2012 Ford Focus Power Train Problems
- 1,052
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 1052 stored complaint records:
- 27 indicate a crash
- 11 indicate injury
- 3 indicate fire
What owners report
- Automatic Transmission · 4 records
- Clutch Assembly · 3 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 330 |
| 60–100k mi | 243 |
| 30–60k mi | 239 |
| 100–150k mi | 96 |
| 150–400k mi | 20 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated slowly on occasion. Other times, the rpms would race and the vehicle would jerk forward. The dealer stated that the body control module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer was not able to reprogram the computer to install the new part and had to re-install the old part. The manufacturer was notified and the…
ODI 10641774
Electrical System · Power Train
Driving up light incline on paved highway when traction control light flashes indicating a loss of traction. Seconds later car loses response to gas pedal, flashes "transmission system failure. Service immediately." after pulling over away from traffic and powering off then 30 second wait and on warning is gone and functions are restored. A week later problem comes up again, this time on interstate going 70mph.…
ODI 10621177
Engine · Power Train · Service Brakes
The vehicle doesn't automatically shift properly. It doesn't shift up when it should and revs up badly. The same thing happens when i go down large hills. It shifts down and it shouldn't, so the engine revs and i have to put it in neutral when going down hills. Further, when i am parked on a hill, it rolls back a bit before stopping. Lastly, the bluetooth microphone is dying and sounds terrible on the other end. *tr
ODI 10618082
Power Train
It does not shift correctly. Slow and sluggish to shift. Very jerky. Especially at lower gears. Jerks forward when not expecting it. Have taken it back to dealer twice. Had a new clutch put in. Was good for a day or two. Doing it again!!!! This car should be recalled & returned to owners only when this is fixed. Ford knows this experiment did not work & it is time to make it right. I work hard for my money & this…
ODI 10632955
Power Train
Transmission has been jerky, shaky, jumps into gear. This has happened periodically since i have gotten the car and has gotten progressively worse. Most recently, whenever it shifts around 20 mph there is a terrible grinding noise along with a shudder. Brought my vehicle into hudson ford in hudson, wi on august 15, 2014. Dealer stated there was a transmission leak and seals were defective. They replaced seals. I…
ODI 10626850
Electrical System · Power Train
During times of frequent stop and go (accelerating and de-accelerating) the car shudders and acts like it is going to stall. It does not accelerate or de-accelerate properly sometimes. I did not notice until about 40,000 miles and have had this problem ever since. Some model of ford focuses are under recall, however when i went to the dealer they said my car specifically was not being recalled yet it was exhibiting…
ODI 10732798
Power Train
I just had my vehicle in a ford dealership you get the transmission looked at because it would not shift correctly and the check engine was on. It has been out of the shop for 3 days and while on my way home from work i was on the highway and car came to a halt and would not shift and i was almost rearended. This is the third time my vehicle has been at a ford dealership to have the transmission looked at. When is…
ODI 10610808
Power Train
Transmission shifts improperly causing shudder effect. At idle the vehicle shudders as if its going to die out. The shudder happens mostly on highway driving.
ODI 10794618
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
At random times the car will just shut off leaving a coasting vehicle down the highway, or leave you stalled out in the middle of an intersection. If you leave it sit for 30min-1hour it may restart. If you press the accelerator it was not respond. After a couple minutes the vehicle will recover from a rough idle and try to lunge forward even when vehicle is in park. Problem: transmission control module. *tr
ODI 10633469
Power Train
Automatic manual clutch/transmission shutters, jerks, vibrates and lurches at low speeds or on hills. Ford reprogrammed clutch/transmission in 2014 and it improved. However, the problem still exists as the clutch is slipping. Please recall and fix this issue. *tr
ODI 10610345
Power Train
The transmission on my 2012 ford focus makes a grinding noise and the car jerks when starting out from a stop usually thru 1st and 2nd gears thru the automatic transmission. According to the internet there have been hundreds of complaints and problems with the ford split transmission. A recall should be made on this car, i guess it will take some accidents and lives before ford does anything about it. *tr
ODI 10610214
Power Train
Tried to take off at stop light. When i hit the accelerator the car jerked real hard but barely rolled. Then the rpm went to 5000-5500 and it took off real fast. *tr
ODI 10614715
Power Train
My 2012 ford focus is unsafe to drive because of the faulty dps6 transmission. The clutches in it have been replaced 3 times and it's slipping badly, again. Also, the transmission control module failed, and when it did, i was stuck in the middle of the freeway without the ability to move my vehicle. I no longer have warranty coverage for the expensive repairs and i'm stuck with an unsafe lemon. The transmission…
ODI 11240469
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
While driving on the road, going about 40-50 mph on a sunny, hot day in july, the traction control suddenly turned on and the car started to decelerate. I found it odd as the weather was not inclement and i had not hit a pothole so i pulled over since the car was automatically slowing down. I was lucky not to have been in an accident as there were plenty of cars around and this was less than half a mile from the…
ODI 10618362
Automatic Transmission · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shook and became unstable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission oil seal was ruptured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,900.
ODI 10617850
Power Train · Structure
2012 ford focus. Consumer writes in regards to water leakage on the inside passenger side. *smd the consumer stated two after the vehicle was supposedly fixed, water leaked inside again. The consumer continued to drive the vehicle. Then at 13,000 miles, the vehicle started to shudder and shake when she accelerated. The consumer then traded the vehicle for another a 2014 ford focus and she experienced the same…
ODI 10617519
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the automatic transmission module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The vin was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
ODI 10615666
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle made a loud grinding noise and stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 47,491.
ODI 10622303
Power Train
I purchased this vehicle used on june 25, 2014. On june 28, 2014 while i was driving approximately 65 mph the car seemed to slip out of drive into neutral, the check engine light came on and i lost all power to the car. I nearly had a very bad wreck trying to get the car back in control. Once i was stopped i started the car back up, it started up just fine and drove just fine for another couple of hours. Then it did…
ODI 10606960
Power Train
I started experiencing transmission problems with my focus after what would normally be considered the end of the break in period, which was around 8,000 miles. The car would stall, shudder, and shake during acceleration from a stop, at low speed driving, and got notably worse the longer i drove especially on hot/humid days. I followed the maintenance schedule as outlined in the owner's manual and each time i…
ODI 10607704
Power Train · Steering
The transmission is knocking when it shifts gears especially the lower gears. It stutters really bad as well. *js
ODI 10616699
Power Train
Car is a death trap! Going down the highway at 60 mph and it just loses all power and dies! That was the first incident. Took it to the dealership where they rebuilt the clutch. This did not fix the transmission problem at all. The second incident happened a week later when i had my children in the vehicle, and we were making a left-hand turn onto a busy highway when all of a sudden the car lurched forward into…
ODI 10607756
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Purchased this vehicle on saturday, june 14, 2014 for my daughter. The following monday while pulling out of parking lot, the "engine" indicator came on and car begin to hesitate, when she got on the highway she was not able to drive more than 40 mph and the tachometer was flipping from one side of the dial to the other. She managed to the drive the car home. I started the car, the light was off and it drove…
ODI 10604334
Power Train
Pulled out of parking lot, the transmission malfunction indicator came on with message. Car would not go above 10 mph and the tachometer would flip from one side of the dial to the other. Pulled into another parking lot and put car in park and tried turning the car off and then starting the car again to see if it would clear the error. Same error and will not move above 10 mph. Had car towed. *js
ODI 10598394
Engine · Power Train · Steering
On two occasions the vehicle stopped running while in motion. In incident 1, this occurred at highway speed (65 mph) and incident #2 in local traffic (15 mph). In both cases all power was lost including the acceleration, power steering, etc. After incident 1, the car restarted and driven to the dealer - extensive repairs were made "to the transmission" (per the dealer). In the second incident after dealer repairs…
ODI 10611194