Issues with new 2012 Ford Focus

[pontiaclover812]

It has been to dealer three times. In this state it qualifies as a lemon and I FULLY INTEND ON EXERCISING MY RIGHT TO A FULL REFUND OR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CAR THAT WILL NOT BE A FORD

[whynotthinkwhynot]

What I want to know is if you're referring to the lemon law in Lebanon VA, or in Blackwell, OK which is where your IP address is coming from?

[JimsFocus]

Originally Posted by pontiaclover812

It has been to dealer three times. In this state it qualifies as a lemon and I FULLY INTEND ON EXERCISING MY RIGHT TO A FULL REFUND OR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CAR THAT WILL NOT BE A FORD

Make sure that all service records from your dealer state that your car has a problem. My car was in for service for a grinding transmission, and I was told by the service manager that there was excessive noise, but when I read the service record it stated there was no abnormal noise. If they don't admit there is a problem, how can they fix it? So make sure every time you bring the car in you get documentation that there is a problem.

Getting in touch with the customer service rep here will help get you in touch with a regional manager, but that may not help you. The final call as to whether or not work gets done on you car rests with the Ford engineers. They too did not admit that my car had a problem, so they would not authorize any work done to my trans. Their normal answer is that it's "normal". I got rid of my Focus because I felt it was my only option if Ford would not admit to the problem. I hope you have better luck.

[Blk5dr64]

Here is an update on my transmission problems: I continued to have the grinding noises when the trans was shifting and the lurching from 1st to 2nd.
I took it back to my dealer, and the service rep told me he had other customers that had the same problem, and that, we as owners did not know how this trans functioned. He also assumed correctly I was not told how the trans operated by my salesperson. So, my dealership did not blow smoke, they "owned" up.

Both clutches were replaced in the car and it was test driven by the technician and service dept manager. They both felt the car was not "right" and both clutches were replaced again.

My car was ten returned to me and it drives perfectly, shifts perfectly, and does not grind.

The only problem I have is that they kept my car for 8 days. But I know paying customers come before warrenty repairs, they had to order the parts, they gave me a loaner car, and most people do not think of their car as one of their kids.

Ford itself should take responsibility for this trans problem. It should not be telling its dealers to tell customers that the noise and shift problems are normal or to turn up the radio. They should instruct sales people to tell buyers how this trans works.

I recommend everyone on this forum to insist on clutch replacement.

Town And Country Ford in Charlotte NC is highly recommended by this happy Focus owner.

[ElGatto]

Originally Posted by Blk5dr64

Here is an update on my transmission problems: I continued to have the grinding noises when the trans was shifting and the lurching from 1st to 2nd.
I took it back to my dealer, and the service rep told me he had other customers that had the same problem, and that, we as owners did not know how this trans functioned. He also assumed correctly I was not told how the trans operated by my salesperson. So, my dealership did not blow smoke, they "owned" up.

Both clutches were replaced in the car and it was test driven by the technician and service dept manager. They both felt the car was not "right" and both clutches were replaced again.

My car was ten returned to me and it drives perfectly, shifts perfectly, and does not grind.

The only problem I have is that they kept my car for 8 days. But I know paying customers come before warrenty repairs, they had to order the parts, they gave me a loaner car, and most people do not think of their car as one of their kids.

Ford itself should take responsibility for this trans problem. It should not be telling its dealers to tell customers that the noise and shift problems are normal or to turn up the radio. They should instruct sales people to tell buyers how this trans works.

I recommend everyone on this forum to insist on clutch replacement.

Town And Country Ford in Charlotte NC is highly recommended by this happy Focus owner.

I checked with my Ford dealer and sure enough the service manager sat with me and explained all the nuances of the Focus Trans. This was per a directive issued by Ford to all dealerships. The manager said if I noticed any problems with the trans to bring the car in and they would be rectified as quickly as possible.
All American Ford is a great place to do business. I feel relieved that should a problem arise it will be expertly dealt with.

[JimsFocus]

Originally Posted by ElGatto

I checked with my Ford dealer and sure enough the service manager sat with me and explained all the nuances of the Focus Trans. This was per a directive issued by Ford to all dealerships. The manager said if I noticed any problems with the trans to bring the car in and they would be rectified as quickly as possible.
All American Ford is a great place to do business. I feel relieved that should a problem arise it will be expertly dealt with.

Unfortunatly, this is not always the case as I and many others on this forum have run into.

I'm glad to hear some are being helped. I wish my case would have been handled that way.

[jjessop]

Same problem here......what's new it's a 2012 Focus. Car has been a trainwreck from day one and I have never heard so many lame excuses from a dealer. Picked it up after another 6 days at the dealer for transmission grinding and the fix for me, nothing, was told "thousands" of people are complaining and that maybe I should just lemon law the car! Yes indeed, told that last Friday by the Ford Store in San Leandro CA. At least for once it was an honest statement instead of the "this is how it operates" or "you need to let it break in" that I grew tired of 9 months ago.

The fact these vehicles operate so erratically is what makes them unsafe! You never know what my transmission will decide to do but you can rest assured it will grind and lurch all the time.The transmission is at least less annoying than the freeway wandering issue I originally had. We didn't drive the car for 2 months because you could not hold it straight going down the Freeway. Finally forced them to acknowledge and replace the steering rack....fixed! So why not just fix our transmissions? Ford Sync, don't get me started, gave up complaining to save my blood pressure.

Thankfully this forum has been a great resource of information and confirmation that we are all not crazy.

Jerry

Originally Posted by JimsFocus

Unfortunatly, this is not always the case as I and many others on this forum have run into.

I'm glad to hear some are being helped. I wish my case would have been handled that way.

[cbdallas]

I think if the dealerships had the proper knowledge transfer from the corporate technicians / engineers, they would be fixing these transmissions. The issue is that the dealerships really don't know where to go from here because they're being given no direction. The dealerships, while they are the face of the company, are really caught in the middle - between screaming, angry customers and Ford, who hasn't dreamt up a fix yet. Ford isn't going to immerse themselves in a public relations nightmare by admitting that the problem is unresolved and that they're 'working on it'. That's why I was so surprised to see a guy on this forum have his car bought back. That's basically an admission on Ford's part that there is an unresolvable problem with some of these cars. So, the dealerships get stuck with the fun task of staving off the rabid consumers until a magic solution is created in the software and it gets passed down from corporate. It's a horrible position to be in, from a consumer standpoint, as well as the dealership standpoint. They probably cringe every time they see a Focus drive up the service driveway. I'm sure some of them have reached a point where they've finally started encouraging owners to get busy with the Lemon Law....because Ford hasn't done the right thing...Yet.

I was very nervous dropping my car off Saturday for the grille shutter recall....I didn't want them messing with my transmission programming, or even disconnecting my battery, and thankfully they didn't.

[6769MOPARS]

Originally Posted by cbdallas

I think if the dealerships had the proper knowledge transfer from the corporate technicians / engineers, they would be fixing these transmissions. The issue is that the dealerships really don't know where to go from here because they're being given no direction. The dealerships, while they are the face of the company, are really caught in the middle - between screaming, angry customers and Ford, who hasn't dreamt up a fix yet. Ford isn't going to immerse themselves in a public relations nightmare by admitting that the problem is unresolved and that they're 'working on it'. That's why I was so surprised to see a guy on this forum have his car bought back. That's basically an admission on Ford's part that there is an unresolvable problem with some of these cars. So, the dealerships get stuck with the fun task of staving off the rabid consumers until a magic solution is created in the software and it gets passed down from corporate. It's a horrible position to be in, from a consumer standpoint, as well as the dealership standpoint. They probably cringe every time they see a Focus drive up the service driveway. I'm sure some of them have reached a point where they've finally started encouraging owners to get busy with the Lemon Law....because Ford hasn't done the right thing...Yet.

I was very nervous dropping my car off Saturday for the grille shutter recall....I didn't want them messing with my transmission programming, or even disconnecting my battery, and thankfully they didn't.

We must be driving different cars. I do not drive my wife's Focus often, but, every time I do, the DCT performs flawlessly. I sympathize with those who are having problems, and while I do not know how widespread the problems are, I am certain that Ford is responding in a responsible fashion. Fixes are never fast enough for those with a problem.

I think that the DCT is solid technology that is experiencing some problems, some of which are caused by customers who expect the transmission to behave like a traditional torque converter based automatic which it never will.

If my wife's car was having a problem I would be working closely with my dealer (who is excellent) and the transmission tech who services both the Focus and my Fiesta (5-speed).

[cbdallas]

Actually, I've had no problems with mine. I'm just referring to the folks that seem to be having problems that are inexplicable, as they keep recurring after multiple re-flashes.

I've seen a few Youtube videos that highlight problems that my car has never had, so I know a problem exists. But I do feel sure that there are a few out there that are blowing it out of proportion. Does my DCT behave itself 100% of the time? Hell no. I was driving out of the dealership on Saturday morning after my grille shutter recall was done, and it SLAMMED into second gear while driving through the parking lot. I just don't think the DCT likes to putt-putt around, and this is something that I accept about it. I suspect that there are people who aren't willing to accept that there are ANY differences between it and a traditional auto, and they're in for a disappointment.

This is the other reason that dealerships are in such a tough spot. If someone had bought MY car, expecting it to feel exactly like their last automatic, it'd probably be in the service department every week. There's nothing a dealership can do about the way it feels. A DCT is a DCT, and it'll never be a slushbox. But how do you explain this to someone who's set in their ways and has certain unrealistic expectations, especially when they don't know why their expectations are unrealistic? Rock - Hard Place.

So, I think this whole DCT drama is a combination of some cars with REAL problems, combined with cars like mine that just feel different, and therefore are deemed defective by their owners, when they're really not.