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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.

2.3

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,247 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 transmission problems

transmission problem

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2013 Ford Focus Owner Comments

problem #6

Jun 272023

Focus

  • 86,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, restart the vehicle, and drive to the residence. The contact stated that several weeks later after stopping to refuel the vehicle, the vehicle was shifted into drive but failed to respond. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clutch and TCM were faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

- Suffolk, VA, USA

problem #5

Jul 172013

Focus

  • 10 miles
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.

- Merrillville, IN, USA

problem #4

Jan 092023

Focus

  • 149,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the powertrain failed to properly shift gears while driving at approximately 15 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while abruptly shifting gear. The contact stated that the vehicle veered into the driveway of her residence. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The failure recurred on another occasion, and antifreeze was seen leaking from the engine compartment. The vehicle was then towed back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.

- Seymour, IN, USA

problem #3

Dec 152022

Focus

  • 116,458 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the RPMs revved up, but the vehicle hesitated to respond and then lunged forward. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving in 2nd and 3rd gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the automatic transmission dual clutch had failed. The independent mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that he had to pay for the repair because Ford Service Campaign Number: 14M02 had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 116,458.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #2

Jun 102022

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle needed to be taken to an authorized dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced and that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The contact advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 40,000.

- Waterford, WI, USA

problem #1

Nov 022012

Focus

  • 15 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after shifting into drive, the vehicle started to jerk abnormally. The contact stated that after accelerating to 40 MPH, the vehicle started to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the warranty only covered the transmission, not the clutch. The failure mileage was 15.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

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