My car is barely three years old, and the first year it left me on foot, due to a power failure, when I got it towed to quiks in quincy, they explained something about a sensor and or power train, I have the results of what the work that was done on that day, now on 5/26/2015, again, my car starts to stall on me as I'm driving it, I took it in and now it turns out that its a gear shift problem, I have tried to change this car but it seems the company just want to fix it, since its in warranty, what can be done for a car that cost me 20,000 its not even three years old and has these problems, I no longer feel comfortable I really would like another car with less headache, this is a new car, I don't understand it. Please help. My name is [xxx]. thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Boston, , MA, USA

Transmission hesitation and shuddering on acceleration to merge into traffic on I95, vehicle failed to continue to accelerate forcing me to pull of the road to prevent being hit by semi truck that was coming up behind me. This and similar incidents have happened several times since I purchased the car I have taken the vehicle in for service 3 times since then each time told it operates within specifications but they reset the control module and flash the software give it back and it operates fine for several weeks. It is now in for the 4th time and they finally are replacing parts but I feel this vehicle is unsafe and have seen where others are having similar issues yet no one has done nothing.

- Virginai Beach, VA, USA

This car stutters, stalls, jerks, loses acceleration in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. It shakes, shimmies, and rattles horribly and is a hazard to turn in front of oncoming traffic, even when they are far away (it will bog down). Ford claims this is "normal" for the new dual clutch car. It is not normal for a new car to rattle, have sounds of metal against metal noises, shake, shimmy, stall and stutter on any car. This car is going to cause an accident one day and possibly even get someone killed our seriously injured. Ford needs to do the right thing and recall this car and fix it correctly (been in the repair shop 5 times for this already and still has the same problem). I didn't purchase a new car in 2013 to have these type of problems.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

Automatic transaxle seals leak, eventually causing the car to hesitate badly during acceleration. Primarily happens from a stop, which has caused "close calls" on several occasions. Clutch and seals have been replaced 3 times in less than 8000 miles.

- Lewisville, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving at unknown speeds, when shifting into second and third gear, the vehicle jerked. The failure occurred daily. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred violently when on an incline. The vehicle was taken to a dialer where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.

- Ravenswoodwva, WV, USA

I have a 2013 Ford Focus. The car remains under warranty. Since I bought the car, the manufacture has paid for the clutch to be completely replaced twice due to issues with the car stalling while I have been driving it (it is a manual transmission that is controlled by a computer system and functions as an automatic for the driver). The car was bought in September 2012. The clutch was replaced on 6/19/2013 with 10,760 miles. The clutch was again replaced on 9/24/2014 at 28,215 miles. Both times the clutch has been replaced it has been due to safety concerns about the car stalling while going uphill. Last night (5/16/2015) while on the interstate going approximately 55 mph with my family in the car, I felt the car transmission slip out of gear. I was unable to accelerate/give gas to the engine and the car was rapidly decelerating. It was difficult to get to the shoulder safely. This car appears to have significant safety flaws with the the dual-clutch, automated-manual transmission that make it unsafe to drive.

- Oakland, CA, USA

Vehicle has bad issues with the transmission shutters lurches and bucks. Ford will only warranty transmission slippage below 30% throttle any slippage above 30% is not covered by any warranty. This is safety hazard when pulling into traffic. And does not make for a very nice to drive car. No other Ford transmission has that poor of standard. Slippage less than 250 RPM [per event] or over 31% throttle is still a broke car but Ford wont fix it.

- Merritt Isl. , FL, USA

Car's transmission shutters and jolts. Hesitates to accelerate. Dangerous when merging onto highway or making a turn. Sent it to Ford to fix as per their fsa on the transmission seal. Both dealerships said there was nothing wrong with it, but it still hesitates, shutters, shakes and jolts. This is a safety concern. It needs to be brought up to Ford.

- Allen Park, MI, USA

The car will nearly stall (as if transmission slipped/disengaged), engine sputters, transmission grinds and jerks then gears catch and car lurches forwards and speeds off as if it is possessed. This is very dangerous when attempting to enter moving traffic and especially dangerous when crossing multiple lanes of traffic or if the driver is less experienced or isn't aware that he/she needs to accommodate it. The more miles accumulated, the worse and more pronounced the issue. Ford "reprogrammed" my transmission July 2013 (11,000 miles) with no results. Ford's response, "shudder" is normal and the intentional design of the car. The issue worsened to the point the transmission would disengage while climbing hills ( worse on moderate to steep grades) and reliability of this car deteriorated to the point I was rolling backwards down a hill I had attempted to climb at 50-55mph because the car just stops moving forward then the car will grind, bang shake, jerk then lurch forward and speed off like it finally got gas and found the gears (May 1,2015). October 22, 2014, I took the vehicle in for an oil change, with the Ford letter in hand and asked them to check my car again. Parts were ordered and it was safe to drive until then but, if I was left stranded to call roadside assistance. Ford is stalling progress & repair of this issue because they intend to avoid lemon law. My complaints went undocumented on service request paperwork because "shudder is normal/intentional operation" and subsequent complaints were ignored/undocumented because there were no parts to repair it. Resale & trade-in value is low, depreciate at a faster rate and are generally unsafe. Ford needs held accountable, remedy the issue in a timely manner to minimize loss, investment and potential danger to those who unfortunately purchased this defective product. This car is unreliable & dangerous!

- Newton, WV, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle started to shutter when accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who reprogrammed the PCM. A few weeks after the repair, the check engine and the PCM warning lights illuminated. The failure mileage was 31,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA

The car abruptly shudders/jolts between 0-20 mph. This occurs mainly during acceleration. The first time I took it to have it looked at, I was provided a piece of paper from Ford explaining that this was a typical, and normal, characteristic of the transmission within the 2013 Ford Focus models. The issue was verified, but no maintenance was performed. I again took my vehicle in for the same issue 06/06/2013, where it was one again verified, yet no maintenance was performed because Ford was still having dealerships give customers the piece of paper explaining the transmission. I asked that when the transmission blows if it would be covered, and I was told 'yes.' The car was taken in again 02/17/2014 for the same issue, verified, and maintenance was performed this time because Ford has recognized that it indeed was an issue, and not a characteristic. The problem continued to exist, and my transmission was removed and cleaned on 06/30/2014. My car has gone in for additional service due to this shuddering transmission; I was turned away once when I arrived a dealership on a Saturday for this issue, and was told 'it was a known issue, ' and on April 22, 2015, I was told I needed a new clutch, which is on backorder for 12 weeks. The problem will not go away; I do not feel safe driving my car.

- Guilderland, NY, USA

First incident 10/8/12: Vehicle shuddered violently on acceleration from a stop and shuddered in between gear shifts. Reprogrammed PCM/tcm module, TR sensor relearn, shift drum motor and clutch relearn. Second incident 9/25/13: Vehicle vibrates on acceleration. Reprogrammed PCM/tcm per tsb 13-9-4. third incident 10/29/13: Vibration again on acceleration. Ordered parts per tsb 13-9-4. fourth incident 12/19/13: Install 29 parts ordered on 10/29 visit on transmission including clutch assembly and seals. Fifth incident 10/8/14: Vehicle started shaking and shifting strange on the highway and check engine light came on. Very scary incident as I was afraid the engine was going to die and I would lose control. Managed to get off the highway and was near Ford dealer in downers grove who diagnosed code P090C (transmission) and said he could not get the car in as they were full but said to take it slow and managed to get it back to van drunen Ford for service. Service department reprogrammed PCM/tcm and performed pinpoint test per wsw procedure. Sixth incident 4/16/15: Check engine light came on, vehicle shuddered and tachometer was fluctuating at steady speed. Replaced tcm, reprogram and perform adaptive learn. Seventh incident 5/12/15: Shudder has become worse than when it was repaired the last visit. Vehicle is presently at the dealer after filing complaint with Ford customer care. Vehicle has been in seven times for the same problem and Ford refuses to replace this transmission.Ford has extended the transmission warranty to 100,000 miles and I was outwardly told this was due to the fact that they know there is a problem with this transmission on this vehicle type. You only have to surf the web to find out how many people are having the same problem with this Focus transmission. They need to replace this transmission or extend the warranty indefinitely.

- Lansing, IL, USA

My 2013 Ford Focus has demonstrated jerky shifting, engine sputtering and stalls related to ineffective shifting of the transmission since it was first purchased. However, at approximately 55,000 miles, the transmission was sputtering and stalling excessively. At that time, we were notified of a recall on the transmission. On September 16, 2014, my transmission was "reprogrammed" by a local Ford dealership. Thereafter, the sputtering slowed for a short period and my gas mileage was also reduced. Not long after that, the sputtering and stalling returned. In October 2014, my local Ford dealership replaced the electronic clutch in my Focus. During the week of May 4, 2015, the car failed to accelerate on the highway approximately three times. On the morning, of May 12, 2015, my transmission failed to shift while I was attempting to exit the highway onto a busy, three lane exit ramp. I put on my flashers and tried frantically to get my Focus to shift into gear and move forward. Rather, it started rolling backwards. Next, a mack truck nearly rear-ended my car. My car has been towed to a local Ford dealership, and I have been told that the Ford dealership will evaluate what is wrong with my transmission, but they have not seen any other Ford Focus automobiles in our area demonstrate these symptoms. I see endless blogs with Ford customers who do have this same problem. I believe that a further recall is required regarding the 2013 Ford Focus.

- Gray Summit, MO, USA

Vehicle shudders, bucks & hesitates upon take off and acceleration. Feels like its going to stall. Makes grinding noise when changing gears. Have had it "repaired" twice at the Ford dealership where purchased for same issue. First time on 9/8/2014 & 2nd time on 5/4/2015.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

I bought the 2013 Ford Focus brand new and it has been the biggest headache. The transmission is no good! the car will hesitate to take off and then take off really fast after revving up to over 7500 RPM before shifting into gear and taking off very fast. This is very dangerous and unsafe to me and other drivers on the road! it shutters and shakes, sometimes doesn't want to start. This car is a lemon and not dependable. I sure hope a recall is issued because this is not fair to the consumers who are paying for a car that is defective.

- Granbury , TX, USA

Ford is experiencing significant repair obligations due to the defective design of their clutch/automatic transmission arrangement on their 2013 Ford Focus models. The owner of this vehicle is driving a car that has a tendency to stall at intersections and at highway entry lanes. I have been told this condition is being experienced by many other Focus drivers. This is a hazardous condition and as far as I can tell, Ford is telling owners of these vehicles to keep on driving them until the parts can be replaced and the wait time in many cases is extending 90 days or more.

- Nyack, NY, USA

I was starting to accelerate up a hill and the engine lost all power and was revving at a high rate as though it were in neutral. I had no idea what was happening. It was scary. After shifting a few times it eventually recovered in a weird, sluggish way. I took it to the dealer (torrington Ford, Lincoln and Mercury in torrington, ct) and they "reprogrammed the PCM and tcm to the latest calibration" and claimed it road tested ok. However, the car still shuddered excessively at times when shifting, especially at low speeds. I brought it in again two months later and the dealer report said "the shudder is present but not bad enough to perform any further repair, currently below 250 RPM difference and no repairs are needed at this time." A few months ago I had the salesperson drive it and he acknowledged the shudder was way more than what it should be with this transmission. He said he would speak with the service department but I never heard back from him until today when he sent me a "hi, how's your car doing" email that was a standard blast email to all his customers. I reminded him of the problem I am continuing to have with the Ford Focus and told him I don't like driving it. I haven't heard back from him yet. Actually the car scares me. Sometimes, like yesterday, the shudder lasts a full 3 seconds. Something is very wrong with this vehicle. Ford keeps saying it is supposed to shift differently than other cars but nobody would buy one if they experienced this kind of shuddering during test a drive. I first noticed the problem at around 7,500 miles, maybe a little sooner but I probably thought it was my imagination or that I was actually feeling a rough road surface.

- Litchfield, CT, USA

Clutch shuddering - vibrating at 13,648 miles - took in for repair - car was never quite right after that - now again at 29,000 miles its shuddering and vibrating again - Ford telling me the parts may arrive sometime between 8 to 12 weeks for the repair.

- Orchard Park, NY, USA

I'm not sure of the exact date of the incident, but I started the car and shifted it into D (drive), and the vehicle revved, jerked, and the "check engine" light came on. I drove the car home carefully, pulled it in the garage, and went to adjust it by putting the car in R (reverse), and the transmission would not engage. I did call Ford up, and the problem was "fixed" but since I have had this car the transmission has always jerked some, and I have heard some rattling in the transmission/power train often. I do not consider these good signs as to the reliability of the 2013 Ford Focus.

- Chandler, IN, USA

Purchased a Ford Focus in 2013 and have had consistent issues since purchase. Am currently on the waitlist (parts are back-ordered and not expected for 3-4 months) for the second clutch replacement. Car shudders when accelerating. Feels unsafe to drive as I can't predict when it will happen. This is a known transmission issue that Ford has acknowledged, however, the clutch replacements can not be the fix since I have already done that. They have also reprogrammed my "brain" so that wasn't the fix either. Now, for the next 3-4 months I have to continue driving an unsafe vehicle waiting for parts. This vehicle should be recalled before thousands of Ford Focus drivers get T-boned by a tractor trailer as their car shudders it's way across an intersection. The NHTSA needs to step in, as Ford isn't aggressively fixing this issue.

- Durham, NC, USA