10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 30 / 3
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 15 / 2
- Average Mileage:
- 59,417 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
The transmission of my car shudders during light acceleration when it goes into motion from a stationary position. I have been facing this issue for a long time now. It runs great in 1st gear but when it switches to 2nd it shudders and then shifts. Also when it is on gears more than 2 it runs fine.
- Southfield, MI, USA
This 2012 Ford Focus has one of the original dps6 transmissions which is failing as to be expected by design. Ford is denying the extended warranty for 7 years because the purchase date was August 2011. The vehicle is a 2012 and here we are in 2019. This is 7 years. The vehicle is dangerous, shifting hard and slips out of gear and won't go into drive. This is very dangerous when you need acceleration on the freeway or where ever the risk may be in traffic conditions. There are 1000's of reports on the malfunctioning transmission and I recently read on the internet the NHTSA this year is finally looking into this problem that was sold to millions of customers. I have had the car diagnosed at a Ford dealership who proceeded to price gouge me on a repair since Ford won't honor their customer satisfaction. No third party transmission shops will work on this car and the consumer is slaved to Ford for repairs. Dishonest price gouging quotes to boot. I was lured in with $1400 to $1600 to bring the car in. 5 months later, with no cooperation and numerous phone calls, they doubled the parts priced for the repair up to $3200 plus it could be more. I was so fed up I towed the vehicle out of there and back to my garage. This half baked extended warranty Ford put out for this transmission is exactly that, half baked. They know this transmission will fail and the warranty should have covered all components for this mechanical monstrosity. The consumer is over the barrel with Ford fixing this problem and they are taking advantage of the situation. I was denied this warranty by two months when I first inquired about the. It's a 2012 - 2019 7 years. Just because it was sold in 2011 shouldn't make a difference. It's still the same dangerous malfunctioning transmission out on the road. I sure hope the NHTSA puts some pressure on Ford to do the right thing.
- Bermuda Dunes, CA, USA
Transmission having trouble catching all gears while driving
- San Antonio, TX, USA
Loss of power steering while driving, my speed was 60mph, no warning all of sudden I couldn't turn or maneuver the steering wheel. Very dangerous
- Mckinney, TX, USA
Transmission felt stuck. Didn't want to shift gears. When it did shift into the next gear, the car jumped. At the stop light, tried taking off and vehicle stalled, then finally slipped into gear. The car jumped as it shifted into gears, but once riding it was ok, until I slowed down. The car would jump as the gears shifted down. This has never happened before
- Chesapeake, VA, USA
Vehicle has faulty dual-clutch transmission with a clutch that needs repaired. Dealership refuses to fix it even though it's under an extended warranty. The car is part of the Ford class action lawsuit due to the transmission. Vehicle is a safety risk to drive because they won't fix it and the clutch could stop working while driving causing a crash.
- Miamisburg, OH, USA
My 2012 model year Ford Focus has a defective transmission that has failed three times before. Now it has failed for the fourth time. They symptom is failure to engage in drive and the car will not move from stop. It will shudder violently when shifting gear. This is unsafe because it will happen when driving in traffic on city streets or on the highway. Now that the tranmission has failed again for the forth time, Ford will not pay for the repair fully (they will only cover $750) while I have to pay the remaining $1700. Since this transmission problem has been occuring since in bought the car new in 2011, I should not be reponsible for the repair. Furthermore this is a safety issue that should be fixed once an for all by Ford. They should not be allowed to walk away from this problem that is latent in their product. History: Bought vehicle new May 13, 2011 first repair (clutch replacement) September 28, 2012 second repair February 28, 2015 third repair June 29, 2017 fourth failure (documented by the dealer) September 30, 2019. Ford will not cover the full repair cost. Instead I have to pay $1700. The dealer filed a claim for me with Ford as Ford will not speak to me about this issue. They advise me to only work through the dealer when I call them on the phone. The dealer has since filed an appeal for me and included all the documentation with the full history of my vehicle showning all the previous times that they repaired it for the same problem. However Ford stilll did not agree to cover the cost. They said $750 is all they can authorize for this repair. I do not know how they came up with this amount. However, as I said above, I think this is a latent problem that inherent to this car and not related to how the car is used. The failure occurs every two years. Its is not safe to be out in traffic because it me, my family or others.
- Johns Creek, GA, USA
My purge valve is not working properly which has thrown my engine light to come on and when I put gas in it and start it up it stalls out on me.
- Murfreesboro, TN, USA
The 2012 Ford Focus has 71648 and the transmission is no longer working.that seems too early for a car's transmission to no longer be working. My daughter was driving the vehicle at about 55 mph..and then she stopped and then it would not start up correctly. We had to get far towed.and was told it is the transmission.
- North Ridgeville, OH, USA
As many others, no, rather thousands of others have reported that the faulty dual clutch transmission offered by Ford failed and almost cause an accident that could of seriously injured me and my 2yr old daughter. Will it take a death for the recall of this faulty transmission that Ford knew about, before anything is actually done" how padded are they making your pockets" do your job and save lives.
- Ashland, OR, USA
Car suddenly loses power on the highway. Sometimes the transmission gets stuck in reverse. This has been happening for many years. The Ford service center has been unable to resolve the problem. It is my understanding there is a recall involving this. The dealer has recently provided a loaner because my car is unsafe to drive, according to the service manager. I also understand there has been a recent legal settlement regarding this in los angels and a trial is set to begin in san diego where I reside. I would like to have the problem resolved and a safe car to drive or be fairly compensated so I can purchase a new car and move on.
- La Jolla, CA, USA
Vehicle is operating like a drunken sailor. Still has major shifting issues.
- Camarillo, CA, USA
While driving on the interstate the vehicles transmission disengages and you are unable to accelerate or control the vehicle. You must safely remove yourself from the roadway. This has happened multiple times and Ford refuses to help because we have had all of the recalls fixed. This is part of the transmission issue with the computer. We are also experiencing the jerking of the transmission as it tries to shift into the correct gears due to the clutch. Ford refuses to fix this problem as well because we have already had it recalled. These issues are serious and could cause a major accident or fatality. These vehicles are not safe and unreliable. Ford needs to stand behind their products and make things right with the customers who own these vehicles.
- Newnan, GA, USA
Check engine light will randomly come on, transmission will mess up, and then check engine will go off, car will drive fine for a week, then continue the problem. Sent car to get looked at said the computer was giving the code for switch B clutch, spent 365$to get it fixed and then a little over a week later problems started again but worse than before. My car only had 76,000 miles on it, shouldn't have any issues with transmission yet.
- Binghamton, NY, USA
My vehicle vibrates, shimmies, and shakes on take off and on turns. Dangerous to drive especially crossing a highway. I have had it accessed at my Ford dealership and they said to replace the clutch and transmission input seals. There is a program out 14M01 that extends the warranty and field service alerts for this vehicle. Ford customer service said the vehicle is covered. When the dealership entered it in the system, the repair was denied by Ford. I know there is a law suit against Ford for this same problem. I need help to get my vehicle repaired by Ford. The customer service said that the dealership service manager should submit for warranty. I don't understand why there are denying this repair. I hope nothing else goes wrong with the leaking transmission seals while I am driving the vehicle because Ford refuses the repair. Driving somewhere where there is a stop light on every corner will give you whiplash. Crossing highways is very dangerous. You need to make sure nothing is coming for a long way away. This has happened since I bought it new in 2012. At first I thought it was because it was new. When I took it to the Ford dealership, I was told there was no fix. Now there is a fix. I took it this last time to the dealership 9/23/2019. There aare 41000 miles on the vehicle. Please help!
- Millsboro, DE, USA
When driving in stop/go traffic, transmission problems cause the car to lurch and jerk. When transitioning onto freeway, at times there will be minimal power as the transmission refuses to shift and the engine stays between 3500 to 4500 rpms. This results in merging into 70 mph traffic at 30-40 mph. When transitioning from freeway to city road, car will have no power for 3 to 5 seconds and then massive power lunging forward for 2 to 3 seconds before losing power and allowing for braking.
- Owatonna, MN, USA
Transmission jerks in and out of gear and most recently will not shift into drive or reverse.
- Federal Way, WA, USA
Three weeks after buying my brand new 2012 Ford Focus, the car began to hesitate on the highway. I complained to the dealer who said it was a Ford problem and not theirs. The following month, I almost died in the car. A regional manager from Ford came to the dealership to speak with me, resolved nothing. I followed lemon law protocol and documented everything through the service dept. More than 12 visits. Four visits before the near fatal crash and the remainder afterwards. Ford ran out the statute of limitations on my vehicle so they did not have to pay me. The vehicle has a propensity of turning off when accelerating to 65 mph. When making a turn or U-turn the car hesitates. Ford admitted to manufacturer defect and still would not put me in my original position which has left me with disc displacements beneath my brain stem. I have chronic neck pain every day of my life. I was making a left hand turn and had plenty of time to turn. A white utility van flew out of the lane to try to beat the light as I was turning. The car turned off and I had to brace for impact. The car would not start. Two additional malfunctions caused the car to veer left and crash into curbs. Last week, I had to make a U-turn. I had plenty of time. While turning, the car hesitated, and the car was stopping, the way it did in 2012. I was almost killed by an 18-wheeler who thought I was initiating road rage. He then followed me and ran me off the road coming one inch to the side of my vehicle. I tried to take pictures, but my hand was trembling. Ford needs to replace my vehicle at the replacement value from July of 2012 and obey the va lemon law statute. Ford offered me a buy out of $8,000 in December 2018. I had to lay out $14,000 for a new vehicle. They should have credited all of my car payments $17K, and provided a settlement for permanent spine and neck injuries. Accountability is demanded.
- Duluth, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. While driving, the vehicle jerked while attempting to accelerate. Also, on several occasions, the vehicle appeared to stall. The cause of the failures was not determined. Ford of kirkland (11651 flater ave ne, kirkland, wa) and the manufacturer were notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 7,000.
- Redmond, WA, USA
- Glenmoore, PA, USA