2012 Ford Focus Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 475about this part
- Share
- 13%of 3,770 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 61,750miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 475 complaints about the engine of the 2012 Ford Focus, 13% of the 3,770 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 61,750 miles. 9 of these say a crash was involved and 4 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I received a recall for the canister purge valve. I took it in to a dealership last year and was told it was fixed. Now my check engine light is on and it the dealership tells me it was tested and their was no issue, so they cannot do anything now. My vehicle could stall and not crank back and Ford refuses to fix a faulty part they had a recall on?”
NHTSA complaint #11322171, filed 2020-04, 70,000 miles“My vehicle is constantly telling me my transmission overheating, please pull over safely when im on the freeway (no traffic). I pull over and it say wait 5 minutes, which I do and then it will say transmission ready . Sometimes even before I pull over to allow transmission to cool down it will flash transmission ready before I can pull over to let it cool down.”
NHTSA complaint #11320949, filed 2020-04, 113,630 miles“I am the single owner of my 2012 Ford Focus. I only have 54k miles on the vehicle but it shudders, jerks and feels like it falls out of gear at times. It has behaved this way since I have owned it. I thought that is just the way it was. I am now very concerned about the these transmission problems as my son now drives the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11241122, filed 2019-08, 54,000 miles“My car shutters and shakes when I'm accelerating. Going from a dead stop is the worst. I've taken my car in and there is no resolution as of today. Ford knows of all of these issues and knew of them before my car was manufactured. My extended warranty runs out next month and will be on the hook for any future damages to my car.”
NHTSA complaint #11231479, filed 2019-07, 46,000 miles“The car jerks a lot while driving. It is like a stutter or something. I had napleton Ford check it out and they indicated that the clutch needs replacing. They indicated that there was a recall on the clutch and that it had to replaced by 100,000 miles. I bought the car used at 154,000 miles so I didn't have it at the time of the recall. My warranty won't cover the repair.”
NHTSA complaint #11277587, filed 2019-11, 158,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10148720Oct 4, 2018Some 2011-2014 Fiesta and 2012-2014 Focus vehicles equipped with a DPS6 transmission may experience a fluid leak between the engine and transmission. Be aware that the engine oil…
- 10095164Jan 13, 2017The 2012-2017 focus workshop manual (wsm) procedure for oil pan and rear main oil seal installation has been revised. Refer to wsm, section 303-01 removal and installation. The…
- 10095154Jan 10, 2017To help differentiate engine oil leaks from other possible sources, a new white-colored fluorescent engine oil dye is available. Workshop manual (wsm), section 303-00 has been…
- 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…
- 10057879Mar 17, 2015Ford 2012-2014 focus: information regarding certain vehicles equipped with 2.0l gas direct injection engine may cause a concern of a mil engine running rough or loss of power.
- 10058090Nov 18, 2014Ford focus 2012-2014: bulletin information involving certain vehicles equipped with a 2.0l gas direct injection engine may cause a concern of a malfunction indicator lamp…
- 10057678Nov 18, 2014Ford focus: 2012-2014 ford focus vehicles with gas direct injection engines may malfunction indicator lamp indicator or check engine light.
- 10057597Nov 18, 2014Ford: 2012-2014 ford focus vehicles equipped with a 2.0 gas direct injection (gdi) engine may produce a illuminated indicator lamp malfuntion.
- 10057745Sep 1, 2014Ford: diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0217 will appear on vehicles with gas direct injection and a pinpoint test for dtc p0217 has been updated in workshop manual (wsm). Model…
- 10056788Aug 1, 2014Ford: some vehicles are experiencing, with or without powertrain diagostic trouble codes (dtc) p0805, p06b8, p0809, p0850, p087a, p087e, p0884, p283a, p2831, p2836, p2837, p2835…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 232 | 28% |
| 2017 | 230 | 26% |
| 2016 | 234 | 20% |
| 2015 | 173 | 17% |
| 2014 | 442 | 17% |
| 2013 | 344 | 16% |
| 2012 | 475 | 13% |
| 2011 | 3 | 3% |
| 2010 | 42 | 15% |
| 2009 | 16 | 7% |
| 2008 | 14 | 6% |
| 2007 | 6 | 2% |
| 2006 | 2 | 1% |
| 2005 | 11 | 2% |
| 2004 | 13 | 3% |
| 2003 | 18 | 2% |
| 2002 | 16 | 2% |
| 2001 | 32 | 2% |
| 2000 | 16 | 0% |
Other parts of the 2012 Ford Focus
1,447 complaintsSteering
927 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 complaintsElectronic stability control
48 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