Issues with new 2012 Ford Focus

[fletch7719]

Originally Posted by Beepster

Another small annoying problem I got on my car (and that many also have),is the delay on the door lock button.You get out of your car,close the door and press the lock button on your remote,most of the time ,the car won't lock.But if you count 5 seconds,press again ,then it locks.

It may not sound like a big deal,but when you're in a hurry ,you kinda look like an idiot when you wait for your car to lock itself.Is it because of the perimeter alarm arming itself?Or it's just something they didn,t fixed yet?

Mine is the same way but I found if you hold the lock button down for approx one to two seconds it locks. Hope this helps.

[Beepster]

Originally Posted by fletch7719

Mine is the same way but I found if you hold the lock button down for approx one to two seconds it locks. Hope this helps.

Will try that.

Thanks

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by tajlucas

The car is also overheating and after about 10 minutes of driving the AC cuts out. Despite all this, the dealership insists the car is "in normal operating conditions". This is by far the most frustrating purchase I have ever made. Ford customer service dismisses my claims outright, dealership told me the car was only worth $17,000 after only 400 miles and a purchase price of $23,000. Way to stand behind your product. Plan on losing $6000 if you drive this car off the lot...

Hi tajlucas,

I'm sorry to learn you are dissatisfied, and feel we are dismissing your concerns. The Customer Care Specialist handling your case will be contacting you again today. I see in the case notes you weren't sure you would be able to visit your dealer due to your work schedule. If you were able to bring in your Focus Saturday, I hope they were successful in easing your worries.

Everyone else - If you are experiencing issues, please work with your dealer to correct it. If they are unable to resolve the problem, please PM me with your VIN, contact information, mileage, & servicing dealer name/state and I will assist with your concerns.

Originally Posted by Johnwillyson

PM Natasha here (FordCustomerService) with your VIN, Dealer information and your information and on Monday she will do her best. She has worked wonders for others, and you should also take advantage of it...

Johnwillyson,

Thanks for the assist, and the great feedback! Much appreciated!

Originally Posted by Beepster

Another small annoying problem I got on my car (and that many also have),is the delay on the door lock button.You get out of your car,close the door and press the lock button on your remote,most of the time ,the car won't lock.But if you count 5 seconds,press again ,then it locks...

Beepster,

If holding the button down for a second or two doesn't help, you may want to check out a similarly equipped one at your dealer to see if it behaves the same way.

~Natasha

[Grinder]

Originally Posted by sirhawkeye

I looked under the car, plus the dealer did too (they did first, then I checked myself later). No seepage or leaks from there. Thats why I'm a bit concerned. And it was filled up to the top (max) level on the dipstick when I got the car. I only noticed this maybe about 2 weeks ago. So, unless the dealer changed the oil when my car was being worked on for two weeks (which wasn't noted anywhere on the warranty/service papers), I'm a bit curious to know where the oil's going.

Like I said, I'm getting the oil changed anyway regardless (which I always will do with new cars when they hit 1000 miles or so). So, I'll probably have to wait two or three weeks after that to see if this comes up again...

First off, thanks for being the kind of customer that actually pays attention to his oil level. Most people don't know or care to even open the hood.

Your oil level is normal anywhere in the hash marks. There is absolutely no accurate way to measure consumption by the level on the stick. There isn't necessarily a 1qt difference top to bottom.

When checking your oil you have to understand that oil sorta "grows" when it gets hot. There will be a difference on your stick hot to cold. Furthermore it takes time for the oil to drain back down. You will have a higher oil level in the morning after an overnight wait than you will 10 seconds after you shut the engine off. Check your oil when the engine is warm and after waiting at least 5 min for it to drain down.

Ford allows up to 1qt of oil consumption per 1500 miles of driving. This will also be modified if you idle for extended periods. I'll admit that I've never had any car burn that much oil but it is the spec nontheless and if you think it's too excessive look up Toyota. They allow 1qt per 800!

Consumption tests must be performed in a controlled manner so you can't gauge your oil use simply by monitoring the dipstick. The only thing the dipstick will tell you is what the oil looks like and if it's full or low.

G/L

[Andrew1991]

Natasha,
I bought a 2012 Ford focus just under a month ago. The car i got had 234km on it when i drove it off the lot and now we are looking at about 2770km. I have taken the car into the dealer once already for the same problem everyone has been talking about and the dealship told me that everything is okay and they just ran some tests.....WELL! that wasnt really the truth! I was having a casual sunday drive with my girlfriend and the car over heated. It is now in the dealership and they are saying that oil is all within the engine and gaskets, and the computer is telling them to replace my engine! So of course with this being the first car i have ever boughten and buying this thinking that it was reliable and then finding out that its been taken in twice in one month is a bit disapointing. Also i found out when speaking with the GM of service he slipped and told me the first time taking the car in they actually reduced the RPM of the car. Now why would a dealership touch my car in such a way and never tell the customer? Doesnt seem right. Also with this now happening they arnt sure how long it will take to get me a new engine. Really i dont want that same car back with the problems its had i want a new one and really i dont think thats really much as to what i could be asking for. I would like an answer as to how you would deal with this as to the dealership right now isnt handling it the greatest. With the servey i got yesturday with "How was your experence" there will be alot of Very disatisfied answers within it if nothing is done. Please responed ASAP. Thank you

[Grinder]

Originally Posted by Andrew1991

Natasha,
I bought a 2012 Ford focus just under a month ago. The car i got had 234km on it when i drove it off the lot and now we are looking at about 2770km. I have taken the car into the dealer once already for the same problem everyone has been talking about and the dealship told me that everything is okay and they just ran some tests.....WELL! that wasnt really the truth! I was having a casual sunday drive with my girlfriend and the car over heated. It is now in the dealership and they are saying that oil is all within the engine and gaskets, and the computer is telling them to replace my engine! So of course with this being the first car i have ever boughten and buying this thinking that it was reliable and then finding out that its been taken in twice in one month is a bit disapointing. Also i found out when speaking with the GM of service he slipped and told me the first time taking the car in they actually reduced the RPM of the car. Now why would a dealership touch my car in such a way and never tell the customer? Doesnt seem right. Also with this now happening they arnt sure how long it will take to get me a new engine. Really i dont want that same car back with the problems its had i want a new one and really i dont think thats really much as to what i could be asking for. I would like an answer as to how you would deal with this as to the dealership right now isnt handling it the greatest. With the servey i got yesturday with "How was your experence" there will be alot of Very disatisfied answers within it if nothing is done. Please responed ASAP. Thank you

I know this wasn't directed at me but I can still provide some factual input.

First, in order for anyone to determine if you are elligible for any customer satisfaction compensation a clear line of communication needs to be established between you, the dealer and the customer service center for Canadian owners. I'm not certain the CS center in Florida for domestic owners is the same for Canadian. You don't seem to know exactly what the dealer found or what they need to repair. Maybe they didn't explain it to you or maybe you didn't understand it... but I know their "computer" doesn't "tell" them to replace anything and furthermore the dealer can't simply "turn down the RPM".

Your concern was rather vauge but I'd suspect your original concern was with the feel of the transmission shifts/engagements. Your second concern was an engine that overheated. The two are almost certainly unrelated so I would not get too excited with the idea that the vehicle has failed in the same manner twice.

In order for anyone to help you, they have to discusss what the dealer is trying to repair and let them make a repair attempt. It may be unfortunate, but there isn't a car in the world that is "break-proof" and all brand new cars of any make/model could (and do) occasionally have issues.

[fletch7719]

Originally Posted by FordCustomerService

Hi tajlucas,

I'm sorry to learn you are dissatisfied, and feel we are dismissing your concerns. The Customer Care Specialist handling your case will be contacting you again today. I see in the case notes you weren't sure you would be able to visit your dealer due to your work schedule. If you were able to bring in your Focus Saturday, I hope they were successful in easing your worries.

Everyone else - If you are experiencing issues, please work with your dealer to correct it. If they are unable to resolve the problem, please PM me with your VIN, contact information, mileage, & servicing dealer name/state and I will assist with your concerns.



Johnwillyson,

Thanks for the assist, and the great feedback! Much appreciated!



Beepster,

If holding the button down for a second or two doesn't help, you may want to check out a similarly equipped one at your dealer to see if it behaves the same way.

~Natasha

It definitely works for me. I was getting very aggravated myself but holding the lock button while I walk away works each time now.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by Andrew1991

Also with this now happening they arnt sure how long it will take to get me a new engine.

Hi Andrew1991,

Wow, I know needing an engine replacement so soon can be overwhelming. I responded to your PM, but I do recommend contacting Ford of Canada Customer Relationship Centre at 1.800.565.3673. They may be able to expedite the necessary parts, and will be in the best position to re-build your confidence in Ford. Have a good day!

Originally Posted by fletch7719

It definitely works for me. I was getting very aggravated myself but holding the lock button while I walk away works each time now.

Hi fletch7719,

Thanks for the information. Have a good afternoon!

~Natasha

[thwar]

Hello everyone, I picked up my 2012 White Titanium Focus on Aug 18th and it is my favorite car to date that I have driven. I've only put 1400kms on it in the ~2 weeks that I've had it. However, I had a little hiccup yesterday when driving home.

My car was revving really high, so I dropped it into SelectShift and changed the gears to resolve the issue. I put it back into Drive and continued normally. 2 minutes down the road, I get an error in my driving console that states "The Engine is overheating, stop the car". I pulled over, put it in Park, then turned the car off. I started to freak out because my last car had a 2 year engine light that didn't get resolved until 2 months prior to me selling it. I turned the car off and then on. No issues, so I continued home. Once I get home, I put the car into Reverse and the error came again, "The Engine is overhearting, stop the car". I followed the same steps and backed into the driveway. My engine light is lit up now.

I take it into Ford this morning to get it checked out. 2 hours later I get my car back. The issue was with the TCM (Transmission Control Module). The Ford rep told me that there had been an error and the computer was out of sync, so the error messages that popped up may have not been relevant, but they set off warnings. The technician had to reprogram the TCM and said it will take another 500kms to get it ironed out and says the issue should be resolved.

The car is still awesome, I just hope that this is fixed and not going to be reoccurring.

[DaeGoesFast]

Hi everyone I'm new!

So I have read most of this thread and it nearly scared me away from the focus, but in interest of due diligence, I did more homework and took a test drive at my local dealer. Experience to me is the most important form of confirmation.

Now I realize I only drove one car, and I intend to test a few more at more dealers, but in the one I drove I really couldn't replicate the main issue being discussed here, which is the shaking/shuddering experienced at low speeds to a stop.

I tried stopping on a steep incline and lightly pushing the pedal to inch forward: one light jerk which I attribute to the shift from neutral to 1st gear, and I was inching forward.

I tried braking to a crawl down the steep incline: no noticeable lunge or computer confusion.

I babied the focus on the highway and saw an average of 43 mpg over 20 minutes.

I found some windy back roads and powered through them with ease, in both automatic and sport modes.

Really my experience was highly enjoyable, and I look forward to testing a few more focuses, but what I'm here to say is that I had told the salesman that I heard people where having issues with the powershift transmission. He had the chance to talk to one of the mechanics before my test drive, whom had said that there was a "bad batch" of about 200 transmissions due to a supplier that supplied faulty, or low quality parts for the tranny. I didn't get the absolute specifics, but has anyone else heard this explanation? Does it seem plausible, or is it just a salesman trying to subdue my fears of buying his inventory?