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 car continues to stall and buckle while driving. Doug Henry og Tarboro NC Diagnose came up with replacing clutch and transmission with a cost of of $10237.57 dollars. This car is a safety hazard.
Car jerking and started to not move forward when step on gas pedal then had to pull over and stop car. Was on local road. Brought car to dealer and they found it was due to TCM mail notice saying this car year / model needs replacement, but they have ordered parts 6 months ago and none has been received nor do they know when they will receive. This would be covered by Ford. Dealer also said Clutch needs to be fixed, around $5,000, which dealer will not pay, we will need to pay. Dealer did not provide paperwork. My car is only 9 years old, 30,000 miles, and Dealer warned us not to drive car till the 2 problems are fixed because they are unsure when car is going to suddenly be volatile and cause major unknown problems
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that when attempting to accelerate from being idle the vehicle would jerk and or began lagging. When driving at various speeds and attempting to increase in speed the RPMs would begin revving up as if the vehicle would accelerate, however, it would fail to increase in speed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the who diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
We bought this used vehicle from Toyota of Peoria Dealership in April 2023. Was in the middle of traffic when my vehicle stop almost getting into a accident.Due to a clutch recall that we were not informed of. When we got it into a Ford dealership they told us that we would have to pay for theses recalls that ended going bad in the vehicle. Told us that recall only last for 5 years or 100 thousand mile it would of been covered. Being a big dealership in our area they should of checked all recalls as well looking over everything before selling a car. These recalls should go longer then 5 years.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle started shuddering. The contact stated that the transmission was shifting erratically, causing the vehicle lunge forward. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty shift fork in the transmission, and a faulty spark plug. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a complaint on behalf of the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after shifting the gear selector to reverse, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 89,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle ceased to accelerate as designed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road where the transmission overheated warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission clutch failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to Essential Ford of Stuart (4000 SE Federal Hwy, Stuart, FL 34997) where the failure was acknowledged; however, the dealer could not service the vehicle in a timely manner. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer where the contact paid out of pocket for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle jerked and hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal, causing the contact to pull to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic, where unknown repairs were completed; however, the failure recurred. The contact received notice of Ford Campaign Number: 14M02. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the TCM and the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the TCM would be covered under the campaign; however, she would be charged a repair and labor fee for the transmission clutch replacement. 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 22,000.
Bought this 2014 Ford Focus from a used dealership for my 16 year old daughter's 1st car. Within a week of owning the car noticed the car had a hesitation going from a stop sign intersection stop to pulling out would not pickup speed but has a forced hesitation before eventually gaining speed. My daughter was also at a intersection one day when the car slipped and jerked as a result in sudden or delayed vehicle acceleration nearly causing an accident. We have a engine light code that was showing as well during the first week of owning the car and it reads as: Transmission code P090C-00 Clutch B Actuator Control Circuit Low. The Actuator part was replaced and the car continues to have the same problem and the engine light continues to go on and off.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was included in the Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign Number: 14M02 however, the parts to perform the repair were on backorder. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while reversing at 3 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer, and it was confirmed that the clutch shudder was the cause of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 50,001.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the transmission shifted gears rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving up an incline, there was a delay in acceleration while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle had to be jumpstarted. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced due to the clutch shudder failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 and Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08 had expired. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after stopping at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact shut off and restarted the vehicle. The contact then drove to the residence; however, the vehicle failed to restart the following day. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence to replace the battery; however, the failure recurred. Another independent mechanic arrived at the residence to replace two unknown sensors, but the failure persisted, with the transmission overheating and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a third independent mechanic, who referred the contact to a transmission specialist. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering and vibrating while shifting gear. Additionally, while driving, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated the transmission clutch had been replaced on two previous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under an Extended Warranty. The failure mileage was 19,000.
The car slips gears on takeoff. This is a common problem with these cars. The problem is when people google it the results tell them to drive them hard not easy on takeoff. They say drive it like you stole it. I feel the is very dangerous and these cars should be recalled and taken off the roads.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the transmission erroneously shifted to neutral. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the transmission was previously serviced for the failure on multiple occasions. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while shifted into reverse(R), the wheels locked, and the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Transmission Control Module). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, she depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that she applied more pressure to the accelerator pedal and the vehicle slowly responded. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated while driving and the message "Transmission Overheated" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road to allow the transmission to cool off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions, and the grill shudder module assembly, the transmission fluid, and the transmission clutch actuator were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 19N07. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rocky Mount, NC, USA