CarComplaints.com Notes: For the third year in a row, the 3rd generation Focus is experiencing massive transmission problems.
Most notably owners keep complaining about how there's bad hesitation and jerking when starting from a stop. This isn't the result of an old, worn out part. In fact, the average mileage it's reported to us is just over 15k miles.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
22 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,086 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 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate, shudder, and would not accelerate properly with the RPM-??s fluctuating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the duel clutch however, the failure reoccurred. The contact indicated that the duel clutch had been replaced on six separate occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 9,000.
My Vehicle Transmission Gear shifting Malfunction while I was Making a Maneuver with my Vehicle going into forward Driving mode. I had too make a sudden Brake and place the gear back into the Park position. I turn the Engine off and restarted the Engine and placed in drive mode. I drove home with no other incidents but this could have been a crash into other cars and People in the area. I need someone too check into this matter concerning my Vehicle. [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
There are several issues to report. 1. When I put gas in the car it will not crank up fully until the 2 or 3 crank tries and I'll have to press on the accelerator to give it gas and finally it will start up. 2. There are extremely loud static bursts that comes out of the radio speakers when the radio is not on or the the key is out of the ignition. The radio started to work sporadically it comes on and off when it wants to. 3. The car sends messages out stating transmission is overheating and to pull over for 5 mins. It cuts off and also did not allow me to move it at all stuck in traffic.
The clutch slips when accelerator is pressed. It can be fixed (again, I've already had it fixed 3 times but it keeps happening). The car will stutter when accelerating and sometimes does not go right away, causing some safety concerns. It has been confirmed and fixed multiple times. There are no warning lamps for this malfunction.
- Lorain, OH, USA
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The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and exiting off the highway, the contact noticed an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The contact noticed that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and called the local dealer to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. Days prior to the failure, the contact had the vehicle repaired for the clutch bolts being replaced in connection with the transmission. The local dealer inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure that the transmission module was faulty and that the transmission gears needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
When my engine light came on, I took it to about 2-3 shops and they all said it was the catalic convertor. I took it to Coliber Auto Care, they did their own diagnostic and came up with 4 codes which was for the converter, spark plugs, fuel system and the coolant fluid system. I had the coolant system fixed and they told me it's best to have the catalytic converter fixed first before I have thr rest fixed and that the engine light will still be on until I get the converter fixed. It was at the end of the day when I picked up my Ford and when I got into my car, yes I saw the engine light on and as I was driving off, a warning transmission light came on. I then took it to Pepboys to have the convertor fixed and it was them that caught the transmission problem among other issues. I took my car back to Caliber Auto about my transmission because my car was driving just fine until they started working on it. When I picked up my vehicle from Caliber Auto and as I was driving off, my car was stalling and wouldn't automatically shift gears properly. Once I made it home, I had my car towed back to Pepboys then from Pepboys to David McDavid Ford in White Settlement, TX. I do have all the paperwork, but since I'm filling this form on my phone, I have no way of uploading them right now. Once I get a feed back to my email from you, I'll then use my laptop to upload all the documents.
I have a 2014 ford focus and i have had three services?visits i have had the clutch replaced?two shift actuators, the transmission oil seal and the transmission control module after the third service visit the car would shutter nearly every time?i drove it but the symptoms were no more than just performance issues which went on for about two?years. In addition?the car would periodically overheat during extreme temperatures over rover 110 briefly?when i would start the car but the temperature gauge would go right back down? and the car wouldn't overheat. However this was most likely due to the transmission overheating because in June the car would exhibit?the same symptom but more frequently?but then when i was driving on june 13th the computer told me the transmission was overheating. I barely managed?to get the car home however the transmission began to lose power and the transmission service light came on. I later inspected the car and noticed the breather tube had come lose on top of the transmission most likely?due to shuttering. I can no longer drive the car because?of the potential that i could get in an accident even though you have braking and power steering there's a potential for a hazard?when making left turns if you are unable to accelerate while making a left turn due to loss of power with the transmission you could be hit by oncoming traffic. Ford refuses to replace or repair the transmission and as with numerous?other consumers they use the excuse of the car being out of warranty? I have also had a battery draw due to the transmission i have had to replace the the battery 3 times and the hill assist?light came on numerous times?
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled when she disengaged the brake pedal and depressed the accelerator pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated however, the hill start assist not available message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle and pull to the side of the road. The contact stated as she was attempting to park the vehicle at a nearby parking lot, she disengaged the brake pedal and depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled again. The transmission fault, service immediately message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
The vehicle suffered a transmission clutch failure. There was an extended warranty service for the transmission module but not for the transmission clutch. Other models from the same year included transmission clutch service extended warranty but not my vin#. It-??s unfair that my vehicle suffered a clutch failure and it is not a required recall.
Transmission keeps failing on the car and it is currently in a ford dealership as they are refusing to acknowledge that there's a recall on it and that it should be covered. This is the 2nd or third time time that I had issues with the transmission itself not including other constant issues with the car itself.
Vehicle was left with Midwest Superstore in Hutchinson, Kansas July 2020 for multiple fuel related and transmission related problems. Dealer replaced purge valve (recall), did not inspect fuel tank. Also a transmission test was done and all above failure levels. Picked up the car with a dead battery, broken fuel gauge, and still stalled regularly with less than half tank fuel. Did not have spare vehicle, dealt with for entire year. Transmission frequently shutters or locks up. Vehicle frequently stalls in traffic or after fuel addition. Finally was able to get it back to dealer (a year later). They note that indeed the fuel tank is crushed (purge valve recall) and will require a tank and pump assembly. Dealership states that Ford will not honor replacement of these components even though the recall was never adequately performed the previous year. The only thing that can make the fuel tank crush is the defective purge valve they replaced.
Vehicle overheated while driving. Took it to dealership and advised cause is transmission. Advised by dealership manufacturer was aware of problem and still put it on market for sale.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the clutch was hard to shift into gear. Additionally, the transmission became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission and clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The contact stated that the service transmission warning light was displayed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 105,301
I was noticing hesitation on my way to work when the traffic light turned green, I'd press the gas pedal and the car wouldn't move. I'd give it more gas then it would jerk into moving forward. While accelerating as the car would automatically switch gears the car would hesitate as if it weren't taking fuel then jerk into gear to keep moving normally. Once at work I was able to park the car and look at the engine and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. At about noon that day I got into the car to leave for lunch only to realize that I could no longer go into reverse. I would move the shifter from park to reverse then press the gas pedal to begin moving only to seem like I'm still stuck in park. I was able to put the car in Drive however I was in a parking spot facing a building and would not be able to exit only utilizing Drive. I was able to switch the car into neutral and push the car out of the parking spot by hand then drive off with there still being hesitation when the gears switched. I theorize that there may be an issue with the Power Train Control Module within the vehicle not allowing the clutch to shift effectively and a possible imbalance of fuel to air intake.
The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer and was informed that due to the salvage title, the recall would not be honored. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 45 mph, the vehicle decelerated independently and failed to exceed 10-15 mph. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver parked on the side of the road until she arrived at the location to drive the vehicle to a nearby independent mechanic. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was informed by the independent mechanic that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2014 FORD Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently shifted out of drive to neutral without driver input. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing clutch actuator, bearings, and sleeves to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Starting in October of 2020, exactly one year after purchasing my 2014 Ford Focus from the Ford dealership, my car started to vibrate occasionally. Although I was concerned, I did not worry too much about it because it only did it once in a while. February of this year, the vibrations kept getting worse. Now instead of every once in a while, it would happen every-time I accelerated after a right hand turn. This was more noticeable when there was more people in the car. After doing some research I found out that what I was experiencing was a shudder. Even though it is common for these cars, it is not something I want to drive with everyday, that being said, I called my local Ford dealership, ray price Ford in mount pocono, pa asking if they can fix my clutch being that it's under warranty. They stated that was I was describing sounded like the clutch shudder and they can take care of it no problem. Ford told me that there is nothing wrong with my car. They stated that they test drove it and they tested my clutches and it passed the 'safety test'. I told them to test drive it again, it is not safe, and being that I have a 2014, it is only a couple of months until my car goes out of warranty. I'd rather take care of the problem now before it becomes an expensive repair that is difficult to fix and it's out of warranty. Anne hathaway that works there reassured me that my car is not and they would not be fixing it because there is nothing wrong, she stated 'the Ford mechanics may just be used to cars like that so there's nothing they can do'. it seems to me as if they are trying to have me wait until I'm out of warranty and then I have to pay thousands to fix the transmission and the clutches, that is not a solid solution for me. I would like for Ford to either have a lifetime warranty for the clutches/transmission or simply take all these cars off the road.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle independently decelerated to 10 mph. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Morrisville, NC, USA