CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2015 Ford Focus & its "Powershift" transmission has a defect trend where the car shudders when accelerating, especially when starting uphill.
Most owners have reported their Ford Focus remains driveable while the vehicle is still at low mileage, but the shuddering is annoying & unpleasant & may reduce the resale value of the vehicle.
However, owners of higher-mileage vehicles from earlier 3rd generation Focus model years report transmission failure & a host of other major & expensive transmission-related problems. Potential buyers beware.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
11 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,287 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.
The transmission clutch failed. The parts were taken by CrossRoads Ford of Henderson, NC. I did not make a claim on my insurance, I was told initially that this was a recalled part. I did not make a police report and I don't know if the manufacturer was alerted to this problem from my car. After the repair was done, I had to pay for the repair since the person at the dealer said that the codes it was recording were not for the parts that were under warranty for the transmission. My safety and that of my children were at risk, as the transmission was not permitting the forward gears to engage out of low, and we were driving in city traffic. I was almost rear-ended several times and had to try to find places to pull off the street so that I didn't get hit by the car behind me. The reverse gear was also not working at all. I did not have any warning lights come on to warn me of this problem.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, hesitated to respond, and the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving, and the vehicle jolted while shifting to first and second gear. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly while driving 30-65 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was significantly sluggish while depressing the accelerator pedal and decelerated unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission fluid was replaced. Additionally, the dealer recommended the transmission clutch replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond while shifting to drive(D) and to reverse(R). The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had become undrivable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 19N08. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the message "Transmission Overheating" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission clutch forks was stuck, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after placing the vehicle in drive and beginning to slowly accelerate out of a parking space, the vehicle started going backwards. The contact immediately turned the vehicle off and coasted back into the parking space. An on looker had the contact restart the vehicle and drive to see if the vehicle functioned properly; however, the failure reoccurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the VIN was included in an unknown recall; however, the recall repair was already performed; however, approximately a year later the failure recurred. The contact stated that the check oil and another unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was shifted to park(P); after waiting for approximately one hour, the vehicle was restarted without an immediate failure. However, while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally and unexpected went into reverse. The vehicle was turned off and the contact coasted into a nearby gas station where an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oil was contaminated with water. The mechanic was unable to check the transmission. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The dealer sent a technician to inspect the vehicle and it was confirmed that the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The technician was unable to duplicate the transmission failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. The contact stated that the engine power was reduced. Additionally, the contact stated that while making a turn, the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with clutch failure. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the clutch had previously been replaced twice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown,
- Ontario, OH, USA
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The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated, shuddered, and jerked. The contact stated that the wheels locked up while accelerating. The vehicle failed to shift into gear. While driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off. There was an abnormal growling sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that an unknown sensor needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 74,239.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked and occasionally the vehicle could not be shifted out of park. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,205.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. Additionally, while shifting the gear shifter, there was a delay before the shifter would move to the desired position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The clutch was replaced. After having the vehicle repaired, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine revved; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and failed to exceed 2 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission failure was confirmed. The dealer had stated the transmission and the clutch might need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.
I was driving in the city and my car did the transmission clutch shudder so bad I almost got t boned I have 120k miles on it and I think ford should have to find a better replacement fix to fix it right I had it already in there for a year just waiting on a part for the transmission now this
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shifted erratically, after which the vehicle lost motive power. 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 a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shuddering while accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 183,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle had the message "Starting Fault System" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the instrument panel had completely failed. The contact stated that while at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection, and had to be manually pushed into a parking lot. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 156,970.
1.Clutch shudders and hesitates on acceleration 2. safe driving requires non hesitation when accelerating 3. yes the dealer confirmed 4. Dealership has inspected, recommends replacement of clutch on automatic transmission at 27,000 miles 5. no warnings indicated, car has been regularly serviced by the dealership From what I am reading, this is a common problem and a design flaw per the dealership
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that there was hesitation or lagging while attempting to accelerate at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The clutch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 92,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle jerked and vibrated. Eventually, the transmission failed, and the vehicle would not drive forward. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission clutch was replaced but the vehicle continued to jerk and vibrate while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the transmission clutch was failing again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
What happened? I purchased a 2015 Ford Focus from Carvana in November 2022 with about 70,000 miles on it. Since then, the vehicle has experienced numerous and severe mechanical failures. The engine mount and transmission mount have both failed and required replacement. Additionally, the rotors, Transmission Control Module (TCM), and clutch have all needed to be replaced, with the clutch failing five times throughout the car's history. Despite extensive repairs costing upwards of $7,000, the issues persist. Most Recently, The vehicle was subsequently towed to a Ford dealership after replacing the clutch for the 6th time in vehicle history. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The components that failed include the engine mount, transmission mount, rotors, Transmission Control Module (TCM), clutch, and evap purge system. These components are available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk" The frequent mechanical failures and replacements, particularly of critical components like the TCM and clutch, have compromised the reliability and safety of the vehicle, posing a significant risk during operation. The vehicle's tendency to stall while driving or idling increases the risk of accidents, potentially leading to rear-end or T-bone collisions. Yes, the problems have been confirmed and addressed by both a dealer and independent service centers. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected by independent service centers and possibly by the dealer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No, there were no check engine lights or warning lights prior to the failures. The issues began appearing shortly after the purchase in November 2022.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted in to neutral(N). The check engine warning was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed transmission clutch failure and the fuel pressure sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 94,946.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 75 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to assist. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic who stated that the transmission belt had caused of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kittrell, NC, USA