What 3,789 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Focus RS

INADEQUATE CLEARANCE BETWEEN STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED CONTROLS FOR CRUISE CONTROL AND SYNC AND STALK MOUNTED CONTROLS FOR SIGNALS AND WIPERS RESULT IN FINGERS GETTING CAUGHT BETWEEN WHEEL AND STALKS. DURING A TEST DRIVE, THIS CAUSED ACCIDENTAL FLASHING OF BRIGHT LIGHTS AND WIPER ACTIVATION. IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO, THIS COULD PREVENT TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AT A CRITICAL MOMENT AND CAUSE A CRASH WITH INJURIES OR FATALITIES. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS DESIGN PROBLEM AND CONSIDER MANDATORY RECALL AND REDESIGN OF ALL VEHICLES SO EQUIPPED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10433905

I PURCHASED A 2012 FORD FOCUS HATCH. AS SOON AS WE DROVE THE CAR WE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE SALES MAN SAID HE DIDN'T FEEL IT AND THAT THE CAR HAD TO LEARN OUR DRIVING HABITS. DON'T THINK A CAR LEARNS 2 DIFFERENT DRIVING HABITS AS THERE ARE 2 OF US DRIVING IT. BUT AT LOW SPEEDS EITHER ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING THE CAR SHUTTERS AND SHIMMIES WAY TOO MUCH FOR OUR COMFORT. IT SEEMS THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM BUT WE THOUGHT WE'D BRING IT IN TO HAVE A TRAINED TECH LOOK AT IT. THE FIRST ATTEMPT WAS A NEW MODULE AND THAT SHOULD FIX IT.... IT DIDN'T... SO IN A SECOND TIME FOR A REMAPPING OF THE COMPUTER...DIDN'T HELP. ....IN FOR A THIRD TIME AND THE TECH SAYS FORD IS NOT ALLOWING ANY FIXES ON THIS CAR... WE HAVE TO WAIT! REALLY? WAIT? I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW $21,000 CAR...... AN AUTOMATIC CAR! I BEEN TOLD IT HAS TO LEARN HOW I DRIVE... I'VE BEEN TOLD IT NEEDS BROKE IN...IT HAS 5000 MILES ON IT NOW HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BREAK IN? I'M TOLD THAT IT'S AS IF I AM DRIVING A MANUAL AND THIS IS NORMAL.........HELLO!!!!! NOT A MANUAL. I'M TOLD THIS IS JUST HOW THIS TRANSMISSION REACTS... AND ALONG WITH THE SHUTTERING IS THE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATING THAT COULD COST ME MY LIFE ON A BUSY HIGHWAY............... THE REMOTE KEY LOCK HAS CONFUSION ISSUES. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS RECOGNIZE THE SIGNAL AND IT HAS TO BE OPENED OR LOCKED MANUALLY. ALL I WANT IS A FIX AND IF THERE IS NO FIX I WANT TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE LEMON LAW ON THIS CAR........ I EXPECTED MORE FROM FORD FOR MY 30 PLUS YEARS OF LOYALTY. AFTER ALL ISN'T THAT WHAT HAS KEPT FORD GOING? ALL OF US LOYAL CUSTOMERS THAT STAYED WITH THEM THRU THE HARD TIMES? MY FAMILY HAS BOUGHT OVER $100,000 IN NEW FORD CARS AND TRUCKS AND PLENTY OF USED ONES AS WELL. I REALLY AM SAD THAT FORD HASN'T STEPPED UP ON THIS ONE AND I AM SO SURE I AM NOT ALONE. LISTEN FORD EXECS..... WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION!!! THANK YOU! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10432411

I JUST BOUGHT MY BRAND NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AGO. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE IT ON HWY IN SPEEDS EXCESS OF 60MPH, I NOTICED IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR DRIVING STRAIGHT WITHOUT CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT TO THE STEERING WHEEL. SINCE IT WAS STORMING THAT NIGHT, I ASSUMED IT WAS THE WIND KNOCKING MY LITTLE CAR AROUND. I WAS VERY WRONG. IT HAPPENED EVERY TIME AFTER THAT...EVEN ON CLEAR, SUNNY DAYS. SEVERAL TIMES I ALMOST SIDE-SWIPED CARS IN OTHER LANES TRYING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF MY CAR. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND I'M HOPING A RECALL HAS BEEN MADE ON THE STEERING ISSUE. I'M TAKING THE CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY WITH PRINTOUTS OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10430612

THE POWER STEERING FAILED AS I MADE A TURN AT LOW SPEED. THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INDICATING A POWER STEERING FAILURE. I WAS ABLE, WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY, TO STEER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE IS BRAND NEW. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10428782

IN MY BRAND NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50MPH IT IS INCREDIBLY HARD TO KEEP THE CAR IN IT'S LANE WITHOUT CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE BEING BUFFETED BY STRONG WINDS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE FASTER THAN 60MPH DUE TO THE FACT THE VEHICLE ACTS LIKE A SNAKE GOING BACK AND FORTH SO MUCH. I'M NOT ALONE IN THIS, THE ONLINE FORD FOCUS COMMUNITY "FOCUSFANATICS.COM" HAS REPORTED MANY CASES OF THIS OCCURRING. THE THREAD OF COMPLAINTS IS HERE HTTP://WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=261200 THE SOLUTION APPEARS TO BE HAVING THE ENTIRE POWER STEERING RACK REPLACED. I'M WORRIED A PROBLEM SUCH AS THIS COULD CAUSE A SEVERE ACCIDENT IF SOMEONE ISN'T EXPECTING TO FIGHT WITH THEIR STEERING WHEEL. I ALMOST HIT A CAR ADJACENT TO ME BECAUSE OF THIS. IF HE HADN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN BAD. I REALIZE YOU ARE VERY BUSY BUT I SINCERELY HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS ISSUE AND THE THREAD I POSTED IN ORDER TO PREVENT POSSIBLE INJURY'S OR DEATHS IN THE FUTURE. IT WOULD BE TO THE BENEFIT OF MANY IF FORD WERE TO RECALL AND FIX AFFECTED MODELS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10421413

WILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH THE STEERING WENT TO MANUAL, WARNING DISPLAY READ "STEERING MALFUNCTION STOP SAFELY" CONTACT AUTHORIZED DEALER. THIS HAS ONLY HAPPEN ONCE AND STILL NOT SURE WHAT FIXES IT. STILL AT DEALER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10414894

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE RIGHT AND SHE WOULD HAVE TO USE EXCESSIVE FORCE TO CONTINUE STEERING STRAIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED, AND THERE WAS NO REMEDY AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75.

NHTSA ODI 10413327