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:
12 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,495 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.
Vehicle engine hesitates, runs rough and stalls at low speeds between 1st and 2nd gear. The passenger door latch isn't working properly and the door sticks and is unable to be properly opened from the inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected (diagnosed) by Virginia Tire and Auto who found no codes and that the transmission is not the issue and advised during the call that there was an "open recalls" on the vehicle for these issues and to take it to Ford. I received a letter in the mail from Ford for this exact issue prior to me even setting up an appointment since I am the vehicles new owner. The vehicle is now with Ford and once driven (I was told that they did test drive the vehicle although its not stated on the receipt) are able to replicate the issue since you only need to push the gas pedal (every time you press the gas) to discover these issues but have refused to fix the issue because there are no codes/indicator lights on the dashboard even though the issue is easily replicated and IS the exact recall issue. I was told that the door latch was working (its not) despite the open recall on NHTSA for the latch and I was told that their SSSC (Special Service Support Center) was called for approval however my understanding from Ford Customer support is that when you call the SSSC its a simple yes or no question. If the issue is able to be replicated when driven the answer should be YES there is a problem, so that they can get approval to proceed. However my ticket/receipt from Ford does not state any of the above. They want me to pay for another diagnosis, $200 because there is no code/indicator light. If the issues are able to be replicated and are on Fords Customer Satisfaction Program 24N07 they should be fixing the issue. This is a major safety issue and the vehicle should not be driven in this condition as well as I should NOT have to pay Ford to fix a recall (multiple recalls) which they have refused to fix, stating no repair per recall.
This TCM issue is a known issue with Ford. They issued recalls on this in 2015 and 2017 and extending the coverage in 2023. Please put this on the recall list as it has affected many people
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and then decelerated independently, surging several times before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clutch. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000.
The vehicle is a 2014 Ford Focus equipped with a PowerShift dual-clutch transmission-named DSP6. The vehicle exhibits a Faulty automatic transmission/shift malfunction and is unable to shift properly; causing intermittent engine deceleration coming to a stop; this indicates there is a shift malfunction and a faulty transmission. This problem has been confirmed by the dealer.
Transmission programming recall, clutch recall, fuel cap recall and many more recalls were not performed at ford dealership! Had to pay out of pocket at dealer for -??labor-?? task was never performed at dealer for all recalls!
- S El Monte, CA, USA
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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
I was driving the 2014 ford focus and it slipped out of gear no warning lights when accelerating only rpm-??s would go up the vehicle still out of gear I immediately put on my flashers and pulled to the side of the highway with cars going by and the vehicle would restart no go in or out of gear. I had it towed to the nearest dealership after pulling over and turning car off after I turned key back on the engine light was on red and stated transmission fault, repair immediately. It was very dangerous situation I was in four lanes of traffic doing 65 mph when the vehicle slipped out of gear with no acceleration. It completely stalled at 65 mph.
When driving the car will just shut itself down. We took the car to a Ford dealership in Sterling Colorado in October of 2021 and was told that there was a recall on the electronic control module, transmission control module and that due to Covid it would take up to 8 months for the part to come in. When we contacted the dealership at the end of the 8 month wait they stated that they couldn-??t repair the car to take it to a different dealership in Wray Colorado. We were again told that it could take several months to get the part in, we waited for several months for the part and it still didn-??t come in. We contacted Ford about the issue and they told us to take the car back to the first dealership and have them put it on the computer just to confirm that it was the electronic control module, transmission control module and it would be taken care of. We did that and now Ford is telling us that they won-??t fix the car because they can-??t get the part, they want us to pay for a new transmission at the tune of $8000 and said that since the car was over 80,000 miles and out of the original warranty they won-??t cover the repair for a new transmission. The dealership said the only way to fix the car is to have a new transmission control module or a new transmission. The recall on the transmission module covers the car up to 150,000 miles and our car has under 127,000 miles on it. We have tried since 2021 to get this taken care of.
transmission control module faulted out. In 2018 a recall for the dual powershift clutch was repaired, now the TCM faulted out in the car while i was driving, i had an infant in the car and it died in the middle of a busy highway almost causing us to crash! I had to be towed, I called ford motor company to be told it was not under recall, only to find out that in fact it is, and their in a lawsuit currently for these problems. I work 2 jobs, Latham ford refused to even look at my vehicle for 2 months, i work, i cannot go without a car. The tcm is currently on a national backorder for thousands of people. I had no means of transportation for an entire month, it cost me hundreds of dollars for taxis and ubers. I found a replacement part on my own and had it installed yesterday. the manufacturer stated in the description, that the part was already programmed, it was not. It was misrepresented, and it cost me an extra $400 to have it programmed, and also the software needed to be updated to clear error codes in the tcm for it to be relearned. So far im out about 2 thousand dollars for a known manufacturing issue that could have ended FATAL. I want to be reimbursed for every dime i spent, and the inconvienience! I have reciepts for the part and labor! I will never buy a FORD product again after this. I could have died, along with my passenger. something needs to be done!
The components and systems that failed are my engine and gas tank, they both are available for inspection upon request. My safety was put at risk, approximately two minutes before my vehicle slowed down enough to stop my brakes wouldn't work. Yes I have called the dealership and the problems that the representative listed explaining a recall; is what I have been experiencing with my vehicle. Yes, 6/15/2022 the day after my engine failed my car was diagnosed by All 4 U Auto and he confirmed that the engine had blown and along with the gasoline tank both needed replacements. No, there were no warning lamps nor messages prompting alerts of my vehicle. There were several symptoms of the problem prior to the failure that occurred before and after the Ford recall; 18S32. I completed the recall fuel tank deformation 1/3/2019. I am still experiencing issues with my gas tank, which are listed on the official Ford website. I can only pump approximately 80 miles worth of gas or 1/4 full worth of gas. If I pump anymore the vehicle will stall and require for me to restart it multiple times 2 - 10, the more I "over pump" the more I will have to restart and longer it will stall. During pumping even 1/4 worth of gas my entire vehicle will shake and make a loud sound, and with re cranking causing engine malfunction. The website mentions; "Owners are advised to maintain at least a half tank of fuel until their vehicle is serviced for this issue." although I can only pump 1/4 full worth of gas at a time. Another issue is I cannot leave the vehicle idle over 5 minutes, even when in traffic if I do not keep driving up 6 inches every five minutes it will turn off. This problem has negatively affected my battery, on a few occasions leaving the vehicle idle has caused my battery to need to be recharged and replaced. Lastly the vehicle does exactly what the recall mentions; "inaccurate fuel gauge readings". While pumping gas the mileage on the dashboard sometimes does not increase.
My car keep stalling while driving on the freeway with my daughter in the car skipping and jerking than it slow speed down extremely low no pressure at all very dangerous
On January 14, 2022, at approximately 5:20 P.M. my wife was traveling southbound on Pleasant Hill Road in Lafayette, California towards the freeway entrance when the Ford Focus Electric she was driving displayed a Stop Safely Now message and almost immediately thereafter lost motive power at the busiest intersection in the City of Lafayette. She was able to steer the car to the shoulder since she was in the right hand lane. The vehicle would not move and the steering wheel locked up. She called for assistance and I drove down and exchanged cars with her within approximately 15 minutes. After approximately 10 minutes of trying, I was able to get the vehicle to turn off and to turn on again without the Stop Safely Now warning and was able to return the approximately 1.5 miles to our residence. The sudden unexpected loss of motive power and loss of ability to accelerate is extremely dangerous and frightening and that danger can be extreme when traveling on roads without shoulders or in any lane except the right lane on a freeway.
My car jerks when I stop and start. Had sparks plugs replaced becsuse I thought they were day. It will not back up when engine light comes on. When going up hills it seem to hesitate on switch gears. Car cuts of at times when driving and had to get coolant and heater hose replaced. When engine light is on sometimes the car will not start.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55-60 mph and accelerating, the vehicle failed to shift to the next gear. The contact pulled over. Additionally, while at a stop, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate or accelerated and decelerated independently. The vehicle revved up with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact called keller motors (700 Cadillac ln, hanford, ca 93230, (559) 582-1000) and was informed that there was no transmission technician at the location. The vehicle was taken to will tiesiera Ford (2101 E cross ave, tulare, ca 93274, (559) 688-7471) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission clutch and module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 103,772.
Ford dealership would not repair my transmission control module/ shudder even though it is covered under warranty, because "it had not failed bad enough yet". they are aware of the issue and said the part was failing. If the part had not failed bad enough yet, then I would be responsible for the fees.
The car want start it will turn on then when trying to go the car stalls out and the car keeps acclerating. It reads engine failure and I havent even had this car two years yet and aint even finish paying I off. I had to get tolled off the highway with my kids do to the car want start and when got it home it started but keeps accelerating. I need this car to get checked or something this is unsafe for my toddlers when I have to use that vehicle to get back and forth to work and take my kids to daycare..what am I suppose to do with a vehicle im still paying on and want start. I have been researching and seen that multiple people been having problems with there Ford Focus the same problems im having.
Back at the end of June, first part of July I had a check engine light on and then the next day it was off but some stupid "my key came on and not it regulates my speed and volume. I am not paying over $200 to have it removed. But the most important thing is the clutch on my transmission is out and Ford won't replace it for free and I dont have the money to fix it. I believe Ford should fix it for free since they can't build good transmissions.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gainesville, VA, USA