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Ford Focus Titanium 2012 - Just purchased, 2 major problems/questions

7K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  Markz 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I just purchased (as of last friday) a used Ford Focus Titanium 2012 with 16 000KM, pearl white with sports suspension and low profile tires on 18 inches wheel. My old car was a 2009 Yaris with no options at all, so i'm not used to this kind of drive at all.

Kind of looks like this (i'll post actual photos tonight) :

http://www.carenvy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/photo-1-1024x764.jpg

QUESTION 1 :

When I start accelerating from 0/idle... the car revs up to 3000+ RPM before switching from 1st to 2nd. It sounds really terrible, as if the car was trying really hard to get in motion. Same happens from 2nd to 3rd. Is this normal? It just sounds like a bad shift every time I start again from a red light or a stop sign. Once in a while, it also jerks and stutters from 1st to 2nd, as if the transmission was kicking in hard.

QUESTION 2 :

When I hit terrible road or bumps at 20/30mph in my small town, the steering wheel goes completly crazy. It turns itself from left to right and sometimes just starts veering completly off in one direction, pushing hard with a certain force. Is this because of the large wheels and sports suspension? I am definitly not used to this. I was in complete control with my Yaris. Now, it just feels like i'm working overtime to keep the car going straight when hitting bumps. The scariest is when the wheel starts veering right or left on its own and just doesnt stop until i've pushed it back hard to straighten it up. It usually last 3 to 5 seconds. Weird. I know it's not the alignement or direction (not sure what is the proper term in english) as it runs perfectly on good road at high speed. I can drive with no hands on the highway for a good 30 second+ (not that I actually do that) :p

Thanks for your help
 
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#2 ·
1) It has an automated manual transmission, this means it is a manual transmission that is shifted electronically, so you kinda got to treat it like one... to be honest I don't like the concept, i'd rather drive a real automatic or real manual tranny...

2) How big are these bumps??? Try to avoid them, your tires and suspension will thank you, but yeah, I imagine the bigger wheels have some thing to do with it, but mostly the sport style handling that gives you more feedback, lol...
 
#4 ·
It's your typical quebec small town road... cracked and bumpy, but nothing too severe. When I was going down that same road with the Yaris, it felt alright, kept going straight. Now, with the Focus, it feels like the car wants to veer off 45 degrees on either side at any point. Crazy feedback... Not sure if its normal.

Anyhow, i'll probably bring it to a Ford dealer for a complete check-up (beyond the re-seller's complete inspection)
 
#6 ·
Question 1- Do you mean that it revs to 3k before moving, or that it doesn't shift to 2nd until 3k? If the former-not good, the latter-perfectly normal. As stated above, the DCT is definitely 'different' than a traditional automatic and has to be driven a little bit differently. If it acts up a lot then you may want to see the dealership. It wouldn't hurt to call them and ask if they can check the records to see if TSB 12b37 has already been performed on that vehicle.

Question 2- Definitely due to the 8" wide tires with their low profile. You will also notice that you have to fight the wheel on unevenly worn roads or on roads with noticeable driving wear. If you had the narrower and smaller OEM wheels, this wouldn't be noticeable. I have a couple of stoplights that are quite interesting due to the road ruts in the braking area...
 
#15 ·
Q1 - It does NOT rev up before moving... it starts moving in 1st, then revs up to 3000-3500 RPM before switching to 2nd, and then straight back to 3rd. When using the sports mode, I cant seem to switch from 1st to 2nd, it always shift up to 3rd from the get go. Anyways, it really sounds odd. I might film it soon.

Q2 - Let's say the road is banked on the right with cracks and bump, the wheel will really fight me to go on the right, it's weird. But reading all the comments, i'm guessing it's normal? I might have a Ford Tech drive it anyhow.
 
#10 ·
i totally agree w/ what u said, crusin, My 01 focus w/ 205/50/16 tires is darty and follows every crown and groove in the road much as what the OP is saying. However, my focus 12, w/ 215/50/17 tires doesn't do that at all... straight as a die on all roads and, as i don't live to far from the OP, i have the same road conditions as he...
go figure...
 
#14 ·
As far as I know, it was owned by a certain Max Boutin (could see his iPhone still set up in MFT) from Newfoundland (company owner, as the car was registered to a company, according to Newfoundland's Vehicule Authority).

I've drove it for almost 500 km's so far and have had no problem to report at high speeds on good roads... will keep testing it extensively

I'm bringing it to a dealer on Thursday for the warranty registration and a probable complete check
 
#17 ·
Hey guys, I just purchased (as of last friday) a used Ford Focus Titanium 2012 with 16 000KM, pearl white with sports suspension and low profile tires on 18 inches wheel...
Hi Markz,

Congratulations on your new Focus! Have you been to your dealership so they can check out these concerns for you? Additionally, I suggest contacting Ford Canada so they can assist as well. They can be reached at 1-800-565-3673.

Crystal
 
#18 ·
Thanks Crystal, I will be visiting a dealership next Thursday... will keep you guys posted on what happens with them.

Like I said earlier, i'm not sure if these issues are related to the car, or just related to me not being used to such a drive.
 
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