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.
8.2
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
18,150 miles
Total Complaints:
47 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replaced automatic clutch assembly (15 reports)
not sure (14 reports)
don't buy a ford (4 reports)
installed a new tcm and clutch assembly (3 reports)
This transmission is absolute garbage. Even with a brand new clutch it drives like an amateur who's driving a manual transmission for the first time ever. Shifts are poorly timed, jerky, slow... and yet sometimes they are perfectly timed and smooth as butter. Sometimes it doesn't shift at all and you're screaming out of a parking lot in first gear until it hits the rev limit (no it's not in L). I have never experienced a car spontaneously going into neutral on the freeway until I owned this one, and I hope I never do again.
4,000 miles after the repair and I can already feel the slipping and shuddering feeling starting. I honestly bought this car after Ford extended the transmission warranty to 100k. I figured the shuddering couldn't be that and and certainly not dangerous. I was certainly wrong, 6 months later and I want to sell it. It's no fun when you're trying to take an unprotected left turn and your car splutters and jerks its way to life.
The unpredictability is what really kills it: sometimes it really is fine. You can NEVER really predict how it's going to behave, which I think makes it unsafe. It has many other issues besides the transmission that I will also be complaining about. My family always bought Fords and drove them until they were scrap.
We have recently bought 2 2014 Fords (one was not a Focus) and found both of them to be much lower quality than the older ones.
I noticed while on a rather long drive today that the transmission is shuddering when accelerating. This is not the first problem with this transmission. I recently had to have a motor mount replaced also. Another problem is the vehicle tends to roll backwards on a hill while still in Drive.
The revamped automatic transmission clutch lasted no longer than the original clutch and I am not a hard driver with mostly freeway mileage. The service rep said that the replacement clutch is the same version that they just took out.
A friend who deals with LuK, the clutch manufacturer, said that LuK knows how to fix it, but Ford will not pay for it. I have no association with LuK and cannot confirm this.
This is the second clutch in 60,000 miles with the prior two lasting only 30,000 miles each. So it looks like unless Ford gets things together, I'll be getting a new clutch every 30,000 miles until I dump this piece of garbage - most likely at a significant loss in used car value!
I have a 2014 Ford Focus that is currently having transmission issues. I took my vehicle to a Ford dealership hoping it was under warranty and that they would fix it. They told me that my vehicle is not under warranty since it was built in November of 2013 and that 14m01 customer satisfaction number, only applies to those that have cars built before July 3, 2013.
My issue with that is that Ford noted that "Vehicles having a build date of June 6, 2013 or later have improved transmission input shaft seals that are not likely to experience leaks." Obviously their "improved transmission input shaft seals" are not improved since my car with 60,000 un-abused miles has encountered the sames issues that were recalled. I would just like to see what my legal options are with this lawsuit as I don't think its right my vehicle is not eligible for this warranty.
- Emilio G.,
North Las Vegas, NV, US
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THIS PIECE OF SH*T WILL EVENTUALLY GET SOMEONE KILLED. IT JERKS TAKING OFF AND STOPPING IT STALLS SOMETIMES TAKING OFF FROM A STOP AND VIBRATES VERY BAD COMING TO A STOP. WE HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER 2 TIMES,WE WERE TOLD THEY RE-CALIBRATED THE COMPUTER IT WORKED OK FOR A FEW DAYS AND DO THE SAME THING.WE RECEIVED A LETTER EXTENDING THE TRANSMISSION WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS SO I HAVE FELT BETTER.THE CAR IS DOING THE SAME THING NOW VERY BAD AM GOING TO TAKE IT BACK TO DEALERSHIP AS SOON AS I CAN GET IT IN.NOW I FOUND OUT THAT THE LOCKS ON THE CAR DOORS ARE FAULTY FRONT PASSENGER DOOR OPENS BY ITSELF AND STAYS LOCKED SOMETIMES WHEN IT SHOULD BE UNLOCKED.
The dual-clutch automatic is horrible. Had the clutch replaced at 18,000 miles due to 3 return visits from about 11,000. Shuddering and hesitation being the worst. The updates would fix it for a day or two. I was scared to try to turn with traffic coming because it would hesitate so badly. The shuddering was an annoyance but the hesitation was dangerous. Then if you get stuck on a hill it acts like a manual. Rolls backwards if you take you foot off the brake. Almost rolled into a vehicle. Now at 38,000 miles it is all starting again. Rolled backwards on a hill again and almost hit a vehicle behind me. Shuddering is back. SO it is not just how it drives because it is shifting manually. The shuddering is not normal! Rolling backwards would be fine if I had a clutch to manipulate to keep it from rolling back but I don't. Pick one - manual or automatic. Now I have lost $10,000 in value in just a year and I have a car that will need a new clutch every 20,000 miles and a warranty over at 60,000 miles.
NEVER purchase a car with the Ford PowerShift Transmission. The car's performance was extremely poor before the transmission replacement, and my car only had 14,000 miles on it. Now, there is a pending lawsuit against Ford for this issue. My research suggests that some have had to have the transmission replaced 3+ times. My car just rolled to 20,000 miles, and I fear that the transmission might already be going out again as the car is starting to be very hesitant and less smooth. I am infuriated as this appears to be such a widespread issue for the Ford Focus. Don't buy one!
I don't want to be exhausting, don't buy one. There has been so many issues, I don't have time to write them all. They started with the transmission shudder. since then, it has been in the shop with the same issue countless times. Now new problems are surfacing, adding to the misery of owning it. Thankfully, I got the extended warranty and would recommend anyone to do the same.
I have had the car almost 2 years and put over 80k on it. I have had no issues with Ford or the Ford dealership I bought it from. Both of them have been accommodating, quickly fixing what they thought was wrong giving me a loaner which at least got me to work on time.
It does not change the fact that my car, after all these problems supposedly fixed, it is still unsafe and unreliable.
I will not let My Wife take it further than the gym.
Always had trouble with the transmission. Got a recall notice from Ford,took it in,and nothing changed. The service mngr. said it would take another 3-4,000 miles before I got results. Now my warranty is out, and it's doing the same thing. Ford knows of this problem,and needs to recall ALL of the Focuses and fix them,or take them back as LEMONS. We paid a lot of money for these cars,and we shouldn't have to put up with this!
These cars are ticking time bombs. You never know when there will be a problem, it's very unpredictable and sporadic which puts whomever is in the vehicle, as well as other road users or pedestrians in harms way. Ford needs to step up to the plate with buying back these vehicles, or else face a Class Action Lawsuit like the one already started by www.charneylawyers.com in Canada.
The first time it's happened on my 2014 Ford Focus SEL sedan just 5 month later that I bought it. So I dropped my car off to the dealer, after checked, the report said:
A CHECK AND REPORT ON TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEMS AND SHUDDERING AT LOW SPEEDS.
CAUSE: TSB 15-0090. CLUTCH FAILURE.
AUTH CODE: 001866 10395 TSB 15-0090.
CLUTCH FAILURE. 150090L 1.10 TSB 15-0090. REPROGRAMMED THE PCM. PERFORMED THE ADAPTIVE LEARN CYCLE. ROAD TESTED AND PERFORMED PPT A. CALCULATED THE CLUTCH RPM VARIANT. THE CLUTCH RMP VARIANT IS OVER 250 RPM AND WILL REQUIRE REMOVAL FOR FURTHER INSPECTION.
Then clutch assembly was replaced later and the car back to normal. But unfortunately it comes out again after one year. I am wonder why Ford's new clutch just work for one year. How about if out of the warranty, that is big cost. or maybe I thought too much. I really hope this problem can be solved permanently. Is it sure so difficult?
Was basically the same issue as before with the shuddering and jerking of the car. I brought it back into Ford to get fixed and they decided to replace the clutch... This car sucks.
This was the second clutch replacement in less than 2 years of ownership. Ford took 3 months to complete the replacement from when it was verified as needing replacement for the second time. Ford service advisor said it was due to the backlog of other Ford Focus cars with the same problem.
Ford authorized a clutch replacement under warranty. After replacing the clutch, Ford wanted the service technician to 'teach' us how to drive the car.
Overall back in 2014 most people I knew who had a Focus said it was a very reliable good car. A few comments on line mentioned that transmission had shuddering issues at time. During test drive, did not really feel it. Asked the sales rep about it, he said he had not heard of such complaint. Fremont Ford wore us down, I needed a car and we just did it.
In any case a few weeks later as I was turning left across the car shuddered and I thought it was going to stop, then it was OK. Didn't feel it again for awhile. Mentioned when I took for servicing, they said that it just takes a little time for the system to adjust to my driving. Travel highway mostly during week, have had several former 2012 - 2015 Ford Focus owners say dump it. Ford knows about the issue, just doesn't want to recall it. At the end of February when I went on to SYNC it showed an action item related to the transmission. I have reached out 5x's to Fremont Ford to set-up appointment, haven't gotten one set up yet.
The transmission stuttered between 10 to 30 mph, all the time on flat streets, hills, and down hills. The Ford Focus clutch was first replaced, in January of 2015. The transmission stuttering stopped for several months, then slowly returned, at the same rpm of 10 mph to 30 mph. The second clutch, which was a Ford Fiesta clutch, was replaced in February of 2016. The stuttering has stopped, (so far), and Ford extended
the transmission warranty for three years past the original car warranty of 2017.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This transmission is absolute garbage. Even with a brand new clutch it drives like an amateur who's driving a manual transmission for the first time ever. Shifts are poorly timed, jerky, slow... and yet sometimes they are perfectly timed and smooth as butter. Sometimes it doesn't shift at all and you're screaming out of a parking lot in first gear until it hits the rev limit (no it's not in L). I have never experienced a car spontaneously going into neutral on the freeway until I owned this one, and I hope I never do again.
4,000 miles after the repair and I can already feel the slipping and shuddering feeling starting. I honestly bought this car after Ford extended the transmission warranty to 100k. I figured the shuddering couldn't be that and and certainly not dangerous. I was certainly wrong, 6 months later and I want to sell it. It's no fun when you're trying to take an unprotected left turn and your car splutters and jerks its way to life.
The unpredictability is what really kills it: sometimes it really is fine. You can NEVER really predict how it's going to behave, which I think makes it unsafe. It has many other issues besides the transmission that I will also be complaining about. My family always bought Fords and drove them until they were scrap.
We have recently bought 2 2014 Fords (one was not a Focus) and found both of them to be much lower quality than the older ones.
- Kieran S., Seattle, WA, US