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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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,441 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2015 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 4 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Dec 102019

Focus

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. While driving 40 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. Landmark Ford Lincoln (12000 sw 66th ave, tigard, or 97223, (503) 639-1131) was contacted and diagnosed that the cpv failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to call NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Tiger, OR, USA

problem #69

Dec 162019

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
Sticky canister purge valve

- Tigard, OR, USA

problem #68

Dec 062019

Focus

  • 112,000 miles
Each time you put gas into the vehicle it will not start for several minutes. The engine keeps trying to start but it will not kick over. Also the car has stalled while being driven down the highway and it has taken several minutes to start back. The dealership where I bought the car replaced a sensor in the gas tank however this did not fix the problem. After doing much research I have learned that Ford had a similar issue with the 2.0 liter Ford Focus

- Morganton, NC, USA

problem #67

Sep 092019

Focus

  • 64,000 miles

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

Recall notice was 'software' update to detect hardware issue. No issue detected. The hardware that had issued failed 2 weeks later. Ford states that the recall was completed and cannot open. The equipment (canister valve) that the recall was created for failed.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #66

Oct 042019

Focus

  • 68,000 miles
Had recall service done for fuel tank deformation issue or so the dealerships says. But after I the car back it seems to be running great but 5 miles down the road it stalls on me and fails to crank when it did it wouldnt continue to run or idle for long before stalling again. After 30 mo S or so of priming fuel pump and retrying and letting set. It cranks up and runs fine. Recall needs to be further researched or dealership needs to be investigated for fraudulently claiming to complete recall procedures and not doing so.

- Clayton, GA, USA

problem #65

Nov 102018

Focus

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owned a 2015 Ford Focus. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle began smoking without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over and the smoke and flames became more rampant. The contact called the fire department and had the fire extinguished. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard and the whereabouts of the vehicle were unknown. The insurance company conducted an investigation of the incident and retrieved the service records of the vehicle from chapman's northeast Ford (9371 roosevelt blvd, philadelphia, pa 19114, 866-577-2408). The contact was informed by the insurance claim adjuster that the fire was caused by an engine block. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle had been salvaged and was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #64

Sep 062019

Focus

  • 101,205 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. While driving 60 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the check engine indicator was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and the vehicle stalled. The contact could smell fuel entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the transmission ready warning message was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to his destination. In addition, the contact stated that the fuel gauge was not providing the correct fuel measurement. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was taken to russell and smith Ford (located at 3440 S loop w, houston, tx 77025, (713) 230-8368) and an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the emission valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 101,205.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #63

May 012019

Focus

  • 41,500 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. While driving on the highway, the engine stalled, the vehicle lost acceleration, and gradually slowed down until it was guided to the side of the road. Also, after the vehicle was refueled, it would not immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to haasz automall of ravenna (4886 oh-59, ravenna, oh 44266, 330-296-2866) where it was diagnosed that the O2 sensor needed to be repaired. The failure was repaired for $500; however, the failure recurred while driving away. Nick mayer Ford (6200 mayfield rd, mayfield heights, oh 44124, (440) 449-1000( was contacted and stated that there was an unknown recall regarding the fuel tank. The contact paid $200 for a diagnostic test, but no failure was found. The failure recurred and the contact filed a complaint with either one of the dealers or the manufacturer. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle from the haasz dealer. The contact took the vehicle to another unknown Ford dealer and was informed that nick mayer Ford should not have closed the recall for the fuel tank because there was still an issue. The recall would need to be re-issued in order for the vehicle to be repaired. The contact was currently waiting for the manufacturer to apply the recall back on her vehicle. The failure mileage was 41,500.

- Newbury, OH, USA

problem #62

Aug 012019

Focus

  • miles
My can used to get 400 plus miles when the has tank is full. Now it gets less and study get less when I fill up. When I step on the accelerator the car sound like air rushing in and the RPM's rev up way to high. This been going on for a few weeks. This happen while driving the freeway, highway, and the neighborhood streets.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #61

Aug 012018

Focus

  • miles
Over the past year my Ford Focus 2015 has begun suffering a terrible "shuddering" when going from stop to moving (specifically the first shift range of 15-20mph), and esp. When going from stop to moving on a turn (stopping at a stop sign then turning for example), pushing more gas doesn't seem to help accelerate any faster. The clutch has been replaced before but the issue just keeps getting worse, and it really sucks.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #60

Apr 152019

Focus

  • 70,000 miles

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

When trying to accelerate from stop my car sputters/ stutters and tries to stall out. It also has something wrong in the electrical system that has caused my stereo and other functions to no longer work

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #59

Dec 192017

Focus

  • 75,000 miles
When I press on the gas to accelerate after stopping at a stop sign or red light, (after I have driven the car a small distance) the car jerks and jumps and does not want to accelerate. I am not sure if this is coming from the transmission or not, but it worries me because I do not want to be stuck in the middle of an intersection because my car will not go. It has been happening a lot, but I have not had it in to a repair shop yet and I am wondering if it has anything to do with the bad transmissions that were put into the Ford focuses. This happens weather I am driving on a city street or on a highway and it is very concerning. I got a letter in the mail from Ford back in December 2018 that stated my car was having issues with certain things and that they would be sending out a recall in the first quarter of 2019, but I never received any correspondence from Ford after that. This issue has been happening for a long time.

- Logan, OH, USA

problem #58

Jul 302019

Focus

  • 81,691 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle shut off and restarted. In addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 81,691. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Comstock Park, MI, USA

problem #57

Jul 252019

Focus

  • 69,000 miles
Purchased used from a Ford dealer used 2015 Ford Focus. Was told that vehicle had to lern my style of driving. Car shutters when going accelerating, take time to shift between 1,2,3, gears. Also shutters at other speeds in the middle of shifting. Cannot shift quickly from parked or in stopped position like at a stop light or when merging into traffic. Car also now revs high and has to be cooled down after driving. I cannot trust vehicle to be driven by other family members due to transmission and engine acceleration problems. Has been an ongoing problem but dealership charges for diagnostics and states that it is the way I drive.

- Flagstaff, AZ, USA

problem #56

Jun 042019

Focus

  • 84,000 miles
This complaint is in regards to the Ford Focus/fiesta dps6 transmission issue. Due to the dry dual clutch system issue, the vehicle engine would shake and rumble violently while moving. This mostly occurs when the supposedly automatic transmission shifting from the first and second gear. The first time I reported this to the dealer, they replaced the clutch which stopped the rumble issue until few months later, the rumble returned. Again I reported this to the dealership however this time they blamed it on the purge valve in the gas tank which they replaced. This did not fix the rumble issue and the dealership did not try to verify the rumble. They simply did not acknowledge it by stating they could not replicate the problem. Few months later while I was on the freeway, the rumble occurred again but worse than before. Immediately my vehicle lost power as if it's stuck at first gear. The vehicle's speed dropped tremendously which is extremely dangerous since I was on the freeway and everyone was going 60+ mph. Luckily I was able to pull over safely without getting hit. I restarted the vehicle and it ran continue to rumble but not as violently, the check engine light was on. I quickly brought the vehicle to the dealership for repair. Even though I have a bumper to bumper warranty, the warranty company refuse to cover the transmission repair because the dual clutch system is technically a manual clutch. For that reason they do not cover it. As a consumer, we have no idea exactly what type of parts the vehicle contains. The vehicle was advertised as automatic transmission which in common sense, it does not contain a manual clutch. The dealership was requesting $2000+ fee to replace this clutch. At the same time of this inspection, the purge valve in the gas tank was also defected and needs to be replaced.

- Antioch, CA, USA

problem #55

Oct 222018

Focus

  • miles
There was a recall issued for my car and the manufacturer has not provided a remedy.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

problem #54

Jul 102019

Focus

  • 97,000 miles
I drove to the market to get some food and when I came back the car would not turn on we tried jump starting and it seemed like it wanted to start but it didn't.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #53

Dec 012018

Focus

  • miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The part was not available for the repair. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Alton, IL, USA

problem #52

Jun 152017

Focus

  • 5,000 miles
My transmission does not shift properly ans everyone that I know that has this same type of vehicle is having the same problem. When you take off the trans doesnt shift right.

- Tazwell, TN, USA

problem #51

Oct 222018

Focus

  • miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Mason, OH, USA

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