I own a 2012 ford focus sel that has had multiple transmission issues along with an electrical problem relating to the steering wheel and a battery failure. The vehicle has had issues accelerating through 1st gear which was evident by extreme shuddering and shaking of the vehicle. This had put me into dangerous situations numerous times when trying to merge onto freeways as the vehicle hesitated to get up to speed in time. My transmission was replaced at 9,562 miles in sept. 2013. The shuttering and acceleration problems recurred at 21,904 miles in sept. 2014 and ford ran a system update to 'fix' the problem. They also replaced the steering wheel for electrical problems at this time. The acceleration issues continued for the next month and the clutch was finally replaced in oct. 2014. A couple weeks later the battery was dead 3 sundays in a row and was also replaced. Ford has not been able to reassure me that these transmission issues will not be on-going. I continuously read others accounts online stating they are having the same issues I am having, and in many cases their dealerships are ignoring the issues and making excuses. Please look into this matter.
2012 Ford Focus acceleration complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 166, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Was parking car when suddenly it lunged forward at a fast speed, I lost control and hit car in front of me plus 3 other cars then crashed into cement wall. I hit my head and left side of body on the door, I bruised my rib cage front & back plus my left leg very bruised. I was very lucky I didn't get killed.
When you take off the vehicle shudders during acceleration. We have taken the car into plano five star ford twice now and they still say they cannot get it to act up. My husband drives 150 miles a day in this car and on september 26th we did not think we would make it home in it. He took in to plano five star ford on monday the 29th and they said they have driven it 90 miles this week and cannot get it to act up and told us to come and get the car. We received a letter dated august 2014 from ford stating this is a problem and they have extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. We already have 86,000 plus miles on the car and the transmission will not last much longer. Please help us... [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Transmission malfunctions causing long delay/hesitation when shifting and slow/delayed acceleration. Noticeable shuddering and vibration when shifting between gears and occasional hard, pronounced shift changes causing driver and passengers to lunge. This creates very dangerous driving conditions mainly because it's difficult to control the acceleration of the vehicle. The check engine light comes on and a warning message appears in the dash stating 'transmission malfunction service now' this event occurred the first week of vehicle ownership (I purchased the vehicle brand new january 2012). At that time the dealer recalibrated the transmission and it's been performing satisfactorily until recently. This event has now occurred on four other occasions with the most recent event occurring on 9/30/2014. The 9/30/2014 event was the most dangerous and severe so the vehicle is now at the dealership for service.
Car stutters and does not shift. Severe shaking and loss of cruise speed is effected. The car does not accelerate properly and seems to lose speed while driving. I am scared to let my daughter drive this car and only have owning it for several months it has been in the shop once and going back again. There is no apparent fix for this problem and they will not do anything about it. The clutch was replaced and reprogrammed and this did nothing to fix the issue.
Driving on freeway, friday light traffic. Accelerating and cannot go past 1000rpm. Check engine light came on. Could not go any faster. Lucky no one rear-ended me on the fwy. (previous to this incident, car routinely (many times a day) shudders upon acceleration (car shakes) and seems to have trouble shifting gears). Took to dealer who said they had to reset the computer, kept car over labor day weekend and supposedly all fixed. Picked car up 9/3/14 and same thing happened while stopped at a red light at night on way home from work. Could not accelerate past 1000rpm. Pulled over, called aaa and towed to dealer. After 2 days, dealer said the modular/component in the transmission needed to be replaced. Dealer kept car for another 5 days to drive around and see if this resolved the problem. I picked up the car 9/11/14. Car still has trouble 'shifting' from 1000 to 2000 RPM and still shudders but has not totally stopped accelerating, I am in fear everyday since I drive over 100 miles per day to/from work in heavy traffic.
The engine light came on while driving, saying check transmission. The transmission is not shifting the car shakes or vibrate when the peed change.
At random times the car will just shut off leaving a coasting vehicle down the highway, or leave you stalled out in the middle of an intersection. If you leave it sit for 30min-1hour it may restart. If you press the accelerator it was not respond. After a couple minutes the vehicle will recover from a rough idle and try to lunge forward even when vehicle is in park. Problem: transmission control module.
Shutters/ grinding noise/ tugs and jolts at low speeds and up hills. When in bumper to bumper traffic message on dash, overheating transmission pull over wait 8 minutes.
The car stopped accelerating while I was driving on 1-95 in new jersey at rush hour . I was able to pull over safely, resumed driving and the car repeated this over the next day. After a service by a ford dealer, the car ran smoothly for 10 miles then the problem re occurred and engine light went back on. Would not accelerate in reverse or drive. Definitely was not fixed. This is in addition to the constant sputtering and chugging when I accelerate. But coming to a dead stop on i95 in new jersey traffic was terrifying.
I was traveling from the route 128 highway exit ramp onto the interstate 95 going approximately 50-55 MPH, as I rounded the top of the ramp I went to accelerate onto I-95 when I found I was slowing in speed/decelerating and found that I had no pick up with the vehicle. I was actually coasting ,the engine appeared to be on but I was unable to accelerate. As I coasted to the break down lane the check engine light flashed on. I sat at the side of the road for approximately 5-7 minutes, the car did re-start. Due to what appeared to be a dangerous spot on the highway I attempted to continue driving towards an exit. Approximately 4 miles down the highway ( I traveled at 50 MPH in the far right lane) the car again, stopped accelerating was decelerating, I was pumping the gas petal without success and I coasted to the side of the road. I had the car towed to rodman ford in foxboro ma. The service advisor is telling me the diagnostic shows nothing is wrong with the car. He also reports even though the check engine light flashed on twice their is no indication of the computer registering any type of failure.
When turning to make a right turn the front of the car makes a metal on metal scraping sound (intermittingly) also the transmission doesn't seem to always kick in when after coming to a complete stop the car shakes as the gas pedal is pushed. I've brought it to the dealership where I bought it and they keep telling me nothing is wrong with it, it is just how the car operates.
Without warning, (no lights on dash-board - no unusual noises - no problems starting etc), there were no gears and I was left in neutral. It required coming to a stop, putting it into park and starting again to limp along to get to a safe point to park the car and call for help. Luckily I was not yet onto the freeway! The ford dealership mechanic was able to replicate these circumstances and he too found himself without gears; he was on the freeway on-ramp and was lucky to not be hit. I can only imagine how dangerous this is if you are in 4 lanes of traffic going 60 MPH!!! Notwithstanding the severity of this "module" defect, the problem according to ford does not come under the 'transmission recall' and my car is 3,500 miles over the magical 60,000 power-train recall. I am stuck with a $1,500 bill and the fear that it might happen again; if not to me, someone else with this model/year focus.
Accelerating from stop, engine hesitates, causing turns and acceleration onto streets to take longer than expected.
I was leaving from the bp gas station from wayne sullivan dr in paducah, ky I had drove from ledbetter which is 10 mins outside of paducah and when I started my car to leave gas station pulling out into busy intersection I went to accelerate and my car would not go any faster than 10mph with oncoming traffic behind me and my 5 year old child in the car with me. I had reported transmission problems before they put computer to adjust it but told me slippage and jerking would be normal due to the type of transmission. My car has always rolled back on steep hills also.
I was driving down a road and all of a sudden my car wouldn't go I kept stepping on the gas and there was no throttle power. I turned of the main street and let the car glide to a complete stop. Praying that the garbage truck would stop cause my car was barely moving. I turned it off and then it made a weird noise.... I tried turning it on but it didn't so I called roadside assistance but while I was talking to them the car cranked up again. I drove it to the nearest dealer the told me I needed a new battery but I took my battery out h as d it checked and it's still good . Today my car did the same thing and now it's in the driveway it doesn't have throttle power the RPM's are not working not even when it's in park.
While driving on the road, going about 40-50 MPH on a sunny, hot day in july, the traction control suddenly turned on and the car started to decelerate. I found it odd as the weather was not inclement and I had not hit a pothole so I pulled over since the car was automatically slowing down. I was lucky not to have been in an accident as there were plenty of cars around and this was less than half a mile from the highway that I was about to travel. After pulling over, I turned the car off to try to clear the traction control as it seemed to be stuck on. The car would not turn back on (the engine was not turning on though the battery was fine). After calling the ford auto club and having help come out, the car got towed to the dealership. The issue turned out to be with the transmission control module that was covered under the original power train warranty.
My car was in the shop about 4x's in 1 month. Issue began driving about 45 MPH. Went to accelerate felt a sudden jerk & nothing. Look down to see my drive light flashing & am steadily decreasing in speed with no way to accelerate, like in neutral. I luckily was able to get out of oncoming traffic, put the car in park which began to flash. Accelerated a couple times to be sure it responded before driving but the service engine light was on. Driving again, about to make a left turn, not a mile down the road, same thing happened. This time put it in park, accelerated & nothing. Shut off my car to reset it & my car would not turn on. After waiting for the tow truck, the car would just not turn on, everything related to the battery would turn on but the car didn't. In the shop this 1st time a total of 3 days, still unsure about it being fixed (because they just fixed the "electrical" part, not the issue) lo & behold when I turned into my neighborhood same thing happened (drive light flashed & accelerator didn't respond). I get home to park & turn on my car, after attempting to turn it back on, nothing. Another tow truck came the next morning to get it, this time my car was there 7 days. After 2 days of driving the same thing happened I was on a hill almost began rolling backwards into another car until I put it into p & pulled the e break. Car went in they stated that they figured it out & I hoped 3rd x's the charm. Nope, I was on a highway had to pull over away from oncoming traffic decrease the risk of me being hit. 9 days in the shop after ordering a transmission control module for my car & replacing it, it works. Although I was just informed that the same thing is now happening to a friend with a 2013 ford focus. It's something that needs to be looked into because loosing the ability to accelerate in the middle of traffic is very dangerous life threatening & scary.
The engine seems to race at times and while the RPM are rising to car does not accelerate. Also when I am at a red light it will either shutter or lurch forward occasional. When I took it for service they told me this was a normal function of the dual core transmission. However it seems to me that if this were true the frequency would not be increasing and I would not notice it when I m driving. Thank you I hope you can do something to help.
I have had the worst problems with this car. I have had it in the ford dealer ship 5 times since jan. 2012. They keep saying nothing is wrong. It rolls worse then a 5 speed. It tries to stall out on me taking off., acts like it is going to die going up a hill. I have to push gas pedal down all the way to get up a hill. It happens most the time but not always. It is to the point I am about to never own a ford again.
Driving on the highway when car did not want to accelerate and suddenly accelerated. Motor light turned on. When taken to get checked,motor light was off and. Was told others have been experiencing the same. This is the second time it happens.
2012 ford focus. Consumer writes in regards to acceleration problems. *smd the consumer stated it felt as though the vehicle was loosing power and trying to stall out. She would try to accelerate and the vehicle would rev, but would not go, and when it finally did go, it was very jumpy and slow. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer five times for the same issue. The dealer stated the vehicle needed a computer upgrade. The dealer stated it would take a while for the upgrade to work, but it never did, and the problem worsened. The next time, the dealer stated the TCM needed to be replaced. The replacement of the TCM, made the problem even worse. The vehicle began jerking upon acceleration and it felt as though the transmission was slipping.
Approached stop light on a road with steep incline. Came to complete stop behind several cars without incident, but when pressed gas to move at green light, gear (despite being automatic transmission) slipped and stayed in neutral, revving but not engaging. Car began quickly rolling backwards. I was able to yank emergency brake just before hitting the car approaching mine from behind. Similar incidences have occurred with regard to incorrect/ dangerous automatic gear changes -- sudden loss of needed gear change to enter highway from ramp (flat land) and all kinds of gear changing problems (stuck in gear several gears too low or too high) in hilly terrain. This can result in lurching as well. Dealership claims normal operation and says the car isn't generating helpful codes as a result.
While I am driving (this has occurred three times) the check engine light comes on and the gears keep slipping. I take it in and they reset the computer or whatever they do and it works fine right after but continues to drive like the gears are slipping.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle would lunge forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 9,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost power. The contact mentioned that the check engine and the gear switch warning lights illuminated. The door chime sounded and the vehicle was able to restart approximately 15 minutes later. The failure recurred on two other occasions. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the computer failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 53,000.
I have a ford focus 2012 se with winter and comfort packages. My vehicle suddenly swapped up from 79 MPH to 81 MPH when I pressed the down button to slow the car.
I purchased my vehicle in december of 2012 and by may of 2013, the vehicle had been in and out of the shop for months. The most substantial issue was an issue with speed control in the car while on the freeway. At about 20 miles an hour the car would have difficulty going up to 40mph, but would then jerk up to higher speeds afterward. The clutch system was replaced in the car on may 24, 2013 and seemed to be fine, but I still filed a claim with the ford motor company. Last week on may 14, 2014 the began to have the same transmission issues. I contacted ford again and was told to take it in, as it was covered under the 12 months/12000 miles extended parts warranty. My car is currently back in the shop and I am concerned that this issue will not be resolved. I'm also concerned that there was already a recall on this vehicle in 2012 for transmission issues and little is being done now to rectify this dangerous issue.
Transmission issues, jerking, jumping, jolting forward, sluggish, lack of power, feels like the car is going to cut off. This happens at slow speeds, fast speeds, at a stop, idling, etc. You name a condition of the car at various speeds and it has transmission issues. I took it to ford to fix and they said it was a "known" issue, they updated the software and calibrated. It still has the same issues, the problem is not resolved.
I have a problem with my ford focus 2012 se which is best described as gas pedal or throttle delay in my opinion. I was making a right hand turn into traffic and when I pushed down on the gas pedal. It was a second later I realize I needed to push down harder on the gas petal as the car wasn't moving fast enough. I got it moving, but I would have preferred it didn't happen again. No accident occurred, but I'm wondering if this problem could be averted by a slight correction of whatever needs adjusting. Where would I go to fix this if I can?
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