When I purchased the car back in 2012, I noticed that the trans would shift very roughly, especially from first to second. I thought maybe because it's new and it would work itself out. Well after the first three thousand miles it did not, so on my first oil change I told the service manager about the problem. He explained that the cars computer needed to learn my driving habits and that it would eventually go away, but by the second oil change it had not. So I told the service manager again about the problem, when they were done with the car he told me they reprogrammed the control module for the trans and that it should take care of the problem. Well it did not so I went back a third time, he explained that this was a new type of trans, it was an automatic stick basically. The trans was split into two halves, the one side was 1st,3rd,and 5th, the second side was 2nd,4th,and 6th and all were controlled by a computer. So they reprogrammed againand it did seem to work fine for a while but it started acting up again after about 500 miles.

So I wrote in a service feedback that Ford needed to step up and take responsibility for this problem. I also stated that the dealer was very understanding of this issue and did try to rectify the problem,but to no avail. About two weeks later I got a call from the dealership stating that they would replace the clutch assemblies in the trans at no cost to me. They had the car for two days but did supply me with a loaner. That was several months ago and the car seems to run fine now. Of course I constantly monitor it and the dealer did say if there were any further issues to bring it back, knock wood so far no problems.

I would suggest approaching your dealer with the same proposal. I know it can be frustrating at times and I sympathize with those who have had the same issues. Good luck to all.

The transmission jumped out of gear at speed on the freeway, 45-55 mph. Check engine light came on. Unable to engage transmission, even tried the manual option. Turned ignition off, then turned back on. Transmission engaged intermittently, sometimes shifting into what seemed to be a couple of gears too high. Sometimes revved up like it was in neutral. Engine light stayed on. Was able to get home. Started car up next day, and engine light was cleared, car ran ok. Took to dealer the next day, drove fine for about 8 miles, suddenly as I was slowing down for a red light, there was a clunk and transmission seemed to have jumped out of gear, but was engaging intermittently. The check engine light came on, and it stayed on. Limped to the Ford dealer, with transmission seemingly slipping in/out of gear. Left it running for them. Service supervisor saw the engine light, said they would get right on it. Somebody must have turned the ignition off, as they have been unable to find any trouble code in the ECM, or duplicate the problem, some 78 miles of test driving and they have had it for about a week. I don't think they will find anything and we will be back driving this car with great uncertainty as to when it will happen again.

Update from Oct 15, 2014: Dealer had car nearly 2 weeks. Yesterday (10/13) we got them to return our call. They said the key had been misplaced. Today (10/14) we were called by the police department, dealer has reported car stolen. I suppose the transmission issue is now moot, unless we recover the vehicle. I can't help but be suspicious.

Read my description to another customer by Markforjg24 or Mark West. Also had trouble with a/c, heat, sound system shutting down about a year ago due to the computer needing update. Mad as hell when anything goes wrong with this car. Wish I'd never seen it. Bought it for fuel mileage, liked the body style, wanted a HB. Right now I'd rather have a GM product and they were on the very bottom of my list.

Update from Jul 29, 2014: Dropped car off at dealer early morning. They replaced necessary parts in transmission and had car fixed around 2pm. Car drives great now, just like it did from showroom. Will see long term how it does. Hoping for best.

I bought the Focus off the showroom floor the end of Feb. 2012. The very first day I went to drive it to work, it began making a loud grinding noise and would not shift into gear. This within 3 miles of my home. The dash engine light also came on. I went back home and called the Ford dealership. They towed it in but the dash light had gone off and they could not figure out what was wrong. They told me it was a "Microsoft" patch that they had applied. The shifting was still...shaky. I reported it before leaving that day. They drove around the block with me and told me this was "normal". It even rolled backwards when taking off on a hill but they told me this was normal. Each time I took it in for service or for the other issues that came up, I reported the problem. It again failed to shift into gear at all the end of June 2014. Of course, I'm over the 36K mark and now I have to pay. Now they say it is a "transmission module" that needed replacing. They kept my car a week and treated me like I was the problem. The could care less that I'd had problems with it all along. There are other issues as well. Only two years old and should not be having these issues.

I bought my 2012 Focus in April. It was 2 years old with warranty left, 15,000 miles. So happy....for a week. Shudders when it backs up, shudders when it shifts into gear. Moves backward when put into park. Leaps forward when put into park. Delays when gas on to move fast. Jerks all day. Went to Ford to fix it, ladies at front desk knew it was clutch in transmission because "they all do that". Ok. They kept it three days. Adjusted it. I get it back. Works for one week. Then same thing. I take it back. They replace clutch in transmission. I get it back. Does same thing. When I am leaving I tell service department I went from a Honda to a Ford and maybe i took a step down, they did not like that comment, told me "no one ever has to come back" after clutch in transmission is replaced. that was a lie. I am now calling them again. I am so frustrated. this was my first car in nine years. I work too hard for my money.

After my first service trip to the Ford Dealership late December, and being unable to take it in during a ridiculously blizzard-laden winter, I returned to the dealer on 05/02/2014 stating the same symptoms:

- Hesitation/Stutter when Accelerating from a stop - Rolling backwards on hills

This time they replaced the transmission clutch and seals, because apparently engine oil was leaking all over the clutch, causing it to slip. Again, after about a week or two, the hesitation issues returned. But now the car shuddered noticeably when idling. I have a dashboard GPS mount, and the whole screen shook as I sat at traffic lights ... which is really the only time I look at it. I know I'm more sensitive to the car than the service guys are, and I noticed how much it the floor vibrated after they serviced the vehicle.

However, since this is my first car with a "Hybrid" Transmission (Automatic + Sport mode), I was second-guessing myself, thinking that maybe I'm crazy, and this is really how the car is supposed to feel. I know cars with manual transmissions are a little more "shaky", but I've driven several automatics, friends and families' cars, several makes and models, and they accelerate and decelerate smoothly.

So, I took my car to get a second opinion from another Ford-Certified Dealership on 05/29/2014 (Matthews Paoli) to see if maybe I'm just whining about nothing....

And after a quick inspection (same-day), they confirmed that the pump seal was leaking onto the transmission clutch, causing it to slip. But because it was related to the work conducted by the Jenkintown Dealership, they couldn't service it for me -- I had to take it back to my Jenkintown dealership.

Bought used @ 1 year in 2013 with ,10,000 miles. Was told by salesman that tranny is a manual run by a computer. Turns out it's much more. It has twin independent variable camshaft timing and a dual clutch tranny with computer drive. No problems at first other than lousy pickup when merging on highway. Then started grinding noise under hood and shuddering. Hesitation and slipping feeling of gears, especially in first 3 gears. Took in & had download to computer. A little better for awhile but started back up again. A couple of times it has slipped & hesitated while turning left leaving me feeling very vulnerable to oncoming traffic. I've had it into the shop 3 times for downloads but that is all they can do so they say.

I recently asked them if it could be retrofitted to a standard manual clutch and transmission but was told no, it cannot.

Someone also mentioned on here rattling noises from center dash and around driver's seatbelt anchor. I too have that.

I really like the car, the color, the look, etc., and selling it isn't an option because I still owe on it probably more than I could get for it now. I'm at a loss as to why Ford put this transmission on the market with so many glitches in it and that there is no fix for it. Will it take someone getting killed in an accident before something is done to fix it for good?!

Well, I have had this issue from 250 miles on till now at 41,500 miles, not even 2 years later. The clutches were replaced last October but it still has issues. It left me stranded during rush hour traffic in a center turn lane when the tranny got to juddering so bad it cut off. Luckily after a few minutes it started back up but it still has problems. It HATES stop and go traffic which is everywhere during the day and some evening hours in my town. It has also started its whole roll backwards deal again. That is getting old.

The clutch in the transmission slips during shifting. RPM momentarily spikes by 2000 RPM. I took it to the dealer and their "fix" was to reprogram the shift points to about 500 RPM higher. This relieves the stress on the clutch and I believe covers up the problem. (Until the warranty runs out) I brought the car into the dealer with a 36 MPG (Good mileage is why I bought the car.) The car now runs like it is low gear and the MPG dropped down to 29.

WARNING WARNING if you let these turkeys reprogram your car the changes are permanent and cannot be removed. I now have to shift manually (S mode) to get the advertised MPG. They told me to drive the car 1000 miles so it could "learn" my driving habits. (This will be just long enough so the lemon laws don't apply.) I have to ask my self why could I drive the new car off the lot and didn't have the "learning" before getting great gas mileage.

There is a class action suit in California and they report that a leaky oil seal causes the slippage. I think that this is a great car to buy if you want transmission problems. The company knows about this problem and they put the "shucks" on me with the computer reprogramming "fix". I normally keep a car for 100K miles but today we went looking for a different car. In my opinion, if there was a little honesty I would not seek a different brand.

Wasn't long after I bought this car, it started acting stupid. Doesn't shift right and stutters all the time. Sometime you wonders if it's going to stall. I have had it at the dealership 5 times…been given a rental 3 of those times, once I had to buy a rental myself. They tinker with it, once they actually replaced the entire transmission, or so they say. Then they give it back, tell me to give it about 500 miles to learn my driving habits again, blah blah blah….same story every time. After about 2 days, it is doing it again. Sad, really sad. I love my car….I think it is a pretty car and I love the inside, but I can't stand driving it anymore. And Ford just won't do anything to fix it. I know a gentlemen, they actually took his car back….I know another couple, they are having the same problem. So it isn't just me. I am currently shopping to trade mine in. I am a Ford retiree. I get the A Plan….I have yet to set foot an a Ford dealership lot….I will NOT be buying a Ford…terrible that they know there is a problem, yet they don't even attempt to make it right. I am extremely disappointed in this company I was once so proud of …..

Right now…I am looking at a Chevy Malibu. :) Hoping they find one with everything I want on it. Hoping they take the stupid Focus….I'm done with it…piece of CRAP!

I HAVE TAKEN MY AUTO IN TO DEALERSHIP ((Cal Wortherington Ford twice about this problem, slipping transmission, I have been told TWICE by the HEAD Mechanic (a 90 yr old man!!!) that this is normal on this car. One of the younger mechanics there tells me "Oh, it's because inside the gear box it may be automatic but it shifts gears like it's a stick, so it's normal"....

Am I imaging things! Why, because I'm a Woman!!! I'm NOT STUPID! I know the transmission is slipping, I have had two of my friends who one has a Auto shop and the other is mechanically inclined, I TIRED OF GETTING THE RUN AROUND ON THIS! I KNOW WITH THE PAPERWORK I HAVE DOWN LOADED FROM YOUR SITE I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A LEG UP ON THEM, AND I AM TAKING IT BACK IN THIS FRIDAY THE 1ST OF NOVEMBER AND I'M TAKING A MAN. LET'S SEE IF ALL THAT I HAVE CHANGES THEIR TUNE!

Update from Nov 15, 2013: I firmly believe the reason they didn't take me seriously was and still is because I'm a female and they thought I'm stupid, so I had a male friend go in with me and he went on the test drive with a lead mechanic and they didn't even make it out of the car lot before the mech stated oh yeah I'm familuar with the problem we will order parts for the clutch and call u back in when we get them, so I'm waiting for the parts to come in still to this date its been two weeks today. If I could place a sexual discrimanation case I would do that, they have no right just because I'm a woman (no penis) should they be allowed to treat me as stupid! So I am waiting on a call when the parts get in

It tends to roll back, jerking a lot and the dealership said it is a problem with transmission clutch, they had to take it apart. Tends to hesitate when driving, when I get off of work at three in the morning I would pull over to make sure its not going to cut off. While driving the car, it would jerk, making me pull over to check and see if anything is wrong. When the transmission light comes on I would pull over.

My warranty expires soon and I will never feel comfortable with this car getting off of work at night. I would prefer to get another car considering it's not reliable. I would call home letting someone know I am having problems encase I can't make it. Please help me. I shouldn't have to pay a dime for a car that has a common problem.

FROM DAY ONE, THE TRANSMISSION HAD A 2 SHIFTING PROBLEMS. IN DRIVE -THE TRANSMISSION WOULD FEEL LIKE IT SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO SIXTH GEAR AT ABOUT 15-20 MPH, THIS WAS FORDS AUTO TRANSMISSION THAT SHIFTED LIKE A MANUAL TRANS. THE OTHER ISSUE WAS IN REVERSE, PUTTING THE CAR IN REVERSE IT WOULD FEEL LIKE SOMEONE WAS HOOKING AND UNHOOKING A TRAILER. THESE PROBLEMS WERE INTERMITTANT. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES AND AT FIRST THEY KEPT INSTALLING SOFTWARE UPDATES ON THE CAR- DID NOT WORK. THE REVERSE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A SPINNING BEARING IN THE TRANSMISSION, DEALER SAID FORD MOTOR SAID THAT WAS NOT PROBLEM THEY COULD FIX, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. I DUMPED THIS PIECE OF SH** AT ABOUT 20K MILES AND BOUGHT A NEW 2013 CHEV MALIBU, I HAVE HAD IT A COUPLE MONTHS AND I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT. I WILL NEVER -E V E R BUY ANOTHER FORD VEHICLE AGAIN. I CAN SEE WHY SO MANY AMREICANS BUY FOREIGN VEHICLES, MADE IN AMERICA IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE.

Bought car a year ago and ran fine until about 8,000 miles. Vehicle hesitates, sputters and vibrates hard as if it's going to stall when moving from start to 1st gear. Took the car to dealership at end of August - turns out there was a recall on the transmission. After the recall fix the car ran even worse. Took it to another dealership today (9/23/13) and said since the recall fix was done, there is nothing more they can do - this is how the transmission runs. Problem is, almost got into an accident going from on ramp on to highway because it won't move into 1st gear - hesitates way too long and then runs so rough and vibrates so hard - it's scary. We're taking it to a third dealership this week and we'll see what they say. Also, I called the Ford customer hotline and they said that's how the transmission operates as well. I feel so unsafe in this vehicle I don't even want to drive it. I had someone in my car the other day and they thought I had a manual transmission. Another woman has a four year old car that runs better than mine. This is not right. I regret buying this car and just want my money back so I can drive something I'm not afraid of. Funny part is the first 8,000 miles or so had no problems at all. Will never purchase a Ford again.

It's my first Brand New car and I am very disappointed. The vibration and hesitation should not be happening on a brand new car. The service department acts as though they have never heard such a thing. Then they tell me they "Google" it to find out what to do. They updated my computer system (?) in the car so it wouldn't do it again but it still does. Plus I had to take a day off work because they want the car for the day. Ford should not be so deceptive. They should acknowledge the issue and not give consumers the run around.

Update from Dec 19, 2016: After 3 clutch replacements, while driving on the freeway, my transmission malfunction error message came on and my ability to accelerate was gone! I maneuvered across four lanes of traffic to the shoulder. It was truly terrifying. I had it towed to the dealership where I previously had the work done however they have changed owners and I feel like I am back at the "We don't acknowledge Focus problems" stage. They said the preliminary finding did not indicate a transmission problem. They needed permission to get into my extended warrenty of which I would be liable for the diagnostic fee of $189.00 I was told it was a cell in my battery that caused the malfunction error message and was not covered by my warranty. I have zero confidence in this being the truth. I am taking it to another dealership. I called a few other dealerships who said that didn't sound quite right. I need to get rid of this car!!!