My wipers worked, then paused mid windshield and went back down. Now they no longer work. Both fuses have been checked and there is nothing wrong with them. Now my wipers are unusable which makes my car unsafe to drive. Brought it to the mechanic and they said it looks like the same issues that affected this model on a recall a few years ago. However, when I look up recalls it shows that there are none that affect my specific vin.
2012 Ford Focus: windshield wiper failure
48 of the 3,772 complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus describe windshield wiper failure.
- owner complaints
- 48
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 63,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 2 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Windshield wiper failure by model year
What owners say
My windshield wipers are malfunctioning causing no visibility and battery to die. They will not turn off even after car in turned off and keys are no longer in emmision
Driver side and passenger side windshield wipers failed to operate several times and get stuck periodically. Totally impaired vision in rain. Took the vehicle to the local ford dealer approximately 1 year ago and they could not find the issue to resolve. They replaced with new windshield wipers which we had just replaced 1 month prior. They tried to adjust the placement of the wipers but this did not fix it. This vehicle has not been inspected by any other dealer or service center. There are multiple complaints of this same issue on online sites and forums with no real solutions prevalent. This is a major safety malfunction that needs to be addressed and recalled by ford motor company and find a solution before any fatalities happen. This car is driven by my underage, new driver! Extreme safety hazard!! No lights, warning lamps or problems prior to failure.
Passangers wiper motor stopped working, then driver side stopped working within 2 weeks of the passanger side failure.
While driving my 2012 ford focus se on 4/28/2021 at 45mph my windshield wipers began to move erratically on their own - at different speed levels. They did not respond to the lever at all. The wipers continued after ignition was turned off. At 7:15am the next morning of 4/29/2021 while driving at 20mph, the windshield wipers responded to the lever when turned on and off. However at 10:30a, the windshield wipers began to move back and forth erratically again without being activated by the lever. Later in the after noon, 5pm while driving on the highway at 65mph, the windshield wipers stopped working all together in the midst of a rainstorm. As of today, 4/30/2021 the windshield wipers are non-responsive.
Whenever it rains and I'm using my wipers they will just shut off randomly or they do a very inconvenient delay at the worst of times especially when it's raining hard. It's dangerous and you can't see. Oddly enough my horn don't work either. I got the car january 1st,2020 of course it was previously owned I got it from a used car dealer the horn worked until I think march, 2020. I hit a bump and it's like it just quit after that then a couple week later I got a bump again and it started workin for a little bit. Then a couple days went by and it just stopped never to work again. Checked all the fuses they all looked good none looked blown. It's scary because so many times people will either pull out in front of me like they don't see me or almost hit me and I have no way to alert them that they almost him me and need to pay attention. Then there's the whole having to take off slowly if not and you take off fast it the car will jerk and stall and it does it really when sometimes when turning and now the RPM drop so low when idling it almost dies. I just replace the motor a couple months ago and it was doing this before the ne motor got out in just not as bad. And it's like you can press the gas pedal and push it but the car. Aren't beg jl and goes... It's scary to me and I usually always have my kid with me. It freaks me out because not only does it stall or whatever it's doing I have no horn to let people know to go around I know a girl I work with her daughter has the same car as me and stalking has gotta.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. The contact stated that the windshield wipers activated independent of driver input. Additionally, on several occasions during inclement weather, the windshield wipers failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to woody anderson ford located at 2500 jordan ln nw, huntsville, al 35810, where the windshield wipers were replaced under warranty. The failure recurred seven months later however, the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
While moving if you turn on the windshields wiper fluid and the windows are down that fluid flows into the window and can sometimes splash I your face
Wipers just stopped working with no indications of any issues. Changed fuse and no change. I used wipers on monday while driving and tuesday morning went to spray washer fluid to clean and sprayer worked and no motion in wipers. My car was in my driveway at 94 bethel ridge road
While driving at approximately 50mph on a country road the vehicle suddenly became unresponsive and numerous warning lights illuminated. A transmission failure warning appeared and the car immediately stopped accelerating. The electric steering became inoperative and steered the vehicle into oncoming traffic. Avoidance and stopping on the side of the road required an estimated 60-80lbs of force to regain minimal steering and bring the car to a stop. Once stopped numerous electrical systems on the car including lights, wipers, and other electrical components began to activate and deactivate in a seemingly random fashion. This car is absolutely unsafe!
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. While driving 15 MPH, the transmission malfunction warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred and the vehicle moved slowly. The contact called ciocca ford of quakertown (321 s west end blvd, quakertown, pa 18951, (215) 536-8600) and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was towed to ciocca ford where it was diagnosed that the clutch, gasket cylinder, tie rod, in and out lug nuts splash guards, gasket valve cover, lower control arm and bushing, oil pan gasket, pollen filters, air filter element, all four tires, wipers, and the battery cable negative and positive needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,664.
Inoperative passenger side windshield wiper. Same as the federal safety agency campaign id number : 12v149000
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: switch/wiring
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2012 focus vehicles manufactured from august 1, 2010, through october 18, 2011. A seal in the wiring harness connector to the passenger side wiper motor may be missing.
- Risk
- Water or other contaminants may accumulate in the connector, resulting in an intermittent or inoperative passenger side wiper motor, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and as necessary, clean and properly seal the passenger side wiper motor connector. Any inoperative wiper motors will be replaced. This service will be provided free of charge. The safety recall began on may 21, 2012. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 12V149000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2012 Ford Focus wipers
Is windshield wiper failure a common problem on the 2012 Ford Focus?
48 of 3,772 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford Focus (1%) mention windshield wiper failure. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Ford Focus?
There is 1 recall and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Ford Focus
Stalling 438Door locks 374Jerking 346Check engine light 345Power steering loss 345Shudder 336Loss of power 224Hesitation 212Transmission failure 140Slipping 136Steering lock-up 130Grinding brakes 116Won't start 102Won't shift 87Engine failure 79Overheating 70Fuel gauge 54Fuel pump 54Sudden acceleration 37No deployment 31Harsh shifting 28Seat belt 28ABS 23Headlights 19Misfire 15Warning lights 15Adaptive cruise 13Fuel leak 13Knocking 12Brake failure 11Fuel smell 11Fire or smoke 10Pulling 10Power windows 8Sunroof shattered 8Tire blowout 8Battery drain 7Airbag light 6Ball joint 6Screen failure 6Key fob 6
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