My Ford Focus SE hatchback has delays in shifting gears at low speeds and from stops. When accelerating, the engine revs higher but does not shift until a few seconds later which causes the car to jerk like a manual transmission. This is dangerous when trying to merge onto the freeway or at a 4-way stop when you have to react quickly and with timing accuracy, or trying to teach my daughter to drive! the service center of my dealer said the software had to be updated the first and second time I brought the car in for this problem. Does this mean I have to bring the car in every time there is a new software update which seems to be quite frequently? and the software update doesn't even solve the problem. I even got a thank you email from the service director at my dealership (sent by a person with a dealer-care.com email), which is most likely just a stock email. It thanked me for my service business and said that if I had further concerns that I could "reach out" to him at my earliest opportunity. Well I replied to that email voicing my concerns about this problem and after 4 months have not received a reply email or call addressing my concern.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

Vehicle has been in for service 4 times for issues with transmission. Hesitates or jumps when shifting. Sometimes almost stalls out. Dealer has done everything they can and state that Ford is not allowing them to service the vehicles. Dealer stated they have 25 Ford Focus currently in for same issue. I am scared to drive the vehicle with my daughter in it, as this clearly is a safety issue. The issue seems worse at lower speeds and with A/C on. Contacted Ford and they are stating this is "normal operation" if it was normal operation, I don't understand why it would start around 10K miles and 1 year of driving.

- Hazel Park, MI, USA

My Ford Focus had a jerky ride from the day I bought it. I mentioned after the test drive that it seemed a bit jerky on shifting and they said it was normal. A week later I told them again and again they said it was normal because of the new design. It got worse to the point that twice when turning out into traffic when I thought I had enough room to enter traffic it seemed to want to stall and I had to steer it back into the turn lane so as not to get hit. The car very often smelled of burnt rubber though at the time I explained it away as being from other cars nearby. In August 2014 I took the car in for a oil change and found out that a seal between the engine and transmission had failed and I had a major oil leak. This was unbelievable for a car with just 35,000 miles and lucky me I was eligible for an extended warranty on those parts from Ford for 100, 000 miles. Ford notified me the next week about the warranty only after the repair. The car drove better for a couple of weeks but then the shudders returned and began to worsen. I was going to take it in and have Ford look at it again but then on 9-14-2014 I was exiting my car and there was an overwhelming odor of burnt rubber coming from the engine. I decided right then I was not going to put up with the defective and possibly dangerous car anymore and I traded it in at loss. I recommend a serious look at this issue. Ford keeps saying these issues are normal for the new design and people are not used to it. I highly disagree. I got rid of it at a loss. That should say it all.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

Shuttering, hesitation, grinding, power loss, roll back, stalls in traffic.

- Prospect, OH, USA

Continuance issues with my Ford Focus 2013 Ford Focus "banging, jumping, slipping, shaking and grinding: It's has now become an issue that's affects the drivability and safety of the vehicle and passengers. ?bogging down ?takes off in a lurch, accelerates rapidly at times, safety issue ?cars rolls backward when stopped on a hill. Safety issue ?car occasionally jolts forward when shifting at low gear, safety issue ?I?M told ?it has to learn how you drive.? I drive the car every day and it still hasn't so called, learned ?concerned about even pulling out in traffic for fear the car isn't going to go or will need time to find its gear. Safety issue ?in stop and go traffic it; slips often/hesitating/jerking/stuttering and grinding. ?RPM spikes and drops when shifting. ?noise when making a left hand turn. "sometimes will not go into reverse at all; on 9/9/14 stuck in a parking spot because the vehicle only moved two feet in reverse. Prior to this incident, the vehicle was towed into dealers because it would not go into reverse at all.

- Chicago, IL, USA

Loud grinding noise coming from a brand new Ford Focus. Being told that the sound is normal. I didn't sign up for a vehicle that sounds like it's dragging metal down the street only to be told this is normal for this vehicles dual transmission..

- Elmwood Park, IL, USA

Cpsc: I1490081A. 2013 Ford Focus. Consumer stated the car stalls, stutters and also lurches between shifts.

- Louisville, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started to jerk, and decelerated intermittently. The vehicle resumed normal operation after a minute. Also, the contact mentioned that the vehicle experienced a clicking noise in the front end of vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician reprogrammed the vehicle transmission soft wear, replaced the clutch and repaired a major electrical faults. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,676.

- La Mirada, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure and stated that the transmission operated as designed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 50.

- Monroe , GA, USA

The transmission shifts roughly between first and second gear. It causes the car to shutter and on an incline, has caused the vehicle to roll backwards. I have taken the car to a Ford dealership at least 4 times to fix the issue, but they have told me each time that there is no problem with the transmission. My driver door and driver-side passenger door have both opened while I was driving because of a faulty latch. They opened on separate occasions, so I have been to Ford twice because of the door not closing. Lastly, the ac has two separate issues where it doesn't work. The technicians at Ford have not been able to replicate the problem, so it has gone on unsolved.

- Desert Hot Springs, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While attempting to park, the vehicle lunged forward. On a separate occasion, while idling at a traffic light, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The dealer stated that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000.

- Santa Clara, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving at low speeds, the transmission hesitated while shifting gears. The failure occurred intermittently on several occasions. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

- Portland, OR, USA

Car transmission constantly slips/lurches and grinds. Dealer says this is "normal". car has been close to several accidents due to transmission slipping/lurching at intersections I do not feel safe to drive this car.

- Springfield, MO, USA

When you step on the gas the car hesitates then makes a grinding sound and lurches as the transmission engages. The problem has existed since we purchased the car its been in the shop multiple times, each time we get it back the problem still exists. This is completely unacceptable as we use it for a drivers education car!! the dealership was aware of this problem and they are just as culpable as for is for putting out an unsafe vehicle.

- Lynnwood, WA, USA

The transmission shakes, jerks, miss-shifts, and makes noises on starts from dead stop. It is horrible in stop and go traffic situations. I've had it serviced twice at the Ford dealership, and the car runs well leaving the shop, only to return to the above mentioned problems within a very short period of time. I as well as all of my family members have experienced the problems, and the response I have gotten from Ford's representatives is that it is just a minor irritation and not a serious problem. I beg to differ with Ford in that it is a serious defect, which is potentially hazardous.

- Albert Lea, MN, USA

The Ford Focus 2013 seems to have a lot of issue with transmission. I have taken my car about 8 times now to fix the grinding problem when it changes gear. A software fix was mostly done which solves the issue (may be) for a week and then it starts all over again. They changed the clutch or something related to that and worked fairly better during the winter of 2013 but come summer of 2014 same issue. In fact the grinding issue got so bad that I had no option but to take it back in. It started to grind in every gear possible. Going up the hill was a huge nightmare. It used to grind all the way on the third gear till it shifted to fourth. So imagine sitting inside the car during that time. Also, with the ac on it was a nightmare. I drive a little longer to work than most people and it is a scary drive every single day. The gear does not change smoothly, it does get stuck occasionally and I get huge jerks before it changes, and the dealers and Ford have no clue what the issue is. They wont order a recall to fix it nor will they give me a new car. It is potentially unsafe to drive these Focus cars. I am scared if the car will stop in the middle of the highway. I hope such a day does not come.

- Sykesville, MD, USA

When trying to drive in about 5 inches of snow, the traction/stability control kicked in and made my car go about an 1 inch a minute. Ever since that incident, whenever I start from a stopped position, the car will stutter and sometimes slow down after starting even though I have my foot on the gas. This is not a problem if there is no traffic, but in heavy traffic or fast moving traffic, a person can get run over. There have been several times that the flow of traffic has had to either stop or considerably slow down while my car is slowly getting up to speed. I have taken my car in and the dealership says there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. They state that it is running properly. I have tried to trade in the vehicle and 1 dealership told me that they have heard of this problem by other Focus owners. We have a friend that also has the same make and model, but it is an automatic, and they say they have the problem as well. So this is not just a problem with the manual transmission model.

- Madison, WI, USA

The car is experiencing transmission problems. It shudders and bogs down as I am accelerating, and often lurches forward unexpectedly. The car makes a loud grinding noise when shifting through gears. The problems began in low gears, but I am now experiencing problems at all speeds, including lurching forward. I have taken the car back to the dealership twice, only for them to tell me this is a normal occurrence. I am afraid the transmission issues will cause an accident. I am also concerned that the grinding of the gears will cause damage to other components of my vehicle.

- Edinburg, IL, USA

Alarms went off, loss of instrument panel, complete loss of transmission power and engine cut out. "transmission fault, service transmission now" was the message received. Had vehicle towed to Ford service center. On August 17, 2014 at 60 miles an hour it happened again. Have had car towed to service center again.

- Chelan, WA, USA

Shifting into neutral (while decelerating/braking) will intermittently cause engine rpms to rapidly drop, resulting in engine failure/stall. Attempts to restart the engine are typically successful, although occasionally requiring multiple attempts, due to engine re-stalling. Key factors seem to be engine oil temperature, and braking/decelerating.

- Hayward, CA, USA