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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:
9 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,950 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2014 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 5 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #137

Dec 142015

Focus

  • 8,000 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 the vehicle shuddered upon acceleration. The vehicle was taken to two different dealers, including jack demmer Ford (734-721-2600, located at 37300 Michigan ave, wayne, mi 48184) where the computer software was reprogrammed. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where the clutch assembly was replaced. The dealer stated that a certain amount of shuddering was normal. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

- Canton, MI, USA

problem #136

Sep 262019

Focus

  • miles
Radio has interior short that caused loud cracking noise with key in or out. Radio ended up not working at all, cracking even happened with radio not working. Called car audio shop, owner laughed and said he fixes 6 to 12 of these a year. Noise could cause accident by surprising the driver.

- Mentor, OH, USA

problem #135

Sep 012019

Focus

  • 82,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The electrical fuse was replaced, but the failure continued. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000.

- Maybrook, NY, USA

problem #134

Sep 102019

Focus

  • 54,000 miles

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

Vehicle exhibits shifting problems in low gears (starting out from stop); loss of power, check engine light turns on, transmission overheating error message is displayed on dash

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

problem #133

Sep 162019

Focus

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. On June 15, 2017, the horn was repaired by mike bass Ford (5050 detroit rd, sheffield, oh 44035). Approximately six months later, the horn stopped working. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

- Lorain, OH, USA

problem #132

Aug 232019

Focus

  • 108,000 miles
Car will show "stop safely now" warning and completely shut off all controls at highway speeds. That car does not allow you to move it out of the fast lane or any lane. There is no way to move the car to safety once the warning activates. Very dangerous situation.

- Morgan Hill, CA, USA

problem #131

Aug 072019

Focus

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While driving at any speed, the gear shifted out of first gear and an unknown warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle stalled and was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the computer system failed and the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer and dealer were not made aware of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not provided.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #130

Jun 112019

Focus

  • miles
Horn stops working randomly while driving or when just started. Horn sometimes won't work for days

- Smithfield, PA, USA

problem #129

Aug 172015

Focus

  • 12,523 miles
Noise coming from steering wheel when turning; shuttering; struggling to accelerate; transmission stalled out on a hill; remote lock button found non functional at times; bluetooth non functional.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #128

Aug 082019

Focus

  • 91,000 miles
Tried sounding the horn due to another vehicle running a red light in my immediate path. Horn was inoperative. Being a skilled technician, I troubleshot the issue down to the horn itself, as both the fuse and relay were serviceable.

- Columbiana, OH, USA

problem #127

Aug 072019

Focus

  • 76,318 miles

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

Doesn't drive or go in reverse was at a red light it didn't want to drive off almost caused a wreck

- Gray, LA, USA

problem #126

Jul 302019

Focus

  • 144,050 miles
The factory radio shorts out and fries parts of the main wiring harness. This causes the car to make loud popping noises that sound like gun shots. Scaring the driver. It also shut the car off while I was driving.

- Nitro, WV, USA

problem #125

Jul 292019

Focus

  • 61,000 miles
My car engine would not shut off!

- Mexico, NY, USA

problem #124

Dec 222014

Focus

  • miles
Have had 2 clutches put in and have taken to dealership number of times to address poor acceleration. I have had issues with vehicle from purchasing it new told dealer I bought it from it ran wrong and was told they couldn't check til vehicle had 10000 miles. Feel I've been sold an unsafe lemon. Was told by one service manager to floor when car grabs from a stop. Also sync system works intermittently.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #123

Jan 062014

Focus

  • miles
Since buying the car new I have had multiple issues with the transmission jerking, slipping, loss of take off power and feelings of unsafe driving situations. My vehicle one time felt like someone threw on an emergency brake and nose dived on the highway when it lost power during acceleration off entrance ramp. Most of the time the surging, bucking, slow to respond happens when the vehicle is warmed up and have to move after a stop light or sign. Also had to bring it in to dealer to have wiring fixed due to vibrations of vehicle. Last few trips to the dealer I had to pay out of pocket and never got any solid answers to the problem or any fixes, just told it is within limits. With no fixes in the plans I quit taking it in to the dealership due to no issues being covered under warranty.

- Davison, MI, USA

problem #122

Nov 012017

Focus

  • 29,000 miles
I bought the car used with around 28K miles. I have had to have the transmission serviced twice already, and it continues to act up intermittently. Symptoms include shuddering and jerking, especially in the first two gears, unexpected acceleration in both forward and reverse (throttle input gives different results in different conditions) failure to accelerate in a many circumstances: Often reverse takes a few seconds to engage, and if you need to accelerate quickly, such as to avoid an accident or hazard, too heavy of an input causes the engine to rev very high but the car doesn't go anywhere. The unit also has delayed or "sticky" downshifts, especially in an emergency stopping situation. And over the first 3 years of ownership, fuel economy seems to be decreasing. The vehicle has been exclusively serviced by Ford dealers under my ownership. I understand what the transmission is, how it functions, and I drive accordingly, including trying to rev match shifts. It continues to act up mildly every day, and severely on occasion. It is both the newest and least trustworthy vehicle I've ever owned, and I expect an expensive and catastrophic failure before I've paid it off. In addition, the horn has failed several times and will now need to be replaced.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #121

Jul 112019

Focus

  • 52,154 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While driving 20-30 mph, the instrument cluster gauges fluctuated and the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated that the hill assist and ABS warning indicators illuminated and the instrument cluster became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle had not experienced the failures prior to being repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 13V523000 (power train). Castle Ford (located at 3930 franklin St, Michigan city, in 46360, (219) 879-5381) and the manufacturer were informed of the failures via telephone. The failures were intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 52,154.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

problem #120

Apr 162019

Focus

  • 62,000 miles
Upon "check engine" light illumination, I took car to garage to have codes read. They showed me what they believed to be the issue and said I should check with Ford for recalls or compensation to have what is clearly a manufacturing defect fixed. I googled my situation and was stunned to see how common a problem it is. One example of this can be found at: Https://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/MK3-Focus/517737-tsb-14-0215-chafing-wiring-harness.html. in my situation the wire harness has cut through from rubbing on the manifold and there is obvious corrosion to the wiring. This causes sporadic loss of acceleration and has caused the engine to not start upon two occasions. Loss of acceleration when traveling can be extremely dangerous and accident causing. And the cost to fix this manufacturing flaw seems dependent on how many wires are involved, and if any circuits were actually fried and non-working as a result of the wiring issue. I was quoted upwards of $1000 for the full wiring harness alone with no labor (worse case scenario). I am also unable to pass nys inspection until the issue is fixed and the codes are cleared. I have spoken to a representative from Ford and was informed that no programs are in place at this time to deal with this issue. Ford has obviously been aware of this flaw for several years now. If I had been made aware of this issue, it could have been easily corrected before it became destructive and dangerous and a major repair job. I feel ignoring this issue is negligent on the part of Ford.

- Latham, NY, USA

problem #119

Jun 192019

Focus

  • 26,000 miles
In the course of less than a month, the car's problem progressed from intermittent starting issues that left me stranded to a full-on failure of the transmission control system. The clutch of the vehicle had been replaced and the transmission repaired in June 2018. On May 30th, 2019, the car was taken in due to transmission starting issues. The lights would turn on when turning the key, but the engine would not crank. The car was returned after the transmission control module was replaced. On June 11, 2019, the car was returned to the dealership for the same issue. Car would not start and took about 50 tries after having been stranded for several hours. Car was returned to me several days later because nothing was found. On June 19, 2019, I was driving down the highway, I was in the left lane going about 60 mph. I tried to accelerate to pass someone, and my car would not accelerate. When I looked down, my check engine light was flashing, my battery light was on, and my oil light was on. The car downshifted and started to rapidly decelerate. Engine shut down, and car was rolling to a stop. I had to rush to the right lane in rush hour traffic, and I managed to roll my way up the exit ramp, where my car shut down completely at the top of the exit ramp. Car would not restart, and I was stranded there for over an hour in a dangerous place and situation. I called a tow, and after trying to start my car intermittently for over an hour, the engine finally started. I drove it straight to the dealership to be checked out again.the same issue with transmission control has persisted, resulting in me having to take the car in on three separate occasions in about two weeks. It started of from intermittent starting issues to the car shutting down completely while traveling at a high speed. This car has done nothing but put me in danger, and I haven't even paid it off yet.

- Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, USA

problem #118

Mar 012019

Focus

  • 72,000 miles
The radio making a loud unexpected popping noise. Dangerous while driving. Even with vehicle off, it's making the noise. This is a Ford problem.

- Maybrook, NY, USA

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