This has been a problem for the last 20K miles -- at lower speeds (mostly) the transmission "growls" "shudders" -- just wrong... then car accelerated normally. However, seems to have gotten more frequent in recent months.

This is in addition to the engine being completely replaced at 12K miles -- a bad cylinder -- dealership and Ford made no argument and replaced it over two days. With the transmission it seems to be that they are in denial -- when we've pointed the problem out - -they cannot replicate it or we're told that the shudder is because of my driving style vs my wife's -- BS -- we both experience the problem.

Tonight my children were driving a 2011 Fiesta back to Michigan and the transmission died after 10 hours on the road.... ok, so it's not a Focus -- but I cannot help but think that there's a general problem here with Ford transmissions.

I had my 2012 Focus about 6/8 weeks when it started jerking and shifted extremely rough and made sounds like it was going die. I had it checked at the dealership Jim Skinner Ford in Birmingham, AL and was told the computer needed dated but there wasn't one. There was one being made. I waited about 4 more weeks and it finally came out and my car was up dated. The problem was having a Manuel shift transmission with a automatic shift. That helped the problem for about 2 weeks. I took it back and it was updated again. I was told at that point that it was a good as it was going to get. The problem never went away. Some days it was better than others it was like there was no pattern. I called several times to see if a recall was going to take place but there wasn't one.

We bought the car in December 2013. Had the clutch replaced for a transmission shudder issue in late March. The shudder at that time registered at 373 rpm. Ford replaced the clutch under factory warranty. Car drove as it should for approx the next 6 weeks or so, then the shudder began to return. I took the car back to the dealership and was told the shudder was detected at 130, unfortunately Ford will only authorize one clutch replacement every 12 months unless the shudder is 250+ rpm. Over the next month, the issue worsened, and I was nearly involved in an accident when I pulled into traffic and the car hesitated as I crossed two lanes of traffic, with a semi approaching. I took the car back into the dealership on 9/23/14 and the shudder speed registers at 150. Worse, but still not eligible for a repair. I called Ford directly, asking for assistance in getting my vehicle repaired, to which I was told no, my car is working as designed (even though the shudder is increasing all the time) and that engineering handles setting up the specs that only allow for replacement over 250 rpm. I asked to speak with the representative's supervisor, to which she responded that she did not have a supervisor (?). When I asked to be transferred to someone in engineering, I was told I could not talk to anyone there either. I am so upset. I love my car, but when I pay for something, with a defect such as this, I expect the multibillion dollar company to stand behind their product. Now, I have to be very cautious where I drive my car, and most days it will miss and shudder so much my teeth rattle. I am at my wits end. Can anyone help me get Ford to understand and help? The dealership has told me that there are many many complaints on that model car with that issue (thus the reason for the replacement specs & extended warranty) but Ford has yet to make a recall, or better yet FIX THE PROBLEM!!

Fluid leaking on all clutches. Very dangerous. Replaced all clutches but still sucks especially on hills. Good car only if driven on flat ground.

Update from Mar 24, 2015: Well, I've made it to 83,000 but have no luck getting problems fixed or fixed easily. First Ford wiped out my warranty history, then tried to say I did not buy the car new. I won that lawsuit but am still not satisfied with compensation for my troubles or fixes to my transmission. I still have the clunker because no car dealer will talk to me about trading due to on going issues with my car and high interest loan. I went ahead and bought a back up vehicle straight out so it is paid for. So, when and it will break...the 2012 Focus goes down again with no reasonable fix...the bank can find it on the side of the road somewhere. I'm way over tired of fooling with this car company and dealerships.

Shudder between 0-20 MPH. Does not always happen, but is happening more as time goes on. Mild to rough idle. Now there is a sound sometimes when shuddering. Hard to explain. Sounds like tapping a pen on a table.

We bought this car new. At first it had an interior lighting problem that we finally got fixed. Now this. Thought we'd give an American built car a chance. Now we really regret it. What's worse, we planned to pay the car off quick by making extra payments, so we financed it. But I had to leave my well paying job and go on SSD. Then my wife lost her job. Our income sank like so many others during these times. Now we can't sell the bomb, without a big loss, cause we owe more then it's worth.

We like a lot about this car and would not mind paying for it if it ran well, but this problem really ticks me off. I've read a lot about this problem on Fordfanatics.com so I'm not alone. I left my phone number at Ford Corporate and am waiting on a return call to get the ball rolling, I hope. Funny, we bought a car new to avoid problems. I'm not laughing.

Update from Mar 24, 2015: Well car's got about 30,000 miles on it. Since I've had it it's had interior lighting, transmission and now a wondering problem. So sorry I bought this car. I will say transmission is better when it's cooler outside. When it gets warmer I have to drive it like it's a race car to keep the trans from jerking. When the light changes to green I'm always the first one to the other side of the intersection. It shouldn't be like this.