CarComplaints.com Notes: For the third year in a row, the 3rd generation Focus is experiencing massive transmission problems.
Most notably owners keep complaining about how there's bad hesitation and jerking when starting from a stop. This isn't the result of an old, worn out part. In fact, the average mileage it's reported to us is just over 15k miles.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
18 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
11 / 1
Average Mileage:
42,019 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.
Takata recall I can feel my car jolting (almost everyday now) especially as I try to accelerate or increase speed. I feel it the most when I am accelerating from a stop light or slowing down for a turn and trying to speed back up. My car has stalled twice on the highway as I was trying to accelerate after slowing down. I can see that there is a recall out for my car however, there is no remedy available and I no longer feel safe driving this car! I purchased the car back in July of 2018 and felt the jolts around mid-September. Now they have gotten increasingly worse and are a part of my everyday driving. I was told that there would be a solution early 2019 so I was determined to wait until then but now we're in the latter half of the year with no solution.
Takata recall I bought my 2014 Ford Focus during my first year of college. I started to notice the cars clutch slipping immediately. After persistently taking the car to the dealership about the issue for a year, Ford finally admitted there was an issue with the car and that they would get me in the list for a new clutch. They (I assume intentionally) prolonged the process just long enough to escape the lemon law. Within a month of having my clutch replaced I started to notice it slipping. I have not had the clutch replaced again because I feel there is no point. I need to sell my car and get a new one that I feel safe driving, but I am upside down on my loan. I will never buy from Ford again.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While driving 30 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to hesitate. In addition, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and then to folsom lake Ford (located at 12755 folsom blvd, folsom, ca 95630, (916) 353-2000) where the contact was informed that the failure was associated with NHTSA campaign numbers: 13V523000 (power train), 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline), and 16V643000 (latches/locks/linkages). The contact stated that the failure continued. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 120,000.
2014 Ford Focus transmission clutch went out 3 times since I have own the car. Stopped at traffic light foot. On break car in drive car goes flying backwards. Car lose of power will not go in reverse.setting waiting to pull out in main road foot on break car in drive car shot me out in front of a pepsi truck car control it's self. Took car to police station in N barboursville West Virginia to report it they laughed at me. Car jump's will not go. Then sends you flying backwards or forward. Car is trying to kill me driving the car in the streets is when this happened or waiting to pull out on the streets in going from 2017 to 2019
As of 07/16/19 Ford has put 7 clutches in this vehicle. We are scheduled for an other app. On 07/18/19. The problem is back, I believe this this is the third trip back since the last clutch was put in. Ford keeps saying it's not back enough to replace, but when you look at the paper work it says they readjusted the clutch, each time. I don't understand this because if you look at the mileage in and out of the shop it's the same. How can they say the problem not there. If they don't drive it? it's to the point now that you don't dare try to pass or go by another car because it hesitates so bad and the tec meter will jump to 5/5 1/2 before it drops down and shifts gears. It's like driving a car with a standard transmission and the clutch isn't out far enough.
- Kissimmee, FL, USA
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The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle shuttered, jerked, and failed to shift in and out of gear. The vehicle was slow to change gears at any given point without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and failed to shift into reverse several times intermittently. In addition, the malfunction indicator lamp flashed. The vehicle was towed to david stanley Ford of midwest city (6601 SE 29th St, midwest city, ok 73110, (405) 733-1611) where it was diagnosed several times, but failed to provide a permanent remedy. The dealer later diagnosed that the transmission assembly needed to be replaced and the vehicle was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 13V523000 (power train). The contact stated that the failure that the vehicle exhibited was related to the recall campaign. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for further diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was not available.
I serviced my Focus on 5/29/19 for recalls. They performed a multi point inspection. Everything normal. 6/09/19, I was driving down city street 40mph driving straight the car down shifted suddenly and a warning " transmission faulty, service now" came on. I was able to drive it home, the car wouldnt shift into a higher gear. I attached both services done. After the second service was done to my vehical it still shuddered when accelerating. 6/29/19 this occured twice the same day, I was waiting at an intersection making a left hand turn into a gas station, when it was safe to turn, I let my foot of the brake and my car inched forward while I hit gas and my car did not move, I was nearly hit both times, the last second with my foot on the gas all the way down to the floor, the car jerks into gear. Ive called the dealership about fixing this issue, ive left messages with no call back, I finally got a service call set but not until July 30th. This has now occured almost everyday since 6/29/19. The car does not always do this, it seems to only do it if im below a half a tank, or the first 60 miles on a full tank. I fear for my safety driving this car that when I hit the gas the engine will just rev U[ and not move and get hit. The car always had a shudder when accelerating since we purchased it 1/12/16, but the sales person insisted with new fuel saving system that it was completely normal. I didnt have any major issues besides the shudder when accelerating, and when I would start my car up the first time after filling up, until I got the recall fixed, now ive had nothing but issues.
I purchased my car new from a Ford dealer in 2015. My car had this shudder from the beginning but the dealer told me it was 'normal, ' etc. I've found the information about the class action lawsuit and detroit free press revelations about Ford Motor Company knowing the transmission was defective before my 2014 Focus was even built! but when I called my dealership yesterday they still say the defect symptoms are 'normal' and they'll charge me $89 if I want a diagnostic. And even if I do that and they replace the defective transmission, they'll be installing another inherently defective transmission! this isn't a manufacturing plant issue where a small percentage of the vehicles built on one particular day received the wrong widget. The transmission design is defective. I no longer feel safe in this car nor do I trust Ford Motor Company or its dealership that's been lying to me for years. I made a point of buying an american company car made in the usa to support my country and this is what they do??
This car hesitates and jerks from a stopped position. There is a rattle as the car starts moving. On two occasions, while merging uphill into traffic, the car stalled. On several other occasions, it came close to stalling. I've taken it to the dealer several times over the years and they tell me there is nothing wrong. When I get the car back from being repaired, the 'check engine' light comes back on after a week or two. I can't answer your question below about when it happened. It happens all the time.
The car will be driving and when you go to accelerate it is like the car chugs and stutters before it will kick into gear, then I was driving and the front bottom spoiler or something fell off apparently the screws holding that and the plate under the engine fell out as I was driving I had to zip tie the plate to the bottom of car. This car has been my night mare since I purchased it in 2016 and I owe so much on it that trading it in would not even help.
When shifting down from drive to park, my shift gets stuck in neutral or when I am shifting from park to reverse, I am unable to move the car into another gears. When I am at a stop light and the light turns green my car seems to stalls to take off. When I drive down the street the car acts like it wants to shut off. A Ford truck almost hit me because the light was already green and my car stalled and would not go. I had my hazard lights and he swerved into another lane where the traffic was headed toward the truck. This very dangerous.
Takata recall. My transmission as always been funny and two days ago my car started to roll back even when I was in position D. then the transmission started overheating and the engine light came on. I took the car to aamco to see what's wrong and the man said they get 2014 and 2015 Focus cars often. The parts they need to replace are the clutch assembly, slave cylinder, and two mechanical actuators. Along with pressure plate. I think this problem is common and someone should know. This is important because my transmission would overheat and I would have to pull over somewhere real quick to turn the car off and let it cool down. Then my car would be hard to start after that. I had to do that a few times before I made it to the transmission shop that day.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine indicator kept randomly flashing. Crown Ford (256 swain St, fayetteville, nc 28303, (910) 920-9614) was notified of the failure several times, but was unable to determine a permanent remedy to repair the vehicle after it had been back and forth to the dealer more than three times. The vehicle shuttered and shook abnormally. While driving approximately 65 mph, the speed decelerated to 0 and the contact quickly maneuvered the vehicle to prevent a crash. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but the contact was uncertain if the manufacturer had a permanent remedy. In addition, the diagnostic trouble codes flickered when checked by an independent mechanic. The approximate failure mileage was 65,574.
While driving my 2014 Ford Focus on the highway, the car almost stalled during a backup in traffic. While normal driving the car lost power and the RPM gauge started dropping as the accelerator was been depressed further. While traffic to overtake on the highway the car actually slowed down while trying to go faster. The car behave like the transmission is having problems switching to lower gears.
2014 Ford Focus SE. Driving on highway. Heard a loud sound. Car began to lose power and the oil light began to flash. Within seconds smoke and flames came from engine. Front end was engulfed in flames within minutes. Car had been to three shops prior and nothing was ever said about there being a problem. Even was taken to Ford dealership.
The engine light came on stating that it is a O2 sensor issue. I've replaced the O2 sensor several times. I've had mechanics and the dealership look at it with no ability to figure out what it is. It is believed to be electrical, most likely the wire harness. My alternator was affected as well by this electrical issue. I have had to put in a few new O2 sensors, two new alternators, and a battery.
Takata inflators. This car was unsafe to drive, when you get to a red light, the car jerked you, when you place your feet on the brakes. Then when you press the accelerator to go it jerk back and pulled you forward. Changing geers would hard to shift and sometimes stick. The engine light would come on, the car was taken to Ford dealership 3 times and tested, they never fixed the problem. I almost crased at the stop sign trying to stop, the brakes got stuck. I had the car for one month, and filled a lemmon law complaint on line, and they insisted I had to wait a period of time, because I just purchased the car. After the 3rd, time visting the Ford repair shop, in one month time, I was disappointed and where I bought the car from at a Kia dealership, they would not give me my money back, only offered to trade the Ford Focus in back to them and buy a Kia car from them, I loss my down payment, and got stuck with a roll over fee of 4,500 from the remaining balance of the Ford Fusion added on to the new Kia. And a higher car payment. They sold E a lemon, and had a warranty and still refuse to fix the car. The transmission was bad and they sold the Ford to the auction to get it off their hands. I was stalled for 30 days believing they would fix the car, the lemon law couldn't help me after I faxed all the papers to them. The Ford Focus was on the recall list, and I don't have the car now, is there anyway I can get credited for the $4.500 in a law suit for buying the Ford under warranty and they refuse to fix the car right.
The car randomly stalls and dies while I am driving it. It has died on the interstate and on rural roads and highways. This is very dangerous and there is currently a recall out on a part of the 2014 Ford Focus which causes this problem. It dies when I am driving and coasting, when I accelerate, and when I have my cruise set.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle delays to accelerate and the abnormally shook. The dealer and the manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Austin, TX, USA