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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:
39,816 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.

2014 Ford Focus drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2014 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 3 of 71)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1364

Jun 102024

Focus

  • 110,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The service engine soon warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under the warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02, and Technical Service Bulletin: 16-0129 (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Wooster, OH, USA

problem #1363

Jul 012023

Focus

  • 99,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on four occasions at various speeds, the vehicle shifted into neutral(N) inadvertently and would not shift into any other gear. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed again, and the transmission eventually shifted into the desired gear. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering with an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment while changing gear. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly and shift motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

- Bellevue, WA, USA

problem #1362

Jun 172024

Focus

  • miles
I have been trying to get my car fixed but they will not honor the recalled part. I took it to another garage bc Ford is saying it's my clutch but I seem for my own eyes the only code was for the tcm. And then Ford told me they do not honor another mechanics diagnostics.

- Hurricane, WV, USA

problem #1361

Jun 142024

Focus

  • 149,127 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle was stalling and jerking. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated when the transmission was shifted into gear and attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 149,127.

- Saint Joseph, MO, USA

problem #1360

May 282024

Focus

  • miles
As I have stated before, this seems to be an issue with all cars like this and the year! I am very disappointed that I heard NOTHING back from the first time I sent this. Spending over $4000 on a $4000 car is ridiculous

- Rockmart, GA, USA

problem #1359

Jun 102024

Focus

  • miles
This is for a shuttering clutch. I was not put in an unsafe position. The problem was found by the dealer when the car was in having a TCM replaced. There was no warning lamps or any other indication. I was told from the dealer I purchased the car from that it was an automatic but had a clutch and would feel like a manual transmission when it shifts. The dealer told me there was a Consumer Satisfaction Program 19N08 but it had expired and there is nothing they could do. Ford-??s Customer Care told me the same thing. My car is over the 7 years but has 77,200 miles which is way below the 100,000 to qualify for 19N08. This program only ran from 2019-2020 before it expired. A car like mine has low miles and didn-??t see the problem until now but is left out of a known problem because of the short program time frame. Now after only owning the car for 6 months I have to pay approximately $2700 to fix this known problem. This program needs to be opened back up or allow every vehicle with this problem to use the program one time without the time restriction.

- Fenton, MO, USA

problem #1358

May 212024

Focus

  • miles

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

When the transmission went out, it shuddered so hard it broke the motor mounts. This is a serious problem and needs to be one recall list! I just had to pay $4000 to have the clutch, nigh shift levers engagement bearing and bearing support tube replaced. The dealership can almost do this car with his eyes closed because he has done so many! This should not be the case!!!

- Rockmart, GA, USA

problem #1357

May 172024

Focus

  • miles
It did the exact same thing it did in April! Driving in traffic this time. The jerking, and not wanting to excelerate... then jumps from drive to neutral doing 70 mph! On hwy 59! THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AT THIS POINT! MAKE FORD FIX THIS

- Hattiesburg, MS, USA

problem #1356

May 182022

Focus

  • miles
Car shudders and bucks because of a faulty clutch brake as stated by the dealership that diagnosed it.

- Blaine, MN, USA

problem #1355

Feb 152024

Focus

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated the clutch had been replaced on several occasions. The contact stated while approaching a stop sign the vehicle hesitated to come to a full stop. Additionally, under rainy conditions, the vehicle failed to fully respond to the brake pedal being depressed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Altamonte Springs, FL, USA

problem #1354

Feb 012015

Focus

  • 50 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated, and the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired six times, but the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #1353

May 202024

Focus

  • 161,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a complete stop and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved significantly while the transmission was in 1st gear. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift to a higher gear. The contact stated that upon releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shifted to the next gear; however, the transmission was slipping. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved; however, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The message "Service Transmission Now" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission was recalibrated twice; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission slave cylinder, the levers A and B and the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000. The VIN was not available.

- Chambersburg, PA, USA

problem #1352

May 022024

Focus

  • miles
I believe the defective TCM cause all kinds of havoc on the other systems. And Ford KNOWS they can not fix this issue. Cause car to accelerate an come to a stop in the street! No way safe

- Hattiesburg , MS, USA

problem #1351

May 172024

Focus

  • miles
The vehicle is a 2014 Ford Focus equipped with a PowerShift dual-clutch transmission-named DSP6. The vehicle exhibits a Faulty automatic transmission/shift malfunction and is unable to shift properly; causing intermittent engine deceleration coming to a stop; this indicates there is a shift malfunction and a faulty transmission. This problem has been confirmed by the dealer.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #1350

Aug 172021

Focus

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. In addition, the failure occurred while the contact was driving from a stop sign or driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed clutch. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the clutch had previously been replaced twice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #1349

May 162024

Focus

  • 213,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. After jumpstarting the vehicle, the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 213,000.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #1348

May 132024

Focus

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the transmission started to make a rattling noise. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart on the third attempt however, the failure recurred. The vehicle taken to the dealer where the diagnostic test result was not disclosed; however, the transmission clutch was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the transmission clutch which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.

- Moore, OK, USA

problem #1347

Mar 012024

Focus

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly shifted into neutral. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing, and the vehicle stalled and was undriveable. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

- Wilton, ME, USA

problem #1346

Dec 012015

Focus

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shuddered like the transmission was about to shift; however, the vehicle had an automatic transmission. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds the vehicle was slow to accelerate and while the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle drove sluggishly. The contact placed the car in park and waited 15 minutes, then when the vehicle was shifted into drive the failure was not replicated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer once and was diagnosed with a transmission module failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer several times and was diagnosed with the same failure and repaired. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to a different dealer several times and was diagnosed with the same failure and repaired. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to the initial dealer where it was diagnosed with a clutch assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

- Ormond Beach, FL, USA

problem #1345

Apr 242024

Focus

  • miles
I am writing to address a significant issue regarding my Ford Focus 2014 (VIN [XXX] ). On [XXX], the check engine light illuminated, indicating error code P07A3 - Transmission Friction Element "A". I promptly took my car to AutoNational Ford Bellevue for inspection (customer #[XXX]). Despite assurances of a Transmission Control Module replacement under warranty, the issue persisted after alleged replacement. Upon independent examination on [XXX], it was found that the Transmission Control Module remained unchanged, contrary to the dealership's assertions. 1. AutoNational Ford Bellevue representative initiates a warranty claim (which is valid until 2025) for my Ford Focus's Transmission Control Module. 2. The Transmission Control Module is not installed in my car; instead, someone from AutoNational Ford Bellevue effectively appropriates it (its value is over $500). 3. I am misled into believing that the Transmission Control Module has been installed; in reality, they are deceiving me. They hope that because the car is old, I will need to replace the dual clutch transmission, and thus, I won't pursue this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Bellevue , WA, USA

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