Focus Fanatics Forum banner

More of the Same

4K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  RedoFromStart 
#1 ·
I really thought (maybe just hoped) Ford was better than this. After just over 7 months of ownership of this car, I've come to the conclusion that it's quite apparent that Americans can't build quality automobiles that last. I've already had to take this Focus in 6 times for 4 different problems and one of them is not solved still. Every time I take it in, they ask me how I like it. I don't anymore.

I do a lot of highway and light city driving. The front end suspension quickly developed a rattle, which was fixed, but there is also a loud squeaking/quacking/rubbing noise that is audible over the stereo but conveniently never present when the technician is driving it. If I wanted to be without my car while it sits at a dealership service department parking lot not being worked on every other week, I'd have kept my old car that I traded in for this thing. It had the exact same problems from the get go when it was brand new, too. It appears that it's just more of the same...I bought another 6 years to a decade of constant extremely inconvenient and unproductive service department visits. YAY!

The 2012 Ford Focus is just another of many very nice looking but poorly-built American automobiles. I regret buying it, and this is what I tell people who are interested in buying one when they ask me about it.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I really thought (maybe just hoped) Ford was better than this. After just over 7 months of ownership of this car, I've come to the conclusion that it's quite apparent that Americans can't build quality automobiles that last. I've already had to take this Focus in 6 times for 4 different problems and one of them is not solved still. Every time I take it in, they ask me how I like it. I don't anymore.

The 2012 Ford Focus is just another of many very nice looking but poorly-built American automobiles. I regret buying it.
It's funny, I came to the conclusion the other day that if american car companies can make more cars like the focus, they'll be ok. This is the first american car that reaches the level of the german or japanese cars that I've owned.

Still though, sorry about the issues. There are lots of well documented cases on this site of these cars being bad. My DCT has the normal noises, rattles, etc, but when it works its insanely smooth and fun to drive.
 
#3 ·
I bought the Focus because my Ranger was so damn good.

I'm guessing management wanted the Focus rushed to market, and the bean counters pushed hard to keep costs down and profits up. The engineers were probably going nuts.

My favorite example of cost cutting was the hot melt glue they used on part of the headliner. They used it to adhere fabric to glossy, hard, black plastic. The best hot glues I could find have a service temperature of +20 to +150 degrees Fahrenheit. Those temperatures are easily exceeded in either direction in that application. At the very least, the black plastic should have been scuffed to promote better adherence. Using a polyurethane glue would have cost more, but it would have held up better.

In my Focus the glue failed, causing numerous rattles directly above the driver and passenger.

I still believe the Focus will be a great car someday... It just has a lot of issues that must now be addressed.
 
#4 ·
I'm guessing management wanted the Focus rushed to market, and the bean counters pushed hard to keep costs down and profits up. The engineers were probably going nuts.

My favorite example of cost cutting was the hot melt glue they used on part of the headliner. They used it to adhere fabric to glossy, hard, black plastic. The best hot glues I could find have a service temperature of +20 to +150 degrees Fahrenheit. Those temperatures are easily exceeded in either direction in that application. At the very least, the black plastic should have been scuffed to promote better adherence. Using a polyurethane glue would have cost more, but it would have held up better.
+2139014!!!! Mine was fixed and then started rattling again. I just shoved some felt in it this time. Problem solved.
 
#5 ·
I have this same rattling as the above, where did you stick the felt?



I havent taken it in yet once
 
#6 ·
I have this same rattling as the above, where did you stick the felt?
Pretty much in between the metal and the dried up glue where it stopped holding. The rest of the glue and the 3M dual-lock strips keep the headliner up, so I used some felt and a pick to kind of shove it where it was rattling.

For me it was just above the passenger headrest at the back of the moonroof opening. Gotta make sure it doesn't get in the way of the moonroof itself, though. And that you don't get it greasy and then drag that all along the moonroof cover. That'd suck.
 
#8 ·
I can tell you now that if you bring it in they won't do anything about it. They will say "oh well we can remove the whole headliner then reinstall it, but it won't fix the problem" and when you get your car back you'll have rattling in a new place. I've been fighting this problem for 9 months. This is of course if your dealership decides to look into it. I've been told that rattling is pretty normal, or that they can't reproduct the rattling.

The felt solution is a good one, my solution was to shim a thin cloth between the roof and the glue. If you have a moonroof, stick your hand between the liner, you'll feel the actual liner fabric, the plastic liner, then glue to the roof. Give that piece a slight tug and the glue will give, insert the thin cloth there and problem solved. Although for me it caused new rattling at the back of the car now :S (my original rattle was right above the paseenger head, next to the sunglass box).
 
#9 ·
The problem is, you shouldn't have to do any of this. This is in fact a new car, with a new car warranty. When I still had my 2012 Focus Titanium, I brought the car back 3-times for the headliner noise. Finally, I got fed up after it wasn't fixed....walked into the dealer principals office and tossed the keys to my car on his desk. I told him I didn't want the car back until all of the issues were fixed, including the squeaking headliner problem. Oh and I also said, I will need a loaner vehicle while you are doing the repairs/fixes. Anyway, they had the vehicle for almost 17-days. They eventually fixed the headliner, along with the long list of other problems (DCT/MFT/intelligent access etc. etc. etc.). The DCT was never fixed, MFT was a total fiasco and the intelligent access problem was hit and miss even after the TSB's were applied.
Finally, after almost 19-months of ownership, I pulled the pin, traded in my Focus and I have never looked back. If I hadn't got such a sweet deal on the new 2012 Lincoln MKZ AWD Sport, I would be driving a Toyota. But, my local Ford Dealer has been excellent and my family has dealt with them for over 40 years and they bent over backwards to "make me happy." I don't have to put up with all the Focus bullshit anymore...so guess what..."I'M VERY HAPPY!"
 
#13 ·
I think you mean American *manufacturers*, instead of just Americans. The Accord is made in America (65% of it is manufactured and I think 100% assembled -- more than the Focus) and it's a rock-solid car, and always has been. It's been manufactured and assembled in America for 30 years (1983).
 
#15 ·
IIRC, Ford needs a 6% profit margin on all their cars to sell it and keep investors happy. That's something like $1500 on the Focus, which is in a competitive compact car segment, and I can guarantee Ford lost money on my car. It's not that the engineers can't design an excellent car, it's that they're forced to nickle and dime things here and there. 50c on some headliner glue and 25c on some door foam for rattles, $2 on a stronger motor mount, etc. Before you know it, you're making an extra $10/car or $100,000/month. Maybe 50 of 10,000 of these cars come back for a repair and cost $200 each to fix. That's net $90,000. Maybe the service department can convince the customer that there is no problem with the car (these aren't the droids you're looking for) and cut that 50 down some and make extra money. This is how Ford works, this is why customer service always feel like an argument and I end up unhappy and unsatisfied.
 
#17 ·
thats how ALL dealers work...Had experience with the lot. Ford went from Rat fur headliner to a nice weave...cut costs in the attachment. Ford also put a lot more money in the content and performance vs competition. I strongly believe this is the best compact on the market. There are its drawbacks, and they are FIRST YEAR drawbacks. Sorry to everyone who had trouble and I dont blame you for leaving, however most every car in their first year of a MAJOR redesign are usually relatively problem ridden, especially with fit/rattles. First year for the entire interior, exterior, underpinnings, features, engine, and especially transmission. As a matter of fact first year for the transmission ever...did you think they would get a complex compact dry DCT right the first try? Mini's have tons of rattles...Corollas are rattle free and are currently among the best selling but they also have ancient 4-speed automatics...how long did it take VW to get their DCT right, and its a wet setup? They were very problem ridden for a while, as well as their turbo engines, but their Dual clutch is considered one of the best on the market. iDrive anyone? Its excellent now, only after a decade of refinement.

We all took a HUGE risk on these 2012s, they are totally BRAND new
 
#23 ·
And if Ford actually fixed any of these problems, the pool of complainers would be 1/25 of it's size.

But you're right... mods should just start closing the threads of people who are dissatisfied. Lots of people are happy with their trouble-free Focuses, so those with problems should just shut up.
 
#29 ·
Somehow....and maybe I'm just crazy but.... I just don't understand how changing dealers is going stop this runaway train of prematurely failing mechanical components on this supposedly well-built automobile. Suspension components should be durable enough to handle highway and light city driving for more than 4,000 miles, right? No...I'm crazy...I must be.

Get real. I bought a brand new car so that I'd have reliable transportation, not leave it parked at a dealership while they scratch their heads trying to find out which bad component needs to be replaced every other week or two weeks.
 
#28 ·
The thing about the Focus that upsets me the most is if it weren't for having to take the thing in every other week or few weeks for another failed component, the car would be the best car I've ever had.

I really like it overall, but I just don't see it lasting long enough to make the price worth it. Years of car payments for this? It's looking like it'll have to be traded away just before the warranty is up.

So incredibly disappointed.
 
#37 ·
I don't understand why there is always so much tension between users that have perfectly working / defective vehicles.

I mean... sure, I'm pissed that my $26k car rattles and the drive train vibrates and makes weird knocking noises, but I'm not going to say that the Focus has the best (or worst) quality control based off an internet forum (which, btw is obviously biased towards users with defective parts).

I will admit, that there was an unusually high amount of DCT and MFT issues that would lead us to believe there are design flaws. We know that. The clutch and seal have both already been revised once. MFT has had multiple updates. Headliners in 2013s have more dual-locking 3M strips (I checked, it had at least 1 more around the moonroof than mine did.)

I also get that you don't want to see every thread turn into an argument, but this thread was about a car with suspension issues, so there were bound to be complaints... but there's also too much damn hostility.

Lemon it, submit cases to nhtsa.gov or BBB's autoline, sell it, trade it, fix it yourself, etc. But complaining on these forums isn't helping anyone unless you found a fix and you're sharing it with everyone else.

[/rant]
 
#39 ·
Lemon it, submit cases to nhtsa.gov or BBB's autoline, sell it, trade it, fix it yourself, etc. But complaining on these forums isn't helping anyone unless you found a fix and you're sharing it with everyone else.[/rant]
Right...it's just as simple as all of those wonderful suggestions.

Listen. I already stated that I was looking for dialogue about the specific issue. It is partly complaining, but it is also looking for others' potential solutions. That is what this board is for. Even if it were merely complaining only, that is what people do when very expensive things don't work as they should or as advertised. If you don't want to read that kind of stuff, you probably shouldn't hang around on any forum that relates to cars and their warranties and then be complaining about it...

...right?

[offtopic]
 
#43 ·
I really thought (maybe just hoped) Ford was better than this. After just over 7 months of ownership of this car, I've come to the conclusion that it's quite apparent that Americans can't build quality automobiles that last.
yea, well my Focus has never been back to the dealer for a problem yet, but our '12 MBZ GLK 350 has been back three times.

So I guess the Germans cannot build a decent car either? And we traded a Toyota in on the Benz because of the failing transmission at 39k miles on it (and the base Toyota 3 yr/36k warranty was over).

Every company has build issues.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top