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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:
7 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 2
Average Mileage:
44,693 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.

2013 Ford Focus engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 11 of 17)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #134

Oct 172015

Focus

  • 40,000 miles

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

I started having transmission problems in 2014, Ford validated the problem and put a part on order in may of 2015. In October of 2015 the part was scheduled to be put in but they ran out of parts so the appointment was postponed. A week or so later the transmission issue caused an accident. The transmission stalled/jerking as I was making a left hand turn and my son and myself were struck by an oncoming vehicle. After numerous attempts to have the vehicle fixed followning the accident, we voluntarily surrendered the vehicle to Ford credit. The vehicle is not safe.

- Weaverville, NC, USA

problem #133

Apr 102016

Focus

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the engine rpms fluctuated and there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure occurred on two occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it diagnosed that the tcm and PCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15V813000 (electrical system) however the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Mariposa, CA, USA

problem #132

Mar 192016

Focus

  • 10,000 miles
Transmission does not shift into gears as it should, no power going up hill.sounds like motor going to fall out when you park.these happens several times and at different places

- Cambridge, OH, USA

problem #131

Mar 012016

Focus

  • 51,000 miles

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

Engine will stop running intermittently while driving on city streets or while turning off of a highway. Also, occasionally will die at a stop light. Vehicle has a rough and erratic idle while stopped at a traffic light. Sometimes idling so low as to almost die. Other times idling at 1400 or 1500 rpms

- Belle Isle, FL, USA

problem #130

Mar 142016

Focus

  • 57,600 miles
I have a 2013 Focus and on 3/14/16 on my way home on the freeway, my oil & battery light started flickering on and off at the same time and as it did the car was stalling out. I put my 4-way flashers on, slowed down and moved to the right lane as a safety measure. After another few miles both lights came on and stayed on and the car shut down. I pulled over to the berm, waited a few minutes, tried starting, it started and drove home with no issues. I drove to work the next day with no issues. On the way home things started happening again, the car shut down, but this time after waiting a few minutes the car never started. I had it towed to the dealer and they found that a wiring harness was up against the throttle body and wore through the protective insulating tape, then the wires causing the problem. Also, in speaking to the mechanic he said that the bracket the harness was using to keep in place was causing it to be up against the throttle body so he unclipped the bracket. I'm going to call the Ford customer service center to discuss. Another issue was that the "book" said it would take 3 hours, but only took 2. and yes they tried to charge me for the 3. interesting at $125/ hour, that would be $250/ hour they're making while the mechanic starts on the next car! unbelievable.

- Mentor, OH, USA

problem #129

Feb 012016

Focus

  • 51,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle staled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil needed to be changed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V813000 (electrical system) and 14V495000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

- Groveport, OH, USA

problem #128

Dec 012015

Focus

  • miles

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

When I stop at stop lights the engine vibrates and stops when I come to a stop at times. Also the engine vibrates when I continue to drive and also sometimes the engine cuts off while driving. This is really dangerous and can also result in a crash. I just want Ford do a recall and fix everybody's cars so it want be fatality.

- Blue Spring's, MO, USA

problem #127

Jan 152016

Focus

  • 136,000 miles
Driving in rush hour traffic on interstate 96 near milford mile marker 175, passing in the left lane about 75 mph the engine died and the engine fault light came on, so I pulled over to the left side shoulder, could not restart, had tow truck take to nearest Ford dealership to troubleshoot, 3 days later was informed that the engine wiring harness had rubbed thru on something and shorted out. The crank position sensor was bad, total repairs $700 for wiring repairs and parts. This car has been dealer maintained since new have all receipts, not covered under warranty.

- Stockbridge, MI, USA

problem #126

Oct 052015

Focus

  • 28,000 miles
I am not an expert so have no idea what may be causing the problem. I purchased car in late September 2015. Early on I noticed that when starting from a stop it felt like the engine was going to stall. Very rough running at slow speeds such as in heavy traffic. My driveway is at blind curve of a high speed 4-lane road. To say I am nervous pulling out would be an understatement. I want to move and fast. Since I may not always be able to see what's coming, I have always depended partly on my hearing as I pull out but during cold weather, in addition to rough running engine, the driver's window does not work until the temperature rises (all other windows work fine). Ford dealer in waynesville nc supposedly repaired the problem under warranty before I signed papers on the purchase at waynesville Chevrolet. I believe it was 10/5 before I actually had possession of the car.

- Sylva, NC, USA

problem #125

Jul 132015

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine stalled without warning. The contact also mentioned that the gear failed to reverse the vehicle intermittently. The contact also stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. The failures was persistent. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Los Angelos, CA, USA

problem #124

Nov 262015

Focus

  • 34,000 miles

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

The car just stopped in the middle of the road. It did not start again. I had to be towed. The car was in motion and it just stalled and did not start up again. It was on a busy street. Thought maybe it was the transmission slipping, it was very scary as there were a lot of cars on the road since I teas thanksgiving day.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #123

Nov 212015

Focus

  • 42,000 miles
Car violently stutters and shakes on acceleration from a stop or at low speeds. No acceleration when going up a hill. Car was serviced, but the problem wasn't fixed. Parts are on back order. While driving the car died and a light saying there was a transmission failure came on. The entire tcm was replaced after towing into the dealer. Shaking only got worse. Now the rpms will jump at highway speeds even in cruise control. Parts still on back order. Ford says that this is "normal" for this car and there is no real fix. The only fix is to constantly have it serviced but even that doesn't fix the problem.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #122

Nov 192015

Focus

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.

- Ethridge, TN, USA

problem #121

Nov 102015

Focus

  • 38,000 miles
On 10 Nov 15 at 0900hrs I picked up my 2013 Ford Focus after the replacement of an ignition coil/spark plug and the reprogramming of my transmission control module (Ford recall 15B22). At 0930hrs while driving North on hwy 295 at about 40 mph on a straight portion of the highway, all my warning lights turned on and I lost engine power. The vehicle also felt as if it shifted into neutral. I had to use emergency driving procedures to pull onto the shoulder. I attempted to restart the vehicle but the starter did not even attempt to turn over. I called for a wrecker and had the vehicle towed back to the dealership for corrective action. I have not experienced am engine or transmission failure like this in the past. I believe that it may be due to the reprogramming of the transmission control module. It should be noted that the Ford Focus in question is a Canadian version, with 62000km/38000miles to date. I felt compelled to report this incident as it required me to use emergency driving techniques to bring the vehicle to a safe stop (although the brakes continued to function). Had I not been trained in those techniques the likelihood of a collision with another vehicle at high speeds would have been likely.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #120

Oct 192015

Focus

  • 34,000 miles
Since I bought my car new in 2013, it has had a persistent transmission shudder that is dangerous, and Ford tries to stick band-aids on the problem with software updates and even a replacement clutch -- none of which fix the problem. This problem causes the car to shudder violently when accelerating from a stop or nearly any time the transmission changes gears. It has happened since I purchased the car. It makes it scary to drive when the car responds unpredictably -- lurching forward toward another car or not accelerating when getting on a highway. Ford should have to recall all cars with this faulty transmission. I've had it serviced under warranty 3 times for this issue and Ford cannot fix it. The us government must protect people from companies like Ford who put profits ahead of safety.

- Natick, MA, USA

problem #119

Sep 242014

Focus

  • 78,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle began to shake violently. In addition, the vehicle lost power and would not accelerate without restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 78,000.

- Radcliff, KY, USA

problem #118

Sep 012015

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
I have had my car in a Ford dealership to be repaired five times. Two involving recalls on my transmission, due to shuttering and hesitation to shift while driving. I believe this vehicle is highly unsafe since I never know if my car will be able to accelerate properly while changing lanes. This happens mainly in the city streets when being in first or second gear.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #117

Jun 152015

Focus

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 15 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the engine stalled without warning. After three attempts, the vehicle restarted. The failure recurred two times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #116

Jun 042013

Focus

  • 616 miles
The car makes horrible noises when in low a low speed. It hesitates. It makes horrible crunching noises. It has been to the dealer many times. They always say that they hear it, but that it is not a problem. The vehicle has stopped in the middle of the road. Now, in September 2015, I have received a software update program 15B22 which is extending my warranty. Ford already agreed to extend my warranty in 2013 because of my complaints. However, that documentation does not show up in the Ford oasis system, but Mr. Ford's office assures me that if I show them the letter, it will honored. I have all of the back up material from 2013 including phone logs. I believe this is a safety hazard that can only be corrected with replacing the entire transmission at no cost to the customer. I am very afraid the vehicle will stall in the middle of rushing traffic. It has stalled in the middle of the road already. I made Mr. Ford's office aware of this, also. I would never pass this car onto my child or a relative, and I will feel guilty when I am able to finally trade it in an buy a new vehicle. The car should not be on the road.

- Bel Air, MD, USA

problem #115

Sep 182015

Focus

  • 35,400 miles
The vehicle has stalled multiple times. It has happens when the clutch is depressed. The rpms drop down below 500 and sometimes the engine stalls. Sometimes the engine will just waiver at low rpms and regain idle.the car has also stalled at high speed on the freeway, with traffic backed up, I depressed the clutch, and the engine stalled.

- Royal Oak , MI, USA

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