general problems of the 2012 Ford Focus - part 1

I was starting to pull away from a traffic light but the car would not go to second gear and was shaking violently this has happened more times then I can count and I take care of my [xxx] we travel 50 miles a day in this car on one of the most dangerous roads in the nation [xxx] ) there are places on this road with no emergency lanes in case my car stalls again or just won't go into gear and I have drivers bearing down on me at 70 miles an hour. I know for a fact these issues have come up with countless others that have bought this vehicle and I just don't understand why this isn't a big enough safety concern is it going to take the death of me and my grandson for a recall to be made on this piece of garbage Ford calls a transmission? I don't have $ for another vehicle and if this one doesn't keep getting me to work I'll be out of a job and we will be homeless a friend helped me buy this car and I assumed he checked it out first and he only looked at the accident report but not the overall report on these vehicles which shouldn't even be on car lots for sale they are unsafe death traps and when people start dying in them which im sure has already happened those deaths are on Ford and on this so called national highway safety because your not doing your job this recall should have happened years ago information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See incident 11525260 for details, as it describes both incidences where the abs control module failed. I am logging a second complaint so that the second module failure is recorded. Short version: the abs control module failed again, leaving me with no brakes. The valve gets stuck open inside the module, making the brake pedal unpredictable and sometimes with no stopping power. Ford is unable to fix my car in a timely manner, and is refusing to provide a vehicle to drive until they fix it 2-3 months from now.

I received a recall dated June 2023 about my transmission. It is the first one I have ever received. I had it towed to stanley Ford mcgregor and service said that there wasn't anything wrong. I was told I need to pay them $165 for a recall review???? I don't feel safe driving it as it slips, bucks, jerks, shudders, delay when shifting as well as having difficulty in changing gears causing many "almost accidents. " I just found out Ford settled on 2020 judgement and a 2022 judgement. I had no idea. It is plagued with numerous problems and safety concerns. I have written a letter to the general manager, mike f at stanley Ford mcgregor as well as sent copies to jim farley, ceo of Ford and fmc customer relationship center. I asked them to get back with me as I will not pay that $165 and drive an unsafe car that I don't want to put my 1 yr old grandson at risk as well.

While driving on interstate ,my car suddenly started hesitating and failed to pick up speed. The engine light came on. I pulled over, but did not turn car off fearing it would not restart, to look at owners manual. The problem continued as I drove home. I have driven it once for a short distance since and there was no change. This could cause an accident since it happened unexpectedly while driving at high speed. Brake light fault warning light is illuminated although light appears to be working. This could cause rear end collision if not operating. Luggage compartment opens while driving which causes visibility issue and chance of items stored there to blow out and cause accident. I can not tell if this issue is included in recall addressing locks and latches. Driver side window no longer operates, preventing escape if needed.

Intermittent loss of brake pressure. Abs would activate and leave the brake pedal feeling soft and having low brake pressure. This problem would randomly fix itself and then randomly happen again while braking normally or after the abs would engage. Sometime the problem would last for weeks until suddenly the brake pedal would be firm and have strong brake pressure.

[two incidents involving the same abs control module. Early January 2023 and late may 2023] abs control module failed while going downhill (valve stuck open). Resulted in the brake pedal going to the floor. Had to stop by downshifting and the using hand brake. Whenever brake pedal is pressed after this, it goes a random distance to the floor with no pressure before applying some brake. Ford quoted me a 1 year lead time on replacing the part (and mentioned this is part of a pending recall. This recall will come out after they redesign a new module). They refused my request for a rental/loaner vehicle until it is fixed. I brought it to an independent garage to get the unit replaced. After that, my brake pedal worked as expected for a few months. Last week, the pedal went to the floor again. I brought it to a Ford dealership, and they confirmed that the new module already experienced the same failure as the original one. It is currently at the dealership, who will not have a part to repair my car again until August. I was refused a loaner vehicle by both the dealership and corporate Ford over this pending safety recall, where they are unable to fix my car. I was told by they dealership that they won't stop me from driving my car in the mean time if I feel safe doing so. It is not safe, so I am leaving the car at the dealership. I do not have a date for when a new revision module will be made, along with official recall. Ford is refusing to reimburse me for my initial repair until they get around to officially announcing the recall. I also found out from them that they reprogrammed the abs control module back in March 2013 while they reprogrammed a different module (I only new about the tcm reprogram). This means they knew the abs module had issues 10 years ago, a month after I bought the car. They did nothing for 10 years despite the fusions having the exact same issue. This is a blatant disregard for the safety of their customers' safety.

Brakes go to the floor due to a faulty abs module valve constantly bleeding off.

No warning lights intermittent brake loss called Ford told them what was going on and immediately told me hydraulic control unit the valves may stick open for short period of times then return to normal. But would have to take a look. Had brakes replaced and bled Ford has had this exact issue with other Ford models having the hydraulic control unit a recall was issued for the others. But not all of their cars it lead to a crash by not being able to get stopped doing 40mph in a 40 mph zone issue happened year and half ago went had brakes checked out and re-bled the brakes almost lead to another crash then brakes are normal then no pedal at all.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, accelerating from an intersection, intimated brake loss without warning occurred intermittently. Causing the contact to crash into the vehicle in front. No airbags deployed. The contact sustained a fractured right ankle. A police report was made. Medical attention was needed and has taken the contact to the hospital to treat injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed by the police to a lot were at this time is awaiting an investigation from the contact insurance company. The dealer informed the contact that no recalls were under the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 112,000.

This cars braking system is inconsistent enough to cause major damage or death. The abs module sticks the same as in Fords previous recall "fsa 19s54" for 2006-2010 models fusion, Mercury milan, and Lincoln mkz. They recalled a part causing abs braking issues on those models and the exact same issue is happening in my 2012 Focus and will cost upwards of $2000 to fix, essentially making the car a lemon and not worth fixing. When the abs fires as you brake over rough surfaces or bumps or rain, the brake pedal goes very deep and almost loses all braking ability. I had to swerve into another lane to avoid someone and was lucky enough that no oncoming traffic was there. Thankfully I'm a good enough driver not to have crashed. They can't stop making a car in an effort to avoid past carelessness. They must issue a recall or reimburse people for the part itself "abs module" which is now 1. 5 months backordered. Thank you.

I was driving on a busy highway where the speed limit is 70 miles per hour, and the car suddenly slowed down while I was stepping on the gas, until it stopped and then cut off in the middle of I-40, while other cars sped by me swerving out of the way in order to not crash into me from behind. I then took the 2012 Ford Focus se to my mechanic, and after he investigated the malfunction, he said he observed the gas tank of the car "breathing in and out like a diaphragm or a lung" due to an excessive vacuum, which he thought had also damaged other parts of the fuel system beyond just normal wear and tear. The mechanic told me to take the Ford Focus to a Ford dealership right away, because a fuel tank moving in that way causes fissure cracks to develop inside of it that could cause a tank to leak gasoline or rupture during a crash, potentially causing an explosion. The mechanic also told me he could not imagine that the Ford dealership wouldn't remove and then replace the fuel tank on my car, because not doing so in his opinion would be extremely dangerous. Then I took the car to the Ford dealership located 2807 east millbrook road, raleigh, north carolina, 27604 - phone number: (984)232-7601, and they told me that it looked fine to them, and that the car door hinges were also under recall and they weren't going to replace those either. Then I told the Ford dealership that I'd already taken the car to another mechanic first, and that I thought they were trying to repair as little as possible and do as little repairs as they could get away with; then I asked them to reexam the car again. But if I hadn't already taken that vehicle to a different mechanic first, the Ford dealership would have given it back to me in an extremely dangerous condition rather than making the necessary repairs that Ford is being forced to do by the government.

I was driving on a busy highway where the speed limit is 70 miles per hour, and the car suddenly slowed down while I was stepping on the gas, until it stopped and then cut off in the middle of I-40, while other cars sped by me swerving out of the way in order to not crash into me from behind. I then took the 2012 Ford Focus se to my mechanic, and after he investigated the malfunction, he said he observed the gas tank of the car "breathing in and out like a diaphragm or a lung" due to an excessive vacuum, which he thought had also damaged other parts of the fuel system beyond just normal wear and tear, resulting in other fuel related error codes. The mechanic told me to take the Ford Focus to a Ford dealership right away, because a fuel tank moving in and out that way, causes fissure cracks to develop inside of it that could cause a tank to leak gasoline or rupture during a crash, potentially causing an explosion and/or fire. The mechanic also told me he could not imagine that Ford motor company wouldn't remove and then replace the fuel tank on my car, because not doing so in his opinion would be extremely dangerous. The dealership that is representing the Ford motor company who will ultimately approve the replacement of the fuel tank or not, attempted to and would have given the car back to me in an extremely dangerous condition rather than making the necessary repairs that Ford motor company is being forced to fix by the us government.

2012 Ford Focus known to have transmission problems. Brakes rumble when being pressed. I am concerned about the safety of the transmission. I have seen that Ford has known about this problem. What is Ford doing to correct this problem.

Breaks failed. Was driving straight on a city road that is also deemed a highway and was approaching a stop light. Tried to stop going approx 15 mph felt a click and then nothing, brakes did not engage.

While driving on the highway I pressed on the brakes and the car acceloratated from 58 to 80. I had to pump the brakes before it finally stopped. Another time I was approaching a stop sign and pressed the brake and it began to accelerate, I pumped the brakes and it finally stopped. A week later I put the car into drive and pressed the gas and the car didn't go anywhere, had put it back into park then drive and when impressed the gas, it went. A few times I pressed the brakes it felt like something was stuck inside them and they wouldn't grab.

The rear tail lights are subject to a "brake lamp bulb fault" due to the shoddy wiring and wiring harness that affixes the wires to the trunk lid. After many open and close iterations of the trunk lid, wires become brittle and fray, and eventually fault. The problem is widespread throughout the forums with many individuals resorting to cutting the cables and resoldering or reattaching them with reduced wire tension. This is a major problem and can cause potential rear end accidents when the brake and tail lights fail to illuminate. The fault appears as soon as the car turns on, and can sporadically go away when driving. As sporadically as it disappears, it reappears and remains. This is absolutely a design flaw with wiring not shielded in any way and simply wrapped in tape.

I was driving southbound in the left lane on I-495 from MD into va, about to get to the ez pass camera. I seldom use the pass, therefore it is not affixed to the windshield. I had placed it on the dashboard in anticipation of the upcoming camera. Traffic was alternately slowing down and speeding up to approximately 35 mph. The driver ahead of me suddenly slowed nearly to a stop, so I pressed my brakes, which caused the ez pass to slide across the dashboard and up against the windshield. Unable to reach it with my seatbelt on, and because the car was barely moving, I unfastened the seat belt to retrieve the pass. At the same time the driver ahead of me slightly increased her speed, then suddenly slowed again, which I did, too. However, this time I had to punch the brake. It went straight to the floor, my car sped up, and I was unable to avoid rear-ending the car ahead. It was such a helpless feeling to try and stop and have no brakes! a "crash mode" message showed up on screen behind the steering wheel and the sync system automatically dialed 911. The other driver got out of her car and walked back to ask if I was okay. I was fine, but because traffic in the right lane was speeding past, and some cars were even passing us on the shoulder, I did not attempt to get out of my car. Eventually the state police, emts and a tow-truck arrived. My steering no longer worked, but once the other car was towed out of the way the responding officer was able to walk alongside my car, pushing it onto the shoulder while I attempted to steer. The tow driver took over from there. I rode with him back to MD to the body shop of the Ford dealer where I purchased the car in 2011 and have had all maintenance performed and previous clutch issues addressed. It was in the shop for a month. I asked if there was something wrong with the brakes but was told there was no evidence of that.

On 3 occasions while driving down a side street with a speed limit of 35mph, a power steering assist fault notification appeared. On one occasion it prevented my brake pedal from engaging the brakes. The parking brake still worked. The vehicle has a 3rd party warranty through the dealer I bought it from, when taken to their mechanics it was stated that they could find no trace or cause of the issue and could not replicate.

This car has had problems since purchasing it as a certified used vehicle for my daughter. The stereo went out completely and had to be replaced. The transmission has been having issues but Ford says the problem is not bad enough when hooked up to the computer for it to be replaced under their extended warranty which Ford has put in place an extended warranty up to 100,000 miles and 7 years. Lastly twice while my daughter was starting to drive the car the steering wheel locked up and brakes stopped working. The second time the car was in reverse and continued to roll forward. Its a good thing she knew to use her emergency brake or she could have been hurt. The car is at the dealership to be diagnosed and repaired. Never buying a Ford again.

The hydraulic brake control unit apparently stuck open and resulted in extended brake pedal travel. I was slowly turning and the rt wheel went over the end of a driveway about 2 inches high. I had it repaired at a Ford dealer who apparently was not familiar with this problem and cost about $1100. I have receipts and correspondence. It occurred 9/24/18 with 31,000 miles.

When hard braking and hitting a bump in the road, the brake pedal will travel further, almost to the floor and it feels like I will not stop. For a while afterwards the brake pedal will still travel further making you fell like you will not stop. Talked to the dealer (crest Ford in center line, mi, mike) and he explained this is normal. After the hard brake and the wheels leave the ground, the abs system thinks there is a problem and does a full diagnostics, during which time the brake pedal travel is increase until the diagnostic check is complete. No other car I have own does this and do not think this is should be this way. This has happened a few times last winter, then when it happened on dry payment I called to bring it in and they told me not to.

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.

"driver assist fault" again. This is the 4th instance that is happened in 3 weeks - where my car suddenly powers off while I am behind the wheel. The last three times it happened while my car was in reverse motion. Today, it happened while I was in drive but stopped at a red light in downtown charlotte, nc. Someone had to help me push my car out of the middle of the road. Occurred on my way to work around 3:30 pm est.

I got in my car, but it in reverse and began backing out of my parking space when my suddenly car lost power. The car was in motion but the steering wheel and brake pedal locked up and I could not steer or stop my car from going backwards and I hit a parked car in the parking deck at school as a result. The code on my dash was (I) steering assist fail. I turned the car off and on several times before the steering wheel and break released and I was able to gain control of the car again. This is the 3rd time in 2 weeks it has done this (Jan 28, Feb 2 and Feb 8). All three times the car has been in motion and in reverse gear. I contacted Ford corporate offices and the Ford dealership where I purchased the car from and they said there is nothing they can do unless the car duplicates the problem in their presence.

I started my car this morning, put it in reverse and began to back out of my driveway when the car locked up and lost power. I could not steer or brake and the car continued rolling backwards until it hit my garage and stopped. The lights came on my dash read "(I) steering assist fault". I turned the car off and on several times before the lights went out, the steering wheel unlocked and I was able to depress the brake and gain full control of my car again. I took the car to my Ford dealer in kannapolis, nc (where I purchased the car) and they said the car would need to "duplicate the error" before they could diagnose it. I explained the car would have to be in motion for that to happen and I cannot stop the car if that happens again. I drive on the interstate and I am petrified this will happen while I am on the road and have no control over the car. The tech said there have been hundreds of complaints about the loss of steering power on these Fords, but that until Ford issues an official recall there is nothing they can do to fix it. It could be as simple as a software update.

Driving at night on county road approx 25-30 mph dry pavement went to turn the wheel of the car to follow the road and there was no response from the steering wheel or the brakes. Car went off the road headed for a tree. Went into ditch before steering became available again. In investigating this issue on my own prior to taking to dealer. I have found this to be an issue and even a noted investigation listed or awareness of the highway safety administration. I can tell you there was absolutely zero control of this car at that time. These cars are very dangerous on many levels as they have multiple defective parts. Just call jim o'neal in sellersburg indiana as they have all the records of showing they have almost rebuilt my entire car since I bought new in 2012. Upon being evaluated and driven, with this occurring to the the technician as well at jim o'neal Ford, it was found that the entire steering component had failed and needed to be replaced. Ford is aware of this concern as there have been 2 bulletins sent to their dealership service departments. Documented in research if you look and also told to me verbally by mike albright the service manager at jim o'neal Ford. At no time in the many visits to the repair shop at Ford has anyone mentioned the fact that this could possibly occur or has there been any preventive checks of the system. I really would like this investigated as I do see I am not the only one that has had this issue and was just lucky enough to have not had a serious accident with my children in the car during this latest failure in this car. Ford should be held accountable for producing and not upholding their end of this car as people are being seriously injured.

Recalled vehicle for computer system. Defect causes breaks to wear early, shuddering in transmission, and eventual transmission failure while the car is running. Is a known problem as I see from many other internet complaints.

Tcm problems wife pulled out to a residential intersection and the car stalled, luckily no cars we're coming at the time she called me and was scared she didn't know what to do it took me I'm out 30 minutes to get to her meanwhile cars were backing up and going around her we pulled it into my mother-in-law's driveway which was near and ask my brother-in-law that is a mechanic to check it out and he indicated that it was the tcm that was out I have had problems with my transmission about six months after I bought it new it finally went out. I use this car to go to work I am a state circuit rider and put a lot of mileage on my car ilearn to deal with the sluggish transmission because of the dealers indicated they couldn't do anything about it just to reprogram the transmission that was done and that was the only thing that for done for my vehicle. After Ford indicated recall I had too many mileage on my vehicle to qualify it was just barely over 50,000 miles the first time. Second letter indicated for me to take the vehicle in to be checked but the dealer mechanic said that they had to physically hear or feel the shuddering of the transmission before they could program it again this went on until I had no warranty on my vehicle. The vehicle with sometimes do the shuttering or skipping of the transmission not all the time that's why the dealer said that he could not do it until it was doing it for him. So I learned to ignore the shuddering and skipping of the transmission and adapted to driving with it butt when my wife drove the car and it finally died on her that is too much to deal with.

The transmission on my vehicle has failed multiple times while driving the vehicle. While driving at idle speeds, the car shakes. The transmission failed while I was turning in an intersection and stalled. It then lurched forward and continued to function in a lurching and jerky manner. Just yesterday, I could not slow the car while traveling at 50 mph, despite pressing the brakes, due to the erratic behavior of the transmission. This lurching, jerking, erratic behavior is extremely dangerous and could potentially be deadly. I have had the transmission worked on a total of three times. Each time, the dealership told me that the problem would be fixed. This is highly irresponsible for Ford to ignore this issue and continue to put customers in harms way. This is an inappropriate way to handle a life-threatening issue.

Transmission is erratic, you do not know what it might do. It has a shuttering sound coming from underneath the vehicle when going 20-40 miles per hour. Drivers side window does not open and have 'information' light is on for low pressure on tires and aren't currently low. Brakes are making a growling noise when coming to a stop.

I was driving in stop and go traffic in a construction zone. We were stopped, then it looked like the traffic was moving so I started moving, I was only in first gear then the Jeep in front of me stopped suddenly, so I hit the brakes, but I didn't stop I just kept moving and ran into the tire of the Jeep. I couldn't understand why I didn't stop because I wasn't even going that fast. . The hood folded into the engine, so I was not able to start the car. I put the car into neutral and men from the fire department pushed it over onto the side of the road. I pushed the brakes again and nothing happened, so I pulled up the parking brake to make the car stop rolling.

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.

The steering wheel would not move, there is an error message, steering assist fault. It happened before, but I turned the car off and back on again and it would turn. Before this incident there would be times when the a/c fan would adjust itself, by going higher or lower and the radio volume would increase or decresase without any help from me. This particular time it would not move and I was forced to leave it in a parking garage overnight. While attempting to get it to work by turniing the off and on the brakes went all the way to the floor, suggesting the would not work properly if I were driving the car. Well, the car shut completely down and started to try to turn itself on without the key being in the ignition. After which it would not start at all. I had it towed in and of course it is no longer under warranty.

This is the second accident caused by car suddenly surging forward. There was only 3384 miles between first and second accident. While turning into a parking space at low speed the car lurched forward slamming into a brick wall approximately 2 to 3 feet beyond curb. Major front end damage totaling $6,127 in repairs and over $16,000 in hospital costs to myself. Ford dealership reprogrammed instrument cluster lamps and gave the car back to me. I was afraid to drive the car again and purchased a new vehicle. At this time the dealership has the defective 2012 Ford Focus for sale on their lot, which worries me that someone else might get hurt driving that car. . I contacted Ford motor company on 3/26/2014 regarding the issues that I had and am awaiting a reply from their general counsel.

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.