Issues with new 2012 Ford Focus

[Artimus]

For what it's worth the 2012 Focus that I rented had 4700+ miles on it and still had all the well documented tranny issues. One would think that amount of miles would have taken care of "break-in." Will wait till the end of Sept. for the hopeful software/firmware upgrade to make my decision between the Focus and the Elantra, may the best car win!

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by MMarchand

Have my 2012 TI for two mounts now. Three weeks ago a seal on the front suspension strut breaks. It's been two weeks that I wait for the dealer to get the new parts... He let me go whit my car and know, I suspect that there will be more parts to replace because the bouncy and knoky front suspension.

It is unfortunate to have parts replaced so soon. Your dealer will thoroughly diagnose your issues, and hopefully a one-time repair is all it takes, so you can get back to confidently driving your Focus.

Originally Posted by sirhawkeye

This is my view of the issues... the 2012 Focus is a new Focus for the NA region. It is based on the European model, with some modifications for North American (NA) use. Yes, there are quite a few setbacks that are causing some headaches, but at this time, it is sort of hard to say whether the issues we are seeing are entirely the fault of Ford. As for my issue, it could be a quality issue from the manufacturer of the bearing.

I'm not vouching one way or another, but I think it's still a little early to immediately dismiss the Focus as a potential purchase. Yes, we are experienced a lot of problems right now, but it is also still quite early in this generation's lifecycle.

OK, so no I wouldn't buy one again RIGHT NOW if I was looking to get one, but come back to the idea in may 6 months or a year and reconsider it. The choice is yours, but again, we are still seeing some "start up" issues that should go away over time as Ford has a chance to address them. Yes, some of the problems we are experiencing should have been worked out in the factory or on the drawing board, but I can tell you (from doing product launches and design work myself) that things don't always go 100% as planned, and issues can arise that you can't predict because you can't predict how every customer is going to use your product--some will follow your guidelines, some will ignore them and do whatever, so it makes for desiging products not so easy.

For, now, I"m taking Ford's comments about how the car is not yet "broken in" (even though they claim there isn't such a thing these days anymore), but I will run the car to about 2k or 3k and if any problems still persist, it's going back to the dealer for round two (the car right now only has about 700 miles on it).

The patience you have shown is greatly appreciated!

Originally Posted by Artimus

For what it's worth the 2012 Focus that I rented had 4700+ miles on it and still had all the well documented tranny issues. One would think that amount of miles would have taken care of "break-in." Will wait till the end of Sept. for the hopeful software/firmware upgrade to make my decision between the Focus and the Elantra, may the best car win!

I still feel the Focus is the best car. Please let me know if I can assist with your decision, and if you decide on a Focus, take pics!

~Natasha

[teaster]

I took my focus to the local dealership today to let them investigate the shudder when stopping and hesitation on acceleration. I got the same response as most people in this forum. They told me that they too could feel the shudder but everything checked out ok and they printed the SSM (21918) from Ford that says the shudder condition is normal and that symptoms should diminish as clutches break in. Mine has over 4000 miles, so my next question is, how long should something like that take to 'break in'. and when should I return to the dealership? The service man told me that if it doesn't diminish by 10,000 miles to bring it back. 10,000 miles seems like an awful lot of miles to deal this issue. :-(

[hammy627]

Thanks for a great post- I appreciate the thought you put into it and I understand your frustration. I hope you get these issues resolved quickly.

Just to add my two cents, I don't think involving Ford Corporate will piss off the dealer. It shows that you are concerned about your 21k investment and need and expect prompt resolution.

Originally Posted by sirhawkeye

NO, I"m not taking it out on Natasha... I just was a bit irritated in general, but I'm giving the dealer a chance to fix the problem first before I escalate it to the next level and go directly to Ford Customer Relations.

So far, I've just dropped the car off. So, we'll have to see. I also don't want to piss off the dealer by getting Ford corporate involved just yet. Like I said, I want to give the dealer I got the car from a chance to fix it, and then well take it from there.

If it sounded like I was taking it out on any particular person, I apologize, but it is frustrating and bothersome when buy a $21k car, only to have something more or less major wrong with the car--not to mention that nobody seems to know what the problem is, either. That's where the annoyance came from.

[rcadd1ct]

Ok. For all of those that say they have issues and then other people read it on a forum...just to say they will not be buying "X".

There is always a percentage of issues with anything. The percentage is higher for the first year......period.

My other hobbies and work this is called bleeding edge. If you are conservative, you wait the next year. if you are a got to have the new shiny type, you already know what I am talking about.

My SO has the first year Fiesta and I have the first year Focus. I got in her car and new something is different. I see the same thing in my car. If you understand it is an automated assisted manual trans instead of an automatic, the issues make more sense. She on the other hand only sees that is goes when the pedal is pressed.

Also, I think this is the first year of drive by wire...this might also be a contributing factor.

All I can say is I had the first year mod motor Cobra and they had to replace everything on the cooling system due to a recall. After that it was a great car.

In the perfect world there will never be any issues with anything. We all strive for this, but guess what....the world is far from perfect.

Sorry for the philosophical rant....

Carry on.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by teaster

I took my focus to the local dealership today to let them investigate the shudder when stopping and hesitation on acceleration. I got the same response as most people in this forum. They told me that they too could feel the shudder but everything checked out ok and they printed the SSM (21918) from Ford that says the shudder condition is normal and that symptoms should diminish as clutches break in. Mine has over 4000 miles, so my next question is, how long should something like that take to 'break in'. and when should I return to the dealership? The service man told me that if it doesn't diminish by 10,000 miles to bring it back. 10,000 miles seems like an awful lot of miles to deal this issue. :-(

teaster,

Thanks for the update. Can you PM me with your mileage and dealer information? My PM inbox has gotten quite full the past few days, and I no longer have your original message. I will ensure your issue gets the proper attention.

hammy627,

You are correct, I haven't seen a dealer get upset at a situation being addressed at our level. They seem to welcome the assistance.

~Natasha

[Jellman123]

I do have an update from taking mine in for the shudder the other day. In talking with service they did the following, this if right from the slip:

"Checked Transmission operation - EEC Test performed TSB 11-07-22-Reprogrammed PCM and TCM to latest calibration - retest no further problem found"

I can't say it fixed things 100% put there is definitely a major difference. It was most noticeable in stop and go highway traffic on slight inclines. But the first drive to work, things are noticeably better. Will update after more miles. So I'm not sure if this was the fix someone had mentioned that was coming in Sept, but if you call with this info it should get some attention

[Old TU]

Artimus, I recommend you check into the maintenance of the Elantra vs. the Focus. I have an older Elantra that has given me very good service. I cross shopped and drove the 2012 Elantra the same day as the Focus which I purchased a week later.
I found out the Elantra's service intervals are much sooner like the traditional cars of the past. Test driving both cars I found the Focus to be more powerful, handled better and felt solider. The Focus has more models and more features. Elantra Hatch???
My Focus has 1700 miles on it and the transmission (DCT 6 SPD) is very smooth. Neither of these cars are going to go down in price the longer you wait.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by Jellman123

I do have an update from taking mine in for the shudder the other day. In talking with service they did the following, this if right from the slip:
"Checked Transmission operation - EEC Test performed TSB 11-07-22-Reprogrammed PCM and TCM to latest calibration - retest no further problem found" I can't say it fixed things 100% put there is definitely a major difference. It was most noticeable in stop and go highway traffic on slight inclines. But the first drive to work, things are noticeably better. Will update after more miles.

Hi Jellman123,

Thanks for the good news of your transmission improving dramatically. I'm here if you need any help later on down the road.

~Natasha

[jake1]

Natasha, I am also interested in whether or not you can confirm that an updated fix is in the works from Ford by the end of September. I would love to buy a Focus but will not do so until this transmission problem is solved to everyone's satisfaction. I really feel sorry for all these owners who have to go through this hassle. Jake