2012 Ford Focus: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Aug 25, 2017 · Electrical, Visibility · 88,500 miles · NJ · fire

As I was driving approximately 60-65mph on the garden state parkway my windshield wipers came on without me telling them to. They cycled through fast, normal, intermittent, off for 60-90 seconds per cycle. After the second cycle I decided to exit the highway and find a place to park and shut the car off. I then hear a thud as I come to a light, 30 seconds later I see smoke. I pull into the parking lot and see lots of smoke and some flames coming from under my hood. I turn off the car and the wipers keep going. I get out and call 911 and within a few minutes my car is engulfed in flames.

Filed Jan 19, 2017 · Transmission · 147,400 miles · CA

I was on my way home via typical city streets and the car's transmission would not catch gear after coming to a stop at a stop sign. It felt like the car was in neutral. I was able to pull into a parking lot to look under the car and see if there was any visual damage. Nothing visual but there was a slight burning smell coming from under the hood. I tried to drive the car again but this time it would not shift out of first gear. A warning appeared "transmission malfunction service now" I put the car in neutral to get down the street to a safe parking spot and before coming to a stop the "transmission overheating" warning appeared. This is the second time in 2 years that the car has had this problem. There were several tsb's issued by ford for the transmission on the focus and I had my car serviced accordingly so I was assuming the problems were fixed.

Filed Aug 17, 2016 · Electrical, Visibility · 44,000 miles · VA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving approximately 25 to 35 MPH, the windshield wipers activated on their own and the contact noticed smoke and flames under the hood. The contact pulled over and called 911. The fire department extinguished the fire. Neither a police nor a fire report were filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.

Filed Jul 9, 2016 · Electrical · 86,000 miles · GA

Radio has popping and cracking its really loud may catch on fire.

Filed May 27, 2016 · Airbags, Seat belts · 77,000 miles · AL · crash · 2 injuries

My daughter was involved in a head on collision. The airbag deployed but split open and she said it looked like smoke came out of it. Also the seat belt did not lock on impact. She sustained minor injuries to her right arm and abdomen hips and back. The vehicle was in motion going 45 MPH the other car was going 70 MPH and it was on a city street.

Filed May 17, 2016 · Engine · CA · fire · 2 injuries

While driving back on the freeway, the vehicle started to smoke. Pulled to the side of the freeway and the vehicle caught on fire.

Filed Nov 10, 2015 · Wheels · 39,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving 35 MPH, the contact heard an explosive abnormal noise coming from the rear driver side. The contact noticed burnt rubber and smoke coming from the tire. The low tire pressure warning light illuminated. The contact then noticed that the front and rear driver side tires blew out and were deflated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hbt bolt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.

Filed Mar 7, 2015 · Body, Engine · 32,000 miles · FL · fire

Car lost power and engine light came on while traveling southbound on I-95. Underneath parts and lower body panels caught fire and melted. Vehicle was towed to the paul clark ford dealership in yulee, fl. Where it was discovered the engine had experienced a catastrophic engine failure. There was a hole a little smaller than a basketball blown out of the bottom of the crankcase with the oil pump and pieces of the engine laying on the shield covering the oil pan. The car had just been fully serviced with it's routine oil change, recommended service routine, etc by same dealer. Even though the vehicle is under full warranty, nothing has been done to repair the vehicle as of yet. Ford is conducting an internal review and said it could take up to 90 days before a determination is made. They also have not offered a loaner vehicle or a rental car to the owner while this process is taking place.

Filed Jan 5, 2013 · Engine · 100 miles · FL

Vehicle rattling noise when running, called ford and took to dealer and advised nothing wrong and noise is normal. Rattling noise continued and today burning smell from vents. Afraid to drive and took wife's car to work.

Filed Feb 29, 2012 · Engine · 41,000 miles · CA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, smoke emitted from the engine and the engine caught on fire. The vehicle was then stopped and the fire was extinguished. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an authorized dealer. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was 41,000. The VIN was unavailable.