Ford Focus / 2012
2012 Ford Focus problems
Owners have filed 4,980 complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 29.3% of them — the clear leader, ahead of steering at 18.6%.
Complaints4,980
Crashes179
Fires28
Injuries125
Deaths7
What owners report breaking
Power train 29.3% · 1457
Steering 18.6% · 928
Engine 9.5% · 474
Unknown or other 7.2% · 358
Electrical system 7.1% · 355
Structure 6.7% · 334
Fuel/propulsion system 5.7% · 283
Vehicle speed control 3.3% · 166
Severity
Of those complaints, 179 describe a crash, 28 describe a fire, 125 report an injury and 7 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Ford Focus in this data, 2012 ranks 2nd by complaint volume — 2000 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 187 in the last three years against 490 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 65,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Lurching and uncontrolled shifting occurs with the transmission. It has left me stuck in the middle of a left turn because it doesn't shift correctly. Now I ran off the road while exiting a freeway because the power steering turned off in the middle of the turn. This has now happened 6 times randomly. It gives me a power steering fault. I have come close to being the cause of 3 accidents because of these two issues. Power train · reported at 93,087 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration and then lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. Power train · reported at 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle was shifted into the drive position but failed to drive forward when the accelerator pedal was engaged. The contact mentioned that the same failure applied when attempting to reverse. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000. Power train · reported at 54,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…