Ford · Focus · 2012
7
Recalls
3,778
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2012 Ford Focus has 7 recalls and 3,778 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: power train (957 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
11.7% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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."
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
This recall involves aftermarket parts sold by Yakima Products, Inc. for use on model year 2012 and 2013 Ford Focus vehicles. This recall is being conducted by Yakima, not by Ford. Certain combined Q-Tower and Q128 Clip rooftop rack systems, part numbers 8000124 and 8000728, do not fully contact the door frame.
Remedy Status
Yakima will notify owners, and Yakima or a Yakima dealer will refund the purchase of the Q-Tower and Q-128 Clip system. There is no replacement system available for the 2012-2013 model year Ford Focus. The safety recall began on October 15, 2012. Only vehicles equipped with the vehicle rack system are affected. This recall is being conducted by Yakima, not Ford. Owners may contact Yakima at 1-888-925-4621.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
The Powershift for the transmission is the issue. Got two notices about a software update and followed through with updates. When done my Ford dealership said they couldn’t do anything else and that I was just going to be like it was. I never received any more recalls or even a Class Action letter! I recently called Ford motor headquarters and they found my information and could not confirm any additional recalls to me or the class action letter that was sent to me and said that they would NOT DO anything for me! No goodwill — Thisissue from this area continues and I very concerned for my safety! Need help.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn while driving. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 128,604.
I filled up my gas tank and a couple minutes later experienced shuddering while parked so I decided to turn the vehicle off and turn it back on but it struggles to turn back on. I then drove back home and as I was driving the acceleration was going up and down and then to 0. As i stopped on a red light the car completely shut down while the light then turned green and the check engine light, battery, and oil light came on. I then turned the vehicle off and in order to start it I had to step on the gas. I made it home but have not driven it since. I noticed there was a 19S22 recall but I spoke with ford and they said my vehicle didn’t get it but it is experiencing the same issues that the recall mentioned. There is a one time replacement for the CPV but it doesn’t cover half of what the 19S22 does and it seems to be the same problem.
The transmission begin to stall and would not shift. The motor would get to high RPMS and then shift hard into the next gear. I was able to pull over and the TCM error code popped up on the dash. I was able to get the car to the dealer. I was notified that the TCM failed and Ford would no longer cover this failed part. The car is a 2012 Focus with only 69,000 miles. Dealership is wanting $2,116.00 to fix.
Steering system failure light came on and the Rack and pinion failed with no warning while I was driving on the highway at 75mph and the steering wheel locked up almost causing a potential fatal accident.
the car runs without power when shifted to drive gear. It is sluggish trying to speed up. Took to Ford Dealers on a recall with that is suppose to take care of it..nothing seems to have changed. I am not sure anything was done. trans makes a rough sound starting..
I am the owner of a 2012 Ford Focus SE with approximately 54,000 miles. Beginning around 44,000 miles, the vehicle exhibited transmission shuddering, harsh engagement, and improper downshifting consistent with known DPS6 Transmission Control Module (TCM) defects. Prior to the expiration of Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02 on June 30, 2025, I confirmed coverage through Ford’s recall website and presented the vehicle to an authorized Ford dealership on May 27, 2025 (documented in Carfax). The dealership declined repair, stating no diagnostic trouble codes or warning indicators were present and incorrectly advised that customer satisfaction programs do not expire. On December 18, 2025, while driving at highway speed, the vehicle experienced sudden loss of drivability. Traction control was disabled, hill assist became unavailable, engine RPM increased abnormally, and the vehicle stalled in traffic. The instrument cluster displayed “Transmission Malfunction – Service Now.” The vehicle would not restart and required towing from the roadway, creating a hazardous traffic situation. The dealership later diagnosed a complete TCM failure and provided a repair estimate of approximately $1,800. Ford Motor Company has publicly acknowledged widespread TCM defects in 2012–2016 Ford Focus vehicles and issued multiple recalls and customer satisfaction programs, including later supplements authorizing TCM replacement rather than software reprogramming. Despite my documented attempt to obtain service before the program deadline, Ford denied coverage solely due to expiration. Ford corporate denied goodwill assistance, refused supervisor escalation, and asserted that a TCM software reprogramming performed in 2016 at approximately 19,000 miles resolved the issue. Software reprogramming does not correct the underlying hardware defect and only delays failure. This vehicle has experienced repeated transmission-related failures under 54,000 miles and remains disabled at the dealers
After receiving program #24N07 on 12/04/2024, my 2012 ford focus was stalling out while downshifting to stops and after refueling, this happened around the 1st week of December of 2025 about a year after getting it repaired by the Ford dealership in my area. Replaced it myself this time, but sort of crazy to have to replace yet another purge valve just a year after.
I was driving to drop my fiancé off at work when the "Steering fault, Service now" warning came on. Went home, parked the car. Start it up to go pick him up later, the wheel locked and "Steering loss, stop safely" warning came on. I just recently had my car inspected and had two new lower ball joints replaced. The one employee said my cars steering was working fine, and it was driving okay with no issues until today. Same thing just happened. You can't turn the wheel.
Experienced abrupt electrical steering motor failure. Power steering remains inoperable and available for inspection. Occurred during normal driving without warning, and effort required to manually steer was too much for my wife necessitating an emergency stop to avoid collision with oncoming traffic while trying to execute a routine turn putting us and the other vehicle in danger of an offset collision. This appears to be a known issue in FORD steering units but has only been addressed in Fusion models as a recall. The component has yet to be inspected as Ford will not pay for the repair despite the obvious ongoing safety issue, the vehicle will remain off the road for now in the hopes a recall is issued.
The car started shutting down while I am driving and also hard to start after
I purchased this car as a certified pre owned car from the Mazda dealership In mechanicsburg PA about two and a half years ago. The transmission failed and the car was unsafe to drive after 3 months from the purchase date. The Mazda dealership didn’t know how to fix the transmission as it’s a complicated process. They tried to send it to a ford dealership but they would not work on it. It took Mazda awhile to finish my transmission because they didn’t know how to fix it. Now the same exact problem is occurring two years later. I haven’t even put 40,000 miles on my car after the replacement of the new transmission. As I stated before the car is unsafe to drive and I need it for work. This brand new transmission should not be failing after only 2 years and 35,000 miles. Included files are from November 2022 when I purchased the car and from February and march 2023 when the transmission was fixed.
On Friday [XXX], I was at a stop sign waiting to turn right, when it was my turn to go my car would not move at all, forward or back, the regular lights on the dash board were still on. I put my blinkers on and had all cars go around me. I turned my car off and then back on, that's when the check engine light came on. After 8 minutes of turning the car off and on, I was able to move backwards and forwards I was able to drive. I stopped at AutoZone on the way to get my car scanned. I received a report with a bunch of p-codes. I made it home, I called Ford, they didn't have any immediate appointments. The closet Ford dealership to me says they don't work on cars over 10 years old. I made an appointment at Firestone for saturday morning, they got the same P-codes and said they were all transmission problems and recommended I go to a Ford dealership or a transmission specialists. on my way home from Firestone, first my car speed felt like it was speeding up on it's on and then my car slowed down tremendously and I has to pull over, again I put my blinkers on. After 5 minutes I was able to move again, I was close to home. My car moved so slow feeling like it would stop any time, i drove with my blinkers on and made it home. On Monday my car wouldn't start up at all. A Ford that would take my car didn't have an appointment for 2 weeks. So I made an appointment with AAMCO for Tuesday and I had my car towed there because it wouldn't turn on. My safety was put at risk because I could have been driving at normal speed and could've slowed down out of know where and a car could have slammed into the back or side of me. AMMCO says it my dual input clutch assembly, actuators, forks and TCM This is my first time ever seeing the check engine light on [XXX] Ford's TCM extended warranty expired [XXX]. I called Ford's corporate customer service for help with diagnosis and repair but they said there was nothing they could do. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I own a 2012 Ford Focus with approximately 51,000 miles. The transmission warning light came on, and I was informed by a repair shop that the transmission control module (TCM) and gears need repair. This vehicle uses the PowerShift dual-clutch transmission (DPS6), which has been the subject of a class-action lawsuit and multiple extended warranties due to widespread failures. The car exhibits jerking, delayed acceleration, and loss of power, which create dangerous driving conditions, particularly when merging into traffic or crossing intersections. Ford informed me I am outside the warranty period and refused to assist, despite this being a well-documented, recurring safety issue for which they have admitted fault in other cases. I am reporting this issue because it poses a serious safety hazard, and I believe the TCM defect should be subject to a mandatory recall. Ford is shifting the burden of a known manufacturing defect onto consumers, and this needs to be addressed before someone is injured.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine shuddered while idling, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The local independent mechanic was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was advised that the failure might be attributed to coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,058.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM, purge valve, and clutch assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The TCM and purge valve were repaired under warranty. The clutch assembly was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
I am reporting a recurring safety issue with the DPS6 dual-clutch automatic transmission in my 2012 Ford Focus (VIN: [XXX] ). The vehicle intermittently fails to shift beyond 3rd gear while in motion, resulting in loss of acceleration and inability to maintain safe highway speeds. The most recent incident occurred in July 2025 while my son was driving. The car would not upshift past 3rd gear, forcing him to pull off the road. We took the vehicle to a Ford dealership, which ran diagnostics and ultimately identified diagnostic trouble code P2832: “Shift Fork B Position Sensor Circuit Low.” This error points to failure of the clutch actuator assembly, a key component of the DPS6 system. The dealership linked the issue to internal transmission component failure but stated the original warranty repair had already been used and no coverage was currently open. Ford Customer Relationship Center advised us to have the dealer submit through the Specialty Recall Program and to file a safety complaint with NHTSA. This failure is consistent with the issues outlined in Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 16-0109, which addresses shuddering, hesitation, and shifting failure in Ford’s DPS6 transmission due to actuator and clutch contamination. The vehicle previously underwent warranty repair for transmission issues, and this is a repeat failure tied to the same known defect. This defect affects drivability and safety, especially for younger or less experienced drivers. Ford has acknowledged the defect in class action settlements and internal bulletins, but is denying coverage in this case. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this ongoing pattern of failure and pressure Ford to address these safety risks before they result in serious injury. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The Power Steering shut down suddenly while I was driving it. I am [XXX], and certainly did NOT have the power to turn the wheel like it needed. If there had been fast moving traffic at that time, I could have been hit and severely injured, Why hasn't this been recalled yet? The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. I had to go there when my power steering intermittently came back on because it was only 6 blocks away from my house and I didn't dare try to drive it to a ford dealer which was 12 miles away. I'm not positive about the light coming on, but I believe I saw a circle with an "i" inside of it I was too stressed to notice completely, when I was trying to control my car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Unknown
Everytime I go to get fuel the car will not crank it makes a terrible noise then cranks but its slow. The pressure in tank causes it to stall out.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2012 Ford Focus has 7 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 3,778 owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Ford Focus.
The 2012 Ford Focus received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2012 Ford Focus are power train (957 reports), steering (767 reports), structure (263 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 7 recalls on record for the 2012 Ford Focus. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.