Hey everyone, I bought a 2012 Ford Focus SE last month. It’s got 185,000 km on it and I’m in Vancouver, Canada. I’m having transmission problems like slipping gears, stuttering when starting from a stop, and a P02A7 (fork b stuck) warning. I’ve heard Ford offers a one-time free replacement of the TCM. My car hasn’t hit 150,000 miles yet but it’s 2024 now and the car is 12 years old. Does anyone know if they’ll still do it for free?
Can’t believe people are still buying 2012 Ford Focus models, the first year of the terrible Mk3 series. You’re in for a rough time.
I feel you. I bought a 2012 Focus 7 months ago with 132,000 miles and I’m now at 154,000. It only had one TCM replacement but the original clutch, forks, and transmission are still there. I use mine for UberX, so I’ve made my money back, but the stutter is definitely there sometimes.
Yeah, I get what you mean. I bought it from a friend of my brother who drove it for 2 years without too many issues except the stuttering. Hoping I can get it fixed.
Unfortunately, it’s not something that can really be ‘fixed’ for good. It will likely happen again.
Good luck, I didn’t mean to be harsh. I had a 2012 Focus until 2022, and after three transmission replacements, I paid a lot out of pocket because only some parts were covered.
I got mine for $2k with under 100k miles, all the recalls were already done and it drives fine. Sometimes you just get lucky.
Same with my 2012 SEL. They replaced the transmission in 2016, and it’s been my favorite car ever since. It’s almost at 200k miles now.
I’m near 200k miles with mine. They replaced the transmission and clutches back in 2016, and since then, it’s mostly been fine except for some light stuttering. Just gotta give it some gas, and it drives smoothly unless I’ve been driving a lot in one day.
Just remember, even new parts won’t fix the faulty design. It will break again eventually.
So, even after the TCM replacement, the stuttering will come back?
Yep, the 2012 models are notorious for this. They claimed it was fixed in 2014, then again in 2015. I had a 2017 model, and even it started stuttering at 103k miles. After a TCM failure at 106k and several expensive repairs, I just traded it in. Honestly, fix it and sell it as soon as possible.
Yeah, I’m thinking about selling it now.
Do it, but make sure it’s not to someone you know!
Unless it’s someone you really don’t like.
I had TCM issues too, but when I took it to the dealer, they couldn’t replicate the problem. They basically told me to pay $5,000 to fix it or tow my car away. Mine had stuttering, missed shifts, no reverse gear, loss of power, and overheating. Good luck getting the dealer to do it without charging you a ton.
Thankfully, my car just stutters when starting from a stop. I checked my VIN on Ford’s site, and it says I have a free TCM replacement, so I’m going to the dealer on Monday. Fingers crossed.
I really hope that solves it for you. Sorry if I was a bit grumpy before.
No worries, I totally get your frustration.
Create a Ford account and register your VIN to check if your TCM was replaced already. It’ll also show other recalls or software updates. I have a 2012 Titanium with similar mileage, but I don’t remember all the details about the TCM offer.