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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.

2.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,440 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 transmission problems

transmission problem

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2015 Ford Focus Owner Comments

problem #4

Dec 312023

Focus

  • 24,000 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 that on several occasions while driving below 15 MPH, the transmission began jerking and slipping and there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

problem #3

Nov 302023

Focus

  • 69,759 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a stop, the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle failed to move forward when in third or fourth gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who informed him there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 69,759.

- Friendship, WI, USA

problem #2

Apr 222022

Focus

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that when she started the vehicle, the clutch intermittently started to shake. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that clutch and the seal failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired and there was no warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

- Colonie, NY, USA

problem #1

Jun 302022

Focus

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the dealer previously replaced the TCM; however, the failure recurred while driving at an undisclosed speed, and the transmission failed to shift into the intended gear. Additionally, the vehicle would not accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

- Kittrell, NC, USA

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