AI Damage2012 Ford Focus Electric: common problems
Owners of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 33
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 42% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 42% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 18% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 5 Electronic stability control 9% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel/propulsion system 9% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 6% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 14 complaints (42% of all).
- Powertrain: 14 complaints (42% of all).
- Steering: 6 complaints (18% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (12% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 3 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 33 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not disclose if a police report was filed or not. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,403.
The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that an unknown warning light was illuminated and remained illuminated for several days. The failure recurred several times. On one occasion, the contact was unable to start the vehicle.
While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle hesitated to switch gears. The vehicle was driven to mahwah ford (55 franklin tpk, mahwah, [ZIP]) where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.
Power were cut off and the vehicle stalled in moving traffic. My vehicle had done a recall on the power harness to address the stop safely now issue but I don't think the recall fixed it completely.
Just turned in an original charging cord under recall (the cords plug would tend to overheat and was a potential fire hazard) and got a brand new cord from ken grody ford, carlsbad, ca. My first thought when looking at the new cord was that the electrical cord (19' long part) looked unusually thin.
Twice since we have owned this car the steering wheel locks up after the engine is started. My wife says there is a message on the dash display about the steering. Both times she showed me the steering being locked up in the driveway of our home.
I believe the traction/steering control gets confused, and the regenerative braking disengages, causing the vehicle to accelerate and lurch forward, even if I am braking/decelerating. Steering behavior also seems affected.
General recall inquiry -- electric steering locked up in driveway before leaving house twice within the last week... Contact called dealership and dealership stated entire steering column and electric steering system needs to be replaced. Clutch was replaced twice already. 0 recalls associated with this vin cb
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,523 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Focus Electric has 30 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 33, about average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford Focus Electric?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, powertrain, steering. Total complaints: 33. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (15%), jerking, harsh shifts (9%), steering or power steering problems (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2012 Ford Focus Electric?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2012 Ford Focus Electric from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2012 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.