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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.

2015 Ford Focus drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2015 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 3 of 24)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #434

Dec 062022

Focus

  • 62,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that no defect was found; however, the failure recurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Mace Ford (4501 S US Hwy 41, Terre Haute, IN 47802), where the TCM was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with transmission clutch shudder and determined that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 19N08 because the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

- Paris, IL, USA

problem #433

Apr 192024

Focus

  • 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated and shuddered. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 17 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutches and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired as the clutch was not included in a warranty program. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the module and transmission was covered under the warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000. The VIN was not available.

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

problem #432

Apr 162024

Focus

  • miles
Stopped to get gas. Turned off engine. After filling up gas tank, car would not start, or crank/turn over. No check engine light has been on, no warning lights. Disconnected battery for about fifteen min. Car started up. Took it to shop, they changed out the evap Purge system. It failed when they tested it so they changed that out. Car did not stall when they test drove it. Car stalled two more times. Once when accelerating from a red light, and second time when just sitting in idle. Car just shuts itself off but the radio stays on. This is such a safety hazard because of the fact that not only does it stall in the middle of me driving But I-??m very lucky I didn-??t get rear ended or T boned because of this. So I thought this issue was fixed but obviously not. After the last time it stalled after getting it fixed, I then had it towed to a Ford dealership. I know this has been a recall on other Ford focuses. For some reason not mine which is a 2015 Focus. Last year I had to have the TCM fixed which was a recall so that was free however then they tell me that my clutch went bad at 60k miles" I shelled out almost $3k for that nonsense. Now This stalling it constantly Day after day at 75k miles" Thanks a lot FORD. Take your piece of [XXX] back and issue this a recall. Either way it-??s Ford-??s fault and should pay for this safety issue for free. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Washington , NJ, USA

problem #431

Apr 012024

Focus

  • miles

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

Purchased this car used from a family friend about 4 years ago. The car currently has 59,000 miles on it. I recently noticed a shuddering in the transmission when I accelerate the car (mostly in the lowest starting gear). The car was taken to the Ford dealer for diagnosis. The dealer states that the issue is with the transmission clutch and the price to repair the issue is approximately $4,300. The Ford service technician described this transmission as a manual transmission automatically shifted. The prior owner confirmed he had the same issue with the car early in his ownership and had the transmission clutch replaced then. I confirmed with the dealer that the transmission clutch was replaced at 10,178 miles. This is the same exact issue again. The Ford dealership said the transmission clutch issue had caused Ford to extend the warranty to 7 years and 100,000 miles, whichever occurred first. The car is now 8 1/2 years since original purchase, but way under the warranty limit of 100,000 miles. Ford will not honor any warranty or remedy the situation. I believe a $4,300 clutch assembly replacement at least every 50,000 miles or less is horrendous.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

problem #430

Aug 232023

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure continued for approximately eight months. Additionally, recently the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed clutch fork and the clutch fork needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Firestone, CO, USA

problem #429

Apr 142024

Focus

  • 157,573 miles
Studdering, won-??t shift, stalls out, recall repaired still does the same thing, transmission doesn-??t shift right and stalls out in traffic.

- Brighton , IL, USA

problem #428

Jan 022023

Focus

  • miles

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

Transmission plate failed at 70k miles

- New Philadelphia, OH, USA

problem #427

Mar 222024

Focus

  • miles
Car has a transmission stutter when pulling out into traffic or at low speeds. Apparently it is a known issue from Ford and the vehicle is outside their 7yr warranty, but only has 67k miles on it so it is not covered.

- Sandston, VA, USA

problem #426

May 222022

Focus

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission malfunctioned causing the vehicle to erroneously downshift and lose motive power. Additionally, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch disk and transmission actuators were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 72,000.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #425

Mar 222024

Focus

  • miles
2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to hold speed, accelerate, the RPM's increased rapidly however, the vehicle failed to respond. The "Transmission Overheating - Please Wait 5 minutes" was displayed. Waited in the middle of the highway for that period and then pulled to shoulder of the roadway, and the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. Vehicle needs to be reported under Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). Manufacturer needs to be informed of the danger this imposes and recall must be imposed. This is a very terrifying scenario to be subjecting customers, to knowing how many vehicles are failing. Owner can-??t afford the bill the manufacturer quoted of $7000 for Transmission. Unacceptable for a car under 100,000 miles to be in this condition when the manufacture maintenance states a higher mileage capability.

- Swansboro, NC, USA

problem #424

Jan 022024

Focus

  • 64,293 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered while accelerating. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact referenced Technical Service Bulletin: 16-0109 as a possible solution however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,293.

- Liverpool, NY, USA

problem #423

Oct 172015

Focus

  • 61,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the vehicle was hesitating slightly and while shifting into the next gear, the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that once the vehicle had been driven for more than 20 minutes, the vehicle stopped jerking into gear. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Programs: 14M02- Transmission control module extended warranty coverage (Power Train) and Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08 - Transmission clutch shudder - transmission clutch warranty extension (Power Train). The failure mileage was 61,000.

- Hanover, MD, USA

problem #422

Oct 012017

Focus

  • 26,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and was not properly shifting gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed clutch. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. However, the clutch had been replaced three times prior, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

- Essex Junction, VT, USA

problem #421

Mar 012024

Focus

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the RPM's increased rapidly however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the message "Transmission Overheating - Please Wait 5 minutes" was displayed. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. 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 NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train) but the VIN was not included. 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 110,000.

- Northfield, VT, USA

problem #420

Dec 122023

Focus

  • miles
When I left work one evening, my 2015 Focus transmission started slipping and wouldn't stay into gear. The folks at Koons Automotive (Silver Spring, MD) indicated that this transmission is habitually problematic and has probably failed.

- Takoma Park, MD, USA

problem #419

Feb 282024

Focus

  • miles
Unknown, vehicle slips out of gear leaving you stranded in the middle of the street

- North Highlands, CA, USA

problem #418

Jan 012024

Focus

  • 24,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking, stalling, and shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission clutch assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 24,000.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

problem #417

Feb 052024

Focus

  • miles
Transmission jerking and shaking

- Orland Park , IL, USA

problem #416

Feb 052022

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered when the transmission was shifted from 2nd to 3rd gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in Customer Satisfaction Program: [XXX] (Transmission Clutch Shudder - Transmission Clutch Warranty Extension -?" Power Train); however, the dealer denied performing the repair due to the vehicle having a Salvage Title. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #415

Jan 292024

Focus

  • 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speed and attempting to accelerate, the RMP would rise, but the vehicle would not move. The check engine warning light illuminated with the following messages: Transmission friction element B performance/stuck in off position - control module of transmission (TCM); Apply time range/ performance of transmission friction element B- control module of transmission (TCM); and Control module communication Buss 'A' off instrument control panel module. The contact stated, when the engine failed there was a message that stated transmission fault, service now. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a diagnostic was performed. The dealer stated that the clutch was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

- Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

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