CarComplaints.com Notes: For the third year in a row, the 3rd generation Focus is experiencing massive transmission problems. Read more »
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:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,248 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.
Shuddering so bad that car shuts off while driving on the highway. 60 to nothing. Nearly hit. Shuddered leaving stop signs and intersections- nearly hit. Fuel system issues- bowed gas tank in the heat. Could have exploded. In shop 8+ times since new. Ford customer care nor Ford dealership will resolve.
Recall received on door latches. However when calling dealer to schedule no return call only solicitation calls on warranty. Trunk used to open 1 push of button now trunk will not open however when in reverse trunk chime comes on saying trunk is open. When taking off from a stopped position vehicle starts to go then completely loses power happens after clutch is completely released in motion just falls on its face then immediately comes out of it infrequent but dangerous eveident since new.. traction control is accessed through radio. Radio stopped working 22000. Some doors do not all unlock infrequently. Wiper infrequently stop working and park in middle of winshield
This vehicle bogs down, has low power, and slow acceleration. Does not show any fault codes or service lights. I took this Ford Focus to two different shops; one of them being a Ford dealer. They could not find anything wrong. No part failures. No codes to troubleshoot. They said that they can not explain the reasoning for this by the car seems fine although it has this issue. It makes leaving from a stop very dangerous as the car is really slow to accelerate. It has almost caused two accidents where other drivers arent expecting my slow acceleration. This is common in the vehicles with the automatic transmissions. But my Focus has a manual transmission. So Ford dealers and service support online are at a miss for what the issue would be as the vehicle shows no issues in the health report. After talking to Ford service online they have asked for me to go to the NHTSA and place an official report so that this issue can be investigated as it is not the first. This vehicle has had the spark plugs, coils replaced and still no difference. This is a danger for anyone driving or near this vehicle while driving.
Transmission: While driving the vehicle the transmission in some cases will shift very rapidly giving the vehicle no acceleration power. The vehicle feels sluggish and vibrates. Also, while driving over speed humps or through an intersection in almost every instance the vehicle starts to vibrate after going over the speed hump or through the intersection. Fuel pump: While driving the car the car lost all power while driving in las cruces, New Mexico. The car did not stall completely however when depressing the accelerator the car would just now increase in RPM's. I took the car into a mechanics shop and they were not able to duplicate problem. I drive the car for another year and this time the car again started to sputter. It turned out to be the fuel pump.
My 2014 Ford Focus was sold with a defective evaporation emission control (evap) system. Because of the defect, raw fuel can be sucked through the evap canister through the purge valve directly into the engine, causing the car to stall or hesitate while driving, which can be extremely dangerous to drivers and pedestrians. My car is a 2014 and has approx. 27K miles on it. I now will have to pay $1960 in repairs to replace the evap purge valve, the fuel tank, the fuel pump, and the fuel sending unit, which have all been damaged as a result of the valve failure. I have seen numerous identical complaints on carcomplaints.com and the NHTSA government website, including complaints that people could have been seriously harmed, as they lost control of their vehicle on highway or major road. There was a lawsuit in 2017 (jon rivera, et. Al., V. Ford Motor Company) but Ford won and the defect was not considered a recall. I believe Ford should take responsibility for manufacturing a faulty part and putting consumers in danger that they may not realize. Ford should absorb the costs that are resulting from the failure of defective parts in relatively new cars.
- North Andover, MA, USA
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Whenever I accelerate from a stop, my car hesitates & "jumps" a few times before picking up speed. It happens very randomly from what I can tell. Sometimes doing it often and other times it accelerates normally.
I was driving and was slowing down to take a sharp curve when the idle speed sped up the suddenly dropped and then the engine died. I restarted the car but the check engine light came on. It did the same thing as I was driving behind other traffic which was going slow. I drove to my mechanic he test drove the car and said the throttle body was going bad. He stated he had had several of these cars with the same problem. My car only had 48,000 miles on it. I never know when it will just stop if I have to slow down or even stop for a red light or other traffic. I live in a rural area and the roads are narrow with few places to pull off. I know that there have been recalls for this problem on some Ford Focus cars and mine should be included.
At 61,100 miles (1,100 miles over the warranty), the fuel tank collapsed due to a manufacturer's flaw resulting in a failed fuel sending unit. Several attempts to get this resolved by Ford has rendered futile.
Vacuum seal on gas tank is faulty and gets air bubbles and the car cuts off at random. It cut off in the middle of an intersection yesterday and I almost got hit. I've reported this issue multiple times. Several other ones were recalled but not my VIN number but it's the exact same issue.
2014 Ford Focus driving on rt 1 at 40mph just stop moving forward in traffic. Was lucky to pull over to the side of the road. Car would not move while in drive. Turn off car for a few minutes then car was able to move forward. Don't know what to do car only has 19K miles on it. Prior to purchasing car used at Ford dealer with 9K" miles on it. Another time while in a parking lot car was not able to go in reverse or forward at around 11K" miles. Turn off car waited and restarted then it was fine. Also get shuddering in the transmission all the time. Call Ford they where no help on this matter as they stated this transmission would not be covered under warranty.
While driving down interstate 75 South at 70 miles per hour, car set on cruise control, the car lurch forward. When trying to resume speed the gas pedal did not respond coasted through a lane of traffic to the side of the road where the car died. Unable to restart the vehicle was towed to the nearest Ford dealership matthew curry in nokomis. After three days of sitting Ford decided to look at the car and quickly determined the problem was a purge valve sticking causing a vacuum in the gas tank which caused the tank to collapse and damage the fuel pump. It was easy to recognize because they have seen this same situation many times on the Focus model. A documented recalll has occurred in australia and new zealand over this very same issue Ford a us manufactured car yet no recall in the us. I can find more than 100 reports online regarding this same situation in the us but Ford will not take any responsibility. I have spoke to corporate where they issued a case/claim # 14636968. They then advise me to call the service manager who says he sent everything to corporate then given the run around. I have called Chevrolet and Honda they don't seem to have a problem with gas tanks collapsing. Ford step up and take responsibility for this faulty system. I am grateful we are safe this malfunction while driving 70 on a busy Florida interstate during rush hour could have ended much differently.. ridiculous flawed product
Gas gauge showing 50 miles remain in the gas tank and car runs out of gas. This has happen three times twice on interstate going 70 mph during rush hour traffic.
While under warranty I was driving and the engine shut off. I had to coast to the shoulder on the expressway. This happened four times during the warranty and 6 times since the warranty expired. While sitting at a red light, the light turns green and I begin to accelerate. The engine stalled fours times and three other times it almost stalled. I took the car to the dealer while it was under warranty and only once they said they found a problem with the transmission. They replaced some small part but it continues to happen. One of the times it stalled I took a picture of the message on the dash board. It said: Engine failure service immediately. I showed that photo to the service manager and mechanic at Ford. Both of them said the same thing: "I've never seen that before". makes you feel good about the car you bought from them.also, the rear drivers side door won't open most of the time on the first attempt. I have to pull the handle two or three times before the door will open. For replaced some part on the doors because of a recall but that didn't fix the problem. It still does it. This posting asks you to specify the date of occurrence. It has happened so regularly now there are too many dates to list. I lsted may of 2014 when I bought the car. From then on it has had problem after problem after problem.
I bought my first brand new car a 2014 Ford Focus. I decided to go with a new car to have less problems in the long run. Boy was I wrong. After only 25000 miles my car began having transmission problems. I then brought it into the dealership and found out that Ford had issued a recall on the transmission module. So I had that replaced free of charge. My car now has 45000 miles on it and it began causing me problems again, so I thought it was the same thing as before. I brought it into the dealership to have it checked out. After a day of waiting I received a call entailing all that was wrong with my car. This time it as much worse, my catalytic converter needed to be replaced which I was told this was covered by my warranty. Now the next part I was told is the reason I am here writing this compliant. The dealership told me that my fuel tank had collapsed, and it was going to cost me upwards of $2100 to be fixed. So I then asked the question, what caused this to happen? I was told that this is a rare occurrence and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Now keep in mind I change my oil every 3000 miles and do all the normal maintenance to keep any car running smoothly. I began to research collapsed fuel tanks in 2014 Ford focuses, and I found that this not a rare occurrence and in fact it has happened to quite a few people. I hope this is found and read by corporate Ford, so a recall can be initiated and I can be compensated.
My 2014 Ford Focus (24,000 miles) stalled in traffic. It had no dash lights but the vehicle dashboard displayed the message "engine failure". after towing to the Ford dealer, the service advisor stated that the fuel vacuum purge valve was defective and had caused a deformation of the fuel tank. He also said that his dealership was seeing several of these defects each week. He mentioned that a notice had been issued to dealers by Ford about the defect, but that Ford had not recalled the vehicles for the defect and that repairs would be the responsibility of the owners. The estimated cost was $1800. Of course, this is an engineering and production defect caused by Ford and represents a safety issue. A recall should be ordered immediately.
While filling up my gas tank if below half way my car will not start. This problem has been listed online many times and it seems like Ford refuses to recall all 2014 Ford Focus. The gas gauge displays different levels of fuel and I am afraid that my car is going to stop while I'm driving and I have a accident. This has been listed online by may people that this car is having this problem. Mine all of a sudden just started. I need my car fix and I am tired of paying for items you guy and Ford are aware of. I need contact from a manager or a corporate working from Ford. I am also filing a complaint with the BBB. I have small kids and cannot drive my car with them out of fear something may happen. There are reported crashes due to this and you guys are allowing Ford to put people lives in danger. I was stuck at the gas station for 45 mins after getting gas due to this issue.
When pressing on the gas vehicle hesitates before jerking forward. When placing the vehicle from park to reverse, vehicle will not engage/move in reverse. Constant problems with vehicle while trying to begin driving or while trying to operate basic functions on a daily basis. This needs to be added to the extended warranty/recall for the transmission.
Driving my 2014 Focus engine shut down, pulled over to the shoulder of road in snow storm, all most hit by tractor /trailer, this was on I- 376 in pa, after few minutes car started then stalled again, then car started and was able to continue
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Sperry, OK, USA