2012 Ford Focus consumer reviews

Owned a Ford Focus 2012 Titanium. Finally rid myself of it. Where to start? I bought the car in the Chicago area in January. Let's start with the fact that the 18" wheel option (which I didn't want, but needed to get all of my other options) are "summer only" tires and this is stated nowhere on the sticker, documentation, or by Ford. It was literally unable to drive in any amount of snow, as was made abundantly clear as I got stuck 5 times on the way home in a 1" snowfall on 5 degree inclines. $1,000 in 18" tires needed immediately after purchase and Ford was absolutely and completely unwilling to do anything for me regarding this. The in-dash system crashed regularly and was unusable 20% of the time for the first year I owned it. They fixed that, mostly. But the worst is the DCT. It started with rollbacks and shaking when idle. They fixed that. Then the car started stalling from a stop, which was more dangerous, especially when turning in front of traffic. They fixed that.. somewhat. But the killer was the violent shaking of the car upon acceleration. That started around 23k miles and absolutely killed the car experience for me. The shaking was so violent that it was actually shaking the headliner and dashboard loose. Took it to the dealer to "fix", problem was lessened for one day, and came back stronger than ever. The worst part though is that this appears to be a widespread problem. The Focus loaner I had did the same shaking. Two other people had their Focuses in for transmission issues the same day I did. I accepted that this is a design flaw and it can never be fixed. Considering all of the other problems with the DCT and the fact that I had already had it in the shop 8 times with no resolution, I felt I had no option but to sell this car while it was still under warranty and before it suffers a Cobalt-style fiasco with its DCT. Ford customer service is arrogant, uncompromising and can do no wrong. In the fact of all of this, I am fairly confident I will never buy another Ford in my life.

I've had the titanium model car for only a month and so far so good. I needed a vehicle that was decent on fuel economy and I have been averaging 30 mpg with a mix of city/highway driving at around 75mph. It seems the faster I drive, the better gas mileage I get (maybe if I drive a 100mph I'll get 40 plus mpg..lol), I use to be a diehard GM owner guy but I was impressed with the style and interior of the ford, and so far it has not disappointed me at all.

I bought my 2012 focus in 2011 horrible idea im paying way to much for it. The transmission almost went out on me one night it was raining it jammed up i couldnt believe it. I completely regret my decision ive taken it to the dealer but maybe i should wait till my warranty expires for them to really find the problem with it.

Only weeks after purchasing my 2012 S model a loud rattle developed in the dash board .Soon there after on a three hour trip I realized how horribly uncomfortable the seats become after about an hour in them. Interior overhead light does not work after car remains locked for over 15 minutes. Power windows don't work at all below freezing temperature. Best of all was the water pump going and the car over heating in January. All this happened before the car had 25,000 miles on it. My advice is if you are thinking of purchasing one ,dont do it if you have one already, get rid of it quickly.

I bought my Focus in January 2012 and noticed the transmission problem within the first month. I brought my car back twice only to be told that is the way that car runs. (Which anyone representing Ford should be embarrassed to say.) The transmission finally had to be replaced January 2013, but the problems quickly resumed afterwards. My transmission died last month while I was on the freeway. Ford is still trying to fix it, and I have yet to get my car back. This should absolutely not be happening to a 2-year old car.

I bought my 2012 Focus Titanium in August 2012. I love it. It handles fantastically (granted I did spring for the Handling Package), has decent power (not mind-blowing, but not boring either), and comes packed with tech toys. Best of all, it's rated at 37 highway and I usually get 37 going 70! I was very surprised. Many people are griping about the transmission. What most people don't understand is that a "dual clutch automated manual" and an "automatic transmission" are two very different things. Mine has been in for a clutch cleaning about 7 months ago because it started shuddering just after shifting. This has solved the problem. I have discovered that the transmission hates stop and go traffic and prolonged low-speed driving. I am not upset about this because I did proper research before buying a car and knew what I was getting. The tech toys are great fun. The Titanium gets standard MyFord Touch, Sony audio, Intelligent Access with Push-Button start, and automatic climate control. If you don't like/aren't good with techy gadgets, don't buy them and complain they don't work. The MyFord Touch has been updated twice since I bought the car and has gotten better each time. Read the directions and spend some time playing with it and you'll love it. The Sony audio is pretty good (I'm very picky about my sound systems so nothing is perfect :) ). To summarize: -The transmission is more of a manual that shifts itself than a traditional automatic. Keep this in mind while driving and it will be much better. -The tech issues (based on what I've read here) seem to be more user error than actual defects. Give it a test drive. In my opinion it outperforms the compact class by far.

I had high hopes and was excited to get the 2012 Ford Focus SEL when it first came out. My first Ford. Exterior and interior is great. Drives really nice. No complaints about sync. High quality materials, but the trans is trouble. Noises started cropping up when shifting within first year, it became very jumpy on gear changing. I was out of a car for over a week because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. They finally replaced the clutch on a 2 year old car. Fuel is not as good as quoted for urban streets. If I didn't have so much trouble with the trans I would of given it high marks.

We bought my wife a 2012 Focus 2 years ago and it has performed flawlessly. So when looking for a replacement I looked the same way. Both our Focuses (Foci?) are manuals and they shift very well although a sixth gear would be nice. I have a complaint with the driving position which puts my knee right next to a sharp seam on the firewall. Power could be a little better but you can get the Focus ST if you want it. Fuel economy is good running around 30 MPG. Overall it is a great value for a car that is built here in the USA.

Ford has outdone themselves with this one i got my focus new with 2 miles on it i have driven it hard like a race car and love every second i am behind the wheel i love the direct injection give low end power when you want it but save gas when you need to the trans. is a little strange i will admit but once i got used to it it ok i live in colorado and have delt with slick icy roads and the car is good in the snow the car cuts power when the car is stuck then digs in at a very low rpm pulling you up some steep hills i would say the car is nothing like the cheer leader focus i always thought they were the new focus competes with honda for a change thank you ford for bringing the fun back to the american car i plan on looking into other new fords as well

To be fair, I can understand the frustrations people are having with Ford. I bought my '12 SEL sedan knowing it had previously been a rental, because it was still under the bumper to bumper (it's not now). I have always enjoyed the styling, and though the info center can get a little overwhelming at times, I knew in the long run this was going to be a car I could trust. I truly enjoy my 75 mile roundtrip every day in this car and would not have done it differently. Addressing the transmission: It's a manual transmission that the car controls for you. You must understand that before purchasing or test driving. Given, some owners truly have problems with it, but many people I have talked to who dislike it say that the transmission doesn't feel like the one in their own car. The DCT is not for everyone, but I encourage you to approach the car as if it were a stick shift, and I promise you'll have fun.