The Ford Focus 2012 is a true lemon! it runs rough jerking movements esp in low gear. It has lack of acceleration. I bought this car new and have had it to the dealership four times only to be told its all normal for the 2012. However I feel its not normal! my last visit I was handed a sheet filled with '' normal'' things to expect! the dealership refused to allow me to trade it back in. I wrote to the Ford Motor Co and I only got a very nice lady who just kept saying oh I am so sorry. They along with the willis Ford dealer in smyrna de acted like it was just me with this complaint. After viewing the pages and pages of complaints most like myself I can see I am far from along. What can be done ? so far I see nothing being done about this serious problem.

- Smyrna, DE, USA

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.

- Huntington Station, NY, USA

Transmission fails at 27900 miles on July 8th, 2013, while driving on the highway (gears don't shift), dangerously coast to the side of the road to a stop, car towed, dealer replaces the whole transmission; 1 month later, on August 14th, 2013, same issue occurs while changing lanes on highway and accelerating to do so, car suddenly refuses to change gears, car slows down to 10-15 mph (gears don't shift), dangerously coast to the side of the road, car towed, dealer re-programs the transmission; on August 19th, 2013, 3 days after the second fix, transmission fails again, car towed, dealer replaces computer modulator, re-programs transmission. We do not trust this car anymore, we do not believe it is safe, and we will seek to return it to the manufacturer and get our money back.

- Pleasant Hill, CA, USA

I purchased a new 2012 Ford Focus ev on June 7, 2013. Twice (still in June), while driving at speeds approximately 50 mph, the "stop safely now" warning came on and the vehicle lost power. Both times I was able to restart the vehicle within a couple of minutes. I made sure to note all the indicators to provide the Ford service techs as much information as possible. When I brought the vehicle in to be serviced, the technicians professed no knowledge of the issue and contacted Ford for support. They could not repeat the issue and the car had no log of the events. Finally, I was told the problem was a faulted power control module (PCM). Unfortunately, this part was on a national backorder for 6 weeks (probably as a result of the known problems). After the part was finally replaced, I was told that the PCM would not program correctly, and that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. End result, I have my vehicle back, just in time to take it back for a recall. At least it hasn't stalled ??. yet.

- Pismo Beach, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate normally as the accelerator pedal had to be forced down in order for the vehicle to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle as the clutch assembly needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,800. The current mileage was 3,000. Updated 11/19/13 the consumer stated the clutch assembly was replaced on 8/5/13. The vehicle continued to buck and shake during acceleration at low speeds. As of 11/6/13 the vehicle continued to shake. Updated 11/25/2013

- Waukesha, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle was unable to shift. The contact stated that the automatic transmission was performing as if it were a manual transmission. In addition, when the contact would shift from reverse the drive, the transmission would omit first gear and engage into second gear erroneously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the mechanic stated that the failure was contributed to the manner in which the contact was operating the vehicle. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 300 and the current mileage was 17,000. Updated 12/20/13

- Rochester, NY, USA

Transmission sticks in high gear, will not downshift properly; car nearly stalled on interstate and almost caused two separate accidents. Had to pull car over, turn off engine to reset the transmission's "ai" (as it was stated by a Ford transmission specialist). Despite numerous 'updates' by Ford (3 now) problem persists, and has become progressively worse with each update. Gears constantly stick, do not down-shift, or up-shift properly, and those were confirmed by a Ford transmission specialist. This is especially true when using sport mode but happens in drive as well. Ford ensures me that nothing is wrong. I am a professional engineer associated with the automotive industry, and I disagree. Statute of limitations won't let me claim my brand new 2012 Ford Focus titanium as a lemon under the 'lemon law', but it should be.

- Oak Creek, WI, USA

We bought our car with only 7 miles on it. Shortly after the car started rolling backwards when sitting on a hill or stop light. Called the dealership and they stated to bring it in. Well it was explained to us that the car had a standard transmission and that this was normal. So we left. Then I was sitting in the driveway and our grandchild got out of the car when I put the car into park and it rolled backwards knocking him over. Called them again, got the same answer. Then the car started to stay running after the key was taken out. Also it was not running well. This was just 2 months later. Took it back got the same answer. Well called the owner with no response. We have since then taken the car back for the same issue and still get the same answers. Now there is a new problem, always finding oil on the motor. So took it back in and they explained to me that someone was driving the car with two feet. That's why the transmission was still skipping. Well I am the only driver of the car and I only use my right foot. They said they put a die into the oil to see where the leak was coming from and when I went another 1000 miles to bring the car back. Then I get a call from them and had an appointment. They put new bolts in our valve cover and cleaned all the oil up. Here it is we have had the car over a year and still are having such trouble with it. So I hope that hopefully soon that this dealership makes good on this car. Just went again this last month for the 12th time and still getting the same answer. But I do not have a standard car, I have an automatic.

- Oakland, ME, USA

I have a 2012 Ford Focus electric vehicle. I have had it for less than nine months. In that time, we've had the "stop safely now" message six times. When this message happens, you have no option...the car shuts down completely, regardless of where you are. Three times this has happened in traffic, without warning. Today was the seventh time the "stop safely now" message appeared, stopping my car in traffic at a very busy intersection. So far, the response from Ford has been minimal, they don't really seem to know how to fix it nor does the dealership seem too concerned. All instances of this message seem to occur while breaking.

- Seattle, WA, USA

Since we purchased the vehicle, it seemed to stutter when trying to go from a stop. I was told that this is normal for this transmission. But on August 24th, the transmission started to have even more problems. First the vehicle was having a hard time accelerating past 20 mph. Then it started jerking back and forth, lunging to and fro. It was not shifting gears like it should have, and it felt like it was going to stall, so complainant had to pull over to avoid an accident and allow fast moving traffic to pass. After traffic had passed, complainant turned around to go back home, jerking and lunging the whole time going less than 20 mph. After leaving the car sit for several hours, the vehicle started up again, and seemed to be operating normally. However now the vehicle is having a harder time going up hills, and has trouble coasting. Feels like something is dragging it down. This could be very unsafe, as the problem is not predictable, and could potentially cause an accident. A 2012 vehicle with 39000 miles should not be having transmission problems already.

- Hastings, MN, USA

We first noticed when we bought the car that it was jerky when accelerating, was told that is the way the car drives. Went on a road trip and trying to accelerate to expressway wouldn't go just revved then jerked out into traffic, we almost got killed and had to go to the shoulder to avoid accident. This happened multiple times and was very unsafe. We got to the point we were afraid to drive it, cause we didn't know when it would just rev and jerk or if it would actually work properly. It didn't matter if you just started and tried backing out or were on the road, the problem was constant. That is very dangerous on the road and you don't know when it will happen. Took to dealer on July 6th and my car has been there since, it is now 6 weeks and they are replacing transmission clutches, there is a backorder of over 8,000 clutches, which means that many people have taken their car in and there is no recall for this car and we have no idea if the car will be repaired. The manufacturer of these parts does not have any in the warehouse and Ford is estimating Sept 7th which we doubt. This car is very unsafe cause you do not know when the transmission is going to shift.. I think there should be a recall. As of right now we have filed complaints and no longer want the car back. Reading blogs we have discovered that there are still problems with the transmission on the 2012 Focus after repairs. If you have this problem, file a complaint and maybe there will be a recall. They will not give you a rental unless you have an extended warranty which we luckily do, otherwise we would have been paying for a rental for who knows how long. Ford sold these cars knowing that this was a problem because it was revised for the 2013.

- Flower Mound, TX, USA

Car started on the right side of the car windows stopped working and the lights started blinking. Dealer replaced right side module. Then next was the blue tooth stopped working and the whole touch screen blacked out. Dealer replaced sync module and new touch screen. Next was the wipers coming on by there self.dealer replaced wiper sensor. Next was the door locks surging without a key in and dash cluster floating. Dealer replaced drive module. Right now the transmission is not working properly. I am just scared the death that the car is going to catch fire while driving the car.

- Temple, GA, USA

Have had issues with this car since after purchasing it new on 12/31/11. 06/08/12, 7148K mi, car shifting at incorrect times, car would jerk when shifting, and roll back at times on flat surfaces and at traffic stops. Also car would shutter. Service repair, open recall PCM for incorrect shift/jerking. 10/16/12-10/17/12, 10437K mi, car would make a grinding noise, noticed mostly when turning, but not always only when turning. Sometimes car seems like it was a manual snubbing out. Also the mpg indicator would not fluctuate and stayed at 29.9mpg, had been stuck at 29.9 mpg for a few months. Service repair = replace both front springs and bearings. 11/05/12-11/07/12, 10950K mi, last repair did not fix the grinding noise. Makes this grinding noise also when taking off from a stop. When shifting from 1st to 2nd gears. Service technician said they could hear it sometimes, but could not figure out what the problem was and instructed me to keep driving the car until it made the noise enough for them to determine the problem. 05/15/13-05/17/13, 13514K mi, car would have trouble accelerating, was jerking when taking off from stops, made grinding noises when shifting gears. 06/12/13, 14103K mi, since clutch replaced car rolls back, on a flat surface and my car almost rolled into the car behind me. 07/17/13-07/18/13, 16007K mi, when car shifts gears it is jerking really badly, causing passengers upper body to jerk forward away from their seat. Shuttering and the car makes a bad grinding noise when shifting. One instance I was accelerating from a stop, and got half way through first gear and the car stopped accelerating. Car accelerating behind me almost rear-ended my car. 7/18/2013, 16043K mi, shuttering still there. As I eased off the accelerator to merge into traffic, the car continued to accelerate for several seconds after removing my foot from the accelerator. Safety issue!

- Green Bay, WI, USA

Our 2012 Ford Focus electric totally shutdown after receiving the stop safely now warning alert. Car shut down in traffic within 30 seconds of receiving the warning. We had no time to react or pull the car safely to the side of the road. This is clearly a safety issue.

- Lilburn, GA, USA

When we drove this brand new Ford Focus off the dealer lot we noticed a sudden jerk in the transmission. We did not know if this was a fluke or normal so we drove it about a thousand miles. The transmission began to jerk more, jump, stall, hesitate, and rev up needlessly and seem to get stuck in gear. We took it back to the dealer with our complaints and they reprogrammed the computer and told us to give it another thousand miles to improve. As of this date, we have had this car back to the shop 7 times with the same complaint. At about 36,000 miles they did put in a clutch kit which helped it for about eight thousand miles. Unfortunately, the problem has returned. It is and always has been a safety issue for us. We never know when it is going to hesitate getting out into traffic...and we have been close to an accident several times. This last trip to the shop, just fri the 19th, they tell us there is nothing they can do...just live with it. I know we are not the only ones that have this problem, the technician told us that outright. We are sick of this car and we have exhausted all our resources. We want people to know this is not a safe car so that is our reason for this letter.

- Benton, KY, USA

Transmission is jerky and acceleration is not very responsive. Car also rolls back when stopped on hills.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

Oil leak from rear main seal leaking onto cluthes. The car rolls back on hills and makes flapping noises. Also, at times it starts and stops like it's not getting gas.

- Danville, IL, USA

1. my 2012 Ford Focus is stalling out and revving up at high rpms then stalling out for the last 4 months. 2. this is the fourth occurrence for the same issue in the last 4 months. 3 times in the last three weeks. 3. the first two times, Ford could not find the problem and related to driving at high rpms or spinning on gravel which never occurred. I advised that the vehicle would rev at high rpms but not go anywhere then stall, not on a gravel road but a major highway going 55-60 mph. Twice the vehicle had to be towed. The other times I could drive it to the dealership at 30mph but it would continuously stall out. The third time they replaced the computer which did not solve the problem. The fourth time occurred and my vehicle has been at the Ford dealership for a over a week and they still cannot figure what is wrong with it. My vehicle has 41,000 miles and still covered under the powertrain. Ford is refusing to buy the vehicle back under state lemon laws and not giving me an offer for diminished value for the hit I am going to take on the trade in once I hopefully get the vehicle back operational.

- Scottdale, PA, USA

I was driving down a bumpy road at 40mph this morning, came to a stop at a stop sign, attempted to turn right and merge onto a busy highway with an 50mph speed limit, the car started to go and then all power cut out without warning and the "stop safely now" and "refer to owners manual" warnings came up on the left screen! luckily, I was not fully into the traffic yet as there were several semis coming. I veered to the shoulder and stopped. If I had got going even for a second more I would have been out in traffic in the path of a semi coming at over 50mph. It took a few minutes of trying to turn it off. Eventually I opened the drivers door and that seemed to free it up to turn it off. I was then able to start it back up again and carry on with my day.

- Surrey, WA, USA

I see here that several individuals complaining have the same complaints that I do, the incline problems, the vehicle sounding like it is going to die on you. The problems when you accelerate. This is a new vehicle and have had that problem from the time we purchased it. I am thinking it is the transmission. Can someone please guide me. I still have years on the note and it is not fair to pay on something that is as mentioned by someone here, is "embarrassing to drive with a passenger". the speed does not matter it keeps making this rattling noise when you accelerate. Please recall these cars.

- San Antonio, TX, USA