Noises During Shifting problems of the 2012 Ford Focus

My 2012 Ford Focus has recently began making a grinding, rattling noise during acceleration, and sometimes shudders or jerks on acceleration from a stop or when the automatic transmission shifts white driving. These symptoms are most severe when starting from a stop or transitioning from city street to highway speed. The current symptoms cause my vehicle to behave unpredictably in traffic. My Ford dealer diagnosed this as a failure of the clutch, common in powershift transmissions from this era. Others have reported the development of even more dangerous symptoms, such as vehicles shifting into neutral without warning while on highways. Despite widely-reported defects in these transmissions, Ford is not willing to cover any repairs to improve the safety of my vehicle.

My car had less than 90,000 miles on it when it began to have issues with the transmission. The engine stutters or idles when I accelerate, which has made getting on the interstate a nightmare. If I accelerate to even 35 mph, I have to completely remove my foot from the gas pedal, otherwise my rpms will shoot to over 4 (4,000 rpms). It causes my entire car to feel like it's shaking, and it almost seems like my car is having trouble shifting gears. Not only that, but when I've stopped at a stop sign and begin to drive, my engine makes the most terrible churning/clashing/grinding noise possible. Lately it has gotten to the point that my rpms will continue to increase but my car's speed will stay the same. All of these situations (trouble shifting gears, noises, and high rpms) will occur no matter what, every time I accelerate. It doesn't matter what sort of road I am on.

When placing pressure on the brakes to slow down or stop you hear/feel a crunching sound. It never did that before now it does it every time you use the brakes. I have taken it to 3 different garages to be checked and got back that my brakes was fine. One garage said it could be the abs system making the noise. No power to climb a hill or if you get up the hill the engine/motor does not shift like it suppose to. This all took place in August of 2018.

2012 Ford Focus se 65k miles: automatic transmission stops suddenly loosing power and can cause an accident when you go on the highway or on busy street. Shift gear get lost and speed, velocity and acceleration decrease. Wheel bearings make a lot of noise on the rear tires like if they going to fly out of the car. Radiator have a hair line crack so is leaking coolant. Note: the car is well maintained and have all maintenance made on time. No abusive driving. What happen Ford???😡 no quality at all!!!.

My wife and child were at a red light and when the light turned green and the gas pedal was pressed, the vehicle did not move only revved causing the man behind her to inch very close behind due to the light then honking his horn and yelling. In addition, after my wife and child returned home, I went to run to the store only to find that the vehicle does not turn over, not even sound like its attempting to as there is no noise when turning the key. I believe the vehicle does not recognize what gear it is in, thus will not start and has always had erratic shifting and lurching tendencies. I do not know what to do now, I have a family of five I support and no money to fix this. How am I going to get to work!!! I still have 5 years to pay on this. . . Ughhh. Trapped.

We responded to Fords notice 14m01 which is in reference to the problems of the transmission, experienced by 1000s of Focus and fiesta owners years 2011-2013. The 1st dealership we contacted was key scales leesburg FL. After 7 weeks of hassles trying to schedule, the repairs were made 1-7&1-8. As we tried to start the vehicle at key scales, there was a long delay from the time I turned key until it actually started. That was never an issue before we took it in. Within a few days, the trans began to shutter like it had before, as well as noises, clanking, grinding and problems with it shifting from 1st to 2nd. I called key scales and was told any repairs would now be at our cost as the original 36000 mile warranty had expired. The notice that was mailed clearly states that Fords warranty on trans is now 7 yrs/100,000 miles. Let it be known that we also have an entended warranty that we bought at time of purchase for 60 months/100,000 miles. I then called Ford of claremont FL. And they agreed to look at the vehicle. We dropped the car off on 1-16 with mileage showing 46092. After 5 days I called and was told they couldn't find a problem. The service advisor wanted to have his shop foreman drive the car home that night. I agreed. I called back the next day and was told he did experience a problem but after notifying Ford they were told it was "within acceptable limits" I was told to come and pick up vehicle the mileage was listed as 46098 when in fact is was 46154. (the difference of the foremans drive home) we were told that there is a breakin period of 1000 miles & nothing can be done. The following day we received another call from Fords regional service mgr. (jean 866-631-3788x77727) and she stated the "breakin period" is now 1500 miles. We are still experiencing shuttering, noises, starting delays. Scared to take car anywhere. Need to get to michigan in April.

I purchased a used 2012 Focus recently and a few days later on 9/22/14 I was driving around 50 mph when the rpms just shot up. I let off the gas and pressed down on it again and the engine revved up but again the car did not respond. I pulled over to the shoulder and tried to change the gear to neutral, then reverse, then back to drive and each gear did not respond to the gas. After shutting the car off I tried to start it up again and the car would not start. The traction control light and the the message "hill start assist not available" came on. After letting the car sit for a few minutes it started up and drove fine for the rest of the day. Two days later the same thing happened on the freeway and I had to cross three lanes of highway traffic without being able to accelerate. After letting the car sit for a minute the car started back up and drove for about a minute and then the same thing happened again. The check engine light also came on this time and stayed on. I managed to get to school although a little late. On my way home the issue occurred multiple times. The first time the car was jerking forward and loosing the gear and then jerking forward again. The issue occurred a few miles from my house and this time the car would not start up on multiple attempts like it had previously. I disconnected the battery thinking that would help reset whatever was stuck but when the battery was connected back up the car still would not start. After looking over fuses and disconnecting and reconnecting the battery multiple times the car finally started back up and I was able to make the last few miles to my home. The car is very unsafe to drive and I was almost rear ended on the freeway when I had to pull off to the shoulder without power to the drive train. The car has also been making a grinding noise when shifting between gears since the first day.

I purchased this Ford on sept 22, 12. . . It had 83 miles on it. . I am the only owner. Since then its been in the dealer for service over 10 times. I am on my (3)third clutch system to stop the shutter and loud noise's it makes. The last clutch was installed on sept 23, 14. And after a week its back to its same jerking/shutters and the noise is loud when you make turns. Its really nice when I try to get a buyer to test drive it. I pray it does not make a noise during the test drive. And, the front shock suspension made crunching noises at low speeds on un-even road surface. (like driving in and out of drive way and in parking lots). And, the way to fix the front suspension. . . . The Ford service tighten the front end down. And. Believe me you feel every impact of the bumps. Ford put out a paper that the service people gave us the 1st time we when it. The car needs to learn your driving patterns. And the most resent one is the car might drive like a manual/standard car- with jerks. . And make noise. This is the transmission. This would be nice to have this info. Handed to me before I purchased the auto and then I could make a good choice is this purchase. But the information was given to me when I had issues with the Ford. Any, buyer read other drivers comments. And, if you really like to buy the Ford Focus. Get the manual one. It has no. . . . Issues because you shifting manual transmission. And not have the issues with this auto clutch. And, the 2013 to 2014 have the same issues as the 2012. Ford just can't get the problems fixed or they don't want to correct the issues on the Focus. .

While driving my car, it often hesitates when shifting, turning, accelerating, or decelerating. I had it "repaired" at a Ford dealership, which including replacing the entire clutch, in March 2014. The problem continued with added loud noises and grinding/shuddering. I returned it to a dealership, where the clutch was replaced again in July 2014. The car was fine for awhile, but after 200 miles, started having the same issues as before. The dealership replaced the clutch again in September 2014. On my 4th clutch, and it continues to have the same problems. I lack confidence in Ford that they can fix the problem and I am continuously concerned that my car may have unexpected problems causing serious safety concerns.

2012 Ford Focus. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle "power shift" transmission stalling issues. The consumer stated she would loose power while driving, and a metal noise was heard, as the vehicle shuttered and hesitated. A diagnosis revealed, the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. However, the parts were on a 30-day back order. The consumer stated 2 months have passed, and she has not received any notice or communication addressing the issue.

While driving my Ford Focus 2012, the engine would shutter inbetween shifts. This resulted in delays in the shift and then sometimes in surges in power, back and forth. There was also often a grinding or clicking noise coming from the undercarriage during the shift. I finally got Ford to fix this problem after taking it into the shop for service three different times and making numerous phone calls. In the interem, I beleive my life was in danger do to the unpredictible malfunctioning of this vehicle. There were several times when I was trying to get through an intersection or get on the highway when the delay/shutter/surge of the vehicle could have caused me to have an accident, as I could not predict when the incidents were going to occur, or exactly to what degree. I beleive Ford's repeated refusal to remedy this issue put my life in danger. The fix ended up being a replacement of the clutch. However, I was advised by the technician that this would only be a short term fix and that eventually the problem would return (no doubt next time only after my warranty has expired and I will not be able to afford the repair). Please help resolve this problem before some is seriously injured by Ford's refusal to take responsibility for their dangerous and defective product.

At 12,738 miles I took to dealer and complained about sluggish acceleration. At 14,886 miles I took to dealer and complained about clutch shudder and they installed new clutch and input shaft seals and axle seals, reinstalled trany with new hardware. Also complained that car would not start twice, on first turn of key. At 14886 miles, I was on highway accelerating from a stop. I got up to about 35 miles an hour and the car suddenly seemed to downshift, coming almost to a complete stop. Then it was very slow to accelerate up to speed again. This happened at two more successive stop signs, causing the vehicle behind me to have to slow down suddenly to avoid running into me. I also complained about the car sometimes scooting on the pavement upon acceleration as if "burning rubber" or "peeling out" also complained that one time, I turned the key off and I could still hear some kind of noise in the dash like something was still "working" like a cd player or something, which I wasn't even using.

The vehicle began shifting very poorly at only one and a half years since purchase. Brought it to the dealer and explained the severe shaking and shuddering upon acceleration accompanied by a very loud metallic grinding sound. It was test driven and told immediately that it needed to be addressed. Was told that they had to contact Ford directly to get the fix for the error code. Was told that they loaded the update for the trans. And that it was now driving appropriately. Not even two weeks later it is back at the shop with even more severe shuddering and feeling loss of power (still has a metallic grinding noise). Was told that the car needed 1k miles after the update so that the trans. Could "relearn how I drive. " I did not accept this so the advisor at my dealership produced a list of normal operations and began to explain the type of transmission the Focus had. I told her that I was fully aware and accepting of the occasional hard shift or roll back on hill as was customary with a 'manual' transmission, but that this was much worse/different. Received a phone call today that the technician test drove my car and that he "could not replicate the complaint" even though it happens 95% of the time when I drive it. I am not even sure that they have looked at my transmission or merely attached it to a computer/test driven it. Will continue to bring the car to the dealership until this is resolved or the trans. Is recalled.

Metalic grinding noise is heard when accelerating at slow speeds. Transmission shifts at approximately 1500 rpm and between 10-25 mph, griding noise is heard for a few seconds, then stops. As car proceeds into next gear, if rpm drops to 1500 and speed again between 10-25 mph, grinding noise is heard. I have taken the car to seraphin Ford in vernon, they claim to have driven the car without hearing the noise. A separate date, I took the car to seraphin Ford, drove a mechanic in the car, but the noise was faint and mechanic could not hear it. Sometimes the sound is faint, other times sound is loud. No rhyme or reason. I have read much on the internet about this exact issue with 2012-2013 Focus power trains. I am convinced there is a problem that Ford is not addressing. Also, power train lags and flutters often. I have learned to drive very "gently" to prevent lag/shutter/surge when driving. I have noticed when using cruise control at highway speeds, if I attempt to adjust the speed using the steering wheel controls (to advance speed), the engine takes off, rpm climbs very high and the engine roars. I have to completely shut down cruise control and start over again. It can be scary at highway speeds to have the engine race like that.

I noticed the transmission wasn't shifting correctly and it was hesitating. This happened often and finally I was stuck in the middle of an intersection twice on the same day and the car would not shift into second gear and began shaking and making a knocking noise. This could have caused a huge accident. I don't understand why Ford has not done a recall on this car. I was told my transmission has extensive damage and the part that needs to be replaced was on backorder and could take a few months. I was also informed that I am number 1900 on the waiting list for this part in my region. I asked if I could trade my car in for another model of car at the same cost and they said they would only pay me $14,000 for my Focus. So basically my car depreciated $10,000 in 4 months and Ford will not do what is right and replace the car for me and take the loss. I'm extremely disgusted that Ford was even selling these cars when they knew there was a problem with the transmission and even more so that they will not fix the problem.

The new vehicle was purchased on 9/3/12. Calls to the service department began on 9/5/12 for complaints of 'bucking and jerking' of the car in low speed shifting. The car was accepted on 9/8/12 for repair of multiple paint chips on the front of the car and for evaluation of the shifting irregularities. Upon delivery of the car (53 odometer miles) the customer was informed that the paint chips had been repaired and the transmission computer was reset. The computer reset was not recorded on the service agreement for that date. On 12/5/12, the car abruptly stopped accelerating and metal grinding prevented use. The car was held from 12/5/12 until 1/8/13 (35 days, odometer reading 7,068 miles) for repair of a broken rear window channel, repair of transmission with replaced clutch. On 1/23/13 the vehicle was towed again due to not starting during multiple attempts by the owners and the tow truck driver. The vehicle was returned to the owner on 1/25/13 with a service report noting a weak battery. The battery was charged by the service provider and no other service codes were reported. On 1/28/13, the steering wheel required both hands to turn and the car narrowly missed going off of the road. Upon attempt to restart, the ignition was weak and multiple warning lights displayed on the dashboard. The odometer reading reset to '0' and the mpg reading went blank. The car had significant change in ignition sound and with uncharacteristic humming noise and was turned off again. When the car was on the tow truck with the ignition off, key out, and door open, the radio began playing and could not be manually turned off. The car was transported to the dealership. As of 2/3, the car has been out of service for 46 days due to multiple infractions. The vehicle has had symptoms of stalling, failure to start, and loss of power steering. Alternator being replaced 2/4.

On 8/27/2012 I drove off the car lot with 7 miles on my new car. I noticed a little bit of rough shifting as the day passed. On 8/28 the car started bucking and jerking during acceleration. There was little power on inclines. The problem progressively got worse through the day. I set up an appointment to drop off for service the next day. Took in for service on 8/29 and was told that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The car had 187 miles on it. On 8/30 I was told the car was fixed and I picked up my car. Within a few miles the problem was back, but worse this time. I had some slight noise coming from the engine when the car was bucking and jerking. It almost stalled on a busy highway in rush hour traffic several times while on my way back to the dealer. It was struggling. The car is back in service with 220 miles on it. Now they want to keep it for at least 3-4 days. 8/31 I was asked to drive the car with the mechanic to see if problem would reoccur. With the exception of a kick while pulling out of the dealership, the car drove ok, although we only drove around a block together. Sales manager says that if the mechanic can't find any further problem, then I have to take the car back into my possession since it's my car. He says that sometimes things happen and I have to deal with it and let the mechanics do their job. I've had the car in my possession under 30 hours since I purchased it on 8/27. The car also has an issue with rolling back on an incline.

When accelerating car jumps or hops violently. Engine makes grinding/chattering noise when changing gears. Experience roll back when on a slight incline. Power shift 6 speed is not safe. Have trouble crossing lanes of traffic for the jumping/launch judder problem.

I bought the 2012 Focus around February of 2012. At first I was estatic and the car ran great. However, just a few months after I bought it the car started griding at low speeds had a lot of trouble going up a hill to the point it wants to stall. At one point I did get up the hill, but the car didn't seem to recover and about 2 minutes later the car did stall driving about 30 mph and we had to glide it through traffic and into a parking lot. The car would not drive for at least 15 minutes, and the check engine light came on. By the time I got it to the dealership the light had gone off, and they told me they couldn't "duplicate the issue", and that if the light had went off there wasn't anything they would be able to find. The grinding noises continued, and I complained everytime I brought it in for an oil change. It also started acting lethargic when making turns (specifically left turns). The car was brought into the dealership at least two more times over the same issue, had a reprogramming done, and it still continued to make noises, jerk, grind, shift widly, etc. Around may of this year (2014) I was stopped on a steep hill and the car started rolling backwards. At first it seemed normal because I applied the brake, but when I moved to the gas the car started rolling backwards in drive and would not stop until I applied the brake again. I almost hit the person in back of me. I insisted Ford fix the issue, and after having the car for almost a week they again said they couldn't duplicate the problem. The same issue happened two weeks later and I received the same answer. I have left messages for the manager over the whole dealer, and he won't return my calls. I am about to take the car back again since I only have around 300 miles of my warranty left, and the car has been having many issues lately. And then I'm going to call a lawyer and the news.

On the drive home from the dealership, the day we purchased this car, we were stopping at a red light and it felt as though the road had some uneven surfaces. Turns out that it was from the car, the transmission was shuttering as we came to a stop. I was concerned but we were late and could not go back to the dealer. Well the car did it many times after that, sometimes on acceleration and other times while coming to a stop. It would not shift into first gear as I entered my driveway (it has a slight incline) and it would shutter all the way up. I took the car to the dealer and they ran an update from Ford. This helped some, but it is still shifting funny and making a funny noise while shifting from first to second. It shifts way too soon and is generally in the wrong gear. If you need to accelerate to merge into traffic there is a huge delay. The car seems to wait way too long before going down into a gear that will allow this to not be unsafe! I took it back to the dealer for an unrelated repair was given a 2012 Focus as a loaner, the loaner is perfect! it exhibits none of the problems my car does. This tells me this is not a normal issue. The car is still at the dealer, but I am sure the song and dance about my car is normal and my issues are normal are coming. I am not going to accept this explanation! I now know how this car should drive and mine is not driving normal. I researched this issue and there are many people dealing with this same problem. That means it is not just my car. I want Ford to acknowledge that there is an issue and fix it.

Above said vehicles transmission considered to be a powershift transmission has issues of jerking at low speeds of 20 mph or upon acceleration. There is shimming and shuttering and the noise of what sounds like clanging metal parts. The jerking motion can be issue as the vehicle appears to lunge forward. Ford replaced the bands and clutch assembly but this issue seems to still appear on occasion. Ford advises vehicle is in normal specs and that this is the operation characteristics of this transmission. Not happy with this vehicle since I purchased but what options do I have ?.

I've experienced shudder at take off, while pulling onto road transmission can't find gear leaves me in the middle of intersection, rpm spike and drop while shifting and a violent shudder at same time, chatter noise when shifting, list goes on. . . . . After the fourth visit to another dealer parts fixed were clutch because it was being stripped, clutch slave, and a whole other list of parts. Week later problem came back parts fixed were clutch, clutch forks, clutch motor and more. Week later and sixth visit for same problems took the service manager for a ride. He experienced my problems and were now getting a field service tech on it. Service manager also told me if I'm on a decline with the nose down and give it a little gas I will always get the shutter and it's stripping the clutch, that's a characteristic. Also when the vehicle is shifting at higher speeds the rpm fluctuate and shutter is another characteristic the transmission is trying to find a gear. By no means was the service manager on the side of Ford just stating what's these transmissions are doing. I have a case open with Ford have written a letter inquiring about the buy back if I don't get the response I want I'm taking my case to court. Talked to an attorney and that's my best case of action. Just all around not a safe car. And the sad thing it's probably going to have to take a death or serious injury before Ford motor company starts taking the consumer seriously. Here's comes another explorer problem.

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 :).

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.

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/cn.