Overview & Reviews

The Ford Focus has been completely redesigned for 2012. An all-electric-drive version of the Focus is also new.

• Nimble handling
• Refined and quiet ride
• Abundant list of upscale and high-tech options.
• Stylish and well-made interior
• Lively engine

• Quirky automatic transmission response.
• Infotainment controls are finicky to learn and use
• Backseat is a little short on legroom

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 267.00

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  Poor reliability and performance - 2012 Ford Focus
  By samc - December 22 - 8:16 am

  2012 Focus spent $22K new, has 37,000 miles and the transmission needs to be rebuilt, Ford is covering the repair. Passenger window motor is gone and needs to be replaced. the Passenger front seat adjustment mechanism is broke. I would not by a Ford their reliability is terrible . Big mistake on my part.

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  What a turd - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Hong - December 20 - 3:16 pm

  What a turd. I purchased on on April 2012 and its been a nightmare since. Its had build, mechanical, electrical issues from day one. I noticed the window switch would work sometimes. It was later replaced twice. Then I noticed the dash had a gap on the right hand side. Its had intermittent issues with MFT Sync so the thing had to be replaced. It was not detecting my phones. The dealership told me my phone was not compatible yet it worked when I first bought it. There was paint issue on the trunk as well. It was repainted then I noticed the spoiler coming undone so back it went. Now the fun part, the transmission, its been a nightmare since day one. Its been reprogrammed multiple times to no improvement. Since I cannot afford to trade it in or purchase a new car, Im stuck with this [non-permissible content removed]! Run, do not walk away from Ford and Kearny Pearson Ford in San Diego, CA. I will never buy an American car again!

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  Fun car with some quirks - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Old Pony - December 20 - 12:25 pm

  I purchased this car new after my 99 Mustang got blown up by a mechanic replacing its thermostat...arg. Didnt want to pay the price for a new Mustang and didnt like any of the used ones on the lot. I chose the Focus because basically Im a Ford guy and I thought it might tone down my driving style stepping down to something more civil in my old age lol. Pros: This is a great handling car and feels very similar to a 72 Datsun 240Z I owned when I was younger. I live along the coast of Northern California and have taken it through the paces so to speak. It is an automatic, but handles the twisties fine. No mechanical issues to report, but I should mention that I drive this car with the traction control off (when traction control on it is terrible in some situations, but be warned you will need to hold on the wheel if you accelerate hard from a stop if turned off). Cons: Im not real comfortable with the seat build..kinda like Ford designed it to fit all sizes and I wish it felt snugger. The brakes are great when Im alone in the car, but found that they could be better with a passenger. My car is actually an SE auto with a few extras. Stereo is barely passable for my taste. Resale value is still pathetic, but I think this is more a mentality. Overall Im very happy with this car. Allows me to still have some fun and feel comfortable driving. I got a 2012 Honda Civic once as a loaner during some routine maintenance..not even close when it came to driving experience and ergonomics.

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  bought it and 3 days later.. new transmission - 2012 Ford Focus
  By JR Gillespie - December 16 - 1:03 pm

  I went to the local Ford Dealer in Dallas, GA last weekend to look at cars. I found a 2012 SE Hatchback that seemed nice enough, Ford Certified used car, great condition, 40,000miles with 100,000 powertrain and extended 36,000 mile bumper to bumper It seemed a bit funny on the test drive, all flat terrain but was assured that was normal. Then I took it to work the first time.. on my way home it was mostly uphill and it slipped at every time I tried to start up from a stop, rolled back at every stop and at speed would lose power and slip out like into neutral The second day it was even worse so I called the dealer who referred me to service who said it was a easy fix and they had to reprogram the transmission with the new software released this week dropped the car off this morning and a hour later was told it would require a whole new transmission and they have to order parts which are in short availability and could take weeks before I have my 3 day old car back.. at least they loaned me a fusion.. DO NOT BUY THIS!!!

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  Dont Buy - 2012 Ford Focus
  By penny - December 4 - 3:27 pm

  Please dont buy this car.....clutch problems fro day one!

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  Looks great and stylish, but build quality is poor - 2012 Ford Focus
  By John - November 24 - 1:46 pm

  This vehicle is all about looks and style with the only exception the great gas mileage. The suspension is sub par with problems keeping the wheels in alignment. The interior build quality is poor - the headliner is poorly constructed and is noisy. There are dash board rattles at all moderate speeds. The sound system is poor at best. You get what you pay for - as the old adage goes.

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  Big disappointment! - 2012 Ford Focus
  By T - November 23 - 8:02 pm

  I was completely in love with this car when I first bought it back in aug. 2014. I was upgrading from a falling apart suzuki forenza. Honestly, even though my forenza was falling apart, it drove smoother and was a lot more quiet. My focus shutters, hesitates, sticks in gear, has loss of power, sometimes I can barely get it to move which is scary when I am turning at a traffic light....It is also very loud! The entire interior rattles like a tin can, the dash, the door panels and the headliner and its super loud. The engine does this really annoying ticking sound that nobody at the dealership seems to care about. I have brought this car in over 5 times now and to 2 different dealerships and I keep getting the "its normal" for that transmission to drive wacky. But seriously, I pay good money to have a car that drives rough and sounds like a rattling tin can and you cant fix it or even attempt to because it wont give the "proper" readings for them to be allowed to order the parts? This is my first and last Ford and I gotta say it sucks. I am bummed out because I really do love the car but I hate the things that are wrong with it even more.

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  Another story of a transmission problem - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Cynthia Beard - November 18 - 10:05 am

  I was rolling along in traffic on a main interstate highway and 2012 Ford Focus suddenly would not accelerate and then stalled. This was followed by all sorts of things lighting up on my dash, and the car would not re- start, wouldnt turn over, nothing. I was lucky to be able to get over to the shoulder of the highway, although it was on the left side of the road, which was super dangerous. Long story short, I was denied roadside assistance (which I thought I was covered under) because my car was no longer under warranty. I had 76,000 and change. My warranty apparently ran out at 60,000. However, this well known transmission problem that exists with this vehicle, is covered under an "extended warranty" up to 150,000 miles (but theres a $100 deductible!!!). So, because theres a faulty issue with this vehicle, a documented, known fault in the manufacturing my money, time and convenience are not a matter of concern. My car had been properly maintained, in fact had been inspected not a week before this happened, and there was no indication of this happening. This is extremely dangerous and frankly I find it unacceptable that FORD didnt do more to prevent this from happening. There is one Service Advisor at the dealership who was helpful. He has agreed to submit my towing bills for reimbursement. No one was really apologetic or concerned with my satisfaction as a Ford customer. If I was knowingly selling dangerous, faulty vehicles, I would be falling all over myself to make sure I could make the customer happy, if that were possible. Basically the attitude is one of indifference. I thought I was doing a good thing by buying an American car, but I would never buy another Ford again, and will try to trade this vehicle in ASAP. I will buy a Subaru if I can afford it. In short, buyer beware ... transmission problem, Ford not too concerned with customer satisfaction.

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  Dont Buy It. Dont Be another Statistic - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Mark - November 9 - 11:42 am

  Dont buy this car. Its not worth taking the chance with the transmission. I bought this car thinking that the transmission problems would get fixed. Bought the car at 28,000. In my first months of having the car, I went to the dealership for shuddering and gear grinding noises.. oh and how the car completely shut down engine light on and wouldnt go faster than 20 mph. THAT was scary on the freeway. Supposedly its a safety mechanism. Talked with at Susan with my car at 50,000 at corporate and theres nothing that she can do. My car doesnt count to be a lemon. It would be a great car if it wasnt for the transmission. Everything else is there but the fundamentals are all shot. And to my surprise, they are still implementing the same faulty transmission even in their new 2016 cars.

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  I Love This Car! - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Joseph - November 6 - 7:42 pm

  I read the reviews about the 2012 Focus before I bought it and I admit that some of the reviews about the auto tranny with the dual clutch had me worried. But when I drive this car, that dual-clutch transmission is what makes the car so peppy. For does a nice job converting the 160 horsepower into an incredibly amount of acceleration for a 4 banger. When I need to move out into traffic, I shift the auto into SPORT mode and give it gas and I am *never disappointed with how quickly this car accelerates, even at highway speeds. Im not leaving any Mustangs or Corvettes in my dust, but I am making the Hyundai Elantra owners wonder if they made the right choice as they view the beautiful styling of my focus from behind in traffic as I pull away. And if you are worried about the transmission issues that *some people have reported (a minority of owners, not all), then take comfort in the fact that Fords drive train warranty is 5 years and 60 thousand miles and that warranty transfers with the car. So if you buy it used, you have the warranty. Also, Ford extended the warranty on the part of the transmission that has been troublesome to 100,000 miles. If you like the car, buy it. Dont listen to the naysayers. This is my third Ford and I have enjoyed each one and had good experiences with them all.