Car Will Not Start problems of the 2012 Ford Focus

15 problems related to car will not start have been reported for the 2012 Ford Focus. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Ford Focus based on all problems reported for the 2012 Focus.

1 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 08/25/2019

Tl the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

2 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 12/20/2018

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.

3 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 11/20/2018

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.

4 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 06/06/2017

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.

5 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 01/03/2017

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.

6 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 12/13/2015

Parking aid malfunction error: while driving 65 mph on a 3 lane hwy, the parking aid malfunction error appeared which caused the car to completely shutdown. Fortunately I was able to coast to the side of the road with no power steering, no power brakes without engine power. Pam message kept appearing and car would not start. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer. Ford is aware of this problem and fixed the vehicle under warranty via TSB# 15-0101 3068 w40. Ford even extended the warranty for the transmission control module to 10 years 150,000 miles. To have a car completely shutdown while driving 65mph on a 3 lane highway is very dangerous and life threatening. Especially on a highway with cars whizzing by at 60-70 mph. Why isn't this tcm problem under recall? does someone have to be killed before any action is taken?.

7 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 08/05/2015

Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that her vehicle engine would stall without warning on two separate occasions. The vehicle failed to be restarted and was towed to the dealer. The dealer had no diagnosed the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was no repaired. The failure mileage was 107,000. Az.

8 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 06/29/2015

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that several attempts had to be made before the vehicle would start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that the engine control unit (ecu) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

9 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 10/16/2014

Ignition switch failed to start vehicle promply problem progressed until today 12/10/2014 car would not start at all.

10 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 05/31/2014

Car's transmission felt sluggish (hesitate to accelerate) after 15-20 minutes of low-speed driving (0-10mph) in a traffic jam. Ten minutes later, engine stalled on freeway at 70mph. Tachometer dropped to 0 and speedometer displayed was 0. Car restarted, and continued to be driven for 15 minutes. Gear disengaged when turning into a parking space, car rolled backwards. Power did resume after 2 seconds while constantly giving gas. Restarted the car after around 30 minutes, car stalled again few minutes later. Engine would not restart instantly. Only clicking noise was heard in the engine bay when turning keys. Waited 10-15 minutes to restart. Car accelerated to 70mph before stalling again after 1-2 minutes. Gear indicator was flashing. When the car stalled, engine raved with lost of power for 1-2 seconds. Car felt like in neutral even shifter was in drive. Tachometer then dropped to 300rpm and never rav again. Car was pulled over. The cycle of stalling and restart repeated 5-6 times until I arrived home. The next day car was drivable again (I only have a 5-mile commute). Similar troubles occurred three weeks ago when car was totally disabled after 20-30 minutes parking lot driving. Car hardly restart and refuse to go into gear. Gear indicator constantly blinked. I previously thought the issues were related to the usage of s gate, where it happened for two instance. There are 3 occurrences of similar troubles. First time was about a month ago when car refused to start, but it was perfectly drivable again after being cool down for a night. Towed to dealer but problem could not be duplicated. The reason that prompts me to write this report is due the lost of power on freeway which I believe is a safety related issue. Also, there doesn't seem to be a trouble code in the computer, which makes it hard for dealers to diagnose the problem.

11 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 05/22/2014

Driving down highway, car lost power, the check engine light and the traction control light came on. Would not accelerate, brakes would not function properly to stop. When I finally got the car stopped in a parking lot next to my place of business, the car would not start up again, and when it did, it would not go into any gear. Sat in the parking lot for 30 minutes trying to get the car to start up and go into gear. When it finally did go into gear, I got it to my place of business 2 blocks down and parked it. I am afraid to drive the car as it is a major safety issue. There have been recalls on the electric version of this car, but not the gasoline versions. This needs to be a recall on all of these models as there are several hundred complaints online about the same issue. Ford will not do anything about these issues unless the car is taken to one of their dealerships, which in past experience, they don't do anything at the dealership except overcharge for diagnosing the car, and for them to tell you nothing is wrong with it and that they know there are issues with the cars, but they do not have a fix for them and they can change the parts, however that will not solve the problem and it will happen again. I have been told this by the manager at a dealership and he has stated there is nothing he can do to change the situation. This is a major safety issue and someone needs to look into Ford for the same issues gm is having with their small cars.

12 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 05/19/2014

The vehicle would not start; Ford had the car for 17 days before they decided it was the transmission control module; they charged us in excess of $1400; we have had the vehicle in for service many times over the past 2+ years for navigation system freeze ups and noise/vibrations in the front end.

13 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 08/08/2012

Vehicle started up but the display screen that is visible behind the steering wheel was black. Shut off vehicle and tried to restart but the vehicle would not start. Also, I had no headlights and could not shift into neutral but the radio worked. A week previously to this incident my date on the my touch system changed back to 4/20/2011 and the time was off by 2 hours previous to the current time. It eventually went back to the correct date and time by restarting the vehicle several times with a delay of about 5 minutes. This is the second time in a month that I had to have the vehicle towed in for repair.

14 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 07/11/2012

Three weeks after buying my brand new 2012 Ford Focus, the car began to hesitate on the highway. I complained to the dealer who said it was a Ford problem and not theirs. The following month, I almost died in the car. A regional manager from Ford came to the dealership to speak with me, resolved nothing. I followed lemon law protocol and documented everything through the service dept. More than 12 visits. Four visits before the near fatal crash and the remainder afterwards. Ford ran out the statute of limitations on my vehicle so they did not have to pay me. The vehicle has a propensity of turning off when accelerating to 65 mph. When making a turn or u-turn the car hesitates. Ford admitted to manufacturer defect and still would not put me in my original position which has left me with disc displacements beneath my brain stem. I have chronic neck pain every day of my life. I was making a left hand turn and had plenty of time to turn. A white utility van flew out of the lane to try to beat the light as I was turning. The car turned off and I had to brace for impact. The car would not start. Two additional malfunctions caused the car to veer left and crash into curbs. Last week, I had to make a u-turn. I had plenty of time. While turning, the car hesitated, and the car was stopping, the way it did in 2012. I was almost killed by an 18-wheeler who thought I was initiating road rage. He then followed me and ran me off the road coming one inch to the side of my vehicle. I tried to take pictures, but my hand was trembling. Ford needs to replace my vehicle at the replacement value from July of 2012 and obey the va lemon law statute. Ford offered me a buy out of $8,000 in December 2018. I had to lay out $14,000 for a new vehicle. They should have credited all of my car payments $17k, and provided a settlement for permanent spine and neck injuries. Accountability is demanded.

15 Car Will Not Start problem

Failure Date: 06/24/2012

Two incidents. While driving at a speed of about 25 miles per hour, the vehicle lost power and stalled on an arterial street. Traffic was light, and there was no danger to me or other motorists. The vehicle would not restart. Had the car towed to the dealer, and was told it was out of gas. The gauge had been reading 1/4 full at the time of the incident. The gauge continued to give false readings (moved from lower to higher amounts during the course of exhausting the fuel supply) over the next few weeks. Eventually the dealer diagnosed the fuel tank was warped, and replaced the tank. One week later, while driving the vehicle at night on an interstate highway approaching a major freeway system interchange, at a speed of approximately 60 miles per hour, the vehicle lost power and shut off, causing me to have immediately attempt to move across four lanes of moderately heavy traffic. This happened on a slight uphill incline, so the car lost forward speed very quickly. During the emergency maneuver, I was forced in front of another motorist, nearly causing an accident. The car was exhausted of fuel, but within ten minutes prior had shown a reading of 1/4 tank remaining. Immediately prior to the incident, the gauge needle was actually indicating 1/2 tank.



Safety Ratings of Focus Cars
Fuel Economy of Focus Vehicles
Focus Service Bulletins
Focus Safety Recalls
Focus Defect Investigations