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2012 focus

20K views 76 replies 29 participants last post by  Strix 
#1 ·
Any one have Transmission problems with there 2012 focus like slipping? Its like driving a standard with the clutch going.But I have an automatic.
 
#5 ·
Technically it IS a manual, and not an automatic. It may not be what you're used to, perhaps combined with an actual problem, but keep that in mind.
 
#6 ·
This is probably where my future posts on this topic belong.

What is your build date? There is a TSB (11-12-13) published on December 23, 2011 that states some cars might have transmission fluid leaking where the bell housing meets the engine. If you have this, get it fixed.

Unfortunately, the literature states nothing about the symptoms other than the leak. But from what I've heard from others that have this issue, their car makes a "grinding" or "rattling" noise while shifting (almost always into 2nd, 4th, 6th, and reverse due to their design sharing the same clutch) as well as slipping while accelerating on level ground and/or keeping steady speeds uphill.

If you don't have the transmission fluid under your vehicle, I presume we're in the same boat. I dropped my car off at the dealership this morning because of the slipping and mentioned someone I knew had the same noise except their car was leaking transmission fluid and mine isn't. I hope that steered them in the right direction. I don't want to have to go in there and say "Here is TSB 11-12-13. This is the issue. Fix it." because I'm only 99% certain that it is and to go over their heads seems rude.
 
#10 ·
I'm also experiencing the Grinding sound when I accelerate but mostly when I accelerate while making a right turn and My car shudders like the transmission is slipping when i start off It last from the start of 1st gear and continues until I reach second gear.. I plan on taking it to the service department on monday but they will probably just play it off as nothing or try to convince me that it's all in my head like they always do..but I'll keep bringing it in until it's fixed..
 
#11 ·
I'll keep bringing it in until it's fixed..
Bless your heart.

I've just about given up on getting mine fixed under warranty. I really don't have the patience to keep going to dealers that don't fix my car or supply a rental. I might try my parents' dealership next time I go home since the Wisconsin ones seem to hate me.
 
#13 ·
I too am having a transmission issue with my 2012 Focus. I purchased my car in May 2012 and as of today it's been in the shop twice. The first time I was told that it was in the breaking in stage and it will pass. Well now I have 11k miles and my car has been in the shop since last Thursday Oct 18th and was told today Oct 25th that we have a fault clutch as well as a defective valve in the transmission and they will have to keep it for at least another 5 days. I'm not happy about this but I will wait and see if the car is repaired correctly which I truly have my doubts. The funny part to all of this was the first day I took it there I was told we couldn't duplicate the hesitation or gear skipping that my car was clearly doing. As the service people are pulling my car in for me to take home my loving focus jumped forward and spazzed the hell out, with that being said I was told we will get you a rental car LOL. Long story short I don't feel safe in my car and u shouldn't either!! My car is at a shop in Maryland and was told from the service writer this is a isolated problem and they have not seen this before but logging on here made me see that it is not isolated nor is it just a couple of 2012 Focus issues it's a lot bigger then Ford knows or wants to admit to. Please keep on your service provider to make your car safe for u and your passengers.
 
#14 ·
Ford quality downgrade due to automatic

http://news.yahoo.com/ford-tumbles-again-reliability-survey-toyota-gains-195216535--finance.html

Do your own diligence on the hundreds of posts here about this problem but I would ask you to consider a few questions.

1. Ford says the hesitation/stumbling problem is normal, why then does Consumer reports include it as a bad thing in its reviews?
2. Many other brands have this transmission, do they all have a similar problem? (my VW GTI did not)
3. when cold weather hit new england, 2/3 of my problem went away. If it is normal, why did it go away ?

If you like everything else about the car, like I do, you need to be tactfully persistent about this issue. Don't just take the party line from the dealer and go home. be willing to contact the Ford home office customer service.

And do your homework, once you have read the hundreds of other posts and if you have ever owned another brand like the VW GTI-same type transmission, then you are better equipped to continue seeking a resolution.
 
#15 ·
http://news.yahoo.com/ford-tumbles-again-reliability-survey-toyota-gains-195216535--finance.html

Do your own diligence on the hundreds of posts here about this problem but I would ask you to consider a few questions.

1. Ford says the hesitation/stumbling problem is normal, why then does Consumer reports include it as a bad thing in its reviews?
2. Many other brands have this transmission, do they all have a similar problem? (my VW GTI did not)
3. when cold weather hit new england, 2/3 of my problem went away. If it is normal, why did it go away ?

If you like everything else about the car, like I do, you need to be tactfully persistent about this issue. Don't just take the party line from the dealer and go home. be willing to contact the Ford home office customer service.

And do your homework, once you have read the hundreds of other posts and if you have ever owned another brand like the VW GTI-same type transmission, then you are better equipped to continue seeking a resolution.
I've noticed the same thing with regard to ambient temperature. As the temps in MD have dropped to the 40s and 50s the grinding noise is pretty much gone. The first time I noticed it was last year during an indian summer.

Think ford is trying to gauge how much/little they need to do to fix this problem. There are certainly cases of broken seals causing clutch problems. does every DCT that shows wonky behavior have a bad seal? Maybe they can figure out how to give it an ultrasound.

It is interesting that more stories seem to be popping up on the forums about folks getting their clutches replaced.
 
#16 ·
Hey folks!

This is just a reminder that I'm always happy to look into ways I can help. Send me a PM with your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, and full name; I'll get to work!

Have a great day,
Crystal [:)]
 
#17 ·
Thanks Crystal, you did help me before but in the two weeks before I was due to go into the dealer, the weather here in new england turned much colder and the transmission shudder/hesitation problem was reduced by over 2/3 , making it what I WOULD call normal.

I would offer as food for thought: how could the shudder/hestitation possibly be normal if the advent of cold weather made it go away so much ?

If its normal it should continue.

Anyone else seeing any change in cold weather ?

ps I am a former vw gti owner and am very familiar with this type transmission.
 
#18 ·
there are over 500 posts at this website about the 2012 automatic transmission problems

if you do a search for 2012 transmission problem here you'll find them.

no matter what the dealer or Ford tells you, it is NOT normal for this type of automatic to have a pronounced hestitation/shudder to the degree that your passengers ask what is wrong.

I owned a VW GTI with this type transmission and the hestitation/shudder was nowhere near this bad.

Mine got dramatically better when the new england weather turned colder. If it was normal, why would cold weather make it go away?

You need to read as many posts as you can and become your own advocate. Learn what TSB's have already been issued.

There are a few people where the transmission had to be taken out, seals replaced etc before the problem was finally rectified.
 
#22 ·
Hi 2012SEL2gen,

During your next appointment, I'd definitely have your dealer sit with you in your vehicle so you can show them what behavior your vehicle is exhibiting. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns; I'm happy to see how I can help.

Have a great weekend,
Crystal [8D]
 
#25 ·
I get that too and hope my dealer will be able to take care of that and also do the MFT update as I'm one of the ones who put 3.2.2 on before they pulled it (and lost the climate screen).

It's embarassing having others in my car when it drives the way does right now.
Hi nightridermz3 and Veedio,

Your dealership is always going to be the best place to start when it comes to accurate diagnosis and repair of your vehicle. Additionally, I'm happy to escalate each of your cases; just send me a PM with your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number and full name. I'm on the case!

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns,
Crystal
 
#28 ·
have you consulted your dealer? there are two technical service bulletins and one recall that I know of that apply to hesitation, stutter, etc on the automatic.

be aware that "some" hesitation-stutter IS normal at very low speed shifts BUT this is NOT a one size fits all explanation.

Take your time to read all the posts here because you will see that the transmission problems range from very mild-normal for this type transmission to others so bad the dealer needed to remove the transmission and replace seals and/or throwout bearings.

If you take your time and read all the posts, you may end up knowing more than the dealer and I have found if you are pro-active and know the subject well, Ford can and does want you to be happy.

All my transmission problems completely disappeared when the cold new england weather hit, and I had 12,000 miles at the point. How could these problems disappear if they are normal?

When this transmission is running properly, you can not get a sportier, economical, more fun car unless you want to spend $10,000 more.
 
#33 ·
I agree with you in principle and theory but at age 60, it has been my experience that life does not work as we feel it should. You work hard for your money like I do and I am willing to go the extra mile to make sure I get what I paid for. All auto companies balance off a problem like this against what a worldwide recall will cost them.
In addition, as you can read here, some dealers understand the difference between "this is normal" and "this is awful".
This is a killer car for the money when the transmission runs right, you could not touch the performance without spending 10,000 more for a VW GTI or Audi A3.
But its no use saying what they "should" do, also no use getting discuraged and selling the car, taking a big loss on depreciation and sales tax.
Make Ford honor their automobile. If you search and read this entire board for "2012 focus transmission" you will end up knowing more about this subject thant any dealer/mechanic/customer service rep.
Do not just take the party line "this is normal" and go home all pissed off. Find and print the TSB's and recall and ask the dealer about them, have they been done to YOUR car ?
If the dealer won't help, see Crystal here at this forum, she can and will escalate your issue.

There are a few distinct levels of this problem

1. "this is normal" - slight shudder-heistate only on low speed shift
2. shudder-hesitation-rattle pronounced enough that your passengers ask about it
3. major bogging down on shifts enough to be a danger in traffic.

there are a few distinct fixes available

1. if its the hardly perceptible normal shudder, live with it, same as VW GTI
adapt to it, use a bit more gas on starts, same as a manual needs.
2. get the TSB's-reflashes-recalls done
3. have it checked for leaky seals, bad throwout bearings
 
#35 ·
Yeah, it's a throw back to my AIM name from back in the day when you were limited to ten characters and everything was already taken.

I haven't talked to my dealer yet, I've seen the problem a 2-3 times, all in the last few days. If I can repeat it then I'll bring it in, otherwise I don't know what I'd say.
 
#37 ·
Yeah, it's a throw back to my AIM name from back in the day when you were limited to ten characters and everything was already taken. I haven't talked to my dealer yet, I've seen the problem a 2-3 times...
r1ch999999,

Nice; throwbacks are awesome.

Shoot me a PM when you’re getting ready to head to the dealer. [:)]

Thanks Cory, I have already had the TSB's and a recall but the problem still persisted...BUT...when the colder new england weather hit and/or if you will my focus hitb 13,000 miles, the problems became so minor that NOW I would call it normal for a dual clutch transmission...
You got it, mr_cassandra. Keep me in the loop on how it’s shifting and let me know if you want my assistance.

Cory
 
#43 · (Edited)
My 2012 Focus Titanium (built 04/26/2011) has 21,000 miles and I drive 100 miles a day. I did notice the occasional hesitation/shudder, but didnt know what was going on until I started reading the forums again. Then on Friday my tachometer started going nuts up and down. The car was having a hard time not stalling out. From a stop it would shudder then finally get up to speed. After about 10 min of this it just completely shutdown and a burning smell started. The transmission light flashed on then went away before I could send a vehicle report. I had it towed to the local dealership that evening and of course the next day they were unable to get it to do it again. Their transmission guy drove it for the weekend and said they couldnt get it to do it again, but after taking apart the transmission they found oil between the engine and trans. The rep said to come get the car because the parts were on back order with no shipping date. I told the rep I drive 100 miles a day and I need a car thats not going to burst into flames, so now they have me in a Nissan POS death trap until the day the parts get shipped. I have owned a lot of cars and have NEVER had this kind of problem before. Was not a good weekend.
 
#48 ·
mk2, TSB information is available on several websites across the internet plus quoted here by ford owners who have had a TSB applied. Rather than being a secret, we should welcome Fords follow thru on focus problems and pursue it vigorously.
 
#49 ·
Perhaps but any dealer I know doesn't give out copies of tsb's to customers. Put it this way when you log on to Inford the first thing it says is to not share or post any info. Which keeps guys like me employed so that not any run of the mill mechanic can diagnose and fix everything. On the other hand I am more than willing to provide insight and inform others if needed
 
#50 ·
Pretty much the same thing for other users. I have access to TSBs through work as well, but I don't go around passing out copies to everyone. It's a pretty ubiquitous problem, like the steering rack issue, so everyone already knows the TSB# and what it addresses.

The way I see it is that it is 2012 - with this much technology it's not fair for Joe Schmoe to be told his car is supposed to grind / zig-zag on the highway. They don't post them because then everyone wants a new clutch / steering rack - even if they don't need one. But I've been turned down for a BCM update for intermittent IA issues because the dealer said they couldn't replicate it. I haven't gone back yet, but if I do I'll have to claim it on my extended warranty because I'm at 40k miles.

This morning I pulled/swiped the handle 10 times before giving up and pulling the key out of my pocket.

If someone hadn't posted it on here, I might not know that there is a fix for it. Of course, now I do and have the dissatisfaction of being denied it.
 
#54 ·
I have to double check the gear, but I think my 3rd gear takes a long time to shift (up) too! I end up double-shifting because I hear the revs and think that I didn't press the (+) button hard enough, so I press it again and end up bogging the engine.
 
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