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.
When driving the car it shutters, jerks, loses power and accelerations, shakes. The transmission was replaces once and it is doing it again under 100k miles. It could easily cause an accident. Transmission also randomly says it is hot to stop. There is a customer safety extended warranty on the tcm for this specific car. From what I have seen there is a recall on transmission clutches for the 2014 Ford Focus SE just not my car apparently for the clutch. Ford wants me to take it to pay 250 to tell me if its covered under warranty recall but a transmission place already told me it was a faulty clutch they told me about the extended warranty. I have read this happened to hundreds of people. It is dangerous. How can I file a class action lawsuit, report to the better business bureau to be resolved or report to the proper place? Also not to long ago driving down the highway the doors just swung open door locks stopped working. There was a recall and got fixed but this car is a safety hazard and ford should care more about their product and customer safety. Is there anyone who has a 2014 Ford Focus with a clutch issue. I was told if its the TCM the car wont start I don't want to spend 250 to be told the clutch isn't under warranty. It is a ripoff. I know its not the TCM.
Customer experienced sluggish performance and failed starts along with computer error code P0456. Independent mechanic found open recall for canister purge valve associated with error code. Two different ford dealerships in Massachusetts indicated that the vin number associated with the recall was not covered. As a result, Ford failed to honor recall notice for canister purge valve. A year later, Ford mailed a notice to owners regarding this recall. Consumer called ford and was instructed to apply for a refund under the recall by visiting the very dealerships that denied recall services previously. This represents a failure by ford motor company to effectively comply and address a federally mandated recall causing consumers to pay for repairs and then request a refund.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and jerked while accelerating. The check engine warning light illuminated with the message -??Transmission Failure" displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer three times and it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch, TCM, and the clutch actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the light changed and the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated before responding as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was jolting into gear. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM needed a software update. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission clutches needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure of the clutches. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
- Olathe, KS, USA
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The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered while depressing the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while accelerating from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective clutch actuator. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
UNKNOWN The transmission malfunctioned. While in motion, the car failed to shift gears smoothly, would jerk, rev high, with acceleration not maching the high rev, and the check engine light came up. The car's erratic movement impacted other drivers on the road as well, who had to slow down and or try to pass. The stalling and the dragging from the transmission were random and made it harder to manage the driving. The car was previously recalled for a similar, or possibly the same problem. This started on November 27th, 2024. I checked and the check engine diagnostic returned a "P07A5" error: "Transmission Friction Element B stuck on." This error code from the check engine reading and my prior experience with similar symptoms from the initial recall is why I feel the transmission or something related to it, is the cause of the problem.
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 vehicle sputtered and jerked while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to perform as needed and the contact parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to an independent mechanic, and the battery was replaced. The contact was informed that if the failure reoccurred, the failure might be with the transmission clutch. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed of an undisclosed Customer Satisfaction Program however, the contact had not received the notification. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking abnormally and then stalled with the -??Service Transmission-?? warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle shut off in the middle of the roadway. The contact was assisted by a Police Officer was nearby in moving the vehicle over to the shoulder. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact stated that occasionally while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that occasionally while driving and exceeding 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the horn and the hazard lights failed to function as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while reversing, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the gear shifter did not function as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter did not go into park or drive. The contact had to use the parking brake. The contact stated that he tried driving the vehicle again, the contact was able to drive a short distance and the failure reoccurred. In addition, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
I am the owner of a 2014 Ford Focus VIN [XXX]. I have had the car into an Authorized Ford Dealership numerous times. On the 2nd to last visit the Transmission Control Module was replaced at no cost to me. However, since then the transmission has malfunctioned again. It lurches, loses power and stalls. I took it back to the Ford Dealer and was told I needed a new transmission. I blame this on the extended length of time it took the Ford Motor Company to get the TCM and schedule the replacement. Am I entitled to any compensation or a buyback from Ford" What other steps can be taken to resolve my issue" Thank you for your time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle shuddered while shifting into 2nd gear. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM and the transmission clutches needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had been advised by the dealer that there was a manufacturer recall for the TCM (14M02 - TCM Extended Warranty); however, the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 to 40 MPH, the vehicle started jerking abnormally. The contact stated that while at a traffic light, the vehicle revved up abnormally. The vehicle failed to go into gear. The check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and ascending a slope, the transmission was struggling to shift into gears and downshifted abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the transmission control module(TCM) and the transmission clutches needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the TCM replacement would be covered under Ford Campaign Number: 14M02; however, the transmission clutches replacement was not covered under Ford Campaign Number: 19N08. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power, after which the contact became aware that the transmission had shifted into neutral, and then shifted back into drive independently. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the shift forks and dual-clutch. 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 109,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission failed to upshift or downshift as intended. Additionally, the RPM was rising independently. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while reversing, the message "Transmission Hot" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred occasionally while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,441.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 25 MPH, the message "Transmission Hot" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission 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 108,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was shuddering in the transmission. The contact who is a mechanic, stated that the failure was due to the transmission module. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was driven for four miles, and the vehicle was aligned with the required specifications. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Zephyrhills, FL, USA