2012 Ford Focus is ranked as the worst generation for all Ford Focus cars lines since 1990, according to carcomplaints.com. Car complaints is a website created to help any vehicle owner-report problems to help educate other new buyers or current owners about what problems they might face along with the repair options and costs.
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
According to carcomplaints.com, the 2012 Ford Focus received a total of 747 complaints. The problem is not due to the high complaints of this year; the issue here is due to the significant increase in Ford Focus complaints between 2011 and 2012; in 2011, only 53 complaints were reported to carcomplaints.com. While this increase in car's complaints for the 2012 model year was a big disappointment for Ford Focus lovers, this pushed the company to work hard to address all these issues. The hard work was reflected by the gradual decrease in complaints about Ford Focus newer vehicles.
Unfortunately, the majority of reported complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus had to do with the vehicle's transmission. As we all know, transmission repair is one of the most expensive repairs that a vehicle could face. Transmission's reported problems ranged from transmission shudder till a complete transmission failure.
Despite a large number of complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus, the vehicle still gains a lot of attractions from many current and new buyers. This vehicle is featured for its very nice interior, great fuel economy, and very comfortable riding and handling.
The intend of this article is to provide you with a quick overview of the 2012 Ford Focus most important characteristics. Then, we summarize the most commonly reported problems by car owners to the carcomplaints.com website. This way, we can help new buyers decide about whether to buy the 2012 Ford Focus or not. Furthermore, we also help educate current owners expect what type of problems they might face, and what are the different repair options they have.
2012 Ford Focus description
In this section, we would like to provide a quick overview of the most important features of the 2012 Ford Focus before moving to the main reported problems.
According to car.usnews.com, the 2012 Ford Focus was ranked on the top 2012 compact cars, hatchbacks, affordable small cars, and used hatchbacks under $10K. The vehicle was featured for the great handling and a very nice interior.
The 2012 Ford Focus seats up to five passengers, and it gets up to 26 to 28 miles per gallon on city roads and 36 to 40 miles per gallon on the highways, which is considered a great fuel economy for such a family of vehicles.
This car comes with a four-wheel-drive and provides up to 160 horsepower. The standard 2012 Ford Focus comes with a 2.0 L four-cylinder engine associated with a five-speed manual transmission with another option of six-speed automatic transmission. Several owners mentioned that while the six-speed transmission is better, it can be slower to shift, especially when more power is needed. The overall vehicle's curb weight ranges from 2,857 to 3,015 lb.
According to car.usnews.com, you can get the 2012 Ford Focus for a price ranging from $5,612 to $7,781.
2012 Ford Focus problems
In this section, we will provide a detailed overview of what types of problems were reported frequently to carcomplaints.com by the majority of 2012 Ford Focus owners. We will focus on the type of problem, reported repairs options and costs, vehicle mileage when the problem occurred, and the problem's rank.
-
2012 Ford Focus transmission problems
The most-reported problem with the 2012 Ford Focus has to do with the vehicle's transmission with a total of 110 complaints. Transmission's problems ranged from some shudder to shifting issues to a complete engine failure.
Most owners reported that the engine would start shuddering suddenly without any previous warnings or signs. The same problem occurred frequently, and a couple of owners had to deal with replacing the transmission four times in a row. Furthermore, and what made it even worse, the warranty wouldn't cover this repeated issue as it passed its coverage. To fix the problem, most owners had to either replace the dual-clutch, the dual-clutch seal or replacing the whole transmission part.
Transmission shuddering required an average of $1,650 to get resolved, and this problem was reported by vehicles at 45,000 miles. in general, the problem was rated as “Pretty Bad.”
The second most reported transmission problem was related to hard shifting. A large number of owners reported having a hard time when shifting gears with the 2012 Ford Focus. They had to either replace the automatic clutch or replace the entire transmission for the problem to be resolved. On average, fixing shifting issues cost about $1,600 on the repair. Most vehicles who reported the problem were at about 25,000 miles, and the problem was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
In addition to the listed problems previously, several 2012 Ford Focus owners reported that the transmission would hesitate to switch from gear to gear. The problem was resolved by replacing the clutches. The website did not include information about repair costs. However, it mentioned that this problem occurred mostly on cars at 45,000 miles, and the problem was described as “Pretty Bad.”
Unfortunately, most transmission issues ended up replacing the whole transmission to get the problem resolved. As it is known, transmission repairs are considered one of the most expensive repairs any driver doesn't want to deal with.
-
2012 Ford Focus transmission problems
Following the transmission issues, more than 110 complaints were reported regarding issues with the 2012 Ford Focus steering wheel issues. These issues were either related to failure in the power steering or issue with steering wheel locked up.
The majority of reported problems related to the 2012 steering wheel indicated a sudden complete failure to the power steering without any previous signs or warnings. The problem was resolved by either replacing the steering assist, rack, or gear. In general, the average repair cost for power steering failure was $1,870. The problem was mostly reported by vehicles around 80,000 miles, and this problem was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
The second steering wheel most reported problem indicated a locked up steering wheel. Several owners mentioned that the steering wheel would lock up after reverse. This issue occurred more than ten times in a row for the same driver. While the complaints did not include information about repair or repair costs, most vehicles reported the problem was at about 66,000 miles. the problem was ranked as “Really Awful.”
-
2012 Ford Focus interior problems
After the issues with the transmission and the steering wheel, we are moving to less costly repairs: the 2012 Ford Focus interior problems.
A large number of drivers reported issues with the 2012 Ford Focus interior that has to do with issues with the horn, sound system, audio, and door ajar not working properly.
More than 28 complaints were reported regarding the radio stopped working suddenly. To fix the problem, the owners had to either replace the entire stereo system, the GPS or sell the vehicle. In general, the average reported repair cost was $360, which is not as pricy as the previously mentioned problems in the other categories. Most vehicles who reported the problem were at about 60,000 miles. the problem was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
In addition to the radio issues, several complaints were reported regarding a faulty audio system. The vehicle's owners mentioned that there is an issue with the overall radio wiring in this vehicle. To resolve the problem, they had to replace the entire sound system for about $650. The problem was reported mostly by vehicles at 55,000 miles, and it was described as “Pretty Bad.”
Another complaint that might affect the driver's safety was reported about a broken horn. The drivers considered that a broken horn without any alarming or warnings could affect their safety, and the company should consider this issue. The problem was resolved by replacing the horn for about $200, which is again not as pricy as transmission or steering wheels issues repairs. the problem was reported by vehicles at 78,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
The last problem we would like to highlight here has to do with the door ajar. Many owners should avoid a lot of frustration about the “door ajar” warning sign frequently illuminating, although the door was completely closed. The problem was resolved by replacing the door latch without indicating any information about repair costs. This complaint was reported from vehicles around 80,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
-
2012 Ford Focus engine problems
Unfortunately, many 2012 Ford Focus owners reported complaints regarding the vehicle's engine. Reported engine's problems had to do with engine not starting, delays in acceleration, check engine light illuminating frequently, engine overheating, and much more.
The most common reported 2012 Ford Focus engine problem is related to the engine not starting. A large group of owners mentioned that their vehicles would work just fine for a day, then the engine wouldn't start the second day. This frustrating problem was resolved either by replacing the body control module or replacing the transmission control module for about $820 on average. The problem was reported by vehicles around 75,000 miles, and it was ranked as “Pretty Bad.”
Furthermore, some 2012 Ford Focus owners mentioned that they had issues with the engine takes time to accelerate. To resolve the problem, some owners tried replacing the throttle body. However, they mentioned that the problem got worse. These vehicles were at about 18,000 miles, and the problem was described as “Pretty Bad.”
Another issue with the 2012 Ford Focus is the frequent check engine light illuminating. While the check engine light can be illuminating for any internal problem, most vehicles were resolved by replacing the clutch for about $120. The problem was reported by vehicles at 47,000 miles, and it was described as “Pretty Bad.”
-
2012 Ford Focus other problems
So far, we summarized the most common 2012 Ford Focus problems. In this section, we will put together all additional less frequently reported problems. These problems include issues with the electrical system, windows, body and paint, fuel system, exterior, and AC and heating.
-
2012 Ford Focus electrical system problems
Most reported electrical problems for the 2012 Ford Focus were related to the vehicle that can't turn off, the vehicle is locked, the wires are broken, and the battery dies.
-
2012 Ford Focus windows problems
Windows problems were not reported frequently. However, all complaints reported were related to issues with the failure to control power windows, cracking in the windshield, leaking in the windows.
-
2012 Ford Focus body problems
Many 2012 Ford Focus owners were not happy with the overall vehicle structure as they had to deal with water leaking into the vehicle and trunk stuck closed and won't open.
-
2012 Ford Focus fuel system problems
This vehicle can have issues with strange fuel odor, problems with fuel filling, a malfunction in the fuel gauge, and a fuel tank collapsing.
-
2012 Ford Focus fuel AC and heating problems
While very few complaints were reported regarding the 2012 Ford Focus AC and heating system, these complaints came from owners driving in very hot or very cold environments where the AC and heating are a must. Some of these problems had to do with compressors' failures, gas leak, and air conditioning blowing hot air.
Conclusion
The 2012 Ford Focus was not a big success for the company, especially with the big spike in complaints reported for this year.
Most reported 2012 Ford Focus complaints had to do with the transmission, the steering, the interior, and the engine. These problems required relatively high repair costs.
Although this problem was a big disappointment for the Ford Focus company, these complaints helped them focus on improving all issues and gradually decrease the number of complaints to hit only one complaint in the year 2019.