Problems with 2012 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ran out of fuel in this vehicle, once when my daughter was driving on a highway, even though the fuel gauge would say there was between 75-100 miles before empty. the last time this happened the interior of the vehicle had a strong smell of gas. i then proceeded to take it to the dealership and after diagnosis the service manager said some valve remained open causing the gas tank to crack and in turn gas flowed back into the intake manifold. the cost to fix would be approximately $3100. the problem has been a known issue with this vehicle for quite some time, but ford refuses to recall or even pay for the work. i even had an extended warranty and they wouldn't cover it either.

After numerous times going to the dealership my check engine light keeps coming on my car doesn't accelerate, it stalls and has a burning odor. i have been stuck on expressways with my 3 month old twins, twice and it is scary. ford knows of these transmission pronlems, ..tmc, pmc are terrible in these cars, and then they want you to pay ridiculous prices for mistakes.

Loss of power steering on public road. power steering assist failure

When entering the car i hear a static sound , check radio and it's off. when i turn off motor and go out and then come back in as a static sound from the radio like it's on

Most of the entertainment console has stopped working. there is also a static noise that comes around whenever it wants. i can use the menu button and when it's pressed the other two things that show are the clock menu and the display menu. i can not use any other functions on the console, i can put in and take out a cd but i can not play anything on the cd because nothing happens when i press the cd button. i looked online and it seems to be happening to a lot of people. checked the battery and the fuse that is associated with it based on the owners manual and the problem got worse. it now makes the static noise even when i turn off the car and take out the keys. goes away once i close the door. i do not know what is happening but i would like it to be fix please.

My radio pops cracks and whatever else the noises are it can make. works for a little while then pops like i've been shot. very loud bang. this happens if my car is running and if it's not. it can be parked in my driveway and i walk out of my house and i can hear the static it pops and cracks real loud. today it sounded like it was off air but made a whistling noise like i was in a tunnel. it's scary not knowing if it's gonna start a fire in my car. i never smell anything like melting wires. ive had it looked at and my mechanic can't find a problem. the fuses are good and have been changed. this problems occurs when the vehicle is running, when it's parked it really doesn't matter. i didn't file a complaint earlier because i thought the radio was going out, when i looked on the ford site i see that others have had this same problem with their 2012 ford focus.

First problem is with the radio. this began when my car had 37000 miles and the radio would make a loud thumping sound. the car would seem to shake and i did not realize it was the radio until the other issues began. a loud screeching and popping started which would come out of nowhere. this can cause a big disturbance since you are not expecting it to happen and it is extremely loud. eventually the sound always occurred and even after turning the car off it would still continue - doors open and keys out of ignition. it finally stopped and there is no sound, but after six months it started making the sound again, and again out of nowhere. this is extremely distracting because there is absolutely no sound coming from the radio, off or on and it will suddenly start to shriek or pop. it stopped again, but i am waiting for it to begin again. i have taken it in to the dealer several times only to be told there is nothing that can be done and they have not seen this issue before. my next issue is with the wiper blades. this began recently and i have around 45000 miles on my vehicle. at first the wiper on the driver's side flew off while in use. i thought that i had possibly put tr he wipes on incorrectly even though it had been working fine for a month or so. i had the auto parts store put new blades on and again about two weeks later it flew off. luckily i hadn't driven off and was able to retrieve the wiper and put it back on this time. three months later the drivers side wiper will just stop working midway through the window. i can flip the wipers on and off several times and it will work for a second, but continues to get stuck in the middle of the windshield. the passengers side gets stuck as well, but will fix itself.

Takata recall: ok so i was driving the other day and all of a sudden my speakers made this thunder like noise and my stereo randomly went out and stopped working. it was a rather loud "boom" which startled me and almost got me a swerve into another car. when i got to my destination i turned off the car, and then tried to start it back up again to see if maybe it would turn on , well it did, but now my car randomly does this like everyday! and it startled me every time!!!!!! which is dangerous because it could cause a serious accident!!!!!

Intermittant starting..new transciever..keys reprogrammed...new battery mau start two or three conse utive times then nothing

Stereo will work for about 30 seconds and then there will be a loud popping and high pitched frequency of static, even with rhe radio volume on 0 or with the radio off. could cause a driver to swerve off the road resulting in a crash or a fire to start from faulty wiring.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the horn failed to sound when depressed. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact called quirk ford of augusta at (888) 468-2307 (located at 7 water st, hallowell, me 04347), but the vehicle was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the failure mileage was 50,000.

First time was on 15 march. took focus in for wipers not working driver side stops. ford replaced motor for wiper on driver side. on or about march 27 while driving to work wipers quit working. it was raining out.i drove about 20 miles with the wipers stopping 30 plus times. drove to ford dealership and left car there for over a week. they replaced both motors.picked up car 5 of april.now april 14 raining out driving home from work and wipers stopped 6 times.

Steering assist failure notice appeared on and off for nearly a year. notice would disappear after turning vehicle off and straightening steering wheel. at 77000 miles, warning came on again and would not clear. this is a serious safety hazard especially if it happens while driving on the road. i was lucky it was just in my driveway. ford has recalled several cars of similar make and model for this same issue yet have not recalled the ford focus. this is a serious safety hazard especially if it happens while driving on the road. ford needs to own up to their mistake and send a recall and fix the problem on all vehicles. i should not have to pay for a manufacturing defect. the car is now out of commission because i can't afford the repair and i am to scared to drive it as is.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start while attempting to drive. the vehicle was towed to malloy ford of charlottesville (located at 1300 richmond rd, charlottesville, va 22911, (434) 977-7960), but a failure code could not be found with the transmission and alternator. the dealer repaired the connector of the bcm. while driving approximately 50 mph and approaching a stop light, the contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to decelerate. the vehicle also failed to accelerate appropriately. the contact drove to her home. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failures. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

On multiple occasions my 2012 ford focus got stuck in park and would not shift into drive. the steering wheel would not turn. the shift stick would not move from park back into drive. the electrical lights 'p n d s' turned off on the dash. when i pushed on the brake the car would not shift back into drive. last night it happened in the middle of rush hour traffic at a red light. i turned the car on and off several times. the dash board lights would come on , but 'p n d s' remained unlit and the car would not shift back into drive. after 4 or 5 times of turning car on and off and opening and closing the door (this affects dash board lights some how). the lights came back on and the car would allow me to shift back into drive while pushing on the brake.

Power steering electrical rack.i prepared to leave work,check engine light showed issue with electronic steering.two weeks prior to this event,my radio system(loud crackling)failed.with no power steering assist,drove home,two miles.i called ford dealer to have car tower to their shop.

I have had my ford focus for 4 years now and i have recently started having problems with the radio/sync. load noises will interrupt the radio or come on even if radio is off. this has happened to me a number of times while driving down the road and scared the living daylight out of me causing me to swerve in to the other lane or caused me to slam on my breaks with cars behind me. i have noticed that many other for focus owners have experienced the same issues and don't understand why this hasn't been recalled! it is very unsafe and won't stop when car is turned off and key removed. please help! it is getting worse!

On many different occasions my steering wheel will completely lock up. today was not the first day - just now knowing i can report this. happens frequently and randomly since getting the vehicle. this is dangerous when driving, and it seems to be a common issue on these fords. when the wheel locks up - you have to stop the vehicle. if i turn the car off/back on 4 or 5 times it usually unlocks it. as far as the electrical goes - the car is possessed. if you turn the car off and remove the keys - the radio continues to play even after getting out of the car. the keyless entry will not lock the doors. windshield wipers will go off randomly without keys in the ignition. sometimes the radio will randomly turn itself all the way up and if you try to turn the whole thing off, it does not respond. many issues with this car!

Driving on a city street when it just would not go after a red light. when i did get it to move off of the city street to a parking lot it was hard to steer. all the lights started flashing. i could not lock the doors with my remote, would not start. i had to have it towed to my house. the next morning i put my code reader on the vehicle and found about 13 fault codes which i reset since then i have had multiple instances of my vehicle shutting down, hard steering and transmission not shifting or going into gear. displays transmission overheating, transmission malfunction service now. wont,t go into gear. horn stopped working and withut doing anything it suddenly started working.

My electrical system was fixed by local ford dealer when i thought my transmission was the problem.they suppose to fix it but weeks after my dashboard went haywire and my radio stop working.i had to pay them close to 200.00 for the repairs.

Twice in the last month this car has stopped running, all the dash lights come on and it will not accelerate. the most recent time, my daughter was driving back to school in lubbock, tx going 80 mph when it shutdown. she tried to pull over but almost wrecked due to the fact she had no power brakes. i have seen many reports on the internet and youtube videos documenting the same thing she had happen to her. when she took it into the ford dealership they of course could not find an issue and they would not give her a loaner or rental car during the time it took them to look at it. this is obviously a safety issue with ford not having a fix. at this point, if i wasn't upside down on the car, i would trade it in on something different and it wouldn't be a ford. i digress.

Radio don't work make a loud squeeking noise while driving when off

2012 ford focus. consumer writes in regards to parts being unavailable for transmission/tcm safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the dashboard illuminated "parking aid malfunction-service required". the dealer advised this was a recall and to contact the manufacturer. the manufacturer was contacted. *js

Sync module failed. costing $1000 to fix. a smog part failure resulted in ford wanting 2000 to repair and replace the fuel tank. the clutch fails to engage on low speed turns creating a loss of control. ford fixed with the recall. steering fault detected making it near impossible to steer the car. recall is available on other models but not focus. another 1000 to fix it. ford is unsafe!

Horn has stopped working. radio crackling when car on and off, in motion and when still, does not work.

Was driving car and randomly a warning came up ' power steering assist fault service required' then power steering turned off. turn car off turn back on fix the problem. then problem came back and has not gone away. i have no power steering. radio has been acting strange since purchased car

I have 2012 ford focus with about 85,000 miles. since 2014, i've had my tcm reprogrammed several times and then replaced in dec 2015 under the extended warranty after it completely stopped working. i brought my car to ford again in july 2017 because my steering locked up while i was attempting to back up in a parking lot. i was told it was the epas system, and it would cost about $1,800 to replace since it's not covered under warranty. at their insistence, i paid for the replacement. i also made a complaint with the national highway traffic safety administration at that time. since july, i've have been back to three ford dealerships - first two times because of a grinding noise (they couldn't diagnose it then but have since said it is my clutch) and a second time this past tuesday (9/12) after my car basically short circuited in a parking lot on monday and it started lurching forward while trying to reverse...simultaneously my breaks locked up and my steering locked up again (my sound/radio display/front buttons were also intermittently not working). jc ford did some "reprogramming" but said they couldn't duplicate the issues and told me my clutch would need replaced eventually but ford would not cover it until it got worse. they told me these problems were unrelated despite me insisting they all felt similar while driving the vehicle. yesterday (weds, 9/13), while attempting to turn onto a highway, my car again "stalled"/short-circuited (not sure what exactly happened - but the same thing as the previous times) and my breaks locked up and i couldn't move the vehicle from the middle of the road. fortunately, i was able to get it out of the road after turning it off and on several times. i immediately took it to a ford nearby and am waiting to hear if they find anything else. i am now scared to drive my vehicle despite ford looking at it and "fixing" it several times.

Shudder when taking off, seems to be from 1st to 2nd....or 2nd to third. i dont really know. automatic gearbox. as well, my radio will crackle and pop then "freeze" no sound or control other than a very loud and distracting static and popping from the speakers. this has gotten much worse.

At 48,000 miles my horn stopped working

As i was driving approximately 60-65mph on the garden state parkway my windshield wipers came on without me telling them to. they cycled through fast, normal, intermittent, off for 60-90 seconds per cycle. after the second cycle i decided to exit the highway and find a place to park and shut the car off. i then hear a thud as i come to a light, 30 seconds later i see smoke. i pull into the parking lot and see lots of smoke and some flames coming from under my hood. i turn off the car and the wipers keep going. i get out and call 911 and within a few minutes my car is engulfed in flames.

Started with horn and tail light intermittently not working. then intermittently as you are driving the car shuts off with no warning. this is a major safety issue! everything locks up and you attempt to make it safely to the side of the road. all dash lights work but car won't start. found same complaints on internet and youtube but no recall. took to local ford dealer and they cannot find the issue. the diagnostic machine did not issue a code. i explained in detail the issue and asked for documentation of the issue. the paper they gave me said runs rough when ac is on. i said that is not the issue. they said don't worry the ticket is still open in the system. i asked if they could put a reader on the car while driven to catch the diagnostic code and they said no. so i am in same situation as other owners where my safety and others are at stake each time this car shuts off. also dealer said they h horn with a screwdriver to make it work for now. so no horn, tail light and car shutting off intermittently are serious safety issues. ford needs to recall this problem and fix it!

I had my car towed to my mechanic because of it has been not starting/hesitating to start when in park. i also tried switching to neutral and attempted to start and got nothing. my mechanic ran a diagnostic test and its coming up with a security code issue stating my key does not read but will start several minutes after attempt. this has just randomly started happening and i have read multiple complaints in ford forums stating the same situation. all lights on dash and radio come on but car has no noise and refuses to start. i thought it was my battery or starter and my mechanic has confirmed that it was neither. i tried contacting the ford dealership where i bought this car and they refuse to fix it or even acknowledge the issue. this make has had more issues than i have ever had with any vehicle i have ever owned. ford needs to step up because this is ridiculous. my husband has the same vehicle and his transmission is also on nationwide recall backorder for the same make and model. they should have had a warning for consumers that this was a terrible production year.

The steering wheel locks up and won't turn this has happened while driving and when i just start the car. i can put my key in the ignition and all the lights, radio, and chime works, but the car won't start. i had it checked when i got it started and the battery was fine and the altenator was fine and so was my starter. i have been having problems with my car for the past 4 years please help.

With less than 21k miles on the car and the alternator, it seized up, tore the pulley off, and shredded the belt and left my car dead. i was driving on the freeway and heard a metallic grinding and jingling sound. had i not been able to exit when i did, i might not have been able to safely navigate my car to a stop. ford is refusing to admit that it was their manufacturing that was responsible for this. they did not cover it under any of the remaining warranties on the car. my dad works in the auto industry and he was telling me that they test the alternators that his company makes to last 150k miles and that this should not have failed the way that it did.

Car was running fine then turned it off and 10 minutes later would not crank. car will not start.you can jump start it and it starts. now cut it off want crank

The electrical power steering malfunction light will illuminate, when this happens this is a sudden complete loss of power steering making it impossible to steer vehicle. this occurred when the vehicle was in park stationary and also while in drive moving. it occasionally would happen. after the third or fourth time, the malfunction light remained illuminated and power steering loss remained despite try to restart car, this final time it did not shut off problem. took vehicle into ford where i had to pay for a complete new steering rack and cbm. cost $2,000 at ford dealership.

Car will sporadically and intermittently not turn over when key is in ignition. battery is not faulty. alternator is not faulty. wiring is not faulty. all have been tested. from what i have experienced this happens when the car's internal software (or more specifically transmission control module) does not recognize is in park thereby preventing the vehicle from starting. this sometimes prevents the vehicle from being started from anywhere of 30 seconds to at an extreme instance nearly 45 minutes. often times, the only way to start the car in these instances is to keep the foot on the brake, move the shifter into neutral and wait (for previously mentioned times) until the dashboard indicates that it recognizes the car is in neutral. (when this occurs, when shifter is first moved to neutral no gear appears to be highlighted in dashboard)

Our family took part in the recall campaign that was due to defective transmissions ford sold previously. (this campaign was not easy to discover). the car would stop in the middle of traffic randomly, and still does after the dealership applied the fixes ford suggested. my mother experienced total power loss twice and was almost in two accidents because of that. (the problem still persists). there are only 54,000 miles on the car and it is in great physical condition.

My first issue with the vehicle is a malfunctioning horn and front passenger side window. then the transmission failed on me while i was driving. i had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership for service. ford replaced the transmission after having the car for about a month. the dealership said they also fixed the horn. but that is not the case. the horn is still not working. i don't use the horn much, but i realized how dangerous not having one can be last week. i had to signal a vehicle backing up into the main road in order to avoid a collision. since my horn was not working, i had to swerve. the vehicle is back at the dealership for service. the vehicle has been there for 3 days and they still have not updated me on the status of my vehicle.

Notice came up on dash monitor "steering assist malfunction-needs attention". after re-starting the car you could steer it, and took it to a ford dealer and was told it needed a "steering rack" at a cost of $1600.00, not covered on the "drive train" warranty, even though i was told by the sales man from a different dealer where i bought the car, that a new steering rack had been installed at just over 3000 miles. the car now only has just over 45000 miles on it. not happy! car was not moving when the initial "needs attention" message appeared, it was parked in a parking lot, and just started to go home from work.

Driver assist fault again. this is the 4th instance that is happened in 3 weeks - where my car suddenly powers off while i am behind the wheel. the last three times it happened while my car was in reverse motion. today, it happened while i was in drive but stopped at a red light in downtown charlotte, nc. someone had to help me push my car out of the middle of the road. occurred on my way to work around 3:30 pm est.

I started my car this morning, put it in reverse and began to back out of my driveway when the car locked up and lost power. i could not steer or brake and the car continued rolling backwards until it hit my garage and stopped. the lights came on my dash read "(i) steering assist fault". i turned the car off and on several times before the lights went out, the steering wheel unlocked and i was able to depress the brake and gain full control of my car again. i took the car to my ford dealer in kannapolis, nc (where i purchased the car) and they said the car would need to "duplicate the error" before they could diagnose it. i explained the car would have to be in motion for that to happen and i cannot stop the car if that happens again. i drive on the interstate and i am petrified this will happen while i am on the road and have no control over the car. the tech said there have been hundreds of complaints about the loss of steering power on these fords, but that until ford issues an official recall there is nothing they can do to fix it. it could be as simple as a software update.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while the vehicle was parked at a grocery store, the engine would not turn off. the contact pulled the fuel fuse to discontinue the flow of fuel and shut the engine off; however, the vehicle lighting remained illuminated. the battery had to be disconnected to turn off the lights. the failure recurred three times. the contact called roy o'brien ford at 586-776-7600 (located at 22201 e 9 mile rd, st clair shores, mi 48080) and was informed that the failure was not a known issue. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to elder ford (888-467-5023, located at 777 john r rd, troy, mi 48083) where it was diagnosed that the body control module needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any explanation for the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

I was driving to get on the freeway and as i tried to accelerate it would not go any higher in speed of 25mph and then it speeds up drastically. i parked it and later that day car would not start after 15 minutes car turned on without problems then i drove it home and parked it and doesn't turn on at all. put in new battery but car still would not turn on on computer screen says to contact manufacture.

My car constantly smells like gas when i start it up after filling the gas tank up, the car dies when driving down road i have to pull over to start it because it dies while i am on the road so i have to pull over since last year the fuel reader stopped working causing me to die on side of road because of running out of gas. the car still has transmission issues it jerks from time to time and the half shaft bearing and wheel bearings are currently going out in this car. i bought the car brand new at the ford dealership. this is car is a lemon i have owned over 15 used cars and never had a problem as much i have had with this new car.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while backing out of a parking space, the steering wheel stiffened and failed. also, the instrument panel lighting remained illuminated. the issue recurred multiple times. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the failure could not be replicated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving various speeds, a green and red light flashed on the instrument panel. the vehicle's downhill indicator illuminated without being activated. the vehicle revved and shifted into neutral. the contact stated that the vehicle eventually returned to normal. other times, the contact would have to turn off the vehicle and restart it a few times until it returned to normal. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000.

Connector for airbags keep coming undone. we took in after seeing notification on dash showing airbag issue. paid 170 for them to put a new connector in. less than a year later it is loose again. we cannot keep paying $170 for them to fix this. the switch just hangs under the driver's seat and we have made a point of not putting anything under there in case this was the problem. i have seen online where airbags are not deploying. could be a faulty switch underneath causing this to happen. http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2012/ford/focus/air_bags/problem.aspx

'my two sons were driving east on i-10, near schulenburg, tx, at the posted speed limit of 75 mph, when the vehicle engine and related components shutdown (no power steering, no engine, no nothing), without any prior notice. it is by the grace of god that they were not injured or killed by the 18 wheeler truck behind them when the vehicle engine failed. the vehicle was towed to a local ford dealership, tommie vaughn ford, who diagnose the culprit part to be a defective transmission control module. ford has issued a field service action (number 14m02) regarding said part. however, ford needs to recall all affected vehicles for this problem before someone is injured or killed. *tr

Takata recall. the car will die in the middle of driving. doesn't matter the speed you are going the lights on the dashboard will light up and you cant accelerate or decelerate the car will just die.