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.
Bought a 2014 Ford Focus 1/17/16and 6 months after owning it, the vehicle shuddered when taking off at a green light, had lost power around corners. Got a recall notice June 2016 got a new clutch and transmission power train. January 2017 problem persisted brought it back to the dealer they said its over 60,000 warranty and have to pay cash for the transmission repair. Could not drive the car safely it would not shift. Brought it back without recall notice June 20, 2017, and the dealer said they will file a 360 on repair of the clutch. Waiting for the dealer to call now 6/21/17. I need a reliable car for work and my family and can not drive this car. So scared driving it 3/4 close calls and rear ends. It sits as I pay for it every month.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While driving at any speed, the vehicle hesitated and vibrated without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (tristar Ford in blairsville, pa) where an unknown recall repair was performed. The failure recurred several times after approximately three months. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and stated that there was no recall available. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000. Updated 11/02/17
2014 Ford Focus. Consumer writes in regards to transmission problems. The consumer stated after accelerating from a stop the would violently shutter. The vehicle was repaired twice at no charge to the consumer. It was advised that the failure was due to a rotating transmission. Also, the parts for the door latch recall repair were not available. Updated 06/20/2017
When trying to drive up a steep city street, the engine lugged down and almost died several times before reaching the top of the hill. I would release and step on the gas pedal and it would rev up a little, but then the power would drop off again almost died each time. I took the vehicle into the dealer for service under warranty and they were able to fix it. The transmission was not shifting down under load as it should have. It now appears to be working properly. If the engine had quit, power steering and brakes would have been lost and if that had happened I may have rolled back down the hill, through a barricade and onto the freeway about 30 feet below. Thank god that did not happen.
Transmission problems since the day I purchased it(3/31/2014). It hesitates from a dead stop or in motion, shutters when accelerating from a stop. Slips out of gear from a dead stop or in motion. After I brought it in for a recall (1/18/2017) it now slips out of gear and dealer says it needs a new clutch for $2,000 when it did not have that issue before the recall. I drive 95% highway. Car has 76,000 miles on it. It's an automatic. I've had multiple cars with automatic transmissions in them and they had over 200,000 miles on them with no issues. I believe this transmission is defective and Ford needs to replace it. I have brought the car in several times beginning with the first week I had it with transmission problems. It would have been in a lot more but they stated this is normal. I now have a car I can't drive nor have $2,000 to fix it. I take very good care of my cars and expected this to last longer than 3 years before a major repair. Now with this known issue, my $30,000 vehicle that I paid for only 3 years ago is only worth about $6,000 on a trade in. I still owe $12,000 on it. How is this normal or fair. Repairing a defective transmission is not a solution since it will fail again. It needs to be replaced. Is it true that Ford knew about these defective transmissions yet still installed them? this is not fair to us as consumers to knowingly be sold a defective unsafe vehicle. Please consider placing a recall on these vehicles as they are unsafe to drive in their current condition.
- Port St. Lucie, FL, USA
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If I am stopped at a light or stop sign on an incline, and I take my foot off the break, the car will roll back until I am on level ground; all while the car is in drive. I have taken it to the dealer twice and each time they say that it is just the way this model is and they can not do anything about it. I am concerned about my safety and the safety of others because I may take my foot off the break and before I can apply gas I may roll into the car behind me.
When I am at a complete stop and I attempt to accelerate, my Ford jerks rapidly. In order to drive the vehicle I have to press on the gas forcibly in order to accelerate to a normal speed limit. After several attempts to complain to the orginal dealership metro Ford on noland road of the issue I was told that it was a shudder transmission problem. The Ford dealership will not solve the issue and although they stated they reset the issue they try to convince me that it is normal when in fact it is not. This vehicle is an extreme hazard and unsafe to drive for me and my children. I am afraid it will stall at a busy intersection in the future.
My Focus hesitates when hitting gas after I've been stopped. It feels like the car is going to hesitate. It's also difficult to drive on hilly roads. There's no power and it feels like I'm going to stall. Ford tells me there is no recall but I see plenty of websites where people are voicing their complaints for the same issue. Sometimes the car won't go in reverse when I'm pulling out of a parking space. This is very dangerous.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road, waited a few minutes, restarted the vehicle, and resumed driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred when the engine became hot. The vehicle was taken to the johnson city Ford dealer in Tennessee where it was diagnosed that the transmission friction element B stuck on, and the clutch engagement bearing and clutch levers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that nothing else could be done. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. Within two months of owning the vehicle, the vehicle vibrated, jerked, and lunged when approaching a stop. The dealer had replaced the clutch assembly four times, which failed to provide a solution. The manufacturer provided no solution to the dealer and there was no voluntary manufacturer recall. The manufacturer indicated that they would provide a service campaign to replace the part repeatedly. The contact felt that replacing the same oem part was not providing a remedy. The contact was unable to get the vehicle repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 0. updated 07/18/17
Vehicle jerks on streets and highways. Transmission is faulty. NHTSA has already received several complaint regarding this specific issue. Why hasn't there been a forced recall? it's a problem that affects several customer's driving the same model.
The car shudders and shakes while driving! the vehicle stalls when pulling out into traffic or at yeild signs on any type of road.when stopped at red lights or stop signs and trying to start off car shudders and shakes so bad it may take a few minutes for the car to actually go again. The worst aspect is when trying to pull out into traffic of expressways or local roads and the car stalls!
My vehicle had been brought in for transmission issues before for slipping, and delay when the gas is depressed. Since the repair I've noticed the car's transmission while put in reverse will feel like it slips into neutral. It happened while I was backing into my parking spot in my apartment complex. The transmission is also very jerky when accelerating on an incline and will start to roll backwards. This was also a problem prior to the initial repair so I don't know if this is signifying the return of the problem. In addition to the transmission problem the controls on the steering wheel are also non-responsive or will control something other than what it is supposed to be for (ex: Volume + and - change the radio station or end a call). In addition to this, the sync system will either not connect to the phone via bluetooth occasionally or it will not be able to recognize the device. Keep in mind that the phone connecting is a galaxy S7, so I know it is compatible. The electrical problems have been on going and were addressed in the initial transmission repairs but they were not resolved. The second transmission issue occurred again on the annotated date.
When accelerating or going up hill, the car does not shift correctly and causes the car to shutter. My car is at 71,000 miles right now, and this part was already replaced in January, 2015 and again in September, 2016 and needs to be replaced again.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the dealer replaced the clutch five times, but the vehicle continued to shutter, and lurch forward and backward. The failure made it difficult to downshift and apply the brakes. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced and made no mention that the manufacturer had a service campaign concerning the transmission control module extended coverage (14M02). The contact was to check with the manufacturer to determine if they could provide a remedy. The failure mileage was not available.
Transmission seals are leaking. Ford put out a massive customer satisfaction program tsb that addressed this issue with an extended warranty for focuses built before June 2013. My car was built within 6 months after that date but has the exact same problem. They put out another tsb with an extended warranty for the transmission which does cover my car but it does not cover the transmission seals. Ford knows it has a massive transmission problem which was not properly fixed when my car was produced. Yet I am on the hook for paying for the fix.
I bought my car just a few weeks ago, 4/2017 almost immediately it started this "sputtering" anytime I would move forward from a complete stop. Some people calling this a shutter. The hesitation is at every stop on every take off. I took it in to a Ford dealership near my home, & I was told that this is a known common problem at Ford & it involved a clutch issue or faulty tcm with this automatic manual transmission. Ford was aware of the problem, yet continued to sell these cars. The Ford service tech manager after hearing my issues, looked up my cars zin & told me that Ford stopped the recall on my model Focus on cars made after June 2013. My car was built 8/13 two months after the recall deadline. So let me get this straight every car made in this Focus style from 2012 -2014 except my car and a few others bill after 6/13 are covered under a recall for this exact same issue that I am having. I was told this is because they put new type seals in the transmission after 6/13. They did a tcm flash to the transmission that is covered under a recall so Ford knows this is a known issue even for cars made after 6/13 or they would not need to have a recall issued for it. The manger took in my complaints in stride and said many Focus have this problem. So I guess I just bought the most dangerous vehicle that I have ever driven (30 years and 10 cars later) in my life. I'm guess I'm wondering why Ford would stop the recall midyear when clearly the transmission is still having problems obviously in cars after being built on or after 6/13. It shudders at take off, has trouble going from first to second. The car does this when starting from a dead stop mostly but it has also happened when the car slows down to a light, the lights changes and the car sometimes hesitates or lurches as its try's to find the right gear while starting to going faster again.
Break light on dash said break light fails all break lihts on when pushing break pedel my wife checked it light came on and warring transmishin running hot tap breaks back trunk lach on the back everytime I hit a bumb the light comes on the dash and today when I was backing up all thje indercater light went out on dash.it was in the shop on 3/28/2017
2015 not even a year old had clutch replaced due to car shuddering and failed clutch shudder test. Not even a year later, doing it again and Ford is telling me there is no warranty, it is out of the 60,000 mile warranty that came with the car. They want me to pay $1100 out of pocket to replace a new clutch due to shedder test failing again. This is ridiculous when they know a problem exists
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Brooksville, FL, USA