2012 Ford Focus Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 27about this part
- Share
- 1%of 3,770 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 14,500miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 27 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2012 Ford Focus, 1% of the 3,770 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 14,500 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I bought a 2012 Ford Focus sedan a couple weeks ago the next day I noticed slow jerky shuttering accerleration when at a complete stop then trying to acclerate. I did not think of anything was wrong until I researched it online finding similar complaints this is a problem and now the car is at the dealership and they currently have it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10453625, filed 2012-03, 315 miles“I was driving around 10mph and getting into a turning lane when the front passenger side of my car hit the median which was no higher then a curb. After hitting the median the engine mounts broke off and part of the engine fell off the car. The impact caused no seeable damage to the outside of the car neither did the air bags deploy. There is no reason why hitting a curb at 10mph would cause the engine to pop out.”
NHTSA complaint #10442792, filed 2012-01, 14,500 miles“Purchased this vehicle on saturday, june 14, 2014 for my daughter. The following monday while pulling out of parking lot, the engine indicator came on and car begin to hesitate, when she got on the highway she was not able to drive more than 40 MPH and the tachometer was flipping from one side of the dial to the other. She managed to the drive the car home. I started the car, the light was off and it drove normal . I could feel that there was a slight hesitation and a slight vibration when idling. …”
NHTSA complaint #10604334, filed 2014-06, 40,000 miles“My Ford Focus sel 2012 has been experiencing shuddering feelings when accelerating from stop. It feels as if the transmission is about to stall and then it kicks back up and jolts my cars back and forth for several seconds before resuming normal speed after 10 MPH. These several seconds are vital when you are dealing with fast traffic in california or anywhere else for that matter. This created a delay in the acceleration time, almost causing an accident with oncoming traffic. …”
NHTSA complaint #10451028, filed 2012-03, 300 miles“The AC compressor in my 2012 Ford Focus blew up today. The service department told me it had been coming apart for a while and it has now destroyed the entire AC system. I was also informed that this problem is not isolated to my AC. Even if I wanted to drive sans AC, then this issue would soon render my car inoperable. I was told it would cause the engine to seize. I can't imagine how bad this would have been on the freeway. Unfortunately there were no signs or symptoms indicating this pending disaster (A/C functioning & no weird noises). …”
NHTSA complaint #10621155, filed 2014-08, 63,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10109070Sep 21, 2016The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to…
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 124 | 15% |
| 2017 | 81 | 9% |
| 2016 | 50 | 4% |
| 2015 | 7 | 1% |
| 2014 | 8 | 0% |
| 2013 | 14 | 1% |
| 2012 | 27 | 1% |
| 2011 | 1 | 1% |
| 2010 | 11 | 4% |
| 2009 | 7 | 3% |
| 2008 | 7 | 3% |
| 2007 | 12 | 3% |
| 2006 | 6 | 3% |
| 2005 | 18 | 4% |
| 2004 | 22 | 6% |
| 2003 | 60 | 6% |
| 2002 | 103 | 11% |
| 2001 | 243 | 14% |
| 2000 | 474 | 13% |
| 1999 | 6 | 55% |
Other parts of the 2012 Ford Focus
1,447 complaintsSteering
927 complaintsEngine
475 complaintsOther or unknown
363 complaintsElectrical system
352 complaintsFuel system
340 complaintsBody and structure
332 complaintsVehicle speed control
166 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
134 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
70 complaintsBrakes
61 complaintsAir bags
55 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Ford Focus
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology