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 operating the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not properly accelerate. While attempting the accelerate from being stationary, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate. The cause of the failure was not yet available. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was available. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The transmission slips and shudders, when taking off from stop, also when driven a long distance transmission with slip and shudder. Yes it is available for inspection upon request Safety is that could be rear ended causing severe injury to myself or other driver. No the vehicle has not been inspected No warning lights
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started to shudder. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission clutch to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure for a second time in May 2022. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to a second local dealer, Ed Morse Ford Lebanon (260 W Elm St, Lebanon, MO 65536: 417-532-3146) and was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly shift into neutral, causing the contact to pull over and wait until the failure was self-corrected. The transmission failure warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that for the past three months the vehicle remained inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clutch assembly failed and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
- Nashville, TN, USA
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The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated after placing the vehicle into drive(D) and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would hesitate and shudder and eventually begin to gain forward momentum. The contact stated that once the vehicle went through all the gears, at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle would operate normally. However, the contact stated that once the speed was lowered, he would depress the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would hesitate and shudder. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a constant failure and would occur at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Transmission Control Module and the transmission clutches needed to be replaced. The contact was informed by the dealer that there were two manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Programs Numbers: 14M02 (Power Train) and 19N08 (Power Train) had been issued but that the warranty coverage period had been exceeded. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.
The contact's wife owns a 2014 Ford focus. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle was jerking. The vehicle then decelerated to 5 MPH with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's wife veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted, and the vehicle would not exceed 20 MPH while driving. The contact's wife was able to drive to her destination. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 14M02. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part was on back order for 16 months. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 19,972.
Transmission Control Module went out on my 2014 Ford Focus that I had just purchased March of 2022. The vehicle had only 40,000 miles wen the TCM went out and luckily it happened while I was in my driveway. I had the car towed to Owen Ford in Jarratt, VA. Of course, we had to wait for the part to come in which took a few months. At first we were told that we would have to pay for the TCM and the fee to do the work. Later we were called to tell us that Ford had made it a recall. So they finally repaired the TCM and called my husband to come try it out. My husband drove 7 miles up the road and back and went to the little store next to the dealership. When he got back in the car, the car would not go forward or in reverse. He walked back over to the dealership and told them the issue. They went and got it. Said they didn't know what was wrong with it because no code came up. So they said they would have to rebuild the whole transmission and it would cost me $3900. I'm sorry but I had no transmission problem until the TCM went out. And the dealership can't tell me what exactly is wrong but wants to charge me $3900. Ford should be responsible for fixing my vehicle. It was running just fine until the TCM went out.
I started having problems the minute I drove off the lot they told me my transmission was fine when I knew it wasn-??t 2020 started going in to be repaired transmission needed rebuilt rear main seal needed to be replaced that-??s when the tech realized my transmission needed to be rebuilt it-??s been in the shop three or four times for the transmission and the clutches then I think my transmission started messing up again 2021 then found out it was misfiring replaced spark plugs and coils all of it now on top of all my other problems my check engine lights back on it-??s flashing I-??ve done the spark plugs again just replaced my O2 sensors going to take it back to a mechanic and have it looked at don-??t know what-??s going on I-??m really worried that my coolant is leaking because it-??s went down and done and now I just filled it up again and it looks like it-??s dropping again i-??m hoping it-??s nothing because I just found out that the eco-boost motors are leaking coolant into the cylinder heads they-??re saying trucks right now I think it-??s in Canada in California I know I have a eco-boost your car flex fuel or whatever you wanna call it so I-??m really hoping it-??s nothing but problems after problems with his car and Ford doesn-??t wanna do anything about it they gave me some money as a good faith thing but that-??s it I got a hold of Ford and they will the lady called me once she says she called three times she won-??t return my phone calls I was told that they wanted to buy my car back now they won-??t do anything and like I said I-??m having problems with it again these cars are crap they need to take all of them back and I-??m sitting here reading even more people having issues that-??s not OK and I don-??t even know what-??s wrong with my car right now
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking. Additionally, the vehicle stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the "transmission fault, service now, " warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective transmission control module (TCM). The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession for 9 months before the TCM was replaced. Despite the initial repair, the failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer after the most recent failure and remained in the dealer's possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her grandson was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The driver stated that after 20 minutes the vehicle restarted. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The dealer completed the recall repair, but the vehicle continued to experience failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an unknown module to be replaced. The dealer stated that the repair part was on backorder and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and turning left at a traffic signal, the vehicle started shuddering and almost stalled. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated and then lunged through the turn. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact had been advised by the manufacturer that there had been a Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 19N08 (Transmission Clutch Shudder) and that the vehicle was past the Warranty Extension period and not eligible for repair. The failure mileage was 126,029.
My 16 year old daughter was driving this 2014 Ford Focus on the expressway in June of 2022 when the car lost power and would not excelerate. The car became inoperable and was shaking. There was no prior warning to indicate there was a problem with the vehicle and the vehicle has approx 79,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where we had purchased a warranty but due to a warranty through Ford that existed due to a major problem with the transmission and wiring harness, Ford was to cover this repair. Today is February 1, 2023 the car is still sitting waiting for repair. We have been told there are no after market parts and Ford through numerous phone calls has advised they do not have the part to fix the transmission with no eta. Besides the fact that this was a dangerous situation when my inexperienced daughter at 16 was driving on the expressway at 65 miles an hour and completely lost power and could of been killed, killed some one else, or at the very least caused an accident, the car still sets waiting for 9 months for a part that Ford does not know when will be available.
The transmission shudder is so significant that I cannot merge onto streets (city speeds or highway speeds) without causing traffic to slow down. There is a significant delay between the gear disengaging and the next gear engaging, all while shutter with sounds that feel like the car is falling apart. It started years ago, and it continues to this day. It continues to get worse and we are unable to sell this vehicle due to the safety concerns. No warning lights/check engine lights are illuminated on the dashboard.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and experienced rough shifting. 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 manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 87,000.
My car is still at the dealership (CrossRoads Ford, of Indian Trail, NC). The vehicle has been there since 11/22/22. The Service Department keeps telling me they are waiting on a Recall Part to come in and have not given me anything else. The car will not drive, and they advised it was a Recall Part, but the system shows all Recall has been repaired? I need my car back- I have already paid 3 months for a car payment, on a car that is still sitting in the Service Department there.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the engine hesitated to respond then the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that while accelerating the vehicle inadvertently decelerated. The transmission fault warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. Other unknown failures were found. The contact was made aware of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V350000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the parts to do the repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking lot on a level surface, the RPMs revved up, the vehicle hesitated to respond and made an abnormal sound as it was shifting from first gear to second gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact slightly released the accelerator pedal and was able to continue driving while the vehicle was in first gear. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while making a right turn on an incline. The contact continued driving and the vehicle gradually shifted into second gear while driving uphill. However, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission clutch was previously replaced on 5 occasions due to the vehicle lunging forward and shuddering while shifting from first to second gear. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,500.
My 2014 Ford Focus which I have had for 6 years has developed a problem with the Powertrain Control Module. This is a known problem with the car, and Ford extended the warranty for 10 years. I have been waiting 8 months now for the part which is still on backorder, with no estimate of when the part will be available. I can no longer drive the car because the car violently jerks when accelerating and almost comes to a complete stop. I can temporary fix the problem following online instructions, but it last only a day. I am afraid to drive the car because the jerking/hesitation might result in an accident. Ford does not seem to be addressing their responsibility with this dangerous issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Spartanburg, SC, USA