2012 Ford Focus Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Focus years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 20 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 3,769 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Focus. That is the most of any Focus model year in the database (20 years). The most reported problem area is power train (1,446 complaints, 38%), typically at around 55,000 miles. Complaints mention 107 crashes, 15 fires, 88 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 3,769owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 107complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Ford Focus problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 1,446 | 38% | 55,000 | “transmission control module” (8%) | $2,100 |
| Steering problems | 927 | 25% | 78,000 | “steering assist” (35%) | $2,650 |
| Engine problems | 475 | 13% | 62,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 358 | 9% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System problems | 352 | 9% | 64,500 | — | $980 |
| Structure problems | 332 | 9% | 60,000 | “door latch” (43%) | $710 |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 284 | 8% | 80,375 | “fuel tank” (27%) | $2,200 |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 166 | 4% | 46,000 | “transmission control module” (9%) | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages problems | 134 | 4% | 67,500 | “side door” (56%) | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline problems | 56 | 1% | 95,771 | “purge valve” (32%) | — |
| Air Bags problems | 55 | 1% | 52,299 | “air bags deploy” (16%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 54 | 1% | 47,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 48 | 1% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 47 | 1% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 43 | 1% | 66,437 | — | — |
| Wheels | 32 | 1% | 53,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 28 | 1% | 43,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 27 | 1% | 14,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 26 | 1% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 23 | 1% | 37,116 | — | — |
| Tires | 12 | 0% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 9 | 0% | 32,761 | — | — |
| Seats | 9 | 0% | 34,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 0% | 6,750 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 5 | 0% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 3 | 0% | 56,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 0% | 751 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 101,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Ford Focus recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:evaporative emissions:canister
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
Risk: An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:evaporative emissions:canister
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 and 2017 Focus vehicles equipped with 2.0L GDI gasoline engines and 2013-2014 Focus ST vehicles equipped with 2.0L GTDI engines, previously recalled under 18V-735. The affected vehicles did not have the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) updated as intended. Therefore, the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system.
Risk: The excessive vacuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began July 29, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S22.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:evaporative emissions:canister
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
Risk: The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Exterior lighting
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Focus BEV vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, manufactured September 15, 2011, through May 6, 2013; and model year 2013 Focus ST vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, manufactured February 16, 2012, through May 7, 2013. Due to a wiring incompatability, the front side marker lamps may not function. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Without the proper illumination of the side maker lamps, the vehicle may be less visible in night time conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will modify the headlamp assembly wiring, free of charge. The recall began on August 16, 2013. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13C04.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:switch/wiring
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2012 focus vehicles manufactured from august 1, 2010, through october 18, 2011. A seal in the wiring harness connector to the passenger side wiper motor may be missing.
Risk: Water or other contaminants may accumulate in the connector, resulting in an intermittent or inoperative passenger side wiper motor, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and as necessary, clean and properly seal the passenger side wiper motor connector. Any inoperative wiper motors will be replaced. This service will be provided free of charge. The safety recall began on may 21, 2012. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of Motive Power (RQ23006) — opened Sep 15, 2023, closed Dec 20, 2024.
- Door Latch Failures (RQ19005) — opened Dec 19, 2019, closed Feb 7, 2022, led to recall 20V177000.
- Door Latch Failure (PE16001) — opened Jan 16, 2016, closed Oct 29, 2016, led to recall 16V643000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Transmission overheating warning light Transmission clutch stuck open recommended to change out âactuator Aâ but did not solve. Clutch fork needs replacement
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the part to do the recall repair was denied. The contact stated that upon further inspection, the front driverâs side door failed to remain closed. The…
Rowe ford came stated he checked to see it the software was there also stated there were codes and said he was done. He never fixed the software cause i have u codes that state pcm and has locked my car into limp mode which means my car is immobilized due to the bad software. They closed Out the…
I am submitting this complaint because Ford dealers do not appear to be following Ford Motor Company's published procedure for Customer Satisfaction Program 24N07. I visited two Ford service departments in [XXX] and [XXX]. Both told me they must first perform their own diagnostic evaluation before…
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated and stalled. The vehicle was able to restart but failed to move. The message "Transmission Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was…
Other Ford Focus years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Focus | 837 | 7 |
| 2017 Focus | 899 | 10 |
| 2016 Focus | 1,183 | 10 |
| 2015 Focus | 1,022 | 9 |
| 2014 Focus | 2,603 | 12 |
| 2013 Focus | 2,112 | 11 |
| 2012 | 3,769 | 7 |
| 2011 Focus | 113 | 0 |
| 2010 Focus | 287 | 0 |
| 2009 Focus | 229 | 0 |
| 2008 Focus | 250 | 1 |
| 2007 Focus | 391 | 0 |
| 2006 Focus | 205 | 0 |
| 2005 Focus | 441 | 1 |
| 2004 Focus | 387 | 1 |
| 2003 Focus | 977 | 1 |
| 2002 Focus | 939 | 1 |
| 2001 Focus | 1,761 | 7 |
| 2000 Focus | 3,686 | 11 |
| 1999 Focus | 11 | 0 |
See all Ford Focus problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford Focus?
Owners most often report power train, steering, engine problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 1,446 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Ford Focus?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Ford Focus a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Focus model years, the 2012 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.