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.
Occasionally, car lurches forward at stop signs without pressing the gas pedal, and other times, the car doesn't initially respond to gas pedal at a stop, stalling for 1-2 seconds and then lurching forward unexpectedly. Vehicle also trembles and shakes when upshifting from gears 1-2, and 2-3.
My 2018 Ford Focus has less than 35K miles on it. It has sat at a dealership since December 2021 waiting on a TCM while I am stuck with car payments and zero help from Ford. Ford has stranded over 50k customers and has no ETA on this part. Their dealerships are advising customers the vehicles are safe despite the fact that they shudder, lurch while braked, and decelerate for no reason. This is a known issue that Ford already lost a lawsuit for ok earlier models and now they-??ve been sued for the 2017/2018 models. NHTSA needs to investigate this. These cars are not safe and should not be on the road.
Vehicle stopped working June 21. Car refused to start up. Had it jumped, battery was completely drained. Discovered had no reverse, drive works up to 10-15mph. Drove it short distance to a Ford dealer service center. Discovered they said it's a powertrain issue and they're 3 weeks behind as they have no available mechanic to look at it. Called another dealer and was told the same thing. Had it towed home. Took it to a highly recommended mechanic and they said the powertrain is shot and needs replacing. Discovered it's a well known documented issue as of 2020. I have extended warranty on it but it may be denied because A) one ford dealer who did some work on the car within first few months of purchase "lost" my service records as they claim its not in their system. B) possibly denied because it's a known defect and they'd lose money to replace it. There's no recall on this defect. I wonder why!? This is a well known issue and seriously affects the value of my vehicle if I want to trade it in or sell it since it's all over the place and all mechanics know to "RUN" away from this car. No engine light on until arriving at dealer. No leaks, bluetooth stopped working as well. In early 2020 I did take it to get serviced and complained of shuddering and shaking upon acceleration but was told it's fine and within normal specs. Car left me stranded so they knew since then they've got a problem. Car is currently available for inspection at the garage where I'm expecting it to get fixed.
Engine shudders and sometimes stalls out when accelerating from complete stop and from low speed. Shudders also after changing gears or when trying to accelerate quickly like to change lanes. Especially after being driven more than about 50 miles without stopping. Has to be cranked 2 or 3 times after fueling and engine will only stay on if accelerator is pressed almost to the floor. Check engine light comes on and goes off randomly.
- Lillington, NC, USA
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My car sounds like its going die when putting fuel in my car, I have to leave car running while fueling. No matter the level of fuel. If I turn on my car after fueling, it takes a few tries to get car started back. Sometimes my car shakes when taking off or speeding up. This has been going on for the last year. Check engine light is on.
Transmission control module failed, and according to Ford Service tech, basically "ate" the clutch. Vehicle can not go above 30 mph, and does not shift properly. Tech states is not included in recalls, though thinks it should be included. Parts on backorder with no ETA on resolution. No repairs able to be made. Purge Control Valve failed, causing engine to die while fuel gauge showing 3/4 tank, repeated issue until tranmission control module failure rendered vehicle mostly unusable. Tech states is not included in recalls, though thinks it should be included. Parts on backorder with no ETA on resolution. No repairs able to be made.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was jerking. While driving approximately 30 MPH and shifting into 3rd gear, the vehicle jerked. The check engine warning light was illuminated. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
My vehicle is a 2018 Ford Focus st and I am not the first person to have this problem. My vehicle casually lost 3rd and 4th gear synchronizer out of the blue and I had to purchase to synchronizers to replace them. Among pulling the transmission apart and splitting the case open. My mechanic and I identified that 3rd and 4th gear synchronizers had metal tabs on them to keep them in position and they snapped off on every side, so there being a total of six tabs broken, three per synchronizer as you see in the photos. I am not the first person to have this issue so I would ask if you would please review this issue and look deeper into it to possibly come up with a solution.
Transmission started to shift and shudder harshly. Very high RPM (up to 5000-6000 rpm) without shifting. Car failed to go into reverse of "Sport" mode when shift level placed in that position. Car jerks and shudders upon initial takeoff from a stop, that feels like a sudden loss of power and has delayed acceleration. Very harsh shifting from 1st to 2nd gear that jolts entire car and driver. The RPM stays very high if the car will go into Drive and after a while the transmission overheats and a transmission temperature warning is displayed. Sometimes the car won't start. Trouble codes pulled are P087B and P287A.
Transmission control module went out in my car while on the highway. Car decelerated and sputtered almost causing a rear end collision. I was almost struck by a truck driving behind me.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, the vehicle inadvertently moved forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and Mtn. View Ford (301 E 20th St, Chattanooga, TN 37408). The dealers had replaced the transmission on three separate occasions; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and several cases were opened. The manufacturer declined to buy back the vehicle since it was not purchased from a Ford dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, his vehicle lost motive power and stalled three times. The contact waited for five minutes, restarted, and drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. While driving to the independent mechanic, the service transmission warning light illuminated, and the vehicle would no longer accelerate or move forward. The contact stated that another vehicle nearly crashed into his vehicle due to the failure. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The mechanic notified the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,380.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the transmission shuddered. After the brake pedal was released, the vehicle went into reverse. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the shifter, seals, and clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to another dealer for assistance. No further assistance was provided. The contact was concerned about being in a crash while driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 14,100.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle from an independent mechanic, the vehicle would stall at various speeds as an unknown warning light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where multiple repairs were performed on the vehicle. A year later, the contact stated that a "vehicle overheating, pull over" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had to restart the vehicle to clear the message and resume normal driving. The contact had spoken to the manufacturer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal or while at a complete stop, the vehicle would vibrate without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on two occasions for the failure and both times, the contact had the clutch assembly, the seal gasket, and fluid replaced. Despite the repairs, the failure returned every 20,000 miles. Recently, the failure returned, and the contact was informed that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
The contact-??s mother owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally while coming to a stop. The vehicle also experienced the abnormal shaking while moving off from a complete stop, whenever the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the TCM (Transmission Control Module) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed by the dealer that the part was not available for the repair. An aftermarket replacement part was ordered to facilitate the repair; however, after installing the part, it failed to fix the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Ford is aware if an issue with the dual clutch transmissions present in their Ford Focus models from 2011 to 2018. Recently they settled a lawsuit in the case if 2011 to 2016. I would like to report that this issue is still present. They currently want 8000 dollars for the transmission alone, and said that it is still a dual clutch, so it could do the same thing again and give out or it could be fine.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while traveling at highway speeds, the vehicle would violently shake without warning upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the shaking would cease once he took his foot off the accelerator pedal. The contact called the dealer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Since i bought the car in 2018 i noticed issues with the car. From jerking, shaking when accelerating, even not accelerating at times which almost caused an accident. Also not changing gears properly. It has left me several times with not giving me the option to reverse. For the first year i constantly took the car to ford dealerships to get checked with everytime it coming back with nothing wrong. I wasted time, money and it was really an inconvenience with the whole hassel. Not to mention the stress it put me through which led to mental issues, psychiatric visits and medications. I contacted ford several times and was also getting the run arround. They finally felt they could shut me with some type of free maintenance plan which at that time decided to give up and just accept. 5 months later took the car again with same issues and finally was told my a service rep that a transmission tech had never even looked it in tge past times. After being checked they had to replace something with the clutch. Also about months later some with the fuel valve/pcv had to be repaired which has been a recall for ford but not my specific vehicle/vin. And now only after 3 yeats of owning the car again having issues the same if not worse with the transmission. I no longer have bumber to bumber, powertain or extended warranty due to too many miles. I will be taking it tomorrow which i am sure is going to cost a lot not to mention i am still paying for the car. Oh and ford said even if it was the same thing with the clutch their repair warranty is only 2 years and i just passed that by a couple of months. I have always had used old cars and went through the hassle of car repairs. Being a single mom and moving to a bigger city to pursue my education i decided to buy a new vehicle so I wouldn't have problems but its been a nightmare with this car! I haven't been in a position to trade it or buy another car. I have just had to deal with it and its brought tears & caused mental issues.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chicago, IL, USA