Used 2012 Ford Focus Consumer Reviews

Great car with some tech issues

I have owned my Focus HB Titanium for 10 months now, and have for the most part enjoyed it. The controls are difficult to read in direct sunlight, and there are LOTS of reflections from the shiny interior trimwork, but the most frustrating thing is that the Sync system does not seem to understand a word I say. Asking for directions is a big reason I wanted Sync, but I wish I had never gotten it. In the beginning, the car was slow to move from 1st to second, and nearly stalled several times in the middle of busy intersections! After an update, though, this problem seems to be corrected. The handling is great!

wish they would fix it now!

Wow, we just did a 420 mile roadtrip last thursday and couldn't get past 28.7 mpg and that was mostly interstate driving. took it in to dealer and they said it's just still trying to figure out your driving habits. WTH! and I don't like the jerky take off's we were told to drive it another1000-1500 miles and if it's still doing it to bring it in. it is alittle cramped inside compared to my 2005 focus. But otherwise I like the car .

Not to buy

This is not the best buy there are to many thing wrong with it. Cost to much to lot of the parts u have to go to dealer to get and it cost. Laber really to high also

Un reliable worst car ever

Don't buy one of these purchased two weeks ago and now needs a new clutch has automatic transmission but has manual clutch system and found out this is the second clutch that has been put in this vehicle so at 77000 miles u need another

Started out as a terrific car

Started out as a terrific car, we bought our 2012 focus sel hatch in 2014. We do oil changes religously, use pea additive 1x month, and use quality gas. In 2016 the trans kept over heating backing up 50feet, then no reverse. Dealer replaced trans mod n/c. Then june 2018 i bought an obd2 scan tool as the service engine light came on... P0301 cyl 1 misfire. New coils, new plugs, deleted code. Po301 back on and running rough. Injectors? Not pulling intake. Added gumout with pea... a week later after adding 93 octane mobil, light added pea every fill. Ghost code now present. Could not find a code but light on. Updated scantool . Still no code light on. Disconnected neg terminal of battery and applied a jumper from + to - cables. All ok. For 5 miles. Ghost code on and off. Picked up cam and crank sensor but before installing them, i traded car in on 2016 awd trax

its just aight

I have spent waaay too much money on buying and fixing this car, the only benefit is it has ac, heating, and it gets me from point A to point B. I used to have an older model of the same car and the only problem it had was the ac would'nt turn on in the summer. This car has transmition problems, an old battery that just stopped working, and other interior problems. Overall if I would have known about all the problems and all the money i had to spend i simply just would have not bought it.

So disappointed

I bought my 2012 Focus SE last June with the dual clutch transmission, it had a recall to get the transmission reprogrammed so i did that. Now, the transmission has gone to garbage and Ford refuses to take responsibility because it is the Clutch. I loved driving this car, has great get up and go, great on gas, and easy to maneuver. Unfortunately the repairs are going to cost over $1600 because Ford will not consider it under the extended warranty. Reading other reviews, this is a reoccuring problem. If you haven't completely replaced your transmission yet, good for you, but this is going to happen to every single car like mine. The transmissions are defective and the cars should have never been sold. I would never recommend anyone to buy this model of Focus. I wish i did my research before I bought the car. PLEASE DO NOT BUY A FORD FOCUS!!! The extended warranty has so many fine prints, they more than likely will find any way to avoid putting it through warranty and force you to pay out of pocket. Unfortunately again, all the lawsuits are closed. STAY AWAY!!! might be a good deal in the beginning, but its going to cost you, over and over again.

Lemons are Us!

It’s cute (yes, that’s what first drew me to this vehicle) and when it’s not having issues for the repeated recalls for the TCM, then I like it. Well, except for the issues with the windows not rolling down. I’m not going to like it so well when the warranty is up in 2022 and I’m stuck holding the bag with the next service cost after my warranty runs out. This time around I was without a vehicle for almost 3 months due to the National shortage. Times are crazy so you gotta be prepared for things like an upcoming zombie apocalypse! I would recommend that you NOT count on a 2012 Ford Focus to help you survive that. Just a sound word of advice, although the windows not being able to roll down should that occur may not necessarily be a bad thing, as long as they’re on the outside of the vehicle.

Good

Few issues with used car that had to be fixed

Great Car!

I bought my Focus new in 2012..10 years ago..I've put 91,000 miles on it and it has never let me down. Might be the best car I've ever owned..very satisfied!!

One store because it won't let me do a zero

Worst car I ever had. The transmission was crap. I took it to the dealer and they fixed it and they even admitted that there was a transmission problem . The only reason I didn't have to pay for it was because it was within one month and still under warranty. I had that thing back 10 times for the transmission. Second Ford with transmission problems and I will never ever buy another Ford.

Great Car

Let’s see the stability control saved me 3 times in very bad weather car corrected it self when I thought no way am I getting out of an accident.car handles great in snow and heavy rain never have I not made it home. Road noise could be better but not terrible .I have not had any of the major issues others are referring to, no transmission problems I have 72,000 miles on this Focus se it starts every time and gets me where I’m going safely with great gas mileage 33 mpg average only problems I have is with the lug nuts the chrome shell warps over time and need to be changed every few years typical ford problem and the AC door actuator failed, in two years since I bought this 2012 Focus i can’t complain.

Great car...except when the transmission blew

I bought this car used in 2019 and was super happy with the purchase. It was a salvage title, but best I could tell whatever damage it had taken was all to the rear of the vehicle. It was very well rebuilt and at the time it had very low miles (60,000). I could tell the transmission was quirky going into it (minor shudders, mostly in and out of first), but my mechanic gave it a green light. And yeah, for three years it's been a great used car! I've put on about 30,000 miles, and in that time it's needed only minor upkeep - new bearings, staying on top of oil changes, etc. Until this week. At about 97,000 miles, the transmission malfunctioned. After taking it to the mechanic and then to a local transmission shop, I found out it would be a $4000+ repair with a 6 month+ wait time for a part that's on backorder. And unfortunately, that's more than the car is worth and too long of a time to wait. It's too bad, because I really do like this car. But at the end of the day, I need something driveable and reliable.

Greatest

My little focus just turned over 120,000. I have not spent a dime on it. Best car I've ever had. And I'm 72.

TRANSMISSION

I had a 2010 for focus with 33k miles on it, a tractor trailor hit it and totalled it. I then got screwed by trucking company and bought a ford focus with 74k plus miles on it. at 104k the transmission went on it. I called a local ford dealer and they said warrabty was only good until 100k. I had it sent to a transmission specialist about 36 miles away.I have been without a car for almost a month now. It was towed 3 times. I called the ford company and they said transmission module covered for 150k miles, but by then it had been sent to the transmission place. I still think ford should be liable for it.

Great car!

My 2012 Ford Focus has been a good car. I haven’t had much problems with it. Only thing I’m a little disappointed is the air-conditioner. I live in Texas where it gets into three digits and it takes a while to cool off. I’ve noticed that on other Fords, not just mine. All in all, it is a great car.

Good reliable car

Overall a good car for past 4 years. Disappointed in the resale value.

Focus

Short time fun car

Iv only owned the car for 3 days now, it was used with 36000 miles on it pretty high. was prevously a rental car. Anyway the drive seems its smooth and fast. the sync seems to work fine for me mostly just use it for audio at this point. so far im very satisfied with this car if that ever changes ill post a reply.

Our 2012 Focus Titanium Hatchback Lemon

My wife and I ordered this car loaded....even had mud flaps installed. The car drove well...but at the 10,000 mile service, Duval Ford, found the brake master cylinder was bad, even though my wife had had the car in the shop previously for brakes not working properly and all they did, was add brake fluid to the master cylinder THe Sync system always had problems, automatic windows would become unresponsive, radio would change stations after receiving a phone call. At 20,000 miles the main seals on the engine are leaking, when they tear into it, found both shaft seals on transmission leaking and damaged clutch pack. We No Longer own a Ford.

Good car BUT!!!!

OK. I thought being in IT I could handle all of the problems with the mytouch. It is VERY buggy even after the patch. The car handles well and gets good gas mileage. My paint is chipping up and the dealer was nasty when I went in after 5,000 miles to complain. I called Ford and they said they don't warranty the paint from chipping and that I should expect that from their cars. NOT Happy about all the chips. Paid $550 to get chips filled in and bought an invisible bra. Otherwise car is very good for the first 3 months.

Epic Fail, Ford

I purchased the 2012 Focus SE Sedan in February, 2012. Horrible Mistake! Initial satisfaction was quickly replaced with the realization that I had paid way too much for something so poorly built. The engine is extremely weak, and the transmission shaked and shuttered with only ~5,000 miles on the vehicle. I had the transmission serviced three times. Each time, I was told "that's just the way this transmission is..." and then provided a computer update (the 3rd one I paid $150). I received a letter from Ford Corporate in mid-2014 stating they had extended the warranty on the transmission. The only positive to this was that I was refunded my $150 for the last software update.

New focus automatic transmission and warranty

Have a 2012 Focus with 16,000 miles, the car shutters and jerks extremely bad when shifthing from 1st to 2nd gear. Local Ford mechanic agrees with me that a new car should not shift this violently but Ford will do nothing to correct the problem. Apparently Ford simply needs to say that other cars of this type do the same thing so this is a normal characteristic of the car. Everything else about the car is great but the warranty is not worth the paper it's written on.

Upset about bad keys

Bought my new 2012 Focus "S" 2 days ago. I pick it up from the repair at the dealer tomarrow. The computer kept saying "No key detected" and wouldnt start after putting only 77 miles on it. The dealer called me today while i was at work and said they found a new key and it works. Still i'm pissed. IT BETTER WORK ! Ill pick up my NEW car tomarrow ; AGAIN!

Best Focus model yet!

While it takes time getting used to the 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission (I came from a 4-speed automatic, 2009 Focus), this model (SEL, Sedan, with SEL Premium package) blows its predecessor out of the water. Even if it costs a little bit more. I've felt no transmission slippage and haven't seen rogue RPM fluctuations, and mine is a newly built model (I should get the actual build date, but I bought it under a week ago, and the OD had "5" on it.) If there were problems, hopefully Ford's dealt with them. But, as with all things car, buy the extended warranty upfront. Handling is virtually perfect. A HUGE plus. Braking is much improved over the 2009 model.

Frosty

Ford stands by their warranties

Great little car--emphasis on little

Bought my 2012 Ford Focus Titanium in 2013; it has been a great car. It handles smoothly, front wheel drive gets me through the snow without problems. I think the driver's visibility may be a little diminished due to the large headrests, but there are fisheye mirrors in the outside rearview mirrors that help. Admittedly, I had some issues with the transmission off/on, but the dealership {Ford Autoworld} has been wonderful to find out what was wrong and fix it. I didn't have to pay anything on those fixes and have had no real problems since. In fact, they have been immediately helpful with any issues, which I really appreciate since I am a widow. Even if the cold weather caused the sensors in the tire to make the car complain of low tire pressure, they just aired it up immediately for me. I have been very happy with the car. I really love that Sonic Blue color; I've had so many compliments on this blue/purple color. Too bad, it looks like Ford is discontinuing this lovely color.

Such a great car!

Keeps on going with great fuel economy asking only for oil changes and tire rotations. My son is driving it now. It's not glamorous but it is cheap and dependable and still looks great. Body and upholstery holding up wonderfully. This was a great purchase!

Candy is dandy!

I personally owned his car! I loved it, it was just time to move on. I got 35 miles to the gallon. She's a very sweet car, quick accleration! This is the perfect car for anyone, especially women, lol

Love it but hate it

I love this car but there is issues with the transmission if I knew then what I know know about the transmission I would never have bought it but other then that it has amazing mpg It’s power everything luxury everything I’m absolutely in love with it it’s sucks that they put such a crappy transmission in it.

Great car, great fuel milage

I have the 4 cylinder 5 speed SEL and I very much enjoy this car, it shifts very smooth, it gets great fuel mileage and has good power. I do recommend this car but like I said mine is a 5-speed.

Great little car!

250,000 miles and going strong. Averaging 39 miles to the gallon. Good car, good value.

Rides and handles like my former BMW

I was persuaded by the Focus's ride and handling, and front seat comfort. I had looked at the Elantra, Cruze and Mazda 3, and it was no contest. The suspension is firm and the ride well controlled. The steering is light, quick and precise, and the interior is of high quality. A big plus: all four windows are one-touch, up and down. Now the negatives. The back-seat legroom is so scant that there is room for only two other people when I am driving. The audio controls are maddening to operate, and the transmission is reluctant to downshift, making it necessary on occasion to revert to manual operation. I get only 23-24 mpg in city driving. Worse yet, I cannot even go 250 miles on a tank of gas.