Ford Focus LW Mk2 (2012-2015)

Ford focus is worst car in the world – Ford Focus has big transmission gearbox problem; clutch plate problem; heater and a/C broken down; coolant bottle leaking; engine heating problem; gear always shuttering and Ford dealer does nothing to help you except to make you fool. These all problems are found in many cars under 3 years warranty including my Ford Focus 2013. So because of the… Read more

above problems in Ford ; people should stop buying any Ford Vehicles including Ford Ranger if they don't want to get ripped off by Ford . Ford should not be selling such a rubbish and very low quality cars in such a expensive price tag. That's why their factories are shutting down in many countries.

Sporty, fun, and comfy – Bought a used (100,000kms) Focus Sport 2013 in 2021 after comparing to other cars in similar price range. Very happy with purchase and car hasn’t missed a beat. Overall I always looks forward to long road trips in this car thanks to sat nav (with speed limit info), Bluetooth, comfy seats, good fuel economy, dual zone climate control, and fun to… Read more

drive yet comfy chassis/engine/manual trans combo. Would highly recommend manual version as they’re less expensive than competitors (Corolla, Civic, Golf) yet are packed with more features and high-quality engineering. With the "Sport" model you get this tactile, solid feeling you’re in control of a predictable and fun car that urges you to play on windy roads!

Pros: excellent steering with very precise manoeuvring through the bends, doesn’t move off track when hitting a bump in a curve, great highway fuel economy, decent cargo area with folded seats & front seat moved forward, lots of features for the price (sat nav, rear view camera, rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, hill hold assist, quality 9 speaker Sony stereo, auto dimming rear view mirror, Bluetooth phone connectivity, trip computer, dual zone climate control, cruise and speed limit control); comfy seats with proper side bolsters for curvy roads, adult-sounding horn, low purchase and maintenance costs, attractive exterior, convenient "Home" navigation button, large glovebox, and evening mood lighting.

Cons: tyre noise, city fuel economy, cheap plastics can break (headlamps button area prone to breakage from tall people’s knees), flimsy cargo cover, only 5 gears and a slightly notchy clutch, & engine power lag in low revs.

One issue: rear passenger side door latch broke meaning passenger had to hold door shut on way home and we tied door closed for a few days before costly $380 repair. **UPDATE: Another door latch broke and after online investigation, turns out there's a recall. Called Ford and took to a dealer and they'll replace all of these small bits for free, plus Ford reimbursed us for the other door repair. They also supplied us with a free loan car whilst they serviced! Annoying and a safety issue but they did the right thing, and this issue dropped off our radar.

I drive around 10,000kms/year mostly city trips to shops and road trips to the beach. You can get away with yearly services, and we averaged roughly ~$800/yr on servicing.

I also bought a set of roof racks which extended our camping gear storage significantly. Watch the weight you load however as it can wear down tyres quicker, especially on unsealed roads.

Would recommend to friends & family!

Great car very nimble and easy to drive with all the mod cons – great nimble car for city driving and very nice on longer trips and great fuel economy. bought new in December 2012 It did have a minor issue with the Auto so Clutch Packs and the TCM were changed in a day. Sometimes it hesitates when my wife drives slowly or light footed but has never done it to me. It handles and drives great with the upgrades.… Read more

In 10 years and 70,000k's later it has basically never missed a beat and has only recently needed front disc pads and an engine mount. Always serviced by Ford and no problems. Car looks great and I'd buy another one.

Perfect Small Car if you’re in the Market! – We bought the car in 2013 brand new, a 2013 Focus Titanium with the Sports Executive Pack petrol and its been a terrific car throughout the 150,000kms we’ve thrown at it. It’s really a drivers car and handles beautifully, and it has lots of tech including Adaptive Cruise control which takes a bit of stress out of freeway driving. The only thing is… Read more

the smaller screen which hasn’t been too much of an issue, it’s really simple to use despite all the buttons you’re inundated with! 10/10! Will definitely be buying another Ford Focus!

Very good carto U – On 12000 on my 3rd Focus . No Problems Current model L W Focus 2016 M K 11 Diesel. Travel to work every day.All services carried out.No problems from mechanic.Dont bother. Show details

UPDATE - 2 Failed Transmissions 100,000 km – Great driving car. Shame the transmission is unreliable and expensive to repair. Bought new in 2014 the megatronics component if transmission failed in Sep 2015 at just over 14,000 km. Failed again at just a tick under 100,000 km. Quoted almost $6k from dealer to fix. This issue is well know and Ford have been less than helpful. A transmission should last more than 86,000 km. Show details

Lemon – Found guilty and fined by the ACCC for lying to customers over their disgusting handling of the failed Powershift transmission yet still lying about it. I ordered an Automatic Focus new in 2014 yet ultimately was supplied this Lemon with the Powershift transmission that I have since learnt is a computer controlled dry clutch Manual… Read more

transmission so not an Automatic transmission as I had ordered. This transmission they developed is a failure of which Ford have since discontinued using in their products, yet I am stuck with it in my Focus and it's frustrating and potentially unsafe performance.

Another TCM control module has just been fitted to my car after it went into limp home mode and wouldn't go into any high gears. The juddering seems to have gone away although going on past experience this will be temporary but not surprisingly it still slips like crazy and couldn't accelerate instantly if needed, yet to see if it just suddenly drops out of gear as it has sometimes done in the past especially disconcerting when pulling into traffic. So back to the lies, even though Ford have denied my request for a refund or replacement of which they have responsibilities under Australia Consumer Law when they cannot permanently repair a major problem instead they have changed the above mentioned TCM and told me to drive the car for 1500km so that it can "learn it's shift points" like somehow miraculously this will polish the turd! This seems very close to the lies Ford were fined for like " it's the way that you are driving the car" b.s..

These are some of the problems I have had with my Ford or attempted remedies: *Multiple TCM units *Uprated Clutch packs *Leaking engine top oil seals (recall) *Leaking rear main engine seals(recall) *Faulty driveshafts (recall) *Front Wheel Bearing failure

And now I found out that there was a recall over 2 years ago on the Fuel Tank on my car which has a problem that could potentially cause the Fuel Tank to experience vacuum and split which I imagine isn't good and could even result in death yet I was sent a letter to a previous address and yet Ford never attempted to contact me any other way while my family and myself have continued to drive around in what should be considered a potential bomb??

Ford please learn from the likes of BMW who chase down their customers or even next owners using the vehicles registration to gather current details and addresses to notify people who they obviously care about of any safety concerns with their vehicles.

Anyway gotta go I have a job to do, running in the new TCM for Ford for 1500km to see if it can learn enough to fix itself.

Melon of a car – Ford Focus 2014.. purchased 2016 demo of dealership with one year of manufacture warranty..paid some extra insurance (harrier warranty) for piece of mind but after that the problems started. nothing was covered under it regularly serviced at Springwood Ford.. Despite regular logbook servicing started with small stuff the boot door then some… Read more

water tank having a hole,, then passenger door not latching and now the air con stoped working was told by Ford it some part under the dash with another price to pay in the thousands.. (payed 92 dollars for them to tell me the info) did not go with it just had a mobile aircon re gas it and put dye for $150 so far it’s working if it holds up I’ll know the service division are crooks won’t be taking the car to Ford for servicing neither.. all in all poorly built car regretful purchase might be only good for a bon fire

Very unreliable car – 2013 model purchased from a dealership for $10k in 2020. Automatic transmission failed. Unknowingly had 2 recalls. Ford didn't even send a letter/email/call about the recalls. Rung Ford and they couldn't book it in for over a month. So do I just keep paying for this car while it sits for over a month and pay even more to hire a car to use while I wait. Poor effort from Ford, both with their products and service. Show details

DO NOT!! I REPEAT DO NOT BUY ONE! – My 17 year old daughter saved up 8k to buy a decent car! She bought a 2012 Ford Focus less than a year ago and had so far spent over $5k!! It’s a piece of absolute crap! I feel so sorry for her! And don’t even get me started on the recall!!! Steer well clear! She could have bought a brand new Kia with 7 year warranty! But only just learning that now!! Show details

Lemon car and bad customer service – Brought Ford Focus trend 2014 as brand new in November 2014. Nightmare started then: 1: Power transmission issue: excessive shudders and jerk repeated after recall fix 2: water pump broken in 2018 just right after 3 years warranty 3: air conditioner compressor failure in 2018 just after 3 years warranty 4: oil pump broken in 2018 just after 3… Read more

years warranty

Encountered the news that ACCC unforced 10 millions penalty on Ford for this transmission issue and requested Ford to cooperate for refund or replacement claim. So I submitted refund request in September. Although dealer diagnosed car twice and confirmed the excessive shudder and have report for all other issues, the claim has been rejected by Ford Australia with the reason that my car has damage.The damage confirmed by the case manager is the painting scratch on side door. Though consider the reason is not acceptable, I still offered to fix the painting myself, but Ford confirmly advised that the case has been closed and no more further discussion. Dont know what criteria for refund. Has the car to be as brand new after years? Have to seek for further help from Consumer Protection and hope some remedies can be provided.

Ford Focus Trend 2012 LW – Hi, bought a Ford Focus 2012 Trend LW with 115,000kms on it. The car had been fantastic. Had no issues at all. Too all the people who don’t even own one yet have an opinion to ‘Stay well away from them’ maybe you should spend your time on issues you actually know about. Obviously some Ford Focus cars 2011-2016 had problems, but that doesn’t mean… Read more

all had problems. There are good ones around and the technology of this car is ahead of its time. Cheap to buy, runs extremely well, smooth ride and comfortable interior with all the mod cons and cold a/c. I would buy another 5 of them. Don’t listen to the naysayers. Problems on these cars should have been fixed so if you are looking at one don’t hesitate as they are well priced. J

Amazing car, so many extras, solid and plenty of zip – I use my car daily for myself and a 3 and 8 year old. On weekends my partner of 6 foot also fits in comfortably. Obviously with two substantial car seats the middle rear seat is best used for the fold down arm rest (with cup holders!) rather than a seat. I do have large car seats though, the slimline versions may be better. As a car person I am… Read more

in love with the purr the engine makes especially when heading out onto the freeway. It has so much zip even my Dad who is a mechanic can’t believe how quick it is!

Styling wise it’s absolutely gorgeous, the kind of car you enjoy walking up to in the car park, I have the S so It has the extra body kit which does help it to look even nicer than the entry level Trend. The feel and features and finish feel very high end for a price tag of under 30k. It has that great solid thud when you close the door, none of that awful tinny plastic feel you get with the Mitsubishi rivals.

5 star safety rating, looks great, drives great, fuel economy is great, about $60 a tank for nearly 700kms, $310 to service at ford (cheaper if you go to jax etc)

So from a fussy picky mechanics daughter to future owners.. go for it you will not regret it.

So disappointed! – Here's my lemon 2013 Ford Focus (diesel) with just 43,000 kms on the clock (!) being towed to the Ford dealer interstate because the power steering died! Fortunately, the vehicle was parked at the time, not driving up bends on a mountain, or crossing a busy intersection. Needless to tell you that neither Ford Australia nor the dealership I… Read more

bought it from would help me with the $5,000 cost to replace the steering rack on this six-year-old vehicle. (The new car warranty had expired, and the "Harrier" warranty... not worth the paper it was printed on... was declared void when I moved away from the city of purchase). Is that even legal?!!!!

I did manage to find a company who completed the work for a few hundred dollars cheaper, but that incurred yet another towing fee.

With transmission issues already looming, I decided to sell. I will never buy another Ford. I know I'm one of many, many thousands of angry and disappointed Focus owners. I'm currently in contact with the ACCC and Fair Trading in the ACT.

My Ford experience – After seven years of using this car every day I can honestly say it has been a dream car. Still looks amazing and drives well despite quite high Kms, so much so we bought a second had one for my daughter's first car. Show details

Dodgy transmission, electronics messing up – Bought my car new, had no steering wheel fluid cap. When I went back, dealer just rolled his eyes and gave me one. Car shakes and jolts due to a dodgy transmission and is currently in a class action. USB port fails in hot weather and cigarette lighter port no longer functions. Interior is badly designed, there’s nowhere to put anything, I’m… Read more

forever trying to balance my bits and bobs in the cup holder. Boot cover snapped off not long after purchase. Don’t think I’ll ever buy a ford again.

Gear box problems – Was my wife’s car we ended getting a new one out of it but not before ford blamed us for “driving like nanas “ and telling us it was our fault the dual clutch system kept breaking down to the point where I tried to pull out of an intersection and the car just stopped with my foot flat to the floor wouldn’t go at all . Nearly got t boned by a van . But eventually they gave us a new one . Sold it straight away though . Show details

Transmission Issues and poor customer service – Purchased brand new in March 2015. Was a 2014 run out model, so limited on color choice. I could either pick black, or blue. I took the blue, as I’m not a fan of how hard keeping a black car clean is. At first the car was a dream to drive, however 6 months into ownership I started having the suddering and shakes when taking off from lights etc.… Read more

Took the car back to Ford and told it needs to learn how I drive, and that I’m not driving it enough, as it was our second family car. Started driving it to work more often than getting the train, and it was worse in peak hour driving. Took it back again and told that’s how dual clutch transmissions more and they will do a software update. This fixed the car for another 6 months or so, however the problem came back, worse than ever. The car was now around 12 months old, and only had 9000ks on the clock. We started using the car a bit more on weekends, and it would often stall when in reverse and backing up into our driveway. My partner and I decided that we would get rid of it before it was 2 years old, thinking that we should get a good trade in price, considering it had low k’s on it and it was in brand new condition. Started looking around towards the end of 2016, and Ford would only offer $10,000 trade in, due to the “known issues with the transmission” as several reports had come out in mid to late 2016 of the issues with the transmission. Needless to say, the car was traded in on a new car, which wasn’t a Ford. Besides the issues with the transmission, the car was great to drive, had many features as standard, such as auto headlights, wipers, climate control, fog lights, reversing sensors and alloy wheels. If the transmission issues could have been resolved, I know we would have kept the car, but unfortunately there was no known fix, and I wanted a safe and reliable car.

Worst car in Australia, terrible customer service – Purchased new in 2012, car has had numerous mechanical issues and received very poor customer service from Ford. This includes but is not limited to; 1. Car acceleration completely cutting out while driving on a main road, this occurred several times and I feel very unsafe trying to get anywhere (was very lucky not to result in an accident), … Read more

2. Gear box issues resulting in poor acceleration (when it was working) and constant shuddering of the car when taking off.

3. Rubber lining coming off around the doors,

4. Engine light coming on, have taken it to a mechanic and they have been unable to find the exact cause,

5. Servicing issues - 3 weeks to get a booking to find out if any of my gear box issues can even be fixed.

6. Terrible boot design, the boot itself is OK but the width of the boot opening is considerably smaller than the width of the actual boot making it very difficult to get suitcases, or anything larger than groceries into it. Don't even think about trying to lie the back seats down to get anything through the space as there is not enough space to fit more than a very thin plank of wood.

7. Backseat and foot space is very small and cramped.

I have had numerous people tell me after driving this car is the worst they have ever driven and they are not comfortable driving it due to it's incredibly poor ability to change gears and constant shuddering.

You have been warned.

Gear box constantly has issues – I drive my car nearly every day - to work and back, including weekends out and about in the city. It’s about 4 years old now, been serviced on time each time. Ford provided extended warranty and it is seriously needed. I contacted them about 2 years in when I heard this model has gear issues and felt that mine had the same issues I read about in… Read more

the paper, however they said my particular one doesn’t have it. Ever since it’s been taken to them twice already for gear issues. Just last month it got 80,000 service and the mechanic told me to take it back to Ford as the gear box is stuffed and that’s why it makes a funny noise when driving like gear changing gets stuck or trouble changing over. I’m considering just selling it off and buying something else. Used to have a Ford Falcon with the same issue - it might be a Ford thing, so frustrating!

Considering the year of manufacture and price, I’d expect it to have a better quality screen inside and be a bit more modern but it’s still a pretty good car other than gear issues - that just put me off it unfortunately. Off the entire Ford range to be honest.

Not bad as a first car – The car has good economy. It does about 100 km per 7 liters. The infotainment system is slightly below average. The space at the back seats is not a lot but its still manageable. Boot space is good. It does have some sounds of it's own that no mechanic has been able to fix. For e.g. there's contact screeching sound when I accelerate too quickly. Overall its a good car though.  Show details

Could spend same money on better car (over priced) too much redundant tech – Use this car all the time and the best thing about it is it's economical. Dash display is significantly behind the times and the car is overpriced when considering bang for buck. not much space at all and the middle console impedes leg space in the front for passenger and driver.  Show details

Worst car in history - death trap – The problems with my vehicle, which are common to all similar Ford's are as follows: Fuel tank cracked open causing huge fires Brakes about to fail Water leaking into car so mould all over car Boiling water and steam spewing all over drivers feet Transmission issues which are not resolving as they were required to by the ACCC The worst… Read more

problem relates to the fuel tank that cracked open like an egg in May, causing a massive fire when the fuel ignited. Ford have refused to deal with the problem and I have been without a car since May which caused the cancellation (postponement) of my wedding.

Attempts to resolve the problems have proved fruitless. See my facebook page to see photos related to fie and other problems. https://www.facebook.com/RoyalCommissionDodgyCarManufacturers/

Ford Focus, A friendly and practical family car – I often use it to work.Although this car is small, but also can be satisfied with the family.I also often participate in other car friends self-driving tour.I use the car every day.I provide daily maintenance, as well as periodic maintenance.My car is still relatively new, so there are no problems.  Show details

WORST CAR EVER – Ford Focus 2015 model. The car is experiencing all the same issues as everyone else's. Bucks/jerks/shudders/high revs. Ford deny there is a problem, despite increasing the warranty specific to the clutch. I have had multiple TCM upgrades and I have had 1 clutch replacement. Ford have denied me a refund twice, despite breaching the Australian… Read more

Consumer Law.

The ACL states that a product is deemed to have a major fault when the product has a problem that would of stopped the purchaser from buying it had they known about it.. and a major fault entitles the purchaser to THEIR CHOICE of a refund or replacement.. Ford will not accept it. I cannot understand how they are breaking the law and getting away with it. ACCC and Bannister law have taken Ford to court over this very model of car.

DONT BUY A FORD FOCUS and DONT BUY A FORD. I know I never will again.

Technically a lemon – This car has had numerous issues with its Power-shift transmission\clutch. I bought the car brand-new and it has never had a new car feeling because of it's jerky starts. Very disappointing, but I will give it an extra star for the features and general build quality - it does feel a lot more robust than the other cars in the same class that I test drove.  Show details

Stay away .. horrible gear box – The gear box is a disaster always have an issue with the gear box and get ford to fix it - like every 10000~15000 K, It's very dangerous car as it can't take off in the needed speed so it's very dangerous in freeway. Ford are not trusted anymore and they refuse to take the responsibility of their trouble car which ended up heading to the court. Very soon will here about a huge figure for combansetion .  Show details

Avoid Ford Focus LW petrol version with automated dual clutch – Purchased late 2014 from dealer. 2014 model built August 2013. At 21,000kms clutch replaced, rear main seal and driveshaft recall. Next was TCM fix. Then fuel problem fixed under recall. Then another clutch, rear main seal and rocker cover gasket. And then the clutch was cleaned out. In between these fixed car was/is unpredictable to drive. Car… Read more

has now done 40,000kms. Problematic car that doesn't seem to have a permanent fix. Clutch slips or shudders losing power to name a couple of things. Worst car I have ever owned and it was the newest one I have ever purchased. This is petrol automated dry dual clutch version not the wet clutch diesel model. Sold as automatic but really a dry, twin clutch operated by a computer instead of a clutch pedal. Stuck with a LEMON.

Dangerous to drive – Ford have lost the case against ACCC regarding faulty cars yet are refusing to fix the problems with them. My ford focus stalls (automatic car), it will drive in reverse when I put in drive (and vice versa), the petrol gauge has not worked since day 1 and the time on the radio runs fast even though I always reset it. The way myself and others are treated by the dealers is also a disgrace.  Show details

Cheap ford substandard customer service – We just had a service, tried to get the inbuilt GPS maps updated. It turns out that is not included, if you want to update the GPS you have to go on to the ford web site and buy a new SD card for $200 with no updates included. So if you want to stay up to date you have to spend $200 each year. This stinks! You can go to Jb HiFi and get a unit with life time updates.  Show details

Disappointing Ford focus – I bought new a 2013 ford focus. Was good getting the transmission recall done under warranty in 2016 but the car also needed the main seal replaced. We went through 3 sets of rear tyres to one front set and was puzzled as to why this was happening. 2yrs on now in 2018 and the shutter is back in the transmission so fortunately this was fixed under… Read more

warranty (within 14,000km of expiry) and once again the main seal was leaking and we had to pay to replace it. A week after this was done the steering assist malfunction light comes on as i start my car. I was unable to drive the car and had it towed..its now costing me thousands to replace the steering rack..just unacceptable from a 5yr old car at 140,000km. Disappointing.

Used to have a ford focus – The potential to be a great car, but it is not. Faulty transmission that has a 4-5 second delay on acceleration, very dangerous An intermittent fault in the cruise control, also very dangerous, and the noisiest car I have even driven.on non skid surfaces. Trade in value? Informed people do not want them. The Ford dealership did not acknowledge… Read more

there were any faults. I offered the manager my car for a week to drive his wife and kids around in, he declined the offer. No more Fords for me.