Problems with 2012 Ford Focus POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would not properly accelerate and sputter. the power train clutch had to be replaced. the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to a faulty transmisson. on several occasions the gear could could not be switch and message "service transmission" had displayed. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer heiser automotive group(1700 w. silver spring dr. glendale wi) who diagnosed that the power train clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired and the failure was remedied. the manufacturer was notified of failure. the failure mileage was 16.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle rolled backward whenever he removed his foot from the brake pedal while stopped on an incline. the failure occurred while the vehicle was shifted in drive. the contact also stated that the vehicle once rolled backward as much as fifty feet. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and an unknown recall repair was performed that addressed the failure. the failure continued. the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 11,000.

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

We purchased this car on 08/19/2011 and the next day while taking off from a stop sign the car would shudder, i do not have this issue when the transmission is cold but in stop and go driving and normal city driving after it has warmed up. also when you depress the accelerator from a stop the vehicle will go for a second then have a nice sized flat spot so even the people in the car will go forward as if the brakes were coming on. i took the vehicle to the dealer and the tech drove it and verified that it did have this issue. they contacted ford and ford stated that it was normal and told them to do nothing. i complained to ford customer service and all the lady had to say was that it is normal. also ford had stated that these are isolated incidents, if they are indeed isolated then they cannot be considered normal but rather a defect that ford does not want to address. i was told that the clutches require a break-in but ford does not state any break-in procedure that pertains just to the clutches other then the normal 1000 mile break-in for the vehicle in general. i and others i have communicated with all have these issues after the 1000 mile break-in and feel it is both a safety issue and a mechanical defect from ford that would cost to much to repair so they claim it is normal. *kb

2012 ford focus. consumer writes in regards to ongoing transmission issues. *smd the consumer stated each time visited the dealer, she was informed it was only a programming adjustment. the consumer has been to the dealer 10 times, for the same problem. the consumer stated the transmission was unpredictable. not only did the clutch slip between first and second gears, the vehicle intermittently hesitated when taking off from a complete stop. also, the engine would shake at 55 mph and continued to shake even at 70 mph. *jb

My car has been having issues with the transmission that ford installed in the 2012 ford focus. the car shudders and hesitates on take off to the point of it stalling. the car has been in the dealership six times now. at this point ford is installing new clutches and i will have to wait another 1,000 miles until these new clutches brakes in to see if the issue persists. i have read in forums and articles that im not the only person having these issues. please help in any way you can. *tr

While driving my car stopped while i was stepping on the pedal - i was told it was my gears so they were changed and my car was repaired for over 3 weeks and when i went to pick it up - it still had the same problem - my transmission isn't shifting with my gears so it is still in the shop i had to take it back after only driving 6 blocks away from the ford dealer. it is still being repaired. *tr

We bought our focus earlier this year and immediatley noticed stumbling on acceleration and rough idling. the car feels like it's going to stall when it taking off from a stop or when making hard accelerations. we took the car to the dealer the first week of ownership to have this looked at, but ford told us it needed to break in and that there were no error codes when they ran a diagnositc. the probelm has never been fixed although the symptoms were confirmed by the shop foreman. the second time we took the car in as the shuddering was worse, the dealer had it for over 30 days and put 700 miles on the car to no avail. we have all the paperwork documenting their testing and the dates they have had the vehicle. a rep from ford came out to take a look at the car as well during this time, and once again told them this was normal and would go away. we now have about 2300 miles on the car and it is only getting worse. we have filed a claim through ford motor company for a buy back on the car due to safety concerns but we were denied as of today, and also told that the car does not qualify as a lemon in the state of california. they have set us up for another appointment to go back to the dealer and see what they can do. before filing any complaints, we did research to see if others were having a simialr issue. there are multiple forums of people having these same issues (the best site to visit is focusfanatics.com). upon reading about everyone elses troubles, no one seems to have gotten a resolution and we feel that this next appointment we have set is really a waste of time. seems that ford is sweeping the problem under the rug and has no solution for this issue. in conclusion, we do love the way the car looks, rides, and all the great amenities ford has put in it's vehicles but this is a definete safety issue that is not being addressed at all by ford motor company. *tr

I bought this car ford focus se 2012 in july 2011 and the day after that i felt and heard weird noises and vibration when automatic transmission changed gears. i went to the dealer and i was told that the car was operating within ford specification so it was normal and after a few miles it will desapear. it continue getting worse. at 2500 miles i went to the dealer again but they said again that the car was operating within ford specification. at 6500 miles the weird noises and vibration were still there and service engine light turned on suddenly and the gears didn't shift. the car was towed to the dealer and they told me that the computer didn't record any error or problem and that the car was operating within ford specifications. after some delay they changed the dual clutch in the transmission but it was worse. at that time the car had the same weird noises and vibrations and shakes a lot while idling. i applied lemon law and an independent mechanic tested the car and saw and felt the problem. i went to the arbitration in better business bureau and they tested the car too and saw and felt the problem. the person from ford didn't go to the arbitration, they were on the phone. i won the case and this next monday february 6, 2012 i have to go to the dealer to receive my money back and return the car. i live in florida and i applied lemon law in this car. this ford focus se 2012 is a lemon car. about the seat belt problem, when i'm driving, if i unbuckle the seat belt, the warning light doesn't light on until about 1 mile later. also after i first start the car, if i wait for about 10 minutes with the seat belt unbuckled, the warning light turn of and if i drive the car with the seat belt unbuckled, warning light doesn't light on for about 1 mile. i think this is a safety problem too. gbya :) *kb

At between 8000 - 9000 miles on the odometer, car started having transmission problems. when accelerating from a stop, car would reach approx. 8 mph and instead of shifting up to next gear, went into neutral for 3-5 seconds, then proceeded to upshift and take off at a lurch. the check engine light came on and when i stopped, the reverse gear was also like being in neutral. now it is several months later, the car has had the transmission replaced by ford ( has spent nearly 10 weeks at ford service). since the replacement transmission, the car doesn't "fall out of gear", but now when stopping and starting the car feels like it is going to stall out. this behavior is disconcerting given the history of "falling out of gear" when trying to accelerate and merge in to traffic. i feel this vehicle is a safety hazard. *tr

I purchased a 2012 ford focus hatch. as soon as we drove the car we noticed the difference in the transmission. the sales man said he didn't feel it and that the car had to learn our driving habits. don't think a car learns 2 different driving habits as there are 2 of us driving it. but at low speeds either accelerating or decelerating the car shutters and shimmies way too much for our comfort. it seems this is an electronic problem but we thought we'd bring it in to have a trained tech look at it. the first attempt was a new module and that should fix it.... it didn't... so in a second time for a remapping of the computer...didn't help. ....in for a third time and the tech says ford is not allowing any fixes on this car... we have to wait! really? wait? i bought a brand new $21,000 car...... an automatic car! i been told it has to learn how i drive... i've been told it needs broke in...it has 5000 miles on it now how long does it take to break in? i'm told that it's as if i am driving a manual and this is normal.........hello!!!!! not a manual. i'm told this is just how this transmission reacts... and along with the shuttering is the hesitation upon accelerating that could cost me my life on a busy highway............... the remote key lock has confusion issues. it doesn't always recognize the signal and it has to be opened or locked manually. all i want is a fix and if there is no fix i want to be able to implement the lemon law on this car........ i expected more from ford for my 30 plus years of loyalty. after all isn't that what has kept ford going? all of us loyal customers that stayed with them thru the hard times? my family has bought over $100,000 in new ford cars and trucks and plenty of used ones as well. i really am sad that ford hasn't stepped up on this one and i am so sure i am not alone. listen ford execs..... we are paying attention!!! thank you! *tr

This car has had the problem with rough shifting and roll back on hill almost immediately after purchased in may . i reported incident to ford motor company and they did not do anything but later in may 2012 received the service notice for reprogramming. it helped it but did not fix it and this problem returned and actually got worse. we just took it to our dealer for service on 6/21/13 and they said there was a clutch assembly pack they replaced. once again the car is driving better but still not what i consider normal (smooth shifting/accelerating) for any car. i am concerned that issue will return with time. ford needs to fix the transmission once and for all. what needs to be done in order to have a recall? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal and the vehicle lost power and began jerking abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. the dealer reprogrammed the electronic computer for the transmission but the failure was not corrected. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 1 and the current mileage was 8,500.

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the transmission slipped into neutral without warning while driving various speeds. the failure also occurred when placing the vehicle into park. in addition, the vehicle continued to roll while in park and jerked when applying pressure to the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to crest ford (22675 gibraltar rd, flat rock, mi 48134, (734) 782-2400) where it was diagnosed that the clutch and seals needed replacement. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failures would not be covered under warranty. the contact found a letter online stating that ford would cover all transmission defects for the vehicle; however, ford refused to honor the letter due to the contact not honoring the july 19, 2019 deadline. the contact disputed that claim, stating that she called ford to make an appointment two weeks prior to the deadline. the contact had an open case with the ford manufacturer (case number: cas-22244671-k7c0k9) regarding this issue. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 20,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while parked, he attempted to shift from park to drive and the vehicle jerked backward. there was also a grinding noise while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics, where the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the technician also stated that the failures were normal and would stop over time. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 20.

I was driving and stuck in traffic. going slow, 5-10mph, the car started shifting really strange, not moving when initially accelerating and then jerking from first to second gear. my destination was 3 blocks ahead of me so i stayed on route and parked when i arrived. as i got back into the car it wouldn't start. i managed to get the car to start after "messing" with the auto shifter and leaving the car in nuetral. once started the car would not go into gear, or move when placed into d, r or l. i shut the car down and it would not start again after that. the transmission control module (tcm) is what th edealer told me had failed. it took a solid 7 days to get my car back. the first couple of days were spent trying to figure out what went wrong. the car has always shifted strange and continues to shift strange to this day. the problem was fixed but i think it is just a matter of time before it fails again. *tt

While in drive, the auto transmission allowed the car to roll backward and hit the car behind me then lunged forward and hit the car in front of me. the hill was fairly steep as it was an off ramp from freeway at stop light. car has been to dealer 4 times for this problem but i am told it is a normal condition. *js

I bought the 2012 ford focus sel on may 5th 2012. the car has had both front struts replaced, at 69 miles!! the car jerks and refuses to go when you give it gas after being completely stopped, i was almost hit pulling out onto a busy road because the care would not go!!!! the transmission needs to be replaced in this car, however grey daniels ford in brandon mississippi will not do that, so i have driven this vehicle approximately a week and a half since buying on may 5th, the rest of the time it has been in the shop. ford should have to fix these vehicles correctly. stop putting a bandaid on the problem and fix it already!!!! i guess they'll wait until someone gets killed because of their neglect to do anything about the problems.....but then who knows that might not even get their attention. i will never purchase another ford vehicle, that i can guarantee!!! *tr

This vehicle has some scary and sometimes dangerous transmission issues. it's not like a normal automatic with a torque converter, so some roughness is expected. but, this car often grinds gears, slips, grabs and lunges, and also rolls back on inclines. i have nearly been in several accidents when i have tried to accelerate into an intersection and the vehicle doesn't respond to the accelerator being depressed completely to the floor. it sometimes acts as if you are trying to start from a stop in 3rd or 4th gear. ford motors has continually said these problems are normal and the vehicle needs some break-in time. well, this vehicle now has over 6,000 miles. i don't think it's going to get better. if i get into an accident because of this, there are going to be some serious problems to handle with ford. i know i'm not alone in these problems. i have been on forums with many people having the same issues. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while stopped at a stop sign, the vehicle was hesitant to accelerate as the contact depressed the accelerator pedal. as the vehicle finally accelerated, it jerked forward violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer approximately five times for diagnostic testing. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. there was a manufacturer's recall for an update to the transmission. after the update was performed, the failure continued. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 200.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at 60 mph and accelerating, the vehicle jerked violently and lost power. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be driven more and the computer needed to be adjusted to the driver. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 11,600.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that the transmission would exhibit a loud noise when the gear was shifted especially when it engaged in third gear. in addition, the engine rpms would abnormally increase. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the transmission was operating normally. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 37,701. updated 11/12/13*cn

Have a 2012 focus se. purchased in may of 2010. since july of 2010, i have been taking it to the local dealership where i purchased the vehicle complaining that the car was surging, shuddering, and when i hit the gas pedal, it feels like the car stalls, gets no gas, or has trouble getting into gear. of course, there are no known issues until a recall. finally, the problem can be addressed. i take it in, they "fix it" it still shudders, and feels like it's going to stall out in the intersection. next thing, my car overheats and dies at 11pm on the side of the interstate. i take to a different dealership and they say, well the clutch is bad and the cooling system is bad. great 2012 car and two items have already went out. they change the clutch and cooling system, now when i back up, it grinds and bogs down. i have had my car for 2 years in may, 39,000 miles on it, and it's been in the shop a total of 4 times. they have changed the clutch and the cooling system. was told the clutch needed "several hundred miles to break in" gave it about 500, still grinds when i back up, more so on an incline. although now, it's decided it wants to stutter when it starts. so it's back in the shop for the 4th time, and i'm yet again in a rental car. i have a customer service guy through ford, he's useless... i can't even get him to return a phone call. what is the point of him being there if he's not going to do his job. i don't feel that i'm getting any resolutions from the local dealerships i have dealt with, or from your customer care manager. i want a replacement vehicle. i have worked with ford over 2 years and the vehicle is still having problems. of course the dealership tells me this is an isolated issue. please go to edmunds,com and you will see that this is not an isolated issue... there are multiple reports of the same problems that i am having. *tr