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2012 Ford Focus, Quality Job None!!!

9K views 33 replies 22 participants last post by  pbfoot 
#1 ·
In March of 2012, I made the biggest Mistake I have ever made purchasing a car and it was buying this 2012 Ford Focus HB SEL. From Day one, I have had nothing but problems with it and they keep showing up even more...

Here is my list...
March 1, 2012 Picked up my Ford Focus and drove home. The very next morning I get in it to drive to work and the Sync System is unresponsive. It won't do anything, the screen shows the four areas, but won't respond, nothing, no voice commands or anything. The about 20 mins into my drive, the radio comes on, FULL VOLUME!!! All the WAY UP LOUD... and it still won't respond, I could not change the channel, turn it off, turn it down or do anything. I had to pull over, turn off the car, and then open the door and the radio finally went off.
Get back in and started the car and the radio seemingly worked just fine.
Off to the dealership... they reprogrammed the system with a "OS"..

Now, with the New OS, the navigation no longer works... had to wait on a new SD card.

Began to notice the transmission slipping and would not hold any hills and rolled back all the time. Got a notice in the mail and took it in for that...

New programming in place, this thing now really shifts oddly, maybe I can get used to it. But now my Mileage dropped from an average of 36 mpg, down to 30 mpg.... HOLY COW what a drop... Tried two tanks of gas, and different grades, still very low MPG... Back to the dealer, oh, and the Sync system locks up all the time still, but at least I am not having to jump out of the car...

The dealer, reprograms the car but says they can find nothing wrong...
OK, fine I will live with it I guess..

Then the Cruise Control stops working... Periodicity it would not come on, no matter which button I pushed, how hard. It would just not come on at all. Back to the dealer, they can find nothing wrong with it... but they reprogrammed it anyway...

Great, picked it up, get down the road and all I have on my screen is the Blue Oval now, and my windows won't roll down and the cruise control still won't work... Back to the dealer the next morning...
They reprogram the car again.... pick it up, all seems to be well....

Well, I thought on the way home (which is 40 miles one way), I can't get the cruise control to come on... So I get mad and I punched the steering wheel... the Cruise Control came ON!!! Dealt with it this way for a couple of weeks, and started video recording each incident.

Month 5, Back to the dealer, fortunately on the way in the cruise control did not work. And the dealer verified the issue... Great, they kept the car 4 days and replaced the clock spring, steering column wiring harness, the media and cruise control buttons, a computer, and reprogrammed the thing again.

Is it working, seemed that way for a few weeks, then Every time I started the car I would get a Microsoft Updating Window... that went a way after about a week, but I started getting another notice when I put it in reverse (I have just the radar) that my Backup Camera has Malfunctioned... I don't have a backup camera... got that randomly.. Great.. another issue to add to the list at my next service, so I thought.

Then, the Cruise Control stopped working again... WTH...[?|]
I emailed the Ford Direct, and called the dealer.. I chatted with Ford, they escalated the issue and I took the car back to the dealer... They could not verify any of those issues but at the direction of Ford put in a brand new program on the system... that was last week..

OK, fine, on the way home, the Cruise Control would not come on at all.. SIGH... My wife used the car the next day and the same thing the cruise control would not come on. Then we drive it to Florida for the weekend, NO CRUISE CONTROL FOR 200 MILES..... THAT SUCKS!!!!

Then yesterday my daughter drove it home from Florida, no cruise control...
I got home today get in the car and notice a bad musty smell, I have noticed this before but we have had little rain this summer and the car is garage kept, I chalked it up to sweaty gym short and shoes I keep in the car. But Yesterday my daughter drove in the rain for 4 hours through substantial down pours. Parked it in the garage overnight, and today I look in the passenger side floorboard and there is 2 inches of water in the car... Yes, not just a little water or dampness but 2 Inches of Standing Water INSIDE the car... the carpet and floor mat is soaked.... WTH...[rant]

This car is obviously a lemon, and I am taking it back to the dealer in the morning and demanding a replacement. I also have a call into the CSM that I have been dealing with for the last couple of weeks on the cruise control issue. But this is the last straw with this car...

I have a Focus with serious computer/electrical issues and now a substantial leak when it rains.... I hope nobody has had this many issues with their Focus, but it seems that Quality was Job None on this one....
If Ford does not do something serious about this, I will post here and everywhere I can... If they don't take care of this, this will be the LAST Ford I ever own. They will loose a 20+ year Ford Exclusive Customer... What is sad is that this car has been in the shop more times in the last 8 months, than ALL my Fords over the past 20 years combined....
 
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#8 ·
Sometimes the hardest part to deal with is the dealerships who take five minutes to decide that they can't find any problem and that it is all in the customer's head. I mean, everyone loves to take time from work and their busy lives so they can leave the car at the service dept. for the day. It's kind of like a mini vacation, right? Or am I missing something? [?|]
 
#9 ·
That exact thing happened to me today. They wouldn't even test drive the car for the issue I told them about. They plugged in the computer and said "Everything is working perfectly". Everyone knows that's the way to diagnose an issue...because software is always correct and never performs anything less than perfectly.

*cough* MyFord Touch *cough*
 
#11 ·
Just gotta find that right dealership who's going to help you out. They're out there.

OP, I hope Ford values your loyalty and business enough to really help out. This is my first Ford and despite my issues with MFT I love it. I haven't had any major issues so far with anything else, some things leave some to be desired but mine is a Job 1 build from June 2011, so thus far I'm pleased with how it's performed as a brand new model.
 
#18 ·
Very true.

I'll vouch for my dealer, but not all dealers act the same - which is unfortunate.

Ford did drop the ball on MFT by partnering with Microsoft, though - Ford has to wait for Microsoft to put out fixes, which means customers have to wait and festering customers only drags down long-term goodwill in return. Microsoft is the culprit with the poorly made system but Ford will take the brunt of the complaints...
 
#15 ·
Hi everyone,

Just a reminder: If you're experiencing any concerns with your 2012 Focus, I want to step in and see how I can help. Send me a PM with your VIN, estimated mileage, preferred servicing dealer, and daytime phone number. I'll do some investigating and get your regional Customer Service Managers involved.

Thanks,
Crystal [wave]
 
#16 ·
The visit my car is currently on to the dealership was *initiated* by my regional customer service manager. They just said "nothing is wrong" and refused to even look at the clutches because they said the computer reports no errors.

For reference: Just because the computer reports no errors does not mean there's nothing wrong with the operation of the car. Refusing to even look into something that a customer specifically asks you to is blatantly rude and shows a complete disrespect for the only line of revenue that a service department has: their customers.
 
#17 ·
well, I took it back today, of course they said they have never been able to find anything wrong. And then on the water in the floor board, they said they found a screw of "unknown origin" in the condenser drain that had completely plugged it up. They almost acted/accused that the screw was some how my fault because they could not identify it as one they use... a large black point tap screw with a pan head and torx drive. But they have pulled out the seats and the carpet to clean and dry it out.

They did say they found some "codes" for the cruise control in the computer, but had no idea what they mean. Great, still no closer.

Frankly I am done with this car, the only that will satisfy me is a full pay-off buy out. I will never own another Ford again, ever.... They have lost my business...

It is truly Ford, Quality Job NONE!!!!
 
#20 ·
Why not sell it privately? Used car prices are ridiculous and are only going to get worse as new car sales improve and manufacturers offer fewer incentives to sell new cars.

I didn't buy a new Focus when my old one was totaled based on what I've read here about the latest model. I hope Ford steps up and helps you guys out, this really is a beautiful car (Latest get Focus), it's a shame that reliability isn't up to par.
 
#24 ·
From my perspective (YMMV), only that transmission noise is anything to worry about. Ford says it is normal but part of me still thinks it isn't, mostly due to what others have reported... and the ESPs not covering the clutches (part of the transmission). The latter is a yellow flag that suggests the noises we hear are indeed abnormal... Why would Ford otherwise not stand behind its automobile design and not cover one of the components therein? Especially something as major as any part of the transmission? (Again, other people who had problems DID get good customer service, with one or two reporting total transmission replacements, so I'm not going to worry regardless...)

And, yes, it is otherwise a perfect car. (Okay, I don't have MFT, but I wouldn't want it...) I still baby mine and I've almost had it a year. If it's just a transmission quirk, no problem. I hate conspiracy theories anyhow...
 
#21 ·
Compared to my 2003 Honda Accord that I bought new, the 12 Focus I have now has a superior build quality. The Honda went back under waranty for A/C that did not work so well, a failed power mirror, and a rear seatbelt that refused to retract. and that was just in the first few months. It all got sorted out over time, but honestly the Focus has a quieter interior than the Accord did.
 
#23 ·
well, my Focus has been in the shop now a whole week.... and the call I got yesterday was that they were still trying to figure out what was wrong, but they have now duplicated the issue.

FORD, Just replace the damn thing now!!! If you don't, it will be the very last Ford I will ever, ever, own.....
 
#30 ·
How is it a major design flaw? Mine are always open when I have the a/c set on and I've still yet to actually be able to witness them closed as I don't tend to stand in front of the car with the engine running except perhaps in winter to get the defroster going while scraping the snow and ice off the windows.

Maybe the earlier software was more aggressive in shutting the shutters or something as I recall the April 2011 build 2012 I had in November for a rental with the manual HVAC controls had a poorly functioning a/c at freeway speeds on a 50-60 degree day but as soon as I slowed down and puled off the freeway the a/c started to get ice cold again ergo on that case at least the shutters were affecting the a/c operation by allowing the condensor to vapor lock and not work as effectively the car was getting 35.x mpg keeping up with traffic and generally seeing how quiet it was at speed.
 
#32 ·
I live in Tucson whre it is very hot in the summer and my car does not have shutters that open. Yet if i set the temperature control to AUTO and set the temp to 73 it works well. Although some cars have the manual AC controls, the basic HVAC system is probably the same
 
#33 ·
In March of 2012, I made the biggest Mistake I have ever made purchasing a car and it was buying this 2012 Ford Focus HB SEL. From Day one, I have had nothing but problems with it and they keep showing up even more...

Here is my list...
March 1, 2012 Picked up my Ford Focus and drove home. The very next morning I get in it to drive to work and the Sync System is unresponsive. It won't do anything, the screen shows the four areas, but won't respond, nothing, no voice commands or anything. The about 20 mins into my drive, the radio comes on, FULL VOLUME!!! All the WAY UP LOUD... and it still won't respond, I could not change the channel, turn it off, turn it down or do anything. I had to pull over, turn off the car, and then open the door and the radio finally went off.
Get back in and started the car and the radio seemingly worked just fine.
Off to the dealership... they reprogrammed the system with a "OS"..

Now, with the New OS, the navigation no longer works... had to wait on a new SD card.

Began to notice the transmission slipping and would not hold any hills and rolled back all the time. Got a notice in the mail and took it in for that...

New programming in place, this thing now really shifts oddly, maybe I can get used to it. But now my Mileage dropped from an average of 36 mpg, down to 30 mpg.... HOLY COW what a drop... Tried two tanks of gas, and different grades, still very low MPG... Back to the dealer, oh, and the Sync system locks up all the time still, but at least I am not having to jump out of the car...

The dealer, reprograms the car but says they can find nothing wrong...
OK, fine I will live with it I guess..

Then the Cruise Control stops working... Periodicity it would not come on, no matter which button I pushed, how hard. It would just not come on at all. Back to the dealer, they can find nothing wrong with it... but they reprogrammed it anyway...

Great, picked it up, get down the road and all I have on my screen is the Blue Oval now, and my windows won't roll down and the cruise control still won't work... Back to the dealer the next morning...
They reprogram the car again.... pick it up, all seems to be well....

Well, I thought on the way home (which is 40 miles one way), I can't get the cruise control to come on... So I get mad and I punched the steering wheel... the Cruise Control came ON!!! Dealt with it this way for a couple of weeks, and started video recording each incident.

Month 5, Back to the dealer, fortunately on the way in the cruise control did not work. And the dealer verified the issue... Great, they kept the car 4 days and replaced the clock spring, steering column wiring harness, the media and cruise control buttons, a computer, and reprogrammed the thing again.

Is it working, seemed that way for a few weeks, then Every time I started the car I would get a Microsoft Updating Window... that went a way after about a week, but I started getting another notice when I put it in reverse (I have just the radar) that my Backup Camera has Malfunctioned... I don't have a backup camera... got that randomly.. Great.. another issue to add to the list at my next service, so I thought.

Then, the Cruise Control stopped working again... WTH...[?|]
I emailed the Ford Direct, and called the dealer.. I chatted with Ford, they escalated the issue and I took the car back to the dealer... They could not verify any of those issues but at the direction of Ford put in a brand new program on the system... that was last week..

OK, fine, on the way home, the Cruise Control would not come on at all.. SIGH... My wife used the car the next day and the same thing the cruise control would not come on. Then we drive it to Florida for the weekend, NO CRUISE CONTROL FOR 200 MILES..... THAT SUCKS!!!!

Then yesterday my daughter drove it home from Florida, no cruise control...
I got home today get in the car and notice a bad musty smell, I have noticed this before but we have had little rain this summer and the car is garage kept, I chalked it up to sweaty gym short and shoes I keep in the car. But Yesterday my daughter drove in the rain for 4 hours through substantial down pours. Parked it in the garage overnight, and today I look in the passenger side floorboard and there is 2 inches of water in the car... Yes, not just a little water or dampness but 2 Inches of Standing Water INSIDE the car... the carpet and floor mat is soaked.... WTH...[rant]

This car is obviously a lemon, and I am taking it back to the dealer in the morning and demanding a replacement. I also have a call into the CSM that I have been dealing with for the last couple of weeks on the cruise control issue. But this is the last straw with this car...

I have a Focus with serious computer/electrical issues and now a substantial leak when it rains.... I hope nobody has had this many issues with their Focus, but it seems that Quality was Job None on this one....
If Ford does not do something serious about this, I will post here and everywhere I can... If they don't take care of this, this will be the LAST Ford I ever own. They will loose a 20+ year Ford Exclusive Customer... What is sad is that this car has been in the shop more times in the last 8 months, than ALL my Fords over the past 20 years combined....
The water on floor is probally the drain vents on roof of car if u have a sun roof they are in front and back sides of sun roof get a blow nozzle and gentle blow the lines out that should cure your water problem and maybe other electrical problems also
 
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