Table 1 shows one common electronic stability control related problems of the 2012 Ford Focus.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electronic Stability Control problems |
It seems as the transmission needs reprogram the body control module with updated software it seems to be stuck on s instead of normal drive and it has problems when accelerate and shift.
While in motion on the interstate my consul gave me a notification that there was a "failure in steering assist" and to pull over safely. At witch time I lost my power steering assist. I pulled off at the next exit which thankfully led to baxter Ford south where they ran a service check the next day. After running the check they determined there was a failure in the power steering control module (pscm). The pscm was re programed to the last known code. They informed me that they did not know how long the fix would last. On the same day after driving 600 miles I received the same message and once again lost power steering assist. Note that the same failure has occurred in the 2011- 2012 Ford fusion, Ford flex, and Ford taurus. All have been recalled except for the 2012 Ford Focus model. I will attach and highlight my invoice from baxter Ford south.
Takara recall there is a "steering assist fault" message that comes randomly. The steering is really tough to move while driving, went to see if they had any safety recalls on it but there isn't. This has happened multiple times randomly while I was driving and is not very safe.
The brake pedal will go to the floor. Based on my research Ford has a problem with the abs brake pump which causes the brakes to go soft. The pedal has a long travel is very sluggish to respond. In my opinion this is a extreme safety issue. I believe Ford should be made to recall and fix the problem.
Most ability to steer. Wheel locked while driving.
Car suddenly loses all power while driving down the road and completely shuts down, loses all power for about 15 min to hour and the will suddenly start up again.
The vehicle shudders from a compete stop or accelerating this has happened since purchase of the vehicle. Most recently the car will accelerate when driving or in worst cases while braking. The vehicle has ramped up to 6000rpm while braking going down hill. Upon contacting local Ford dealership about the unintended acceleration, they stated they had not heard of this issue before. Advised me to stop driving the vehicle and have it towed to their facility.
My Ford Focus has been having electrical issues for several months now. I have asked Ford to look at my car and they stated it will be $150 to do that. I do not have the money. My major concern is the air bags. My light has been coming off and on and I do not think the air bags will employ. I have seen several complaints on your web site and online as well. Some cars have been in accidents and having the same issue and airbags did not employ. I am terrified this will happen and not save a life. I have an autistic 13 yr old that rides in the passenger side and myself are very concerned!. Also I have been following online a big issue with the electrical in the middle isle which controls the radio and airbags and whatever other warning lights and controls may be. My radio shorted out with loud popping and srcreehing nose then blew out. I think the electrical is all bad in the unit which may be effecting the airbags. Please I am asking for a very concerned safety concern to save a life regarding the airbags please look into a recall regarding this. I am not the first one tho complain about this. Thank you very much. I do have pictures with the airbag light on and off. It is not a push button! I can send pictures if you need them. I am able to do currently. Please let me know. Please help.
Takata recall everytime I take off in my car it jurks all the time like it was trying to catch to move into next year it jurks as I drive down the road and when I stop at a red light ,and a stop sign it jurks and then cuts of so I have to put the car in park to keep it from cutting off I have been on the side of the road 6 times because of this problem the gas meter stop working so I never knew how much gas I had in the car now I can not even drive the car because it has gotten worse want go into gear.
I have a called the dealership I bought my car from. They are refusing to help me. My transmission is going out on my car. That I've had for 1 year. I've had my car looked at 4 times. But the issue wasn't fixed. This car isn't safe for me to drive. I want this fixed.
Bought 2012 Ford Focus on 3/2016. 5/2016 took back to dealership for stuck window d/t bad motor and reprogramming of transmission control module. 7/2016 car would not start at all, completely stalled out. Took to Ford dealership again. . . Transmission computer/module replaced. 12/2018 car stalled yet again and steering would not work nor would shifter. . . Transmission garage stated they fixed issue. 8 hours later, the car would not run at all. Transmission place refused to touch the car again. Called original dealership and ofcourse, they replaced the transmission control module. And expect us to pay for it again this time! plus the dealership will not replace car until most recent recall is fixed on it. Like hell will I put my 2 children and husband back in this car with the chance of it to stall again and crash. We reside 40 miles away from work so a total of a 1/2 tank of gas at one time is not feasible in western new york weather. 5 transmission problems and how many recalls later and Ford motor company will not do anything to make their wrongs right.
On my 2012 Ford Focus fuel consumption has decreased also once the car gets passed a half tank the fuel volume gauge is not correct the car actually runs out of fuel what's the last quarter of a mark which appears to still have fuel, also front end drivetrain makes loud noise when turning corners, engine will not crank at times and makes funny sounds under the hood electrical sounds. Battery positive lead wiring gets hot . Car will not start ,blower fan doesn't work and car runs hot, after being replaced 12/05/2019.
Over the last 4 months my Ford Focus has completely ran like shit the car bogs out cuts off due to the fuel and cluster jam and it's caused my clutch or transmission to throw codes.
While driving dashboard lights and gauges turn off radio turns on and off and unable to operate or turn off it stays on with extremely loud static. Cars turns off while in motion on a highway and street. We pushed it to safety then attempted to turn it back on and it did. Today we took it to a Ford dealer the rep hooked it up to the diagnostic machine no problem was was found. Then later that day it did it again. We took it back now they say its the computer system that controls computer programming for the car. Granted they had not hooked it up to the diagnostic machine and the cost would $800. This car is not even 6 years old this is a big concern /liability when you have the dash lights and gauges, the radio turning off and on . The car is shutting off in mid motion. I called Ford today the rep said nothing we can do no other reports about those symptoms have been reported. Yes the rep said symptoms. But other reports have been made on blog chats. Same or similar issues. I have major concerns when a car is shutting down whe driving that is definitely something to worry about. 2012 Ford Focus cost $21000. 00 6 years old needing minor repairs wear and tear understandable tire $50 windshield wipers $30 etc electrical computer programming major repair big problem since potentially your car can shut down in the middle of a highway and you a can cause an accident or worse die. $800 is a lot of money to get a repair done for 6 year old car.
While sitting still my gas hand went from 1/2 a tank of gas to the full mark. Filled it up even though the gas hand was on full mark. It took $20 to fill it up and for it to kick off. Then when I started to start my car I hand to turn the key twice to get the motor started and then after I took my hand off the key it kept on cranking as if trying to start although it was already running. I drove it to lexington and could feel it revving the motor up without me doing anything. I turned around and drove back to frankfort and took it to big o's. They put a handheld tester on it and said it was either the oxygen sensor or converter for the engine light that was on. I informed them that I had replaced the O2 sensor just 3 weeks ago. He test drove it and said it revved up on him also which he said something was going wrong in the transmission. When I left from there the lights came on by themselves, the check engine light was on, and the gas hand was still past the full mark. On 9/7/2018 although it said the tank was full my fuel light came on. It also quit on me on 9/7/2018 going down a hill and I had to pull over for a while before it would start back up so I could get home. There was a recall on the tcm valve which has been replaced twice and the clutches in the transmission which has been replaced twice.
Engine temperature sensor malfunctions and says engine is overheating when it is in fact not as well as when it is.
Loss of power steering on public road. Power steering assist failure.
Last month check engine came on while driving. Car jerked and acted as if it wanted to cut off and when putting car in reverse the car would not go in reverse. While driving on July 14th after taking the car to Ford dealership which they reprogrammed tcm the check engine light came on for the same code as before about shift fork b issues. While driving the car jerked a couple of times and acted as if it wanted to cut off and not accelerate. Ford states they will not fix the issue unless for the current recalls on the clutch and tcm failure.
The steering wheel locked up and the steering assist came on while I was doing 5 mph . And the fuel tank is being has been deformed because of a vacuum problem with the cap less gas tank. I know that the rest of the 2012 fusion and escape have been recalled,because of the danger of driving down the road and steering will loose controll.
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.
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!.
Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph that the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact was able to coast over to the side of the road. In addition the contact stated that she observed the gas gage was on one fourth of a tank, however later the gas gage implemented a full tank when she had not filled up the vehicle, however due to she knew she had fuel within the car she drove. The contact called aaa who stated that due to the lights illuminated and sounded like everything else was normal to try gasoline, they did put fuel within the vehicle and that the vehicle started on the first attempt. The local dealer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, however no additional assistance was offered besides the referral to NHTSA. The contact also stated that when she shuts the vehicle off to add fuel that the vehicles responded as though it would not restart, so now the contact adds fuel with the vehicle running in idol. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000. Jb.
Driving (straight) on a highway going 55. Car slows down to crawl, making grinding noise, error message appears "parking aid malfunction". Was able to pull to side of road, put in park and cut off ignition. Would not restart. Dashboard still says car is in drive.
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 car needs now a replacement of the steering gear. The price is over $1500. The car didn't let me turn right or left and I just bought it at a certified carman Ford dealership. It showed problems at 117650 miles. This is a scam, I paid for insurance and I brought the car to change the oil earlier ans they didn't find any defect. Now, I cant use my car. I was in motion, the car seemed to move to one side, then at home while stationed, I couldn't move the car at all. No even right or left.
Very rough idling of engine while proceeding forward at start of acceleration. The "hill assist not available" light on the instrumentation panel came on, while the transmission seemed to transfer itself from a drive position to a neutral position. The car remained stationary while I attempted to accelerate using the foot pedal. At that point, I could not get the car back into a drive gear position. Immediately following "hill assist not available" message, a second warning light "transmission malfunction, service now" came on. During this moment, an additional red exclamation light engaged. When I stopped at a red traffic signal, my Focus's rpm idle quickly increased causing the Focus to lunge forward a few feet into an active traffic intersection. As I proceeded to make a right hand turn, the instrumentation panel displayed no warning signs, then suddenly came back on as the rpm idle went from 2,200 to 5,500 rpm in a neutral gear state. At this moment, I was nervous, as my mind was racing with thoughts of an accident; such as, the transmission could re-engage to a drive position at such a high rpm rate, forcing vehicle to thrust forward at an uncontrollable high speed, or the engine could perhaps overheat and/or the engine block could crack. The warning panel sporadically turned warning messages on and off as it affected the powertrain/transmission control. The waning light displays "hill assist not available" every time the transmission goes into a neutral position, while the gear is physically in its "d" (drive) position. This Focus leaves me wary while behind its wheel. Will this car eventually injure me or another person (s) while the transmission suddenly accelerates once again, causing an accident?.
Driving down the highway and my power steering in my 2012 Ford Focus went out completely almost cause me to crash was going 70 mph and bearly was able to get to the side of the road safely.
Power steering failure- started with everyonce in a while id get the error notice of power steering failure so I would turn off the car start it back up and fine, it started to happen more frequently to the imbarrassing point of having to turn on and off the car 5-10 times just to have power steering, then I got a letter to update my car's software to help fix the power steering issue, I got the software update and 3 months later total failure, I now have zero power steering and now Ford wants me to pay $2200 to fix it, when it failed I almost crashed into another car with my kids in my car on the freeway, needless to say we are greatful to be alive, sad thing is all other models from 2011-2012 with the same exact power steering system get a recall why not the Focus? I wish I would have known before I would have never bought the car, Ford is a scam and doesnt back up its product, the power steering is broke because of their defective product.
Vehicle in motion driving about 60-65mph on the highway, the check engine light turned on the dashboard. Vehicle could not accelerate felt as if on neutral. I began to lose speed and had the fortune no incoming vehicles were behind me. I shut the car off once on the side of the road. Vehicle after being off for 15 minutes was able to drive but reverse gear was none functional.
The car cuts off while in motion. At times it will shut off at stop lights, in the middle of traffic or just stop accelerating. It may start back after restarting the car.
I purchased the car from Ford dealer used. Transmission acted up after a month took in in and they said it would cost me 200. 00 to look at it. I purchased the 2 year extended warranty,but would still cost me that . I left ,a few month later the car would not move and transmission light came on . My insurance towed the car at that time the dealer kept my car for a week ,charged me 500. 00 for cables to the battery. 1 week later I was driving back from arizona to nevada in the middle of the desert and the car light came on again car was shuttering losing power thank god I made it home. Now about 2 months later I was driving home from work and turned my driver side door flew open. . Thank god I wasn't close to oncoming traffic and had seat belt on. However now my driver side door will not close or lock.
Since the purchase of this for Focus 2012 two years ago, the engine will suddenly stall out and stop working entirely. I am 6 months pregnant and after bringing this car in for numerous repairs of this issue, with no real resolve, I am now furious. I was driving down a 4 lane highway at 65 mph and my engine said "parking assist failure" and the car died. I was almost hit by multiple cars as I tried to coast my way to the shoulder of the road. I turned the car off and back on and it started again. I called the dealership and was told I could bring it in "but they already fixed it. " then just a few days later I am at a busy intersection, and it stalls again. . This time wont turn back on. I have been given the run around from Ford, and the Ford dealership, and I need out of this car. I have always driven volkswagon's, and this was my first Ford. Never again. Meanwhile, I am underwater on my car loan now, because I have a car that is worth nothing.
I have a Ford Focus 2012 it has power lock on the doors. 3 doors lock with the remote just fine the door behind the drivers seat wont even close. It opens when I turn corners. This is a safety issues especially when I have small children, this car has had two recall fixes one with car rolling back even though it is an automatic and a transmission failure all due to electrical issues. I feel that the this is another one given that my passenger left rear door cant even be manually locked its only locked and unlocked electrically, there is nothing blocking the door to make it not close only the lock itself.
On Saturday, may 16, 2015, I was traveling east on interstate 40, memphis, tennessee. Suddenly the gas pedal bumped twice and my vehicle went completely dead in the middle of this busy interstate. The electrical system just died, my emergency flashers wouldn,t even work. Iall I could do was continue to lay on the horn and wave my hand out the window trying to get the oncoming traffic to realize my car had stopped. My husband told me to get out of the car. I went to the side of the road. A good samaritan, stopped and was able to push my car across the two lanes of traffic and safely on the right median. This happened between 7:30 and 8:15 in the evening. My husband arrived on scene and we planned to return in the morning with a battery hoping that was the problem. I am currently unemployed since 03/15/2015, I couldn't afford to have the vehicle towed. I do not think this was caused by the battery, I think it was a defective transmission. I purchased the vehicle in March, 2013 as a certified pre-owned vehicle. Every problem I've had with this vehicle has been with the transmission. There was in fact an issue with the clutch, I received a letter from Ford motor company that the replacement part was defective and may need to be replaced again. The warranty on the clutch was extended to 100,000 miles. I have a message screen on this car. There were no warnings given to me. I definitely feel this is a safety issue! what makes a car completely die as you are traveling 55mph? I have spoken to Ford and they say that particular model does have some issues, but they said they had no idea what could have gone wrong. I was told to just feel lucky I wasn't killed. All I want to know is why would a car going 55mph suddenly just die, with no warning? I guess someone will have to be killed to get any answers. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving at 5 mph, the vehicle lost power. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to accelerate but increased in rpms. The traction control and engine warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that hill start malfunction was displayed across the message board. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,500.
I was driving at a steady speed of 40 mph on a flat road. I was gradually slowing down as I was coming towards an intersection and gradually applying the brake. The car was going at about 10 mph and then I attempted to accelerate as I was about to drive on pass the intersection. However, the car suddenly lost power completely and it could not accelerate at all. I was stuck on the road. I repeatedly pressed on the gas pedal to attempt accelerating a few more times and the car just would not move. Each time I press the gas pedal, I heard a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle but the car didn't move. The engine continued to remain running and both warning indicator and traction light suddenly came on. I had to shut off the engine by turning the key, and attempted to restart the car, both the warning indicator light and the traction light went away and the car seemed to behave like normal as I could move my car again. I then took the car to the Ford dealer to investigate the cause, but the technician said that there were error codes within the abs module but they could not explain or figure out why the abs module would suddenly stall the car. All they did was to clear the code in the abs module, but that does not appear to solve the underlying problem. Plus, there was no assurance that this problem would not happen again. Sudden lost of power can lead to extremely dangerous situation and I earnestly NHTSA could take action to this investigation to improve safety for me and for others driving the same car model.
The traction control in the vehicle operates in an unsafe manner in snowy road conditions. When climbing a slight grade in snow, the traction control continually reduces engine power to the point that the vehicle will no longer move forward. As the vehicle slows to a stop while modulating the accelerator, the engine will not rev above 1500rpm without the traction control cutting off power. Controlled and sustained forward momentum is required for safe driving in snowy conditions. That is not possible when traversing typical roadway inclines in snowy weather with the traction control engaged. Additionally, it takes no fewer than seven inputs from the driver to engage or disengage the traction control system; something that must be done frequently in this vehicle to keep it moving safely in snow. This creates undue driver distraction in already demanding driving conditions. A manufacturer retrofit of a simple on/off switch for the traction control system, as installed in most contemporary vehicles, should be the minimum remedy.
Was driving with my mom when all of a sudden her power steering gave out and it was incrediblely hard for her to steer. I took over and drove home now I drove vechicles with out power steering before but this was by far the toughest steering vechicle I drove. It was completely dangerous and irresponsible of Ford to not address the issue as of yet. Thankfully I was with my mom that day and nothing worse happened but it could have ended alot worse.
While driving on a busy road, the power steering suddenly stopped working and the car became very difficult to steer. When I returned home and restarted the car, the power steering worked normally again. It is being checked by the dealership today. On the phone, the dealership said it would be difficult to diagnose the problem if it wasn't still happening. This seems like a significant safety hazard.
Engine stalled and shutdown while driving with loss of control. Engine also rev'ed up down without acceleration and deceleration while driving and traction warning control light came on. Car was driven to nearby parking lot where it completely shutdown. Car needed to be towed to dealer, as it could not be driven safely. Ford dealer identified the problem as a dtc code u0101 or simply a bad tcm(transmission control module). Tcm was replaced on the transmission and paid by owner, despite this part being recalled by Ford on other Ford Focus models, as follows: Focus power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, pcm) recall number: 13v523000 recall date: 10/30/2013 problem summary: Ford motor company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Focus electric vehicles manufactured September 15, 2011, through August 23, 2013. In the affected vehicles, a powertrain control module software problem may result in a stall-like condition. Consequence: an unexpected loss of power while driving increases the risk of a crash. Corrective action: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the power control module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by late November 2013. Ford's recall campaign number is 13s09. Owners may contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. This recall affects vehicles manufactured between 09/15/2011 and 08/23/2013.
I was driving home when a light message on my dash came on saying "hill start assist not available" and the car lost complete power to the wheels, motor revved but I wasnt going anywhere. I tried putting in a sport mode to see if could shift via toggle switch, but still no gears. I got to the side of the road and my check engine light was on and traction control light was on. I shut the car off hoping it would reset something, but once did that the car wouldnt start, I had power and all but when turned key to start nothing happened. It's sitting at the dealer now. I check some mark ii Focus forums and this seems to be a very common issue and when taking to dealership nothing is being done.
I was leaving from the bp gas station from wayne sullivan dr in paducah, ky I had drove from ledbetter which is 10 mins outside of paducah and when I started my car to leave gas station pulling out into busy intersection I went to accelerate and my car would not go any faster than 10mph with oncoming traffic behind me and my 5 year old child in the car with me. I had reported transmission problems before they put computer to adjust it but told me slippage and jerking would be normal due to the type of transmission. My car has always rolled back on steep hills also.
I have a 2012 Ford Focus sel with 30k miles. The traction control on this vehicle in snow is horrible! when the car is in light snow the traction control kicks on and the car loses power. . I have gotten stuck in the middle of the road because the wheels will not move! I have to go and turn off the tc in the settings just to get power. . This is not safe at all!!!.
Driving on freeway. Loss power on "speed" it felt as though I was on neutral, so pulled over becuz I didn't want to cause an accident. Wud not start after I turned off engine, and I noticed although vehicle was in the park position. My menu kept stating it was in "drive" position.
I have a 2012 Ford Focus se which is still covered under my 70,000 mile warranty. I had problems with my traction control system while trying to get out of a parking lot. My rear brakes automatically locked up causing me to become stranded during a snow storm. I was stranded for 5 hours before abandoning my car and finding a ride home from a complete stranger. The next day I had my car taken to the nearest dealership and asked them to look into the problem. A day later I received a call saying that there was no problem and that the issue was external, which is impossible because no one has ever done any work on the car other than a few oil changes. They released the brakes and I picked my car up only to find that the problem had not been fixed. That same day while driving home with my wife the rear brakes locked up again, causing my car to fish-tail and impact a wall. The damages were relatively minor, but the airbags deployed and now my car is inoperable. I know that this issue was caused by the malfunctioning traction control system.
Pulling on to a main street in the rain, when I tried to accelerate move along with the speed of traffic the wheels started spinning and the car started a loud banging noise and lurching. I was having difficulty controlling the vehicle and had to release the accelerator quickly to avoid losing control. Traffic had to swerve around me to avoid a collision. The malfunction of the traction/stability control made more difficult to control the car.
I purchased a basic Ford Focus in 02/2012, the car has no ability to turn off the traction control system. This caused me to become stuck in about 2 to 3 inches of snow and subsequently caused me to have my rear bumper damaged when I was pulled out by a good samaritan. I think that this a sever safety issue. I think Ford should have to provide the ability to turn off the traction control system. I could disable it by removing the abs fuses, but the I lose my abs system. For a car that cost $17,300 I shouldn't have to not drive my car every time I get 2-3 inches of snow. I called Ford , they thanked me for my input but insisted there was nothing they could do.
My transmission shutters very badly I have had it at the dealer in los lunas new mexico. It is still not fixed. My streering assist light came on and ihaveno power steering. After the last oil change to change oil light will not go off even after the reset procedures have been followed. The lighter does not work. O and to top it off I just got a recall letter something to do with electrical failure . But had nothing to do with the above problems. This is way many for a car of its age I am sure I have a lemon. What can be done?.
I don't know if my Ford Focus 2012 is included in the tamara airbag recall or not. My clutch has been replaced several times due to sudden acceleration when stopped or slowing down. : it's the powershift transmission. My door latches were replaced per Ford recall. New rear engine main seal replaced 7/12/17. Vehicle has only 32,746 miles on it. Tires already had to be replaced.