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.
My vehicle has had 3 Evap Canister Valve Recall repairs since 2021, I purchased my 2018 Ford Focus Titanium brand new in January 2019. I have all receipts. I recently had the 3rd Evap canister valve repair January 15,2025. My vehicle had pending codes P144A and P1450 which would have prevented it from passing Texas Emmissions. My Vehicle has also had a Transmission Control Module Recall repair -TCM twice, once in 2022 and 2023. My car has had intermitten stalling in the middle of a intersection due to this recall putting me at risk for an accident. My vehicle currently has a pending code P2867 which is the TCM code. I have AAA tow truck history of my vehicle being towed to Classic Ford for these repeat repairs. I have taken my car to Classic Ford several times in Galveston, TX in which they have not successfully repaired these recalls. Which has turned into repeat repairs. Invoices to prove it. Cook Ford in Texas City recently repaired the 3rd Evap Canister Valve on January 15, 2025 in which they also found the faulty code for the Transmission Control Module. This is a serious concern.
Slowed down to enter roundabout, when acceleration out of roundabout transmission shuddered, check engine light illuminated and failed to accelerate greater then 35 mph. When stopped transmission continued to shudder, and shifted awkwardly.
My 2018 Ford focus started having transmission issues over 2 years ago. I took my car into a Ford dealership who reassured me that my car was fine and that my transmission was in fact not slipping. I continued to drive my vehicle while feeling the transmission slipping telling myself Ford told me this is normal it's fine. Cut to 2 years later. It is not fine. My entire transmission needs replaced. My TCM was not working properly which in turn ruined my reverse gear and caused internal damage to the transmission, resulting in a recommended replacement of the transmission. My car is only 5 years old with about 45,000 mi on it. I drive about half as much as the average American driver per year. My car had a hard acceleration so it was hard to enter traffic from a stop. Many times I was making a turn into traffic and felt like I might get hit by another car because I couldn't get into traffic fast enough. The jerking and slipping of the transmission caused constant fear of the car not performing as it should so to ensure everyone's safety, I would only make turns or go when there was absolutely no traffic. It also caused fear when my car wouldn't accelerate so I use more pressure on the gas pedal and then suddenly my car would lurch forward faster than expected. My check engine light did light up a few weeks prior to my transmission going out but the code was for the fuel pump purge valve. Again, the issue started in April of 2022 and the Ford dealership told me there was nothing wrong with the transmission even though there was. My transmission is experiencing many of the same things others experienced which is why this transmission was recalled. Unfortunately my particular VIN number was not.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not properly accelerate and had experienced hard shifting from first to second gear. The check engine warning light illuminated and the warning message "transmission Overheating" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who replaced that clutch actuator but the failure was not remedied. The contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered.
The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start and failed to accelerate above 15 MPH while driving. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact's son pulled over and restarted the vehicle and an abnormal burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the clutch and actuator motor were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 65,607.
- Golden, CO, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
The car would not accelerate or shift gears. It just happened out of the blue with no warning. I kept up with maintenance schedule and it wasn't even recommended to have checked until 150,000 according to the owners manual that came with the car. I was only at 98,443 miles and had no warning lights or no leaks. I was driving with my grandchildren and was lucky I could coast safely off the road. I had it towed to the local dealership. The tech found that the car needed a NEW transmission.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to immediately start. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the transmission failed to properly shift between first and second gear, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. Additionally, the vehicle failed to respond while shifting into reverse. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the dual input clutch assembly, shift fork, and clutch actuator were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Driving into a parking lot the check engine light came on and the vehicle would only move about 10 mph - parked the vehicle and returning to the vehicle it would not go into reverse or any forward gear.06
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal ticking sound. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, where the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse(R). The contact drove to the residence at 5 MPH. The contact scanned the vehicle with a vehicle scanner and retrieved a DTC code related to the B-fork. The contact contacted an independent mechanic and was informed that the torque converter might have failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked violently. The transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the clutch actuator; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle failed to start immediately. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally while shifting gear. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 68,000.
The clutch failed, and is available for inspection. The dealer confirmed clutch needs replacing. No warning lights which is why I scanned for any codes. Other than the dealer no other inspections. I was driving normally along on the highway in stop and go traffic. A/C was on and normal breaking and traveling 15-25MPH. As traffic broke started to accelerate at a normal pace. Then the vehicle started to violently shake, got really loud like my exhaust had fallen off. I had to put the hazard lights on. Then put the vehicle in neutral as traffic was passing me on both sides. From neutral went back to drive and it make a loud noise but seemed power was back. I had to keep rpm-??s under 2000 and get off the highway and drove slowly home. Applying any higher acceleration resulting in shaking and noises. I did stop to see if any fluids or objects hanging once safely off the highway but nothing was there. I scanned the vehicle in the following days and had zero codes, attached. Then made appointment for the dealership. They are saying no recall while my scanner says possibly. I called Ford direct and they point me to here as my vin apparently doesn-??t meet the criteria.
Lurching jerking shifting problems then transmission hot alert. pull over wait five and start again. RPM increase and feels like automatic transmission slipping. won't start again until sitting for a while. pulled over twice on the freeway. went to autozone and engine light code indicates need to replace transmission control module.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact attempted to accelerate however, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the check transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised by the mechanic that there was a recall for the transmission, NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The contact called the manufacturer and was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Car shuddered horribly on interstate. RPMs revving up like crazy. Transmission struggling. This caused the car to slow down drastically in the middle of traffic, nearly causing myself a fatal accident amongst others around me. No warning indications, just Transmission Fault Service Now as soon as it happened. In the past this vehicle has had transmission issues fixed and replaced by Ford themselves, due to the same shuddering and stalling as listed above. All those times, no check engine light or warning lights. Care would accelerate/jerk/shudder badly. Making it unpredictable to drive.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to increase in speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for diagnoses but the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer on another occasion where it was diagnosed that the automatic clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
The contact called on behalf of her son who owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle jerked abnormally and lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with dual transmission clutch failure and the two actuators failure. The contact was informed that the dual transmission clutch and the actuators needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,248.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled with the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the oil pump tensioner which caused the engine to seize. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated while driving at an undisclosed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and jerked with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed as a failure with the torque converter. The contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Engine failure warnings, overheating, and car loss power slowed down to 5 miles per hour. The engine was replaced four times; head gasket replaced three times. I have had the car for three years, and it has been out of service for more than 190 days with the same problem. I have pleaded and begged Ford Motor Company and the dealership to take the car back and give me a refund. It is at the dealership service department now. They have had it from July 3-July 15, 2024.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Galveston, TX, USA