2012 Ford Focus Engine Problems
- 349
- 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 349 stored complaint records:
- 7 indicate a crash
- 4 indicate injury
- 4 indicate fire
What owners report
- check engine · 24 records
- engine light · 16 records
- indicator illuminated · 12 records
- takata recall · 10 records
- engine indicator · 9 records
- failure mileage · 9 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 94 |
| 60–100k mi | 78 |
| 30–60k mi | 76 |
| 100–150k mi | 43 |
| 150–400k mi | 10 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
The transmission in our focus stutters and grinds when shifting from 1st gear to 2nd. *tr
ODI 10649257
Engine
Clutch quit at approx. 26,000mi. This was preceded by heavy shuddering and vibrations (for approximately three weeks). The manufacturer, fomoco, diagnosed the problem two weeks ago but was unable (or unwilling) to immediately replace the part, putting me in a long, "backorder" queue. My personal feeling is that the transmission is defective and should be subject to a recall. *tr
ODI 10549367
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
While driving approx 30 miles per hour on a b road, just after turning right the car displayed a "stop safely now" warning and the car lost all power to the drive train and the car literally stopped moving. Luckily, there was no one behind me when the fault occurred. I power cycled the car and i was able to drive away after a few minutes. I have never had an issue with the car until last night.
ODI 10544836
Engine
Car stops dead and the "stop safely now" light comes on. *tr
ODI 10548917
Engine · Power Train
The ford focus 2012 is a true lemon! It runs rough jerking movements esp in low gear. It has lack of acceleration. I bought this car new and have had it to the dealership four times only to be told its all normal for the 2012. However i feel its not normal! My last visit i was handed a sheet filled with '' normal'' things to expect! The dealership refused to allow me to trade it back in. I wrote to the ford motor co…
ODI 10543215
Engine · Unknown Or Other
The focus has a manufacturers problem with the transmission clutch. It often breaks and often leaves me stranded. It will stop accelerating or get stuck when accelerating on the highway and i've almost had a few accidents because of it. I have also been stranded on the side of the road because of it late at night. Ford has fixed it four times now with no resolution. They say its a common problem that they can patch…
ODI 10715351
Engine · Power Train
The automatic transmission shifting is horrible with excessive shuddering and lurching. *tr
ODI 10639516
Engine
The incident happened on 8/28/13 as i tried to pull onto the busy intersection. My car did not want to change gears and had no power at all. I had to be towed since i was over an hour away from my home. My car has been in the shop since this date. I called on 8/30/13 and was told by the dealership that it was ok for me to take my car and drive it over the holiday weekend. I asked if it would hurt the car to drive it…
ODI 10538217
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Since we purchased the vehicle, it seemed to stutter when trying to go from a stop. I was told that this is normal for this transmission. But on august 24th, the transmission started to have even more problems. First the vehicle was having a hard time accelerating past 20 mph. Then it started jerking back and forth, lunging to and fro. It was not shifting gears like it should have, and it felt like it was going to…
ODI 10537932
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control · Wheels
I was driving down a [redacted], trying to push the gas to get to 35 mph, but it failed and revved the engine and rpm without increasing my speed. I was going 20 mph and worried that my speed would affect other cars behind me to possibly hit me. There is some noise coming from the engine. It happened three times within less than a mile so i pulled over off the road to check and still unsure. The car is still brand…
ODI 10537070
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
I have only owned this 2012 ford focus for approx. 6 weeks. It has been hesitating, sputtering, and jerking upon acceleration and when driving at low speeds since the first day i owned it. At first it was intermittent but now it happens most all the time. When i stop and take off it feels like it is going to stall out. When on an interstate ramp i feel i cannot get up to a higher speed fast enough. I took it to the…
ODI 10546575
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
While driving through uptown charlotte, the car gave a "stop safely now" alert and the car lost power. It coasted enough to roll to the right lane and then died. I could not get the warning flashers to work. I tried for about 7 minutes to get the car to turn off, every combination i knew. After that, the car 'reset' and i was able to get it to start. I drove away as if nothing happened. It hasn't happened since.…
ODI 10543624
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Vehicle Speed Control
Was sitting at a stop light after leaving work and the "stop safely now" message appeared. Car would not move. After several cycles of turning the car on and off, opening and closing the driver door, locking and unlocking the car, it managed to reset itself and work again, only to have the problem recur about 5 minutes later, requiring the same steps to resolve the issue. The car worked normally the rest of the day…
ODI 10536510
Electrical System · Engine · Service Brakes
This is regarding ford focus electric 2012. I was pulling out of my office parking lot and driving at about 5 mph. I got the 'stop safely now' warning and within a few seconds the car stopped and i could not drive any more. Fortunately, it was the internal street and around 3 pm when the traffic is very low. I am glad this incident did not happen on the freeway in the left lane (carpool lane in california). I was…
ODI 10536160
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
2012 ford focus. Consumer writes in regards to acceleration problems. *smd the consumer stated it felt as though the vehicle was loosing power and trying to stall out. She would try to accelerate and the vehicle would rev, but would not go, and when it finally did go, it was very jumpy and slow. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer five times for the same issue. The dealer stated the vehicle needed a computer…
ODI 10606313
Body · Engine · Seats
The vehicle was parked with the engine off. A fire spontaneously began in the engine compartment. The vehicle was in service for 14 months, bought new and under a maintenance contract. No previous issues. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10534746
Engine · Power Train
I am the single owner of my 2012 ford focus. I only have 54k miles on the vehicle but it shudders, jerks and feels like it falls out of gear at times. It has behaved this way since i have owned it. I thought that is just the way it was. I am now very concerned about the these transmission problems as my son now drives the vehicle.
ODI 11241122
Engine · Power Train
I see here that several individuals complaining have the same complaints that i do, the incline problems, the vehicle sounding like it is going to die on you. The problems when you accelerate. This is a new vehicle and have had that problem from the time we purchased it. I am thinking it is the transmission. Can someone please guide me. I still have years on the note and it is not fair to pay on something that is as…
ODI 10523975
Engine · Fuel System, Gasoline · Manual Transmission
Vehicle lost power and was not able to safely accelerate while traveling on the highway. The problem happened when i down shifted a gear to pass someone (manual transmission). The vehicle felt like it had about 30% power. I was forced to pull off of highway. Once vehicle was shutoff and turned back on it returned to normal. I had no warning lights on dash or anything. It just happened all of the sudden and was very…
ODI 10523599
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Transmission issues, jerking, jumping, jolting forward, sluggish, lack of power, feels like the car is going to cut off. This happens at slow speeds, fast speeds, at a stop, idling, etc. You name a condition of the car at various speeds and it has transmission issues. I took it to ford to fix and they said it was a "known" issue, they updated the software and calibrated. It still has the same issues, the problem is…
ODI 10588949
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
Issue 1: the vehicle is on its third clutch in the 2 years since purchase and continues to have transmission issues. When applying gas it stutters, lurches, or responds as if not taking gas. This week: three times turning from stop sign left, right from stop sign, and right from parking lot. Apply gas to accelerate and vehicles stutters, pauses, and stalls for a moment. Two of the three, particularly one came close…
ODI 10652846
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
We first noticed when we bought the car that it was jerky when accelerating, was told that is the way the car drives. Went on a road trip and trying to accelerate to expressway wouldn't go just revved then jerked out into traffic, we almost got killed and had to go to the shoulder to avoid accident. This happened multiple times and was very unsafe. We got to the point we were afraid to drive it, cause we didn't know…
ODI 10537299
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
I purchased a new 2012 ford focus ev on june 7, 2013. Twice (still in june), while driving at speeds approximately 50 mph, the "stop safely now" warning came on and the vehicle lost power. Both times i was able to restart the vehicle within a couple of minutes. I made sure to note all the indicators to provide the ford service techs as much information as possible. When i brought the vehicle in to be serviced, the…
ODI 10542983
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving various speeds, the vehicle shook violently and stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 5,000.
ODI 10637602
Electrical System · Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving at any speed, the vehicle lost power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,000.
ODI 10884749