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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
60,257 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Ford Focus drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2011 Ford Focus Owner Comments

problem #19

Nov 142023

Focus

  • 159,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the wrench symbol was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was vibrating and shaking and there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stopped the vehicle, the engine was still running and attempted to shift into reverse(R), but the vehicle would not shift into reverse(R). The contact was able to shift into drive(D) however, the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact had been informed by the mechanic that the failure could be related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

- Peotone, IL, USA

problem #18

Jun 252019

Focus

  • 120,500 miles
My 2012 Ford Focus is equipped with the dual clutch transmission and has had issues from the day I bought it. Shuddering upon start was the biggest issue. Car finally stopped running and was repaired at dealer but now the transmission is extremely noisy and will slip out of gear into neutral without warning, including on highways at speed. Transmission will also slip quite badly upon launch at times which can be a cause of an accident when trying to enter traffic.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #17

Feb 232019

Focus

  • 153,000 miles
The clutch system on my manual 2011 Ford Focus went out. The clutch now plays on the floor board with no catch in it. The gears wont budge. I researched and seen the newer models have had this same problem. Please please please look into this. I absolutely love my car. When the clutch went out it was on the main highway in bridge city, tx.

- Orange, TX, USA

problem #16

Jul 232018

Focus

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Only 3 out of 4 doors open, the outside door latches have failed since purchase in 2013. Have also continually failed/re-broke after being fixed. Car also does not unlock after being locked and inside door mechanisms do not unlock after being engaged.. huge safety issue. Also multiple times the a solenoid has to be replaced due to the car does not shift correctly and fails to accelerate safely (takes a over a min to go from 35-60) and even then it will not maintain 60 miles per hour going up a hill. This is a automatic vehicle, and it is unsafe, especially when exiting off a onramp trying to excel to posted speed limit to merge into traffic off the ramp. I have had multiple problems/issues with this vehicle since its purchase and it is a very unsafe vehicle.

- California, MO, USA

problem #15

Feb 212017

Focus

  • 65,000 miles
With less that 70000 miles on the car my transmission started to go out on me. I have since had the transmission replaced as it is under warranty, and less than a week after getting it fixed it was already started to go on me and has gotten progressively worse over the six months.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #14

Apr 252017

Focus

  • 70,000 miles
Several times, my breaks have not responded while pressing down on them, my foot will be to the ground and there is nothing. It caused my vehicle to crash into the vehicle in front of me the first time it happened going 35 miles an hour.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #13

Jul 192017

Focus

  • 1 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2011 Ford Focus SE transmission pulling and jerking, causing the tires to vibrate while driving. Upon first accelerating before motor warms up, the car sounds like a truck. It is extremely loud. The car has to be moving for awhile before the loud noise decreases some, but the noise continues.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #12

Aug 262016

Focus

  • miles
The vehicle was purchased brand new but the transmission has always shifted rough. The dealer said it was because Ford had redesigned the transmission so it would shift better and be more fuel efficient. Even though we complained the dealer said there was nothing that they could do. Consequently, this problem has effected the cars overall performance and has now become so bad that the car is difficult to drive. The transmission shifts rough, jumps or launches out, shakes, has hesitation and even rolls back if you are on a hill. Consequently, the car seems unsafe to drive as it feels at times like the car might jolt out because of the rough shifting. When the car shifts rough at high speeds it tends to pull it to one side.

- Helotes, TX, USA

problem #11

Jun 142016

Focus

  • miles
My vehicle slips when changing gears..first started when shifting from 1st to 2nd..it's automatic trans. That was yesterday now it stalls going into any gear

- Albertville, AL, USA

problem #10

Jun 012016

Focus

  • 57,000 miles
Takata recall I was coming up to a stop light ready to push the clutch in to slow down. I tried to push in the clutch and it was stuck. I let my foot off and tried agian. The clutch went down. I thought that was odd and dangerous. I was glad my wife wasn't driving. I wanted to pull over and see what was going on. I got in the turn lane. When I pushed the clutch in to go the clutch went to the floor and I was stuck in the turn lane. It was a busy road, but I was offered help and was able to push it through the light as it changed. I noticed that the connection from the clutch to the pedal was broken. A plastic piece had broke. The car only has 57000 miles. I feel like I was lucky nothing happened. That part should not break on a car. I want to feel safe when me or my wife are driving our vehicle.

- Nampa, ID, USA

problem #9

Apr 172013

Focus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 84,719 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the transmission shuttered while driving at lower speeds. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the vehicle shuttered and hesitated, but stated that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. Prior to the failure, the vehicle exhibited the same failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,719. Updated 08/03/16 the consumer stated several adjustments were made to the clutch. However, they were only temporary fixes. Updated 08/09/16.

- Aptos, CA, USA

problem #8

Jan 302015

Focus

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle would abnormally vibrate while idling. The failure happened without warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Hartwell, GA, USA

problem #7

Aug 192014

Focus

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a loud banging noise emitted from the transmission causing the vehicle to jerk. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the shift solenoid was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 67,000.

- Hillard, OH, USA

problem #6

Aug 262013

Focus

  • 52,000 miles
Throttle body went out on my 2011 Ford Focus ses while driving. Brought it into hub city Ford in lafayette, la for them to look at it. First trip, cleaned the throttle body and said it should have performed like new. As I was leaving the parking lot, the wrench light on dash turned on and I had to get it replaced.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #5

Jan 052014

Focus

  • 47,000 miles
I was driving from houston to the woodlands going home from work. Noticed the RPM kept revving up and I couldn't control the speed. The wrench light came on. I have taken good care of this car. Have had problems with the RPM meter and my engine before. Ron carter in alvin said it was a computer issue and "fixed" it while it was under warranty. The problem has now come back in unsafe driving conditions. I could have serious hurt or killed myself and other drivers around me. I feel the transmission is having major problems.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #4

Oct 172013

Focus

  • 8,664 miles
This is the first report of 3 separate instances. Starting up from waiting at a signal light the system flashed "stop safely now". ( I had just touched the display screen to view the battery power.) proceeding through a left turn and when getting to the curb the system shut down. At that point a complete turn off of the car was attempted which did not happen, with the display still being active. Repeated attempts finally completely shut down the system, which was then restarted normally. The other two instances occurred while backing out of the garage, and rounding a neighborhood turn.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #3

Aug 152012

Focus 4-cyl

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle became hesitant to acceleration attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where the technician stated that the PCM module would have to be updated. The updates were performed however, the failure continued. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.

- Talladega, AL, USA

problem #2

Aug 022012

Focus

  • 10,700 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph the vehicle started to jerk violently and stalled. The contact mentioned that the power train warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that the throttle body might be defective and needed to be replaced as a safety precaution. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 10,700 and the current mileage was 10,720.

- Salem, MA, USA

problem #1

Jul 022012

Focus 4-cyl

  • 30,300 miles
The car has poor steering, poor suspension control over bumps, an acknowledged but unrepaired transmission mount, severe alignment issue, tires are feathered and cupped per dealer and dealer is not willing to fix it. The care is unsafe to drive but the dealer states if we do not purchase new tires, pay for an alignment that they will not fix the faulty transmission mount. It has been at 3 Ford dealers in the past 3 weeks. I said nothing is wrong (thomas Ford in beverly MA), next fixed a bearing and 2 suspension parts and said it is fixed (it was not) (danvers motor company, danvers MA) and finally the selling dealer said the alignment, tires and transmission mount are faulty (jack madden Ford, norwood, MA). This care is unsafe and is under bumper to bumper warranty.

- Salem, MA, USA

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