10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,949 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2012 Ford Focus:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #239

Nov 062020

Focus

  • miles
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.

- Zebulon, NC, USA

problem #238

Nov 232020

Focus

  • 150,000 miles
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 at: 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.

- Zebulon, NC, USA

problem #237

Nov 182020

Focus

  • 175,000 miles
The fuel tank collapsed, the fuel gauge is acting erratically, it is lacking power and the codes P0171 and P1450 are showing. The fuel tank is also deformed. The check engine light came on, so the vehicle was taken to a local shop to find out what was wrong. The recall 18S32 has been issued for these problems but when we called a local Ford dealership, they informed us that our vehicle is not covered under the recall.

- Westminster, MD, USA

problem #236

Oct 022020

Focus

  • 73,981 miles
Vehicle stalled in the middle of the road and did not turn back on. The vehicle was towed to the Ford dealership. The electric fuel pump, fuel pump assembly, and sender was replaced.

- Arecibo, PR, USA

problem #235

Oct 022020

Focus

  • 73,981 miles
Vehicle stalled in the middle of the road and did not turn back on. The vehicle was towed to the Ford dealership. The electric fuel pump, fuel pump assembly, and sender was replaced.

- Arecibo, PR, USA

problem #234

Sep 202019

Focus

  • 124,000 miles
I'm writing to complain about how Ford handled the safety recall 18S32 / NHTSA recall 18V-735. When I got the letter in the mail that my car was recalled for this part that could cause the gas tank to collapse I took it to my local Ford dealership and they reprogrammed the valve, which to me is just putting a band aid on the problem and not repairing it. 11 months later the part failed and when I took it back to the dealership to have it replaced they charged me for the repair. After talking with Ford Motor Company they are telling me that this is their policy. My opinion is that the part should have been replaced on the first visit. This will cause safety issues if left with the faulty part on the car. Can you check into why Ford has such a policy in place ? thanks, scott

- Thomasville, NC, USA

problem #233

Sep 252020

Focus

  • 217,384 miles
Under Ford recall # 18S32 a fuel tank deformation may happen from the canister purge valve (cpv). My vehicle was only fixed with the replacement of purge valve and reprogramming the PCM; akins Ford invoice# focs439115' line J#3 on invoice. No where on the invoice does it say the fuel tank was inspected. I received car back and I had run out of fuel twice (with gauge saying atleast 50+ miles to empty) over the next few months. I have another recall for the door locks and after talking with dealership we agreed to schedule a date where as Ford could give a loaner car so that the dealership could address both issues. A week later I was told that the fuel tank is deformed and needed replacement but Ford would not pay for it?? I was given email that Ford will not go back to open the case about tank recall because they feel I am not a " long term value (ltv) customer" " fyi I and my family have bought several cars over the years and just because I haven't purchased a new one in the last 5 years and did just buy this car at beginning of 2020 ;but my brother in-law did at end of 2019.. " why should this matter when a safety issue; which it is still, where the car could stop running while in the highway because of the unsure status of how much fuel is left. There are several things online about this happening to other owners cars just stalling in the lanes.

- Epworth, GA, USA

problem #232

Feb 072020

Focus

  • 70,000 miles
This is about recall 18S32 fuel tank deformation recall I had this car in the dealership several times and my opinion this dealership is useless I run my VIN on this site and shows this recall has not been fixed I also have another issue that seems is being looked at by fmcsa the steering fault and the steering going out I personally had a close call when the steering went out and almost caused a wreck

- Ft.Smith, AR, USA

problem #231

Jul 042020

Focus

  • miles
I have a 2012 Ford Focus seli I recently went to a Ford dealership to get my purge valve replace because I seen online that my particular vehicle was the same type of vehicle that the government had placed a recall on it because of the purge valve is becoming 40S I have the same issue and I tried to go to Ford to get it fixed they told me that since it was already fixed they can't fix the issue again no I only have the car for only nine months and within the nine months is became a became faulty. I need for to be responsible for replacing their defective device is that they fail to build properly

- Hinesville, GA, USA

problem #230

Sep 062020

Focus

  • miles
Took my vehicle in for the recall on the door latches and they said everything was good and when L check the VIN on the NHTSA it states that recall incomplete. Also Ford had a recall my Ford Focus in my 2012 year about the evap L have had code P0456 in relation to P0456 evaporative emissions system - small leak detected. Ford supposely did a recall on this and supposely did work on my vehicle before L owned it, now it has same issue so L believe it was never changed out" I believe that recall was back in 2016 or 2017 or 2018"

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #229

Aug 182020

Focus

  • 86,289 miles
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

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #228

Jun 242020

Focus

  • miles
My wife bought this vehicle in June 2020, she has been having fuel system engine light codes coming on P0456 and P1450 L know there was a recall in relation to this and L understand the previous vehicle owner had the recall done on June 14, 2019 a year ago, I called Ford customer care and they are not willing to take care of it, it is not normal to have the issue come back after one year from taking care of it. I am asking the NHTSA to assist on this. Thank you

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #227

Jun 192020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 79,100 miles
While driving on the freeway around 6pm and taking an on ramp onto another freeway the Ford Focus stalled mid-drive and would not accelerate anymore or switch to higher gears when the accelerator was pressed. The Ford immediately could not go any faster than first gear and luckily we avoided an accident by pulling to the side of the freeway on ramp into the vegetation since there was no shoulder. There was no noise or indication that something had happened to the vehicle. The engine light came on and the vehicle just stopped driving in the middle of driving at around 50mph. It would not drive backwards when put into reverse and would rev up to extremely high RPM when the driver tried to move forwards or backwards. Towed the car to the mechanic the next day and they ran a diagnostic that came back with 5 error codes including: P0805, P087A, P2831, P2836, and P2861. A pin point test was performed and found that the voltage was at a consistent 5 volts, so they cleared the codes and took the vehicle for a test drive and it was fine again. The vehicle has about 79,000 miles. Attached will be the mechanics form along with what they said are several codes for related recalls that were supposedly already fixed.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #226

Jun 232020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
The transmission shutters and shakes very frequently. Vehicle also periodically will almost stall while driving. Overall the vehicle just feels incredibly unsafe and unreliable while operating.

- Fort Gratiot, MI, USA

problem #225

Jun 012020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
The transmission shutters and shakes very frequently. Vehicle also periodically will almost stall while driving. Overall the vehicle just feels incredibly unsafe and unreliable while operating.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #224

Aug 152018

Focus

  • 108,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to courtesy Ford of rome (101 us-411, rome, ga 30161) where an unknown recall repair was performed. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19V515000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.

- Rome, GA, USA

problem #223

Sep 102019

Focus 4-cyl

  • 58,335 miles
When you depress the accelerator peddle the rpms max out.it will studder for a few second then the rpms will plummet to zero or one.the engine stalls while in motion.while operating the vehicle on a straight flat road.the rpms are all over the engine looses power surges and cuts out.when driving up hill or an incline the engine will loose up to half its power and the car will derastically loose accelerator power.the steering is irratic.it shakes and causes the vehicle to lurch.it is unsafe to operate on public roadways.since recall service I've had to return the car to the recall service provider.the car now has so many problems it sits in my driveway.since October I've paid full coverage insurance for a car the Ford Motor Company and sub sitiary companies of that company refuse to honor their re-calls and services stemming from those recalls.

- Spirit Lake, ID, USA

problem #222

Sep 102019

Focus

  • 58,335 miles
After receiving the recalls serviced by mike white Ford in cda Idaho.my vehicle is no.longer safe to drive.the 2012 Ford Focus that was perfect now stalls lacks power.the safety features no longer work.the car now has steering issues.since the recall work was done the car has sat in the driveway.it is unsafe for myself and others. When the car is in motion and you depress the gas paddle the rpms will race all the way up then plummit.while driving there is no power.when driving an incline or hill the gas paddle has to be pushed to the floor and still loses speed.the car shakes and the steering is erratic. One of the safety features in which the stereo mutes unless the seatbelts are clicked in while the car is in motion no longer works the Ford motor certified mechanics or technicians refuse to honor the. National traffic and motor vehicle Safety Act and the letter of recall concerning my 2012 Ford Focus that has under 60 thousand miles on the odometer.

- Spirit Lake, ID, USA

problem #221

Feb 272020

Focus

  • 120,000 miles
Engine light on and car shudders. Took to Ford a year ago and they replaced purge valve on a recall. Light went off and car stopped shudder for a couple of months then light came back on and car shuddered again. Took back to Ford but they said it had something to do with transmission or clutch and that other Ford Focus are having this problem. They said maybe I can wait until a recall happens. Meanwhile, can't drive my car it shudders and stalls while driving and now it is parked while I continue to make payments. :(

- Republic, MO, USA

problem #220

Oct 292019

Focus

  • 44,000 miles
The family has taken all three of our Ford vehicles to the same dealership for service since we purchased them and they have not taken recall action. The Focus not only has this recall but the shudder recall, that the dealer advised that it would cost us $1,500 because the recall requires clutch replacement. We received notices for the tcm, shudder/shaft seals, and cpv with no actions taken. The family's record is that our maintenance schedule has been consistent visits with the dealer's assigned return dates and nothing less. The family should not have to pay for a recall for that kind of money. That amount should be doubled and submitted to us as a down payment on a new Ford vehicle. We are not liking what sexton Ford told us though we have been nowhere else for maintenance except them since day one! now, we are being notified of nothing being done iaw what supposed to had been done already.

- Davenport, IA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »