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 2014 Ford Focus has been one of the most unstable and unsafe vehicles I have ever driven. From the constant shuddering and hesitating to the consistent repairs this car has to have. I was merging onto 380 in monroe county, Pennsylvania from the tannersville exit when my car hesitated to speed up. I was going 40 when I was trying to speed up to at least 60, I held my foot on the accelerator and my car did not pick up speed, it didn't gain speed, it actually dropped down to 35mph. After about 20 seconds my car then picked up speed and I was finally able to go 60mph +. this is an extremely dangerous situation to be in, especially on the highway. The clutches do not last long and constantly have to be repaired, Ford extended warranty is a joke, I have a 2014 and even though it is only at 53, xxx miles, because it has been seven years I am out of luck when it comes to repairs. I cannot afford to pay $1,500 + every couple thousand miles when these clutches go. The power shift dct was horribly manufactured and I truly believe that this car will be the cause of my death someday. I'm hoping Ford can either buy back my vehicle or the whole car will be recalled, it should be honestly.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 5 mph, the vehicle would stall and shudder as the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to bowditch Ford Inc (11291 jefferson ave, newport news, va 23601) where it was diagnosed with the transmission clutch needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
Since I purchased my daughter a used certified Ford Focus from the dealership I've had multiple problems with the vehicle shifting properly. The worst case is when at high speed (60 mph or more) the car all of a sudden goes into 1st or 2nd gear causing a tremendous jerk that almost causes the vehicle to go out of control. Just yesterday (14mar21) I was driving thru a construction zone on I10 thru the town of benson Arizona at a speed of 60 mph when the tremendous jerk happened again with the RPM shooting up to 6,000 on my tachometer for 5 to 7 seconds. The normal RPM at a steady speed of 60 should be 2,200 RPM. The tractor trailer rig driving behind me almost ran into my Ford Focus, but luckily the driver had his eyes on what was happening. I got off the interstate at the next exit, drove onto a two lane country road and was able to repeat the downshift problem five times, but at the reduced speed of 40 mph. The jerk was still there but not as harsh or uncontrolling as at 60 mph. The normal RPM at 40 when accelerating should be 2400 RPM, but at the time of the downshift problem it shot up to 4500 RPM. The car has been in the Ford dealership repair facility numerous times since September of 2020 and still is not fixed. It is there as I am typing this report. When I purchased the vehicle there was no mention of the Ford Focus cars having any kind of transmission problems, or any information regarding a recall or class action lawsuit due to the Ford Focus transmission. My highest concern is for the safety of my daughter who is the primary driver and anybody else on the road who could possibly be hurt or killed because of a car that can go out of control due to the downshifting of the gears while at high speed. I believe that I have the Ford Focus that can prove that this automobile should not be on the road.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the manual transmission failed to properly engage while shifting gears. Additionally, a grinding sound was present coming from the transmission and the vehicle would suddenly slow down when driving from a standing start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer red mccombs Ford located at 7111 northwest loop 410, san antonio, tx 78238 who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000.
- Cheasepeake, VA, USA
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The transmission would slip badly, even totally disengage. I was getting on a very busy road and accelerated and suddenly the car decelerated; the car behind me almost rear ended me, honked his horn, but there was nothing I could do. It slipped not as badly last year and Ford fixed it, saying it was under an extended warranty for known issues with the transmission, but now they say it is not covered and will cost $2200 to fix. There are pages and pages on the internet talking about the problems with this transmission. It is dangerous!
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled as the power steering assist service warning light illuminated. The contact managed to coast the vehicle to the shoulder, steer the wheels off the freeway on to the main road and came to a complete stop applying the brake pedal in the parking lot. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then towed to germain Ford of beavercreek (2356 heller dr, dayton, oh 45434, (937)429-1300) where it was diagnosed however, the contact was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the diagnostic information. The contact mentioned a power train recall associated with the VIN and research NHTSA campaign number: 13V523000 (power train) was referenced as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000. ## VIN failed ## 2014 Ford Focus ##
The contact owned a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to bayou Ford (555 belle terre blvd, la place, la 70068) where the failure was diagnosed as a faulty transmission. The dealer informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle. The contact stated the vehicle was towed to a scrap yard to be destroyed. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The contact was able to drift over the right and park at a nearby parking lot. The contact stated that the transmission warning light illuminated after parking the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired as of yet. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The transmission in this vehicle shutters, slips, loses power or loses acceleration when accelerating from a dead stop, or accelerating in speed when shifting gears. This happens from a dead stop, when accelerating in traffic to merge, change lanes or pass a car; pretty much anytime the gas pedal is pressed the car will lurch and/or shudder and/or lose power, resulting in many near misses and almost accidents in the time that we have owned the car. This car was purchased used mid-2015. By November 2015 the first replacement of the clutches was done. In March of 2018, just a few months out of the two-year warranty, the clutches needed replacing again. It was too expensive for us, so we opted to have the software flashed instead. Under the extended parts coverage offered by Ford, the clutches were replaced for a second time in December of 2019. By January 2021 the car needed new clutches for the third time. The dealership contacted Ford to see if they could do anything about it, and Ford refuses because the car and the clutches are slightly out of warranty, the clutches only out by a month, even though this six-year-old car is on its third set of clutches.
I changed the battery after I left the car sitting in my garage for several months. I tried to drive it after and it shook and jiggled, it stuttered and nearly halted completely. I barely made it home, only 10 minutes away. I called the dealership in regards to the multiple recalls on the transmission. The valley picked it up because I was too afraid to drive it. It is "fixed" but with the list of issues and the amount that needed fixed has made me nervous about divin G it.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a standstill, the transmission does not receive enough power to operate the vehicle. The contact stated a warning light was illuminated but does not remember which light came on. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the clutch position circuit replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of failure and told the contact that since the vehicle was out of warranty they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the dual clutch transmission had failed on several occasions. While stopped on an incline, the vehicle would roll backwards upon release of the brake pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle shuddered and downshift while accelerating from first to second gear, without warning. Additionally, while the cruise control was engaged, the transmission downshifted from third to first gear while going downhill, without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to schicker Ford of St. Louis (3300 S kings highway blvd, St. Louis, mo 63139) and the mechanic twice performed an electronic update and had the transmission clutch replaced however, the failure recurred soon after the repair. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19V515000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The car didn't malfunction shortly after being repaired. The replacement clutch usually lasts 6 months before the usual shudder, rolling at stops, cruise control RPM issues. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked, shuddered, and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle stalled and was towed to the local dealer sames bastrop Ford located at 1115 tx-71, bastrop, tx 78602, who diagnosed that the engine and transmission were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
A friend and I were in jackson, Tennessee on 9/28/2018. We were stopped(stationary)at the light on oil well drive and 45 bypass. While we were at the light, the car started going in reverse and my friend asked me "doris, why are we going backwards?" a few seconds later, the car's notification system gave a message for transmission problems and please move the car to safety. After I stepped on the brakes to stop the car, it shot forward and we managed to get to the nearest parking lot. Roadside assistance called a towing company, and they pulled it to golden circle auto group, where I had purchased the car from in 2013. The problem was supposed to be fixed by them, and another Ford dealership, steve marsh Ford was the last one to do repair work on the car. I paid them $700, and they said that I need another $2000. The car does not run, and is sitting in my yard. I have had problems with this lemon ever since I bought it in 2013.
While my daughter was driving with 2 young children in car on a city St/highway, car suddenly stopped, & had to be towed to a repair shop.. mechanic reported that electrical wires were laying against engine, which overheated & melted wires, causing vehicle to stop... he added that it could have caused a fire & ought to be a recall item.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after shifting into drive, the vehicle failed to drive forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to steve marsh Ford located at 12415 S 1st St, Milan, tn 38358, who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 50,000.
My car began to stall as I started driving and the gears had trouble shifting to the next gear and the car couldn't go faster than 30 miles per hour without wanting to turn off. I took it to boggus Ford in harlingen, Texas and they took a week to inform me that they had fixed the problem and that it was the clutch. There was a recall on this problem back in January 2020 and I took my car into the same dealership to get the recall fixed but leading up to now, it wasn't fixed. I picked up my car from the dealership November 22,2020 and as I drove off my car stalled by the highway so I called the dealership back to tell them and they said there's nothing they can do and the problem must be internal. My car got picked up by raymond's transmission shop because it didn't turn on anymore. They worked on my car and I was told that the recall had not been done and that's why my car gave up. I paid raymond's transmission $1,600 to get it fixed. Boggus Ford in harlingen Texas did not fix my recall so I want to report their wrongdoing and seek compensation for the financial burden they imposed upon me. I did not have my vehicle for almost 3 weeks and I had to get rides every day. Please let me know if anything can be done to help me. Thank you, sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owned a 2014 Ford Focus that she purchased from pacifico Ford, Inc.(6701 essington ave, philadelphia, pa 19153). She stated that the vehicle would stall while driving at various speeds without warning soon after purchase. She took the vehicle back to the dealer and after a week, the vehicle was returned to the contact. Upon return of the vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated while attempting to park without warning. Due to the failure, the vehicle slammed into a barrier and flipped over into slope and landed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact was assisted by a bystander and was taken out of her vehicle. The authorities arrived at the scene and the contact was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries. Since the accident, the contact stated that she was treated for a concussion, four different brain injuries, a broken neck, a broken upper and middle back, a broken left hip disc, and a broken left knee. A police report was not filed at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed at the scene and was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in there possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that there were two recalls on the vehicle for NHTSA campaign numbers: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline) and 20V331000 (latches/locks/linkages). The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Albrightsville, PA, USA