CarComplaints.com Notes: Ford changed a lot of things for its 3rd generation, just none of them were a good idea.
The transmission tends to hesitate and jerk when accelerating. The new electronically-driven power steering can fail suddenly and without warning. Even Ford's SYNC can be a headache. Actually, scratch that last one — it's always been a headache.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
14 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 1
Average Mileage:
37,884 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.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to start. The transmission fault warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while shifting the transmission into drive (D), the vehicle transmission stayed in neutral (N) and failed to accelerate. An independent mechanic came to inspect the vehicle and reset the transmission. The contact was able to drive the vehicle; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unintendedly downshifted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and made contact with Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02 (Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage). The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
Transmission shuddered on takeoff every time. It made it difficult on takeoff. It quit on a single lane road. It was at the dealership on 8-18-23. It was driven 356 miles. No fault lights ever come on until the transmission quit pulling. The lady at the dealership told me it might be the clutch and they could inspect it and replace the clutch for $3,100. I told her no on I think it-??s bad.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while shifted into drive(D), the engine revved but the vehicle failed to accelerate. Additionally, the contact stated that while shifted into reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the message displayed on the instrument cluster stated, -??Turn Vehicle Off and Wait-??. The contact stated that he turned the vehicle off and restarted after approximately six minutes. The transmission fault warning light then illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving and shifting gear, the vehicle hesitated. While in third gear, the vehicle failed to shift. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The "Take to the Dealer" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and a software update was performed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed about an extended warranty coverage, and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
My car will intermittently lose power, such as in the middle of an intersection, or turning in front of another vehicle, which puts me and my children at risk. The transmission is throwing a code for overheating and malfunctioning, and there is an open customer satisfaction bulletin for the transmission control module, but Ford refuses to replace it because it-??s not throwing -??the correct code -?? I have had the clutch replaced three times if not four in the time that I-??ve had the vehicle and it-??s more than frustrating. It-??s dangerous along with losing power. It will intermittently catch the gear that is trying to shift into and cause the car to accelerate rapidly, the transmission, shutter control module and clutch have been an issue in this car, along with a class action lawsuit, and now Ford has had my vehicle for three weeks, and refuses to do the open service campaign for the TCM because of the code issue and it refuses to do the clutch because even though it was replaced three years ago, they state that the warranty is only for 12 months regardless of the fact that it was the fourth clutch that put in the car, I am working with someone at Ford warranty in hopes of getting them covered because I know they have done it in other cases, but I am more than frustrated with the service. I-??ve received so far very unprofessional, which is unfortunate because overall I do love my car I would-??ve kept it all this time if I didn-??t I 10-year-old car should not have had to have the transmission clutch replaced three times or four times in 10 years and under 150,000 miles.
- Waterloo, IN, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started driving rough with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a clutch judder. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the clutch had been replaced twice before the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to cover a part of the cost for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 64,533.
As I was driving down the highway, my car stopped accelerating. I was able to pull over on the side of the road and waited about 5 minutes before cranking the car again. After I started back driving, the car started to jerk every time it shifted. I took it to the mechanic and was informed that is was my clutch. They tried to fix it but the clutch was broken and I needed my entire transmission replaced. I paid $4000 to get it replaced, only for the same thing to happen 4 months later. I have not replaced it the second time.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "transmission overheating" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that after waiting for a while, he restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed as having transmission failure with the clutch overheating. The contact was informed that the transmission and clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,605.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that during acceleration and takeoff, the vehicle shuddered and jumped forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that a reset was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while making a left turn, she heard an unknown alert chime, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact then started to lose control of the vehicle but was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the residence. After waiting for several days, the check engine warning light turned off independently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission module to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer also informed the contact that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not serviced. The contact stated that the failure recurred July 23, 2023. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle shuddered and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The dealer replaced the TCM several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact received a notification for Ford Campaign Number: 14M02. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs; however, the dealer diagnosed that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 10.
In Jan/Feb 2023, my 16 year old was driving her 2013 ford focus which we have had problems after problems-?? this particular time she was at a red light and it would not go! She quickly put in park and switched back to drive and it went-?? a day or 2 passed and it did it again and started shifting gears weird and jerking at certain speeds! Took it to the mechanic he basically said he wouldn-??t touch it because of how crappy and complicated these transmissions are-?? but he did run codes and to a transmission flush! That didn-??t do any good-?? I started researching and low and be ahold find out that this is a know issue with these cars! And guess what my -??extended warranty-?? expired less than 2 months prior to this! Ford would not help me what do ever! I contacted the manufacturer and the dealerships! They want to charge a diagnostic fee and everything!! Then last week I get a letter in the mail stating they would do a one time replacement on the TCM now until 2025! Ok that-??s fine and all but at this point I don-??t know if I even trust this car for my daughter to drive! I have been reading all the horror stories! If I could afford to get her a new one I would but I-??m a single mom with one income! I think ford needs to own up to this and buy back these lemons and make it right!!!
We bought a used car, as is, and had no problem. Approx 6 wks later it had trouble going into park and were told (by our technician) there was a recall on a computer. Made an appt. with the dealer and on the day it was to go in husband went to get gas the transmission failed so we had AAA tow it to them. They then told us the entire transmission failed and there was no warranty. We learned there was a nationwide problem with the computers. We never, nor did the dealer we purchased it from ever receive a notice from Ford that there was a recall on the outer computer. If they had done that the transmission could have been saved. I contacted Ford and was told to go back to the dealer they were doing nothing, The car sits in our driveway. This is not the only year Ford had a problem with Ford Focus transmissions. They should do something. We were quoted $9000, for a new transmission. Being on social security and a small pension we can't afford it and a used transmission is not feasible because of the major problems with the trans.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally stalled while at a stop light and while decelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the transmission, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 10,000.
The transmission and the clutch are faulty from when they were originally made. I had it diagnosed at a ford dealership. I have taken it into the shop 3+ times and have spent thousand to fix it. My car is an automatic, but it shifts gears like it-??s a manual. The -??faulty transmission-?? alert will show up without warning and my car won-??t start leaving me stranded. I-??ve had to tow it twice. The car is unreliable and unsafe. It begins to shift even worse right before the -??faulty transmission-?? alert then it won-??t start. It-??s acting up right now and I-??m afraid.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and lost motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and the vehicle stalled. The contact did not attempt to restart the vehicle to prevent engine damage. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) unit needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the TCM was on a national backorder. The contact researched online and found Manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Power Train). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
On 5/25/23, I came out of my work-??s office building on my lunch break. My car seemed to not accelerate, however I was able to pull out and proceed on to the roadway. Unbeknownst, my car would not accelerate past 5 MPH. I tried to turn around as I was entering a busy highway, and I was unable to reverse, leaving my car stuck as I hit a curb, as cars whizzed by me. I kept restarting my car and eventually I was able to push my car over to curb, and proceed at 5 MPH (the most my car would go), back to my office parking lot. I have a small child and almost caused a 4-car accident due to Ford-??s faulty transmission manufacturing which was confirmed by a mechanic that I had the car towed to. I was informed there is a buy-back and recall for the TCM for this car, and I need to take it to Ford for repair. I was not informed of this when I bought the car. I will be taking my car to Ford tomorrow, towed. The fact this is not a safety recall is absolutely sickening and I just thank God I wasn-??t with my child at the time of the transmission failure. I am in disbelief. The average person, would have no idea what was going on with the car, as I didn-??t.
My daughter-in-law's 2013 Ford Focus SE started experiencing hesitations and slow/no acceleration. As she was driving, the car suddenly would not go above 30mph and the "check engine" light illuminated. OBD codes P2831, P2832, and P287b are present. She is the 2nd owner and the car only has 56,000 miles. The Transmission Control Module (TCM) appears to be the issue and the replacement should be free under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02 (10yrs/150,000miles). Ford issued a "Manufacture Communication" about this very serious safety problem instead of a Recall, which is why she was not notified of this dangerous problem. The "warranty in service date" on this car is March 2013 which means the car is less than 2 months over the 10 year limit, but is 99,000 miles under the mileage cap. I talked to Ford customer care this morning and they told me that Ford would not cover this because it is 2 months beyond the 10 year cap. I am extremely disappointed that Ford is not willing to stand behind their product and fix this potentially deadly problem that customers do not know about because of Ford's lack of direct communication. Instead she's looking at a $900 repair bill.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his son was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle would not accelerate above 5 MPH. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective transmission control module. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under recall or warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bowling Green, KY, USA