9.3

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,530
Average Mileage:
49,000 miles
Total Complaints:
27 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (18 reports)
  2. replace control module (4 reports)
  3. replace the clutch actuator (3 reports)
  4. replace transmission (2 reports)
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This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.

problem #27

Jul 172020

Focus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,941 miles

The car is basically brand new, it barely has been driven because I am slowly becoming more disabled as years go by, but it has been reliable until this. I have noticed over the past few months that it has been "shuddering" with the transmission when trying to get out of first. The car is automatic and manual so its able to swap with sport etc etc. I went to a Ford dealership recently - and mind you I have received multiple Ford transmission settlement papers in the mail - and Ford has refused to fix it. Under any type of warranty. I have even called the Ford headquarters to see if they would be able to help assist me better, seeing as the only has 30,000 miles on it literally, so how does a clutch even go out at that when it is supposed to last to 100,000 miles? All Ford could do was place me on hold for quite some time, then proceed to tell me that there was nothing they can nor will do to help me in this case but only charge me 2,500 dollars to replace the clutch. I told them no thank you, I would rather take my money elsewhere at this rate, because I don't feel Ford deserves another dime.

- Danielle K., Happy Valley, OR, US

problem #26

Jun 112015

Focus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,000 miles

The transmission modular fails to shift properly. The transmission lags and shifts roughly, often jerking and grinding in 1st and 2nd gear. This makes the car extremely dangerous, especially when taking off out into traffic. I have almost been hit multiple times because of the transmission failing to shift properly. Ford has offered no solution. Ford dealership also will not take responsibility. They have turned me away multiple types denying the issue. I have been stuck paying for this lemon every month for the past 5 yrs. Come to find out Ford has a long history ignoring safety issues and ignoring recalls when needed. They should be held reasonable under their strict product liability and reimburse owners. I would NEVER purchase another Ford in my life or recommend their shady company to anyone. Time for transparency Ford!

- Atlas S., Parish, NY, US

problem #25

Aug 272020

Focus SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 163,000 miles

2013 Ford Focus SE - transmission failure - second time. Left my 17 yr old daughter stranded in town - I had to go get her. Higher mileage car that has been to the dealership once already for same issue. Dealership said it was the "b-side" actuator when it really is the control module (TCM). At the dealership currently for review; best be fixed by dealer at zero cost.

- John P., Columbus, IN, US

problem #24

Nov 012017

Focus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

Car died after pulling backwards out of driveway and then shifting to go forward. On the way to the repair shop, car would get up to 25mph, but then shift in some odd way that caused the car to slow down and resist the speed. So the whole 15 mile drive to the shop was painful.

- Brandon J., West Bloomfield, Mi, US

problem #23

Jul 012017

Focus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles

Transmission crapped out one morning, was going to work and then it wouldn't go past 2nd gear. Cheaper to replace whole transmission than diagnose it. As I heard, its probably because of the new 'power shift' clutch that replaces a torque converter.

- Brandon J., West Bloomfield, Mi, US

problem #22

Jun 252018

Focus SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,260 miles

My 2013 Ford Focus completely quit while driving at forty miles an hour. I lost the ability to steer or brake. Everything locked up when the transmission module shorted out. It was extremely frightening. Thank god I was alone. After it stopped, it would not start and the big Ford light came on in the dash. I was told today that's what happens when they go and you are driving. The Service Manager says it's a safety precaution. Precaution my butt, I could have been killed very easily inside a vehicle that I had no control over at all. I just want a car that is reliable and safe. I bought this brand new and have had nothing but problems since three months after I bought it. Just ridiculous. Ford should be ashamed to allow people to drive these death traps.

- Bonnie T., Morrisville, VT, US

problem #21

Jul 292018

Focus SE 2.0L

  • Manual transmission
  • 100,800 miles

First car wouldn't start after sitting 6 days. Never happened before. Got a boost, put car in R , and D , wouldn't move. Finally after shifting a few times , car moves. Transmission service light came on. I am over 100 miles from home and it is SUNDAY. Started out seemed ok, farther up the road it didn't want to shift properly. Wouldn't go into high gear unless I put it in neutral and then drive. When I let off gas it would act like it was in neutral and would not engage. Scared the crap out of me because I was in the mountains with traffic. I have already had all the clutches replaced by Ford, had to replace the purge valve and gas tank at my expense and now this. These cars should be taken off the road. Ford is putting profit before safety of its customer. I am really disgusted because my family has always been Ford people. Can't trade it because they will not give me a fair price for trade and I certainly would not feel right about selling it to someone until I was sure the problems were resolved.I would tell anyone to stay away from this particular car. I would have never bought it had I known. Carfax had it clean with no issues. SUCKS! Come on Ford, step up to the plate and make it right. This car is a death trap.

- Allan R., Kernersville, NC, US

problem #20

Dec 142017

Focus 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,500 miles

This is the third time the transmission has failed. The first time I was able to limp it to the ford dealership they had it a few days and "fixed it" about 20,000 miles later or 12 months it happened again, but it wouldn't even shift or drive and had to have it towed. They "fixed it" again after a few days and now its been about another year and it lit up the dash this morning and was stuck in 3rd gear. Got it to limp the 5 miles to ford. They did not supply a rental car but gave me a ride to work. They said it would be covered under warranty but now I'm without a car again. I bought this car to be my commuter and got the 100k warranty but I have lost all faith and trust in the car and ford. I'll be selling this thing at 99k and buying a Toyota.

- mademan925, Discovery Bay, US

problem #19

Jul 162017

Focus ES

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

I bought the car used and it starting acting right after I bought it back in September 2016. It has been a pain I have had in the shop twice for two different transmissions. I would like them to either pay off my loan so I can get another car or settle with me so I can maybe get another car. I had a Focus I bought brand new before this one and had hardly any problems.

I love my car but am very dissatisfied with the way this car is going. I have it in the shop more than out. I feel even though we don't pay out of pocket the Ford settlement group should buy out our loans, so we can buy something more reliable. This is not our fault. I am 60 years old and have medical issues and the last time it broke down I was afraid I wouldn't make it there to get fixed. Please take my claim into consideration.

- Judith M., Lima, US

problem #18

Jul 122017

Focus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,000 miles

This is the 2nd problem I've had with the car. The first was a clicking noise that they fixed and gave me a rental car while they fixed the issue. Now my transmission has most definitely failed. The car lost power while I was driving home from dinner with a friend. The check engine light came on and the car was no shifting properly. If you pressed on the gas the car would barely go, and it felt like someone was pushing the car back, like a jolt to the car. I made it home and had the car towed to the dealership where I bought it. The service advisor said my car won't be looked at for several days and the backlog on these issues is 2-3 weeks. They are no longer providing rental cars free of charge. This is THEIR issue and it has cost me money for a rental car. I will never buy another Ford again.

- Melody L., Louisville, KY, US

problem #17

May 012017

Focus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 71,000 miles

The car worked well until approx one month ago (05/01/2017), starting to drive that day it would not change gears, it remained in first gear when increasing speed slightly. I was not able to locate a Ford Dealership that had a transmission tech on staff.

- Anthony P., Jesup, GA, US

problem #16

Feb 272017

Focus LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,647 miles

I WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESS WAY, IT FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSON SLIP. MY DASHBOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE, SO I STOPPED AND CALLED OXMOOR FORD ON SHELBYVILLE ROAD AND TOLD THEM WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THEY TOLD ME AS LONG AS IT WAS NOT FLASHING I COULD DRIVE IT, BUT I FELT UNSAFE. THEY TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION GUY WAS NOT IN. I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR AND I NEEDED A RENTAL CAR. THEY LOOKED AT ME LIKE I HAD TWO HEADS. I HAD TO FUSS TO GET SOMETHING DONE. FINALLY HE PULLED UP MY ACCOUNT AND SEEN I HAD AN EXTENDED COVERAGE AND I GOT THE RENTAL. THE SOLUTION HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED YET.

- Brenda E., folsom, PA, US

problem #15

Jan 302017

Focus SE 2.0L I4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,579 miles

Well this is the seventh time in to the dealer; the transmission finally went out. Went out to dinner with friends on our way home the transmission stopped working would not engage to drive up a hill. Engine light came on and the trans overheating light also came on. Called the dealer they came and towed the vehicle to the dealership after 10 days they could not get the trans to duplicate the problem put on close to 200 miles on the vehicle and they finally found the clutch actuator pin had malfunctioned and the replaced the same.

Call Ford Customer Service again and they informed us that they would do nothing...

Now we are asking anyone for any advise to get some satisfaction with this crap vehicle, we also will loss out on an extended warranty for $2,100.00 because we will be looking for another vehicle within the next few months. Lemon Law in SD does not cover us due to timeframe...

- James S., Belle Fourche, SD, US

problem #14

Oct 172016

Focus SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,000 miles

Started my car after getting gas and "check transmission now" warning showed up (or something like this). I immediately contacted the dealership and was told to call a tow truck. I didn't understand this because it was the first time I had seen the warning. The guy on the phone assured me it would quit running within minutes. He was exactly right. They have seen this problem many times. I had planned a trip to Dallas and if I had been on the toll road it would have quit wherever I was. Scared me to think what could have happened. A part was replaced after being in the shop for five days. This was covered under warranty. I only had 31,000 miles on car. I had hoped it would drive better without cutting out and clattering, but no such luck!

- brendaqtx, North Richland Hills, TX, US

problem #13

Oct 282016

Focus 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 35,700 miles

The transmission started going out on the hill approach to freeway/Golden Gate Bridge then it sputtered into neutral and back and forth through the gears as I crossed the bridge. When stoplight turned green, once in San Francisco, I put foot on gas and the car lurched into reverse before going forward. Luckily no accidents and no one got hurt but it was frightening. Now the car will not start right away and there is a notice the transmission is overheating. I'm bringing it into the dealer tomorrow and my service manager agrees the car is not driveable.

With all the problems people are having with the Ford transmissions, there should be a recall on the part. I don't have time to go back and forth with this problem to become eligible for the Lemon Law to take effect. Recall the part or replace the faulty cars with newer models and solid transmissions

- lauragmks, S, CA, US

problem #12

May 102016

Focus SE 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,980 miles

And here we are again! After having the car serviced 3 (THREE!!!!) times in less than 6 months, I got another transmission failure! It happened again while driving on the highway: 60 MPH and then...suddenly lost the 4th, 5th and 6th gears.

I could not believe it! 3 services and less than 20 miles driven since the last and the same problems happens again!

I took the car to the FORD service center again. This time they did the rewiring of the transmission. I asked if, considering the previous 3 transmission failures, it was possible that there was a mechanical problem maybe caused by the very first electronic problem. They told me it is impossible. I asked if they opened the transmission and checked. The answer was that they did not need to do it because the computer did not report any mechanical problem.

With my astonishment, I took the car hoping it was the last time. However, AFTER A TOTAL OF 4 TRANSMISSION FAILURES, the problem was not solved...as you will read in the following complaint

- marcowa, Seattle, WA, US

problem #11

May 042016

Focus SE 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,940 miles

After having my FORD focus 2013 serviced twice for a transmission failure, the problem happened again after 30 miles! While I was driving on the highway, I got the message "Transmission Failure" and I lost the 4th and the 5th gears.

I took the car to the Ford service to have it repaired, for the THIRD time (and only 30 miles after the last failure!). I told them the it was a ridiculous situation and that I could not believe FORD was willing to treat its customers that way. They said that they would have done the best as they could to solve the problem.

So much so that, when I called after two days to check the status of my car, they replied they fixed the car by changing the Transmission Module AGAIN! SERIOUSLY? After all what happened they were trying to fix the problem in the exact same way as the previous two time!!!!!!!

With all my frustration I had to call the FORD Customer service and I was able to escalate my case to the Regional Service Manager. This person contacted the service center and after a while I got a call from FORD to inform me that not only the TCM but also the PCM was changed this time.

I hoped the problem was solved but....FORD never ceases to amaze me as you will read in my following complaint...

- marcowa, Seattle, WA, US

problem #10

May 282016

Focus SE 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles

After 4 transmission failures (3 of which happening in the last 3 weeks after less than a total of 60 miles on the road), the car had another transmission failure this morning. I was driving to the airport and suddenly I had to stop because I lost all the gears except for the 1st and the 2nd. No need to say that this caused me to miss my flight.

I have not taken the car to the FORD service yet but I am really frustrated by this situation. I thought I would have had an excellent assistance from FORD by I was disillusioned. After servicing my car 4 times and having 5 transmission failures I do not think FORD will be able to fix the problem. Especially if they continue to work on electronic without even checking if the mechanics is OK.

I cannot believe a car manufacturer with such an important history as FORD can afford such a bad reputation. Not only they designed the worst transmission in the history of automotive, they also provided an extremely poor service, notwithstanding the fact that these repeatedly transmission failures have had put the lives of my wife and I at stake multiple times.

Let's see if they can fix the problem this time. I will write again if I experience another transmission failure.

The only certain conclusion is that I WILL NEVER, EVER, BUY A FORD AGAIN! Buying my FORD was the worst mistake of my life. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy!

- marcowa, Seattle, WA, US

problem #9

Sep 032015

Focus SE 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 18,000 miles

My car is a FORD Focus SE 2013 with automatic transmission. I bought it used in 2014 with only 11K miles on it. The reasons that lead me to the worst mistake of my life are twofold:

1) I am an Italian living the American dream. USA gave me an amazing job and a wonderful life! My wife and I decided it would have been very nice giving something back by buying an American car;

2) I thought FORD was a respectful car manufacturer, capable of producing reliable cars and providing an excellent customer service

The initial excitement about our new car, however, faded away very soon. After about 3-4k miles, the transmission started having problems: awful noise when shifting from 1st to 2nd, transmission jerking when shifting from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd gears, unpleasant vibrations when driving uphill.

When I contacted the dealership, they told me that all the Focus 2013 and 2014 have the same problem and they immediately tried to take advantage of the situation by offering a new Focus 2015! I was astonished! First of all, if they knew about the problem, I wonder why they never mentioned it to me before purchasing the car. Second of all, I know from other Focus owners that the 2015 model still has the same problems. So...the dealership was trying to take advantage of the situation twice! In any case, I did not want to give more money to FORD for a design issue which did not depend on me. I decided to keep going.

After less than 2 months, and only 3k more miles on the road, we experienced a transmission failure. We were driving downhill on a very steep road and the transmission suddenly stopped working. We suddenly lost engine break and we almost crashed. It was a very unpleasant and unsafe situation! It was only by chance that nobody was hurt!

The car was towed to a FORD service center. The service manager minimized the issue and told us the Transmission Module failed and that they changed it for a new one. At that time I still thought that a brand such as FORD would have been capable of handling my car problem in the best possible way so I trusted the service. I was wrong...as you will read in the following posts (for better tracking the complaints, carcomplaints.com urges one report for each problem!)

- marcowa, Seattle, WA, US

problem #8

Apr 302016

Focus SE 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,900 miles

This is a follow up of the previous complaint about my FORD Focus 2013 SE.

Right after the car was serviced the first time for a transmission failure, we brought it back to the FORD service center. The car was having the same issues it had before: a) awful noise shifting gear from 1st to 2nd, b) transmission jerking when shifting from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd, c) extensive vibrations when driving uphill.

They told us that "the car has a very advanced computerized transmission and that the transmission jerking was because the brain of the transmission (yes, that's that they said) needs time to learn my driving style". I could not believe it! I tried to convince them to take another look at the car but the bottom line was that I had to deal with the problem.

After that, I was able to drive my car for a few months (and about 5K miles) before I suddenly had another transmission failure while driving in the fast lane of I-5 in SEATTLE! No need to say that this was again a very dangerous situation. Imagine you driving at 60 MPH and suddenly loosing your engine break! After what happened, my wife was so scared that she decided she will never drive the car again.

I called the Ford Road Assistance and the car was towed to the same Ford Service who worked on the car the first time. With my astonishment, what the service did to fix the problem was....changing the transmission module AGAIN! They told me the one which was changed before was probably defected so they decided to change it again. I asked how they could possibly believe to solve the problem by repeating exactly the same procedure tried before. They replied that they only do what FORD tell them to do.

I reluctantly took the car...and I was right! I got another transmission failure.

- marcowa, Seattle, WA, US

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