem remains the same. i have spoken to [xxx] at the cooperate office in florida ( 1866-631-3788) ex [xxx] and he has never solved my problems or return any of my calls. --at present writing this issue i am scheduled for another "repair". another check engine light situation. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

My daughter was driving to work and the car started pulling like a stick shift and stalling. shortly after, the warning flashed across the screen, "transmission malfunction. service now". she pulled over and turned the car off. when she turned the car back on, it was still pulling. she drove for a block or two to park the car near a friend's house. she thought she could at least make it to work only to find the car would not reverse. everything happen without any advance warning at all. once she had it towed to the nearest dealer and diagnosed, we were told the car needed a clutch pack and would take up to 12 weeks to come in. after looking online, there were several class actions suits filed for the powershift/dual clutch transmission. i also found a 122 page forum with several owners with the same issues receiving little to no help getting their cars fixed. *tr

Car lost total ability to accelerate, as if it slipped into neutral. i was attempting to get into the passing lane. the transmission failed to shift but went into a state that appeared to be neutral. the rpms went through the roof and the car was suddenly decelerating as i was trying to merge into the passing lane, a large truck literally almost collided with my rear end as the event was so spontaneous that i had little ability or experience in dealing with such a situation. pulled over to collect my wits, shut the car off and proceeded on after a while. the car was taken to ford dealership , russ milne in macomb mi, they told me there was nothing they could do without being able to replicate the event. its obvious ford knows of this problem yet the dealership sends me back on the road with a known faulty transmission. would not sell this car to someone else (dont want that on my head) and too little equity to trade-in (who would take it anyways). ford is playing with a ticking time-bomb.. someone will get killed because of this. i now stay in the slow lane.. dont try to pass and just pray. no $$ to buy a new car and i have to drive this thing to keep my job/house/food/clothing. trapped.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle lost power. in addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as the rpms increased. also, the contact mentioned that the horn failed to function. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that a module in the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 35,000. updated 09/10/15*lj updated 11/07/2017*cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving at unknown speeds with the cruise control activated, the rpms accelerated. additionally, the clutch was slipping without warning. the vehicle was taken to a local dealer (ford of clermont located at 1101 e highway 50 clermont, fl 34711 800-313-9787) where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module, electronic control module, and clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. the manufacturer opened case number: cas12559345 and referred the contact to the dealer. the failure mileage was 51,691.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving 40 mph, the transmission failed and the vehicle stalled. as a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. there were no injuries and a police report was not filed. the vehicle occurred on several occasions. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to a dealer where the repairs were unknown, but the failure persisted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the transmission stopped shifting out of third gear and the contact was unable to accelerate and the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the transmission was reprogrammed. the repair failed to remedy the failure. the contact mentioned that the vehicle continued to shutter. the failure mileage was 55,000.

Vehicle lost drivetrain power on the freeway. i went to accelerate in very heavy traffic, and the engine revved without moving forward (similar to someone depressing the clutch and accelerating). shifted the car into neutral, back into drive in order to jog the transmission into operation, that did not work. i shifted into the 'sport' mode in the transmission thinking that would help, that didn't work. i had enough forward momentum to get the car to the shoulder and call for a tow, but overall, the car would not travel under it's own power. at this point, i am quite concerned that i own this car, and it's not safe to drive. once it's fixed, i am still quite concerned that i've owned this car for 2 years, and it's been in the shop between 8 - 10 individual incidents. i am concerned that i cannot put myself or my family inside this car with any reasonable expectation of safety. please, ford motor company needs to issue a full, mandatory recall of this car in order to get this issue fixed before someone faces a severe injury or death as a result of this issue. if i was in front of a truck that wasn't paying attention, i could have been killed. *tr

Car had been into dealer many times for transmission clutch - car shutter at low speed, rolls back after putting in park. purchased car new and reported problem. at first i was told it was because it was a standard automatic. three times they claimed they reprogrammed it. dealer finally agreed that it needed a new clutch. feb. 12 and would order part. while driving on a freeway 150 miles from home, car suddenly started slowing down. motor would just rev when stepping on gas. because it was down hill, i was able to make it at less than 20 mph to a parking lot before it froze up half way into lot. because it was 2 pm, traffic was light which is the only thing that saved me from an accident. if this had happened in phoenix on freeway, there would definitely been an accident. the module was replaced two days later but the clutch ordered on 2/12 has not been replaced. i just checked for recalls and found module was recalled in 2013, yet my car was in dealers several times and i was never repaired. *tr

When i try to accelerate from i stop the transmission try's to engage and once it does engage it also disengages causing loss in power and/or no acceleration while the transmission and rpms rev as there in no movement from the car. *tr

2012 ford focus. consumer writes in regards to transmission stalling and a side door latch recall. *ld the consumer stated after attempting to repair the vehicle on 3 different occasions the vehicle continued to stall. the parts necessary to complete the recall for the door latch were not available. the consumer requested a full refund for the vehicle. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. the contact also stated that the gear shifter failed to move from park into neutral. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated that the clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate, the check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was able to restart. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was serviced under a manufacturer recall; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 42,000. updated 05/20/16*lj *tr

Four transmission fixes for clutch assembly due to shuddering and one complete breakdown. one fix for losing acceleration while turning left at traffic light.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. when approaching a stop sign, the vehicle would roll backwards without warning. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 52,882.

I was driving the vehicle down the highway and it all of a sudden lost power and would not shift and slowed down to around 40mph automatically and almost caused me to be hit from the vehicle behind me and had to immediately pull of to the shoulder. a message came up on the hud/display and said transmission malfunction service now!. i then shut the car off at a parking lot and let the car sit for over an hour and made phone calls to the dealer. this has also has happened when going to step on gas to yield at an intersection and the motor just went up in rpm but did not move or go into gear while in drive. this is vehicle is dangerous while driving due to these issues and the dealer acts like it is not. *tr

Steering assist malfunction when starting vehicle, making it impossible to drive. however when restarted and "warmed up" vehicle function. ford seems to be ignoring the issue as it did with transmission malfunction. today may 5 i return to metro ford. *tr

The parking aid light came on and the car won't start! i have had the car in three times for transmission and shaking and it has yet to be fixed. the car does not accelerate properly and is going back in again today. ford will not buy me out of my loan or work with me on replacing it. i bought this for my daughter and i do not feel safe with her driving it at all! *tr

Purchased new and within 40,000 miles the clutch has failed two times and the transmission module has failed once and has had to be reprogrammed twice. the suspension makes loud noises on the front end whenever you hit any bump. i feel unsafe driving this car because it can lose the ability to accelerate at any time without warning.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle hesitated and "pull over for six minutes" was displayed across the message board. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on multiple occasions who diagnosed that the transmission and multiple other parts needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 14,000. the vin was unavailable.

2012 ford focus. consumer writes in regards to vehicle transmission assembly problems. *smd the consumer experienced an intermittent loss of transmission engagement while driving. the consumer recevied a letter from ford, warning her of the problem.*jb

I was driving to work this morning. as i was driving my car stopped accelerating. i had to coast off of the interstate and once stopped it would not move at all. i got a warning that the transmission was hot and to stop safely. recently i had the clutch replaced and was assured by the dealership that they had fixed the problem. *tr

Dps6 - transmission- aug 2013 went in for shuddering, sept 2014 went in for shuddering, nov 2014 went in for shuddering, march 2015 shuddering , october 2015 - shuddering, october 2016 shuddering, november 2016, shuddering, september 2017, shuddering, november 2017, shuddering , january 2018, shuddering. driving and accelerated at s stop sign and went out of gear at a stoplight was unable to move forward at the green light , turned off car and restarted in order to proceed

Driving on i-97 south at speed with cruise control engaged, the car suddenly "raced" and slowed down and accelerator did not respond to more power with cars and truck approaching from behind. i managed to pull over, compose ,myself shut down. car then restarted and i continued on and then it happened again. i proceeded to dave's auto service in annapolis my mechanic who diagnosed that i need to go to ford dealer to re-set computer module or something tho that effect. tomorrow i go to bob bell ford in glen burnie. md to see what is the problem and get repaired. i was terrified at the sudden loss of power with approaching vehicles form behind at a high rate of speed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate. the vehicle was restarted. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be reset. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. when driving, turning, and switching lanes, the vehicle hesitated and sputtered. in addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power train control module and clutch failed. the dealer (allan vigil ford, 6790 mt zion blvd, morrow, ga 30260, (678) 364-3673) stated that they would have to charge to run a diagnostic test to identify the cause of the failure. the manufacturer stated that they could not assist. the failure mileage was 121,000.

This has happened multiple times, but on sunday 3/15/15. my car has flashed hill assist not working and not in park when it was indeed in park after the rpm go up to 5 & 6 at any given time and forcing me to pull over. my car would start, but would not go into gear. when this happen before i was on the interstate doing 70 and the car jumps out of gear and i can no longer go, so i have had to pull over and luckily restart the car and go. i also have been having issues with the car not starting. what if this car causes myself and family to be involved in a accident? what if this happens during rush hour? this is a world wide issues and ford is fully aware yet they do not have any recalls. i'm not sure i understand when or what will make you ford stand up and correct the issue by issuing a recall on this unsafe vehicle? death? *tr

I purchased the car used in early 2014. i had this car not even two years and the transmission is a serious problem. the car shakes, rattles, and stalls as i'm driving. the letter i received from ford states that this is a normal function of the car. the transmission fluid on my car is leaking and contaminated. the transmission fluid would be almost empty in 24 hours. in order to use my car for a day, i would need to refill my car with transmission fluid so it will at least move. the car at times would come to a complete stop in the middle of traffic. the power-shift struggles to change gears and at times won't accelerate. this problem maybe now beginning to affect my engine. the focus won't even start at times. another issue is the radio will go on/off and with time, shut off completely. their are also reports of car will roll back on hills when in drive and it does. the ford focus 2012 has too many design and manufacturer problems not to have a recall or lemon lawsuits. this car needs to simply be replaced with another model (not 2013 or 2014 models, same reports) or full reimbursement. *tr

This has happened multiple times, but on tuesday 3/12/15. my car has flashed transmission malfunction, parking aid malfunction, hill assist not working. my car would start, but would not go into gear. two cops had to push my car to the side of the road since i was in the middle of rush hour traffic. i have had this happen on the interstate doing 75 and the car jumps out of gear and i can no longer go, so i have had to pull over and luckily restart the car and go. i also have been having issues with the car not starting this past week and it keeps flashing parking aid malfunction, service required. i have two young children and this is ridiculous. if this car causes us to be involved in a accident. this is common issues and ford is fully aware yet i do not have any recalls on my vehicle. *tr