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Issues with new 2012 Ford Focus

888K views 2K replies 468 participants last post by  PrDawg 
#1 ·
Well purchased my brand new 2012 Ford Focus on May 21, 2011. My vehicle had to be ordered and was delivered to me on May 24th. Upon driving it, I found that when I would come to a stop and push the gas to go, it would sputter and hesitate. I have been dealing with it for over 2 weeks and decided to contact my dealership.

I took the vehicle to the shop on June 3rd. The tech drove with me and felt exactly what I was talking about. He stated that he had to put it on the computer. Within 30 minutes, he came out with a piece of paper stating 2012 Focus automatic transmission shudder. Some 2012 focus vehicles equipped with the powershift/DPS6 transmission may experience a shudder/shake on start up or when slowing to a stop. This condition does not cause durability or reliably concerns and will deminish as the clutch breaks in. "IF CUSTOMERS COMPLAIN OF THIS ISSUE, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AND SHARE THIS SERVICE MESSAGE WITH THE CUSTOMER.

My question was, how long does this go on and when will it stop? No on could answer. Has anyone else felt this issue? I could not find any post on this prior to me putting this up. I stated I do not feel safe in the vehicle. The car at times when I pull out on the road feels just like it will stall out. After sending an email to the VP of the dealership, I was contacted by the service manager. He stated that he is working on getting an answer from Ford.. At the time of service there were 781 miles on my car. Today there are 1291 and still nothing has changed. I am awaiting a reply and will move forward if I don't like the answer.[bigcry]

Also, yesterday while driving, my shoe lace got caught on brake peddle. Has anyone else ever gotten stuck on the brake peddle? Just curious. It freaked me out.
 
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#1,094 ·
Issues with 2012 Focus 6 speed Auto Tran

Received my 2012 Focus SEL Hatch with the 6 speed Select Shift Auto Tranny this past June 20, 2012. Experienced a little jerkiness and hesitation at lights and stop and go traffic for about the 1st 200 miles of driving. This seems to be resolving itself as most of this is no longer present. It's a great car and I really enjoy driving it. Have about 350 miles on the car now and it rides real smooth. I would recommend this car to anyone.
 
#1,095 ·
Received my 2012 Focus SEL Hatch with the 6 speed Select Shift Auto Tranny this past June 20, 2012. Experienced a little jerkiness and hesitation at lights and stop and go traffic for about the 1st 200 miles of driving. This seems to be resolving itself as most of this is no longer present. It's a great car and I really enjoy driving it. Have about 350 miles on the car now and it rides real smooth. I would recommend this car to anyone.
Bravo to you and 1000's of other satisfied Focus owners. :)
 
#1,096 ·
I'm curious about 2 things. I don't know a lot about how this auto tranny works but, I have never heard of needing to drive a new car 500-1,000 miles before it settles in, or acclimates to the way you drive. What happens if you share this car with your significant other, and they have a different driving style ?

Also, why don't the Ford dealers do these program updates b4 the customer takes delivery ?
 
#1,104 ·
Most dealers will tell you to vary your driving speed for the first 1000 miles, that is a typical break-in period. This is a new transmission run strictly by computer so basically your driving habits program the computer to you. Hey, it's the latest technology...nobody said it would be easy to understand.
 
#1,097 ·
I am new to this site, I found it in a google search under "2012 Ford Focus Transmission Shudder". I got mine a little over a month ago, It's an SEL, A/T. I noticed the shuddering right away, after receiving it. I now have 3000 miles (mostly highway, obviously). And still have a shudder when starting off from a red light, once it goes, it shifts fine. I have noted that it doesn't do it when the car is first started up. It seems to only happen after it has heated up to normal operating temp. I am going to schedule my first oil change at the dealer soon, and will talk to them about this. I hope there is a program update, or something that can aleviate this issue. I swapped from a Honda Civic, to this car because I was highly impressed with the ride, fit&finish, Sync, and the awesome Sony 10 speaker stereo. So I am REALLY hoping to get this resolved!!!
 
#1,098 ·
You have to understand that shuddering,rattling noises,and hesitation on pull aways are some of the negatives to the new transmission system they put in.You can have it checked, it would never hurt to do that ....but don't get too disappointed if they tell you it's normal. Most car companies are implementing these types of transmissions, the days of the tourque converter are over and so are the days of the smooth as glass automatic trannys. Here is the info you seek....go into the forum "Third generation focus" look for a thread entitled "DCT/Powershift Trans Update....TSB Thread" you just have to look for it. On that thread go to post #1316 by TimThom62. He has a link to the spec sheet that might be helpful to you.
 
#1,100 ·
As I said....check the post I referenced above, it is a fact sheet that tells all about the DCT and what to expect. I had my car at two different Ford dealerships and they both heard the shuddering noise and told me it was normal! Now, the noises and shuddering in my car has quieted down over the last week or so. I'm not saying that stuff shouldn't be checked but I also don't believe in going around scaring people unnecessarily either. There are some common sounds that people will hear with a DCT that doesn't mean a repair is needed, I would hate to tell someone to go spend a ton of money only to be told what they hear is normal. I think alot of people on here are losing their minds over something that none of us really know alot about. I think Ford should have done a better job in educating new buyers on the intricacies of these new DCT's, but they didn't and now this is the confusion that it causes. The other thing you need to realize is that this is NOT the transmission of the past....if I would've heard these noises in my 06 Focus I would've been scared. I've been told that some noise is not uncommon in a DCT, at least to a certain extent.
 
#1,101 ·
I don't consider reporting facts as scaring people. If you have not experienced some of the problems reported here, it might be difficult to understand people's frustration.

When my trans starts making noise, it doesn't shift right. It hesitates and then jerks into gear. Downshifting when trying to pass is slow and dangerous. The noise is loud enough at times that people walking turn and look at my car. Noise is one thing, but when perfomance is not up to par, or dangerous, that's another matter.

My brother travels a lot and has rented a 2012 Focus several times. He never heard a noise when shifting, even after he knew of my problem and was looking for the noise. I'm sure there are thousands and thousands of Focus' out there without problems, but there are some with problems.

As I said, two service managers told me I have a problem with my trans, and they also said Ford doesn't have a fix. I assume that is why I've been waiting 3 weeks for a loaner so I can have my car checked again.
 
#1,102 ·
I'm sorry if you're having problems...if your garage told you there is a problem then you are doing the right thing by having it checked. However, there are a bunch of people....including me who have heard noises, taken the car back to service and been told that those noises are a normal symptom of the transmission. The difference is when I was told by my service manager that the noise I was hearing was normal I believed it.....I didn't continue to rant and rave about it. Some people just can't ever be happy even when a professional tells them everything is okay. Those are the folks that I think are doing the "scaring" of people. Ford really dropped the ball here too, my salesman never told me anything about the new design, they really should educate their customers instead of leaving them in the dark.
 
#1,107 ·
NO problem!! I had the same issues and after I had it checked at the dealership and they told me nothing was wrong, then I read that article I started to feel more comfortable too. I just decided to turn up the radio to block out any sounds and drive like I normally drive. Low and behold it's starting to smooth out for me. I would say have it checked for your own peace of mind like I did, but if they say everything is fine then go with it and enjoy it.
 
#1,106 ·
August Motor Trend

The infamous DCT is in the August issue of MT. Seems their test vehicle had 5k miles and did the same tricks mine does. I just do not know if Ford knows how to fix this, or if they do have a fix, why are they not doing it? My car has had all the updates. This is getting old.
 
#1,109 ·
It has not gotten better after 8000 miles. My car is unsafe and I am afraid to drive it. I regret the purchase. There is no excuse for the way my car runs. My sister bought one also. She called to see how I liked mine. I told her what was going on and she realized what she thought was maybe bad gas was actually the transmission also. I found out by looking on the internet what the problem was. Send out a recall notice or something....my first Ford and will be my last.
 
#1,110 · (Edited)
I apologize if technical explanations about what's going on are not welcome in this thread. However the psychological support and repeated trips to dealers for free coffee with hot air do not seem effective. Owners need a better understanding of the technology and properly weigh pros and cons before objecting.

The same driveability issues were experienced by many owners of BMW 3 series SMG M3 cars (autoshifting sequential-manual gearbox with dry clutch) produced from year 2000 thru 2004. Fyi, this is the same exact technology. The biggest difference was this occurred at BMW nearly a decade ago and it involved premium cars cost $40K+ instead of $20K. Fyi, these M3 SMG cars drive the same today as when they were sold. The mfr tried to soften them for dissatisfied customers to no avail. BMW did not find a magic wand to wave after manufacture and, I predict, neither will Ford. However the new and used BMW M car buyers quickly got the message and those who wanted cadillac shifting migrated to the non-SMG i-version cars. At the same time, a BMW M SMG fan-base grew to truly love these cars that some loathed. Now they are actually sought after. BMW later reduced the noise & vibration of their shiftless dry clutch design by increasing it's complexity and technology. This pushed the MSRP over $50K, but consumers who wanted truly smooth shifting were wisely instructed to buy another product that is less perfomance and efficiency oriented.

Ford needs to follow BMW's lead wrt consumer education. It's not at all coincidental that the new Ford Focus shiftless dry clutch transmission technology and it's occasionally clunky NVH behavior is almost identical. Discriminating BMW owners who demanded perfectly smooth operation caused a tremendous ruckus with customer service while those who wanted crisp shifting and efficiency were sold on the technology and had total fun driving it while ignoring the occasional roughness. Both camps exist here too for similar reasons. In my opinion, this Ford transmission will NEVER shift like an automatic with viscous torque converter and trying to pretend that it will by instructing customers to make repeated visits to the dealer will only exascerbate the negative consumer feedback and resulting backlash.

Why not explain why the car behaves different instead of pretending it doesn't?? Well I know the answer to that rhetorical question. Ford is not prepared to buy back 100K+ cars that exhibit some "unfamiliar" behavior caused by computer-controlled dry clutch. This technology gives you more rear wheel horsepower, better acceleration and better fuel economy!! You get all the advantages of a manual tranny without the need to shift or operate a clutch pedal! Picky consumers whined about chattering posi units making scary noises and locking torque converters causing whiplash back when they debuted. The subjective behaviors (quirks) that were specific to these new technologies were soon forgotten and/or accepted. This auto-shifting manual tranny with dry clutch is a much more significant change. To this day, locking converters feels harsh compared to non-locking designs. However the consumer adapted to accept them with their added economy. The new Ford Focus automatic tranny maximizes efficiency and performance with a finite penalty in NVH that is acceptable to most and unacceptable to some who expect viscous qualities. Behavior indeed varies some from car-to-car. This is because dry friction material used in clutches and brakes do not have consistent "feel" ("grip" or "bite"). You can get harmless vibration or shuttering now and again. Car usage (short trip, long trip, stop and go) plus break-in behavior will greatly affect the friction material operating behavior and feel through it's life.

In case nobody noticed, all the worry about these cars breaking down from grabby clutch operation at low speeds is unwarranted. It's just a different feel & it's not gonna breeak anything.
 
#1,111 ·
focus transmission problems

I agree that this transmission will not be fixed. That is why I bought my Focus with a manual transmission. In order to have a dry clutch automated manual work like a torque converter automatic, the computer would have to be conscious. That is not possible, Machines are not conscious, only human beings are conscious. For example, when you shift a manual, you can make a number of decisions about what gear to put it into using visual information. You might see a traffic jam ahead and shift from fourth gear directly into second. An automated manual has no visual input, so it cannot do something even that simple. Furthermore, Ford cannot hire good software people. Why would some software geek want to work for a company that sold me my Focus in 2012 without an i pod jack? As my daughter said when she noticed this deficiecy. "Is this a 2012 car, Dad?" All the really good programers want to work for Apple or Google.
 
#1,112 · (Edited)
I agree that this transmission will not be fixed. ...........
Well, technically it is not broken so no fix is necessary. I fully agree with your assessment about lack of consciousness. The only solution is consumer education. It exhibits some occasional noise and harshness that can only be masked by a viscous clutch. The Ford Focus dry clutch automatic tranny will never behave as smoothly as a manual transmission with an experienced operator because the computer control unit that operates the clutch simply can't anticipate what your right foot is going to do next. It does not know when it's appropriate to freewheel and it can only "react" to throttle position changes. The computer can't see ahead to make any proactive decisions. In a car with standard tranny, your clutch foot proactively knows exactly what the right foot is about to do (unless you're sharing pedal operation duties with somebody). Conversely, your throttle foot knows what the clutch foot is planning to do at every moment in time. Last time each pedal was operated by a different brain was when my grandma let me operate the throttle I was about 12 years old. I specifically recall her applying the brake shortly AFTER I applied too much throttle lol. The Ford automatic probably operates the new Focus more smoothly than Mario Andretti and Jeff Gordon could, each operating a separate pedal. I think they'd blow the motor, wreck the car or fry the clutch within 30 seconds and resort to blaming each other.

This new auto transmission is the best thing for folks wanting optimal shiftless efficiency. If you are NOT willing to sacrifice some smoothness for greater efficiency and performance, maybe look elsewhere.

PS: Thank goodness for no proprietary jacks. The industry standard for nearly the last decade has been USB with mp3, mpeg and jpg file formats. The USB cable interface will eventually be superceded by wireless bluetooth which Apple will grudgingly adopt. I'm not an Apple, Microsoft or Sony fan and I don't appreciate their marketing tactics. Ford was first to market with integral USB and it's compatible with about 100 current models of smart phones from dozens of mfrs (all except one lol).
 
#1,115 ·
Information for those planning to buy a focus

Reply: To Lscman, Perhaps I might agree with your comment on no i pod jacks in Fords. But my Focus does not, I repeat, does NOT, even have a USB port. I am posting this for anyone considering buying a Focus despite the transmission issues, or considering a manual Focus(which by the way, should have been a six speed). Check before you buy. I ordered mine from the factory, so I didn't realize that it had no USB port until I had taken it home. It never even occurred to me to look. By the way, your examples and analogies illustrating the difficulties of automated manuals were excellent and well told. Driving one of those transmissions does feel like grandma is on the brakes and you are on the accelerator. Thank the Lord I have a manual.
 
#1,145 ·
Reply: To Lscman, Perhaps I might agree with your comment on no i pod jacks in Fords. But my Focus does not, I repeat, does NOT, even have a USB port. I am posting this for anyone considering buying a Focus despite the transmission issues, or considering a manual Focus(which by the way, should have been a six speed). Check before you buy. I ordered mine from the factory, so I didn't realize that it had no USB port until I had taken it home. It never even occurred to me to look.
Ford's Sync option provides a pair of USB inputs. A small minority of car models under $25K come with USB or ipod jack on a standard audio system.
 
#1,117 ·
Wow, so many problems....I had the same shuddering problems but the more I drive the smoother it gets. I just started driving like I normally do....I'm not going to "baby" the car either. Don't be afraid to hit the gas and go, that seems to work best for me. I've been told that an occasional shudder or rattling noise is typical for this type of tranny and until I feel something different I'm just going to drive and ignore it. My service dept told me everything was fine so that's good enough for me.
 
#1,118 ·
I heard the rattling for the first time yesterday as I rolled through a McD's drive-thru. It just sounds like gear shafts moving around, possibly rattling within their bearings a bit. I've heard worse noises coming from a Chevy S-10 manual transmission. If any of you have ever driven one of those, you know that even brand new, there's so much slack in the transmission that you can hear the gears bang against each other whenever you change speeds.

Considering the type of transmission this is, there's likely not a lot that can be done about it. As for the surging / stuttering / indecisiveness, mine continues to improve with every drive. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones (knocking furiously on wood).
 
#1,119 ·
I believe anyone comfortable driving a manual transmission would not have a problem driving a new Focus DCT. I don't. Even the manual refers to a break in period.
As for anyone driving the car other than the owner the DCT Focus adapts to that driver immediately. My son drives mine without complaint.
And remember this. If your transmission is defective as manufactured the warranty never ends.
 
#1,120 ·
I think you're right....I never drove manual transmission before so a DCT automatic has been a learning process of some sort for me. I think most people on here have similar experiences but the vast majority spend more time in their service dept than they do on the road. Mostly because they don't believe it when they're told everything is fine. We're all so finely tuned to hear every noise that sometimes it causes a case of mass paranoia. I understand that some people have legit problems and hopefully Ford works with them to solve the issues. For the majority though, I would say if your service guy says the car is fine do what I did.....turn up the radio,close the windows, and just drive the darn car....it will smooth out.
 
#1,123 ·
I purchased my car in Nov 2011 and have 14,000KM on it. I am desperately trying to get help with the transmission (as with others)
Ever since I purchased my car I have had a shuddering issue that seems to be somewhat 'normal' but not acceptable in my opinion.
I no longer feel safe with my car in certain situations (If I am going to cross traffic I will no longer do so unless I have 10 times more room than I should require) I have been caught in too many situations where I have attempted to accelerate, only to be stuck cross wise in oncoming traffic cause my car is shuddering so badly it won't move. It feels as though I am driving a standard and the car is still in 4th gear but should be in 1st or maybe 2nd gear.
Believe me when I say, NOT PLEASANT.
We recently drove my car 6.5 hours away to Philadelphia for the Canada Day long weekend and were taking in the Iron Maiden concerts in Philly & Washington. After getting off the highway and coming into Philly the car was at it's worst. Lot's of stop and go traffic for a ways and every time I pressed the gas to move forward it felt like the car was going to vibrate me out of the seat it was shuddering so badly.
So moving forward from that approx 4-6 times in total I have also had a problem with the car neutralizing. Usually when I press the gas to accelerate in traffic, it just zinged up and slowed down. Once it happened while I was attempting to pass a car in fornt of me and I was heading into the other lane of traffic, thankfully I realized what was happening soon enough that I just got back over and didn't need to crap my pants at oncoming traffic.

I have had my car to my local dealer complaining of the shuddering since I purchased the car and have been told that it needs to be reset, it will take xxx amount of km's to learn my driving habits and after our trip to Philly I brought my car in and all that was done was reset the adaptive stragies again.
I am beyond upset and frustrated because I do love my car but am getting frustrated that I do not feel safe while driving it. I planned on driving 11 hours to New Brunswick to visit my grandmother but after the last trip that will not happen. Not with this car anyway. The dealer told me to keep driving it till it blows up!!! I was appalled that the service tech would tell me that. Told me "no worries, there is roadside assistance on it"

Seriously!!??

Anybodies comments or suggestions would be extremely welcome as I need help. They had no problem charging me $29,000 for my fully loaded Titanium but not so much on the fixing part.

Thanks everone.
Darla
 
#1,126 ·
There was a software update that came out earlier this year for models built in 2011. Not sure if you're aware of that or not. Some people say it helps smooth things out. Remember, this is a new design and there will be some glitches. I had some shuddering too but mine is running like a gem....of course my car was built in May 2012 so I had all the updates from day 1.
 
#1,125 ·
I've learned over the years not to get too excited about the wierd noises that cars make. Engine & transmission noises can be difficult to get resolved because modern cars & repair techniques very often require that the car's computer tell the technicians that there's a problem. No code, no problem.

I can't tell you how many times I've taken a car in for a wierd noise, only to have it returned to me with 'unable to duplicate' or 'operating normally'. I've had the best luck when I insist that a tech or service writer go for a ride with me...and even then, I sometimes get "yup...they all do that". The biggest exception was my brand new 2002 Altima that was eating front struts like they were candy. That was a noise that even Nissan couldn't explain away.

Your choices with the Focus are to accept the mechanical differences and all the things that go along with it, trade it in for a manual transmission Focus, or trade it for a totally different car. This transmission simply isn't going to behave or sound exactly like a slushbox. Speaking for myself, I'm glad carmakers are finally embracing a method to get rid of torque converters. While they do provide a smooth & silky driving experience, I find them to be power robbers.

Having said that....I will say that Ford's software writers still have some work ahead of them. My May '12-build-date Focus doesn't seem to be exhibiting any of the really bad behavior that earlier-build owners are complaining about. Ford needs to write an effective patch for those folks.
 
#1,127 ·
It is amazing to me that people make excuses for some of these conditions. If you have a car that is not giving you trouble, that's great, but many are having problems, safety issues and can get no help. The dealer had my car for two days. I picked it up today. The sevice manager told me they heard the noises, felt the sloppy shifting, said there is a problem, but there is nothing they can do. Ford would not allow any work on the trans because the engineers said to roll up my windows, turn on the radio and if I can't hear the noises, there is no problem! The one's making the worst excuses are Ford! Telling people they need to wait until the clutches break in...after 8,000 miles!

Several managers have admitted that they don't believe Ford has a fix for these problems, so they need excuses. Not all Focus' are having problems, which should tell you right off that the ones that are have a problem. Something isn't right. I hope Ford finds a fix soon, or it's a Chevy Cruze for me.
 
#1,132 ·
Thing is when did you buy your Focus? It seems to me the people with the most problems are the ones who bought their car in 2011 before the latest software update. My car was built in May of 2012 so I have all the updates and except for the light rattling which I'm told is not uncommon, everything else is fine. Make sure you have the latest software update, I think it came out mid-spring.
 
#1,139 ·
My seatbelt doesn't rattle either, it sounds like it's coming from right under the drivers side seat...right? I can hear it with the window open and radio off. Now, mine has gotten better but it does rattle every now and then. They say it's the metal forks changing gears.....but who knows for sure. If it blows up they owe me a new car. My delaership has this warranty forever program, it's a powertrain warranty for the entire time I own the car so I hope the tranny is covered under that.
 
#1,136 · (Edited)
What you're seeing is an indicator of Ford service departments that have exhausted all of Ford's most recent remedies, and don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. When they say things like 'drive it til it blows up', don't think they're being lazy or stupid...they've just reached the end of the rope. Yes, it's technically an inappropriate thing to say, but....they take their direction from Ford Corporate. When the directions run out, all that's left is to throw their hands up and let you keep driving the car until it quits, so Ford Corporate will be forced to give you a new car, or at least a new transmission. When remedies become THAT expensive, Ford will be forced to light a fire under the asses of their engineers & software guys to produce a real fix that fixes EVERYONE.

I'm really sorry there are people having such serious troubles with this car. I have a bad habit of buying what's 'latest and greatest'. My last 2 cars have been some of the very first of their generation to arrive on dealer lots (2010 Kia Forte Koup, 2011 Kia Optima), and I guess I've just been lucky. I'm glad I didn't fall in love with the Focus until mid-2012.
 
#1,137 ·
cbdallas...totally agree. I don't blame the dealers. I had a good 1/2 discussion with my service guys yesterday and they are really caught in the middle.

Here's a video of my car. Turn up the volume, because obviously the camera doesn't pick up everything. This is not the loudest the noise has ever been, but it was loud enough for my passenger to hear it. I understand I didn't obey the rules...my window was open and my radio was off.

http://youtu.be/M3OozxnZxzU
 
#1,138 ·
Here's a video of my car. Turn up the volume, because obviously the camera doesn't pick up everything. This is not the loudest the noise has ever been, but it was loud enough for my passenger to hear it. I understand I didn't obey the rules...my window was open and my radio was off.

http://youtu.be/M3OozxnZxzU
Wow... yeah, mine definitely doesn't sound anything like yours on the 1st -> 2nd shift.
 
#1,143 ·
Well after 1 year and a month of owning my 2012 Ford Focus and 11 trips to the service shop, I am happy to say that I traded that POS in for another vehicle. My grips with Ford continues as my issues from day one with that car was never really addressed. I purchased the Focus May 2011 with all the hopes that it would do everything I had read up on only to be beyond disappointed with Ford and the vehicle itself. That car had numerous trips to the service shop for transmission issues, recalls, replacement of struts, blower motor, shocks, bearings... I am sure most of the people on this site will say how wonderful their Focus is but trust me, I will never own another Ford because of there NO PERSONAL touch on their customers. I have written Ford and was pushed off to service without any follow up. I am going to write to them again to stress that I am a middle class american and can not afford to just go out and blow money on a car as I did with the Focus. That car was purchased due to my long drives to and from work. The mpg and style appealed to me and I did my research only to be taken for a ride (pardon the pun). That Focus trade last week, put me upside down in a payment that I will have to deal with it. At least, I am not missing time from work as I did with the Focus because of it being in the shop so often.
 
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