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Your opinion: Will Ford "fix" the 2012 Focus for good?

23K views 118 replies 57 participants last post by  GhiaFan 
#1 ·
Just curious what everyone's consensus is: do you think Ford will iron out all the technical issues with the PowerShift and MyFordTouch and get this car ironclad and rock solid for the long run?

I do not currently own a Focus, or a Ford for that matter, but have been researching for some time to replace my daily commuter car and the 2012 Focus (5-door Titanium in particular) is by far my favorite of anything and everything out there right now. I love the style, inside and out, the features, the ride, the tech, the materials on the interior, etc. I have test-driven a 5-door Titanium twice and was as in love as one can be with a car, BUT reading about all the issues with the PS and MFT does make one very nervous to pull the trigger, so I keep lurking and browsing sites like this one hoping to hear the announcement that Ford has finally worked everything out and all the new ones run like clockwork.

I buy new, pay cash and keep my cars a long time (10-years minimum), so although efficiency and comfort are important, reliability is paramount (I have a 100-mile daily round-trip commute). My current commuter is a 2002 Honda Civic EX, and outside of routine scheduled maintenance, two set of front brake pads, and several sets of tires I have had only ONE repair in the 11 years / 155,000 miles I've owned it so far; at 147k a rear sway bar link broke. That's IT. And this experience was the same with past Hondas I own as well, so the Focus would have big shoes to fill for me. Before you tell me to "just go buy another Honda, rice boy" I should note I've driven the new Civic multiple times too, and just don't care for it, especially when compared to the Focus.

Just a viewpoint from outside looking in: you have an awesome car Ford, and I really WANT to be a convert, but you need to be truly world-class with your quality to sway people away from the established Japanese brands.
 
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#34 ·
Many, many thanks to all who responded with their opinions and/or experiences. The wealth of responses was very impressive, and if anything has strengthened my interest in the new Focus.

sleepyboy: THANK YOU for moving my post, and my apologies if I transgressed any rules or policies with posting in the technical forum. Judging by the massive uptick in response afterwards you definitely helped me out my improving visibility of my post and the responses I received.


Funny story to all: after reading the comments my interest only increased, and I decided after work Thursday (the 12th) to go drive one a third time. Well, on the way there my Civic DIED. I knew what it was right off, as first the battery idiot light came on, then the radio died, then the entire instrument cluster went out, then the car started sputtering. Obviously this pointed to the alternator, and I was running purely off of battery, and just managed to get it into the Ford dealer's visitor parking lot.

I had to leave it there and let the Ford dealership fix it and rent a car from them overnight. Alas they had no Foci for rent (only a Nissan Altima), so since I was there anyway I test drove another Titanium. This dealer had a very hilly lot and I was able to try out the DCT starting out on steep hills - forward and in reverse. Drove it around town and on the highway. I found the hill hold fine, and the low-speed behavior no issue as well. Perhaps as other have also said I am calibrated a little different by having driven manuals for so many decades. I did not find the behavior especially rough, and the only “clunk” I could hear was when rolling very slow to a stop with the windows down there was a noticeable thunk when dropping below about 3 or 4 mph, which I attributed to the clutches disengaging. I could not even hear it with the windows up. So long as this tranny proves dependable for the long haul I don’t necessarily see an issue with it.

Oh, and to those who suggested a manual to avoid the DCT altogether; alas, my wife cannot drive MTs, and I lean toward auto for my commuter anyway as the highway I drive on is a main artery and always backs up, so I end up doing a lot of stop and go, the only environment where I hated driving an MT. I tried to simulate such an environment for the Ford DCT, and found its response acceptable. I could occasionally trip it up doing a decelerate, then off the brake and back on the gas, and maybe back on the brake and gas again, which would confuse it, but no more or worse than I’ve seen any traditional automatics get in the wrong gear under the same conditions.

Now I will wait for the incentives to go up a little higher before jumping. I am long-time engineer in the automation industry, so I get supplier discounts to most of the major automakers (X Plan in the case of Ford), so my purchase cost is mostly fixed and quite low without the need to haggle. I know last winter Ford had a $2,500 rebate on the Focus, and as I get rebates too I will sit tight until these come back. I intend on ordering since I have a very specific color combination and option line up in mind (Sterling Gray with the black / Tuscany red leather interior) that I have not seen anywhere on the lots, so I’ll need to go right on the quarter start when the rebates increase (I believe you get the rebates in place when you take delivery, not order it, so I need to factor in the lag for building and shipping).
 
#36 ·
Personally, I have an five door, SE five speed with just Sync installed. Sync responds perfectly to my voice even with the windows down. Only thing is, i think my A/C unit isn't fully charged properly, so I better take that into the dealer for a look.

My girlfriend has a five door Ti. Right now, the DCT is getting terrible mileage. Now, it's about 24 in the city with about 400 miles on the clock. She accelerates to about 2500 rpm before the car shifts. I told her to back off the throttle to 2000 rpm. Could it be a break in period? I don't know. Give me light on that subject.

The MFT was bad in the beginning. Didn't recognize names, artists, or pretty much anything. Now, through some miracle (or update in the last week?) the car responds perfectly. How? Don't know.
 
#37 ·
DCTs don't like city driving anyways and 400 miles is too early to say, if ts still 24mpg in city after 1000 miles then take it to the dealer and see what's up.

Personally I did a lot of city and sat at 28mpg as far as that went. Would break 35 easily on highway use.

Apart from the fact that my Ti is awaiting it's fate as a parts car/being recycled it gave me no issues. Not the MFT. Not the DCT. Nothing. It's why I loved it so much, it just worked day in and day out.
 
#38 ·
I think there are a bunch of issues here:

MFT/SYNC: Do you want these features? They aren't going to ever work as well as your ipad, so know that before you get it.

DCT: Mine is shifting a lot better after flashes but makes a grinding noise that just sounds wrong. Evidently, it is 'as designed'. My guess is that in later revisions of that tranny, they fixed it so it works 'as designed' without the grinding.

Rest of car: is just plane great. It's a great car. It handles really well. It is really quiet, it gets fantastic mpg. It stops well, it zips. It's fun. It can fit a lot of stuff.

I have the SE sport model and overall I really like it. I will probably sell it before the warranty runs out because I don't believe a tranny that grinds will last.
 
#39 ·
I don't think Ford has any choice but to keep working on MFT -- it's too important to Ford's place in the modern car market for them to give up.

On the DCT thing ... it's likely that Ford either improved the assembly process or some of the components since the earlier cars and the newer ones have fewer of these problems. My car makes NO unusual noise during shifts and shifts very nicely indeed and mine was built on 5/7/12. Since it looks like you have an earlier build date you may have issues that Ford doesn't think they need to address.

I think Ford has no choice but to continue to refine the DCT and at this point it's getting to be pretty decent. Not great but decent. I do hope that Ford makes good on all the earlier cars that have issues but that is less certain than pushing forward to make the DCT better for new cars...


Brian
 
#42 ·
Again, I have no grinding noises at all and acceleration is smooth, even at low speed. It isn't torque converter smooth but then it doesn't have a torque converter so expecting that is unreasonable. The problem for some may be the expectation that, as an "auto" transmission they expect it to feel just like a regular auto -- it aint!

Maybe it's the way I drive but even at slow speed and stop and go I have no problems at all. I do not have much stop and go as a regular part of my driving and perhaps those that regularly are stuck in stop and go driving do experience issues that the more limited stop and go I see doesn't generate.

I've over 35 years experience in mostly 5 speed manuals and was so smooth with my shifts that you could barely notice them, particularly above the 1-2 shift. I have driven the car from day one with the eye towards fuel economy so you could say I granny it most of the time, but I do on occasion run her out a bit and I do use S and S-manual quite a bit.

So, how do we explain the fact that some have grinding noises even with the latest software/firmware while others, like me, have no unusual noises at all? I suspect that earlier cars either had defective components or the assembly was not good. It's also possible that the earlier cars damaged some components with the older software and updating the software isn't going to fix the damaged components. Grinding noises sound to me like the shifting isn't timed correctly and that could be due to bent or damaged shifting hardware...


Brian
 
#43 ·
gkirk said:
With that said, I've gotten to like the DCT, except for the grinding noises. If someone can show me how exactly two pieces of metal grinding together hard enough to make that loud a noise is not causing wear and tear, then I'll gladly keep the car past its warranty. If ford is so confident about it, then maybe they won't mind extending it a few years.
I only want to say that the grinding noise of my DCT simply disappeared. I have 22 000 km on it, the FSA was done when it had 16 000 km and since the last 2 000 km I don't have any grinding noise at all. And the following was posted by another user and you might give it a look: http://www.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/vdirs/servicetips/pdf/2DPS6.pdf
 
#50 ·
And the two rattles I remember you posting about fixing; pass door reflector and gauge trim. Or don't you consider rattles a problem?

I have those two plus maybe 3-4 others that rattle sporadically. So far that's my major disappointment with the car, the DCT having fallen to a distant second. I've never had another new car with so many rattles. It's especially annoying since in their literature Ford touts having rigorously engineered the interior specifically to eliminate rattles. [rofl]
 
#48 ·
Thanks for your feedback everyone!

I just wanted to jump in and let you know we're working on an update, but I can't speculate on a release date. Stay tuned to our SYNC Owner to Owner forum for upcoming announcements:

http://boards.SyncCommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=fordsyncmb&listMode=0

The same goes for AppLink, engineering is working to expand this feature, but no timing has been promised.

For those of you experiencing connection issues, I'd like to suggest an alternative pairing method. Instead of the usual process where your phone finds SYNC, SYNC will find your phone. Directions can be found in the link below:

http://Support.Ford.com/sync-technology/reverse-pair-phone-sync-myford-touch

For questions or concerns not related to In-Vehicle Technology, give my partner Thomas a shout. His user name is: FordCustomerService.

By the way, if you haven't heard, the Outside Air Temperature Display will be back on the main screen with the next update! [thumb]

Jaclyn [ffrocks]
 
#49 ·
My car has around 22k miles on it (pre-ordered and picked mine up around a month before it was a released -- Ford ties) and I've had no problems. I've driven a good number of cars, and a good number of those were semi-high-priced cars. I'm not going to try and convince you to do one thing or another...either you want it or you don't.

One thing I'd say is that you shouldn't read *forums* for reviews. Forums are most-often filled with negative thoughts, because the negative voices are always the loudest.
 
#51 ·
Jaclyn, since you replied in this thread, maybe you can answer this for me:

The other day my MFT did a "scheduled maintenance" reboot. Since then:

-Bluetooth fails to connect to phone about 1/2 of the time (note that the phone pairs for making phone calls, but I stream audiobooks via Bluetooth side I have Audible audio books on my iPhone and that is what is not pairing).

- Blank navigation screens when using voice commands to set navigation (the screen where you select from multiple available options is simply blank, but if I pick a number is will then move to the map screen).

- Voice commands to make phone calls appear to fail, only to suddenly connect a call 30+ seconds later.

- Ended calls show up as active for as much as a minute after hanging up.

- I can no longer pause, fast forward, or rewind my Bluetooth stream from my iPhone. Now where those buttons were is just a box that says "Bluetooth stream detected"

- my thumb drive has been Indexing/Building voice commands for two days. (!)

Should I do a master reset? This happened once before but the problem seemed to fix itself after about a week.

All of these but the last are Bluetooth related. So bizarre though - everything was working fine until the "scheduled maintenance".

Are these common issues?
 
#64 ·
Hi, Chefocus -

I was going to suggest performing the Master Reset, but I see that you've already done so. I'm happy to hear your issues have been resolved. Let me know if you have any additional concerns.

Thanks for the help on Syncing my phone because the dealership couldn't do it just 3 weeks ago. My problem now is that Sync has a big problem recognizing my voice. Maybe there is some documentation oh how to get that done, but right now it will not recognize my wife's name, and that is a person, of course, that I am calling regularly. Thanks again.
What's your wife's name, Refocus2012? If you prefer, shoot it over in a PM and I'll look into this.

Agreed. Software updates did come out, with 12B37 getting everyone to the same level.
I recall reading some warranties were extended.
I wouldn't worry, and in the past I had.
I can only speak to In-Vehicle Technology related warranties and you're correct, unfocused1. MyFord Touch owners will receive a 1-year component warranty extension to the base vehicle warranty for the SYNC module only.

Hey, valmundo -

I can't speak on MFT since my car doesn't have it. I have the MyFord and Sync option and I still get errors with my ipod classic wherein my computer will say the ipod is "indexing" or that "voice command is not available with this device". That is annoying. If Ford introduces App Link with the My Ford / Sync system (they plan on doing this with MFT but it is not clear to me they plan on doing it with us non-MFT owners), I'm hoping they will introduce an menu option were we can clear the buffer so that we will not have to pull the fuse every time these known errors occur.
If SYNC is unable to index all the music on your media player when you plug it in, you should run SYNC My iTunes to correct common errors in your iTunes music library:

http://www.syncmyride.com/Own/Modules/UpdateCenter/UpdateCenterLanding.aspx

We are looking to expand the AppLink feature, but I can't speculate on availability or timing. Stay tuned to our SYNC Owner forum for announcements:

http://Boards.SyncCommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=fordsyncmb&listMode=0

I tried an SD card again; reformatted a Kingston 8GB and copied the music from the USB drive. MFT acted like it had a virus. It was very sluggish, had a hard time responding to voice commands, took forever to link up with my phone, and never stopped indexing the SD card.

Took the SD card out, popped the USB drive back in and all was well again. That's three different SD cards I've tried now, I think the slot is hosed. It's going in for it's first oil change this weekend, I'll talk to service about it.
Hi, oritpro -

Is your Focus equipped with an in-dash navigation system? Also, have you installed the Performance Upgrade software yet?

Have a great weekend everyone, talk to you on Monday. [ffrocks]
 
#65 ·
If SYNC is unable to index all the music on your media player when you plug it in, you should run SYNC My iTunes to correct common errors in your iTunes music library:

http://www.syncmyride.com/Own/Modules/UpdateCenter/UpdateCenterLanding.aspx]
This, so many times.

You'd be surprised at how bad iTunes is at managing a library. Cleaning it out personally has made streaming within my own home easier, no reason why those same library errors don't cause issues with cars.
 
#53 ·
Thanks for the help on Syncing my phone because the dealership couldn't do it just 3 weeks ago. My problem now is that Sync has a big problem recognizing my voice. Maybe there is some documentation oh how to get that done, but right now it will not recognize my wife's name, and that is a person, of course, that I am calling regularly. Thanks again.
 
#56 ·
Maybe there is some documentation oh how to get that done, but right now it will not recognize my wife's name, and that is a person, of course, that I am calling regularly. Thanks again.
Put her name in your phone as something else. I recommend "Wife." It also has the benefit of if someone finds you in a wreck they can use your phone and know who to call in case of an emergency. She would probably not mind it as much as "Ball and Chain."
 
#59 ·
I've had my Focus since Sept 2011 and have put approx 20,000 miles on it. Before this car, I had a 2007 Honda Civic. That was a fine car, but I believe the Focus is more refined, although the transmission on the Civic was more conventional that what is on the Focus. I've had all the updates done on the car and I couldn't be more happy with it. As has been said a number of times in this thread, the DCT is a different animal than a conventional automatic. Because this is my first automatic car, I wasn't too annoyed with the tranny even before the updates. In fact, my first impression when driving the car was 'Boy, this feels like a manual transmission, especially at low speeds and when idle'. As long as you know that comparing the tranny on this car with others is like comparing apples to oranges then your expectations will be adjusted accordingly. Although my preference has been (and always will be) to get a manual transmission, this DCT in the Focus is not bad (especially when you put it on Sport mode or shift it on your own, its actually quite fun).

I can't speak on MFT since my car doesn't have it. I have the MyFord and Sync option and I still get errors with my ipod classic wherein my computer will say the ipod is "indexing" or that "voice command is not available with this device". That is annoying. If Ford introduces App Link with the My Ford / Sync system (they plan on doing this with MFT but it is not clear to me they plan on doing it with us non-MFT owners), I'm hoping they will introduce an menu option were we can clear the buffer so that we will not have to pull the fuse every time these known errors occur.

Also, I do have the sport tuned suspension like in the Titanium but I have not experienced the knocking noise.
 
#67 ·
Don't buy a new focus!!!!!! At 21000 miles mine is still having trans problems but it's design,nothing to fix. Running sluggish etc...
I'll stick with old Mercedes next time.
Is it doing more than just making grindy blender noises?

When I test drove mine, it seemed a good performer.

Since then, "the noise" that happens to everyone has happened to me but there are no other performance issues I've had. 12B37 fixed a lot of it, but if actual issues crop up that didn't happen at the start, then it is a defect and - as customers - we need to remain proactive on it. But from all I've read, I wouldn't worry - Ford is working on the problem, has replaced transmissions, etc...
 
#68 ·
Surpassing 9k miles and no issues. I think a lot of people here don't understand the differences in a dual clutch transmission and a true automatic. As having owned and driven multiple manual transmission vehicles over the years, the Focus with its automatic-esque has some of the quirks of a manual, but it works just fine.
 
#78 ·
At about 3,900 miles in 5 weeks (I have a 95-mile round-trip commute), my DCT has smoothed out incredibly. I experienced some initial hard shifts early on, particularly from 2nd to 3rd, but those are gone. Sometimes, going from sport shift (S) back to Drive will open up my shift points, but for the most part it's as smooth as glass.

Unlike some of you, I have no issues with the DCT around town - I just drive it like a stick and have fun with it. It drives fine. This car has never failed to put a smile on my face, which, in over 35 years of driving, is no small accomplishment. I *love* this car.

SYNC (not MFT) can be a bit touchy - and erratic - at times, especially since my last upgrade, which I think I might have botched. I have favorites in my iPhone's Address Book, yet it still downloaded the entire address book. I'm going to try to take it into the dealer this weekend to see if they can do another update to fix it.
 
#82 ·
Thanks, Jaclyn. I had heard somewhere that if I wanted only *some* of my contacts transferred to SYNC to create a favorites list on my iPhone and it would upload only that. I guess that was incorrect information. Limiting my contacts is going to be a royal PITA.

The problem is that when I try to call someone, and I don't use their full name, SYNC thinks I want someone else - and frequently it's a contact for whom I only have an email address or a website. How is SYNC going to call that contact? It's comical.

My SYNC, according to syncmyride.com, is up-to-date, latest version of the software. But when I tried to update it, it never gave me the second "installation complete" message - after sitting idling in the driveway for well over an hour! I pulled the USB stick and came back to my computer - and it recorded a "successful" update - I have no idea why. That's why I am going to have the dealer redo it with my first oil change.

The other issue I suspect things are screwy is because I use a Mac. It's not Ford's fault - it's Microsoft's for repeatedly and deliberately being difficult with Apple products.
 
#83 ·
To clarify, did you just create a favorites list within your phone or are you syncing contacts from another source, such as Outlook or Gmail?

To determine if the update was successfully installed, there should now be gears next to your home icon on the main screen. Is that what you see?

Jaclyn
 
#85 · (Edited)
Jaclyn,

My contacts are handled by my Mac's Address Book and synced with the phone through iTunes. SYNC then picks up what's in my iPhone's Contact List. It doesn't matter if I create the list through Address Book or on the phone itself - SYNC still imports the whole enchilada, and it will still try to call contacts that don't have a phone number. The other thing: my wife, for example, is listed with several numbers: "home" - her cell; "work" - her direct line at work; "mobile" - her work cell phone; "work2" - her office main desk line; and "work3" - her office's toll-free number. When I say, "call Laura," it asks, "on cell, at work, or other?" To SYNC, "other" is her normal cell phone, "work" is the direct line (the only one it gets right), and "cell" is her work cell, which I never use. (We have no land line.) Why is it that SYNC won't use my phone's terms - which I already know? Why does it have to redefine my contacts so that I have no idea what number it's going to call? It's all this extra information I have to keep rattling around this old brain. *This* is why I want a favorites list and not the entire thing...
 
#88 ·
Jaclyn, sorry, but I missed the comment about the "gears" - I don't have MFT, just the standard SYNC (my car's only an SE/203A, so I can't have more than that).
Thanks for the info, collisionbend! Sorry about "the gears" comments, I'm on MyFord Touch overload. [shameful]

In regards to your contacts, is there a group besides ALL CONTACTS under your SYNC device properties? This can be found under the following:

GENERAL > BLUETOOTH > SYNC > OTHER GROUPS

You'll want to make sure the group you want to SYNC is checked and not ALL CONTACTS.

Let me know what you see.

Jaclyn
 
#92 ·
Jaclyn,

I had an issue with my phone, and it wasn't saving my list. I backed up my phone, reset my list in Address Book, and re-sync'ed it in iTunes - now it has the preferred list. Do I have to re-sync my phone with the car now?
 
#93 ·
Hey, collisionbend -

As long as you have the automatic phonebook download feature turned on, the system should update accordingly the next time you connect with the vehicle. To confirm, press the menu button and go through the following sequence: SETTINGS > PHONE > MANAGE PHONEBOOK

Let me know if this helps or if you have any other questions. :)

Jaclyn
 
#96 ·
One complaint that I harbor with my new Focus hatchback, however: one of the cords that hangs the storage cover from the tailgate broke loose from its mooring peg. The driver's side is clearly brought all the way through and properly melted into a flat disc which prevents the cord from working through and releasing, but the passenger side popped right through and disconnected. Grrrrr.....
 
#99 ·
I also own a 2012 SEL Focus and this is the worst car I had. My friend was about to buy a Titanium. I told him all the problem I've been going thru with the transmission. After a road test he finally decided to stick with Japan manufacturer. I had a Honda, 2 Acura and Mazda and I never experienced such problem. The transmission is very rough, shake a lot at start and sometime almost stop when I start. And now it's making terrible noise when it shift in 2nd. I saw people posting on youtube the sound transmission makes when shifting in 2nd. I am use to keep my cars up to 300,000KM but I don't feel this one will last that much. I am now at 44,000Km and it just gets worst. I when to the dealer they try to fix it but nothing as changed. I like the car, great looking hatchback, good finition and it stick on the road but transmission problem on brand new car is a major problem and it's not what I expect from a brand new car, it's not acceptable. I wanted to support american job and economy but I should have stay with Japan Mfg. Very dissapointed.
 
#101 ·
Since I'm getting fed up with idiots who don't know what the DCT is...

YOU'RE AN IDIOT.

It is two manual transmissions being shifted by a computer. Still acts like a manual, just no clutch pedal.

No torque converter means no parasitic suck that all autos have, this won't be as smooth.

Go ahead an buy Japanese. The only car remotely competitive with the Focus, Cruze and Dart is the Mazda 3 but hey, don't let me tell you that the Mazda 3 is just a cast off previous generation Ford focus platform employing car. If you like paying for 5 year old tech go ahead.

There is a good reason the Japanese are losing in comparison tests. Hell, the 3 domestics get more comparison time against each other than they do with the Japanese. Car and Driver put the Fpcus ahead of the Dart, Inside Line did the same against the Cruze when the car launched.

Unless you like paying for so called Japanese engineering. Japanese engineering gets me crap interiors, crap design and crap value. All new cars so warranty and resale value mean nothing, I don't buy cars thinking ill be selling in 5 years I buy them based off what's the best value and for any scenario the Focus keeps winning.

Sorry you've had "issues" but the Focus is still 10 times the car that anything from Japan can muster.
 
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#100 ·
Yet one more person who doesn't understand that it's NOT an automatic transmission: it's an adaptive (yes, it learns how you drive), MANUAL transmission with a dry, dual, computer-operated clutch and shifter system! It's very, VERY different than an automatic transmission. Drive it like a stick - just don't shift!
 
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