2012 Ford Focus service brakes problems

“I was starting to pull away from a traffic light but the car would not go to second gear and was shaking violently this has happened more times then I can count and I take care of my [XXX] we travel 50 miles a day in this car on one of the most dangerous roads in the nation [XXX] ) there are places on this road with no emergency lanes in case my car stalls again or just won't go into gear and I have drivers bearing down on me at 70 miles an hour. I know for a fact these issues have come up with countless others that have bought this vehicle and I just don't understand why this isn't a big enough safety concern is it going to take the death of me and my grandson for a recall to be made on this piece of garbage ford calls a transmission? I don't have $ for another vehicle and if this one doesn't keep getting me to work I'll be out of a job and we will be homeless a friend helped me buy this car and I assumed he checked it out first and he only looked at the accident report but not the overall report on these vehicles which shouldn't even be on car lots for sale they are unsafe death traps and when people start dying in them which im sure has already happened…”

“Intermittent loss of brake pressure. ABS would activate and leave the brake pedal feeling soft and having low brake pressure. This problem would randomly fix itself and then randomly happen again while braking normally or after the ABS would engage. Sometime the problem would last for weeks until suddenly the brake pedal would be firm and have strong brake pressure.”

“While driving on interstate ,my car suddenly started hesitating and failed to pick up speed. The engine light came on. I pulled over, but did not turn car off fearing it would not restart, to look at owners manual. The problem continued as I drove home. I have driven it once for a short distance since and there was no change. This could cause an accident since it happened unexpectedly while driving at high speed. Brake light fault warning light is illuminated although light appears to be working. This could cause rear end collision if not operating. Luggage compartment opens while driving which causes visibility issue and chance of items stored there to blow out and cause accident. I can not tell if this issue is included in recall addressing locks and latches. Driver side window no longer operates, preventing escape if needed”

“I received a recall dated June 2023 about my transmission. It is the first one I have ever received. I had it towed to Stanley Ford McGregor and service said that there wasn't anything wrong. I was told I need to pay them $165 for a recall review???? I don't feel safe driving it as it slips, bucks, jerks, shudders, delay when shifting as well as having difficulty in changing gears causing many "almost accidents." I just found out Ford settled on 2020 judgement and a 2022 judgement. I had no idea. It is plagued with numerous problems and safety concerns. I have written a letter to the General Manager, Mike F at Stanley Ford McGregor as well as sent copies to Jim Farley, CEO of Ford and FMC Customer Relationship Center. I asked them to get back with me as I will NOT pay that $165 and drive an unsafe car that I don't want to put my 1 yr old grandson at risk as well.”

“[Two incidents involving the same ABS control module. Early January 2023 and Late May 2023] ABS control module failed while going downhill (valve stuck open). Resulted in the brake pedal going to the floor. Had to stop by downshifting and the using hand brake. Whenever brake pedal is pressed after this, it goes a random distance to the floor with no pressure before applying some brake. Ford quoted me a 1 year lead time on replacing the part (and mentioned this is part of a pending recall. This recall will come out after they redesign a new module). They refused my request for a rental/loaner vehicle until it is fixed. I brought it to an independent garage to get the unit replaced. After that, my brake pedal worked as expected for a few months. Last week, the pedal went to the floor again. I brought it to a Ford dealership, and they confirmed that the new module already experienced the same failure as the original one. It is currently at the dealership, who will not have a part to repair my car again until August. I was refused a loaner vehicle by both the dealership and corporate Ford over this PENDING SAFETY RECALL, where they are unable to fix my car. I was…”

“See incident 11525260 for details, as it describes both incidences where the ABS Control module failed. I am logging a second complaint so that the second module failure is recorded. Short version: The ABS control module failed again, leaving me with no brakes. The valve gets stuck open inside the module, making the brake pedal unpredictable and sometimes with no stopping power. Ford is unable to fix my car in a timely manner, and is refusing to provide a vehicle to drive until they fix it 2-3 months from now.”