10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 18 / 8
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 11 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 41,727 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.
The check engine light comes on; check and advise. The Ford dealer performed an EEC test, retrieved codes P1674 and P0122, tested the system, and found the wiring harness rubbing at the intake manifold. They disassembled to gain access, repaired the wiring harness at the engine, wrapped and re-routed the harness, cleaned all codes, and retested. It passed the road test and was OK, but the dealer charged me for this harness repair, and I found that this exact issue was subject to a Ford Motor Company safety recall (Recall 14S17 / NHTSA Recall 14V-495) concerning the engine wiring harness.
- El Paso, TX, USA
Actuator motor went out. Transmission was eligible to be replaced in 2020 however due to Covid they -??could not get the parts-?? and the vehicle became too old for replacement. The transmissions and gear boxes on this module has been plagued with failures, and Ford needs to remove the mileage and year limitations to fix them. I ended up paying over $900 and then traded the vehicle in so that I wouldn-??t have to spend more on a faulty transmission.
- Orlando, FL, USA
My car was experiencing: Shuddering or jerking during acceleration from a stop, most noticeable in traffic; Rough or delayed gear shifting, especially between first and second gear; Sudden loss of drive or delays before the car engages in drive or reverse, et cetera. It was in essence having every symptom that your agency has required ford to fix in their 2014 Focus, a car that I have as well; however, not sure why my car wasn't listed in recall because it has identical issues. For cost saving purposes, I replaced the actuators myself, and asked Ford if they could do the reprogramming for me, which is required after replacement, and they will not do so without an exorbitant costs.
- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
I just bought my focus from CarMax and it shudders when I pull out. It makes me feel like the car will stall.
- Chehalis, WA, USA
Order of Events ? [XXX]: Vehicle shut down mid-drive, displaying -??Parking Brake Fault Service Required.-?? Required tow ($100). ? September 27, 2025: Firestone Complete Auto Care diagnosed the issue as transmission-related. Paid $48.13 for diagnostic (receipt attached). ? September 27, 2025: Contacted Green Ford in Greensboro, NC (Service Advisor Josh Oldham). VIN was entered in Ford-??s database, which showed no outstanding field service actions. I showed them a recall letter for the exact issue at hand (replacement of Transmission Control Module). My recall letter was dismissed as invalid despite being in hand. Vehicle towed to dealer ($120). ? September 29, 2025: Spent over 1 hour 19 minutes with Ford Customer Relationship Center, providing the recall number (14M02). Ford agent ultimately stated the recall could not be honored. ? September 30 -?" October 1, 2025: Dealer confirmed by text and phone that their management refused to apply the recall or cover repairs. VIN Discrepancy The core of this dispute is a direct contradiction between Ford-??s official communications and Ford-??s internal VIN database. Customer Satisfaction Program Letter (14M02): - VIN listed as covered under recall/extended warranty. - Coverage extended through June 2025. - Sent directly by Ford in August 2023. Ford Vehicle Information / Warranty Report (via Green Ford, 9/27/2025): - Same VIN entered into Ford-??s system. - Shows 'No Outstanding Field Service Actions.' - Dealer therefore refused to honor recall despite letter. Before all of this happened I had no issues with the vehicle since purchase, and so when I received the letter I kept it but did not need to utilize it. Now Ford has stated I am "outside" the warranty of what Ford is willing to cover for repairs, however their own system does not even list that I have a recall for this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- High Point, NC, USA
Be reaching out and taking my car to Ford for recalls within the time limit told me they did not see no code I replace it it breaks down put me and my daughter at risk on the highway unsafe and now I spent all my money and can-??t afford another car because of Ford not Doing their job with the policy and the warranties the recalls I-??ve been going through so much trying to fix this car and now I have to take a complete loss because it-??s finally broken down and no one wants to take the car
- Oshkosh , WI, USA
I keep getting denied for warranty TCM had the code I did a report after it was I would be covered had proof of the codes and deny me for another service that-??s under warranty pretty much just take my money send me out the way and then I get stuck on the highway from the problem in having to fix it myself
- Oshkosh , WI, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated, and the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
- Oshkosh, WI, USA
My car has been to the shop twice for the TCM issues, and both times, in 2016 and 2021, the shop performed adaptive learning and cleared the codes, instead of replacing the faulty part. Now, the TCM has completely broken and needs to be replaced. The car wouldn't start at the gas station suddenly. After rocking the car back and forth it did start, but wouldn't go when shifted into drive. It is apparently 2 months out of the extended warranty coverage and now, I have to pay $1,300+ for a repair?! This seems unfair. They knew they had a faulty part, they performed band-aid fixes, and now I am holding the bag.
- Minneapolis, MN, USA
Car running rough/jerky. Trouble accelerating, especially up hills, and following stops. On [XXX], car stalled on [XXX]. Dash light came on saying "transmission overheating pull over immediately". This happened multiple times on the same day. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Damascus , MD, USA
My 2014 Ford Focus is having problems with the engine. For starters is several occasions the car will start and not turn off when turning the key to the off position, the car will still stay on. I took it to the automotive parts store and the guy there had me turn the key off and disconnect the battery and that seem to turn off the car. After they had my car scanned with a computer and found lots of issues with. Car stalls and had check engine lights and also a transmission warning light on making it difficult for the car to drive. Recently water dripping inside the vehicle passenger side when the AC is turned on. The car also doesn-??t unlock the doors from the inside have to open it for the passenger side.
- Salinas , CA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the message "Transmission Overheating" was display while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Certified Mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission control module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of a possible recall but confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
- Langhorne, PA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While the contact-??s daughter was driving approximately 30 MPH, the lost motive power and started to decelerate unintendedly. The driver coasted to the side of the road; however, while attempting to turn around to return home, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. The driver drove the longer route back to the residence because the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The check engine warning light was illuminated but was off the following morning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
- North Saint Paul, MN, USA
The clutch keeps giving out. It-??s been fixed 2 times and I have the same issue. It takes a bit in order for the car to generate power to go forward & it shutters when it moves froward when pushing on the gas. It can sometimes move forward a bit when placed in reverse and same thing when I shift to move forward from a parking mode it will go backwards a bit forward a few seconds then moves forward. It also shutters a lot more after I been driving longer distances. It-??s a scary feeling when it shutters really bad, makes it feel like the car is going to power off.
- Moses Lake , WA, USA
Was driving the car and it just stalled in the middle of the road and wouldn't start
- Owensboro, KY, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module and canister purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,595.
- Mount Vernon, AL, USA
Dual transmission clause stooped working properly in the road....I was in the uphill ride so the car behind me had some problems due to me slowing down abruptly in the road.
- St Louis, MO, USA
Unknown, The car refused to turn on one day and then started up again once I popped the hood. The car refused to go into reverse, I tried some reboot steps and the car started driving like normal, drove the car all the way from NV to NV, husbands new military station, took the car to the ford dealership and they assessed it was the tcm and that the car would be fine to drive again but they recommend another part for up keep, as soon as they replaced the clutch aculators the car started to have more issues than before letting me know it's worse than they thought something about the engine going out and they mentioned its why ford discontinued the dual clutch engine bc it was failing.
- Twentynine Palms, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond. A transmission overheated fault message was displayed. The contact's husband merged to the side of the road while the vehicle was losing motive power. The vehicle was driven into a gas station and placed into unknown gears as the transmission seized. The contact towed the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,771.
- Racine, WI, USA
- Liverpool, NY, USA