7.9
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $1,510
- Average Mileage:
- 25,200 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 137 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (65 reports)
- recall on transmission (21 reports)
- no solution (18 reports)
- clutch replacement (11 reports)
- install new clutch shaft (7 reports)
- transmission control module recall (6 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Yes, my Focus has been
shuddering" for some time, I hear scraping of metal when taking off. Took it in to Dealer , they said it did have an issue with transmission and supposedly fixed it. Told me to drive it for another 1700 kms and if it still does it bring it back. It is still doing it and i am not waiting for another 1700 . They said "IT" has to get to know me and the way I drive apparently, bunch of hogwash really. I see other people have the same problem over and over. Now I can go to them and throw this information up to them.
Update from Aug 13, 2015: OK....so I took my Focus back to the dealer and the service manager took it for a drive with a "scan" machine....which is something like what an ECG does for your heart, this scan does the same to the car engine and records any abnormalities...it worked....he registered a very huge "shudder" and that was all he needed. Now I am on the list for a new clutch to be installed. I learned a lot about my Focus and had I known before I purchased it I would not have. It is a dual transmission, a new thing. Anyway I am hoping it will get fixed permanently soon.
- omartin, Brantford, ON, Canada
Trans shudders in low gear, lurches forward at start, rolls forward 12 inches in reverse.
- Randolph R., Reston, VA, US
I have had this car to the dealership to repair and they told me that it was fixed. It ran smoothly for about a week and then the hesitation and jerking came back. I called again to have the dealer fix the issue and now they say they can't get me in for a month and they want to charge me for a loaner car even though the car is still under warranty. This is the first and the last Ford that I will ever buy!! I am considering going upside-down on my auto loan just to get rid of it.
- kwerry, Pittsburgh, PA, US
I bought a brand new car, when I brought the issue to the dealership I was treated as if I was a dumb woman who knew nothing about cars. Then a couple weeks later, I received a recall notice in the mail addressing the exact problem I had described to the dealership.
- Bobbi D., Minneapolis, US
Problem with transmission shuttering right from the start. Took it in first and second time they reprogrammed trans. Third time told us it needs new clutch. Waiting for parts 10-12 weeks.
- Jim N., West Bend, WI, US
Told it was within specs. but still feels like a throw out bearing is bad.
- kiddno6, Lakeland, FL, US
This car is dangerous, needs to be crushed, you can't cross traffic or pull out into traffic or drive highway speeds, tried to trade off but no dealerships will touch it!
- Robert F., Show Low, AZ, US
I had to keep a good distance between me and the car in front of me--I thought the jerking motion was going to make me rear end the other car. I ride on major roads to and from work and not feeling "safe" about this feeling when in major traffic---VERY annoying
3rd time in was in for repair. I hate this car--just my opinion.
- Claire L., Brooklawn, NJ, US
This car is the worst car I have ever owned. It has had problems ever since I bought it. Go to service and they give you a line of crap that they have learned to say to all customers. It's a 5 speed transmission and that is the way they are. Do they think we are crazy?? After complaining and telling them how sorry they were they finally rebuilt mine. Needless to say it was then worse. I still hear nothing is wrong so why did they rebuild the transmission to begin with. They put on their lying machine that says nothing wrong. Oh come onk give me another line of crap, I have already heard that one.
Still not fixed and cant' be because all of Fords transmission are no good. It grinds, sound like it has no fluid, slips, jerks, rolls backward, stops moving on open highway, sounds like it is going to fall out anyday. Never will I ever have another Ford.
- Celia S., Dunn, NC, US
So I called last week and scheduled an appointment for the same issue I had been complaining about since about 7-8k miles were on my brand new never before titled car (jerking or shuddering as Ford calls it) within the faulty transmission. Thank god they were finally taking appointments for this issue.
When I arrived to drop the car off at (Liberty Ford, Maple Hts, Ohio) the service man walks over and says "let me guess, transmission shuddering?" I said well if you consider jerking and grinding sound all the time below 15-20 mph the yes!! He then says their is nothing you can do about it, it's just the way this car works. I replied your exactly correct theirs nothing I can do about this, however YOU CAN! And went on to further tell him how I will not be picking this car up until they fix it. This was a scheduled appointment for this past Friday 3/27/15 today is now Sunday and I have not received a call or update. I'm assuming I will hear from them on Monday. I will update more when I speak to them it should be noted that I have reached out to a local attorney I found online that has been helping other Focus owners with their lemon lawsuits
- Jason A., Bedford, OH, US
This car has been in 4 times for the transmission!!!! It started about 17,000 miles did an oil change and other fixes but it wasn't working. Took it into the dealership with 20,353 miles, they reprogrammed the transmission. At 20,458 it was worse than the original time I took it in. The dealer said that there was nothing wrong. At 20,760 miles a new transmission was done on this vehicle at a different Ford Dealer. I was told by the dealership that I couldn't bring it in for 3,000 miles due to break in period. I took in again at 24,074 miles and they reprogrammed it again and now Ford is denying lemon law because of the mileage at the last visit!!!! Ford needs to own up to their errors and do what is right for the consumers!!!! I have at least 5 other people I know that have this SAME issue.
- Rebecca V., Surprise, AZ, US
This car has been in 4 times for the transmission!!!! It started about 17,000 miles did an oil change and other fixes but it wasn't working. Took it into the dealership with 20,353 miles, they reprogrammed the transmission. At 20,458 it was worse than the original time I took it in. The dealer said that there was nothing wrong. At 20,760 miles a new transmission was done on this vehicle at a different Ford Dealer. I was told by the dealership that I couldn't bring it in for 3,000 miles due to break in period. I took in again at 24,074 miles and they reprogrammed it again and now Ford is denying lemon law because of the mileage at the last visit!!!! Ford needs to own up to their errors and do what is right for the consumers!!!! I have at least 5 other people I know that have this SAME issue.
- Rebecca V., Surprise, AZ, US
Took car back 2 days after purchase because of the jerking, lurching & noise. We were told nothing wrong, it will wear off. We now have 9,000 kilometers & it is worse than ever. This car is not fit to drive in the Canadian weather.
One time we were coming out of a parking area to the road & a big transport was approaching & while my foot was on the brake it lurched forward & we could have easily hit the truck.This car is a lemon & the dealer should reimburse us or give us a new vehicle.This was our 2nd purchase of a Ford & we will not purchase another one.
- Conrad C., Windsor, Ontario, Canada
I bought this car on 8/16/2014. Test drove this vehicle prior to buying it but did not experience the problems I'm now having until 8/18/14.
On my way to the dealership to drop off a title and key on the car I traded, I experienced a lot of shuttering and jerking on mild acceleration. This happened at the dealership as I was leaving,but it was much worse than before,so I turned around and went to the service dept and explained what was happening with the transmission
I was told by one of the service reps that the computer was adjusting to my driving habits and it would resolve the issue within a thousand miles. I found this to be a strange answer, thinking, why couldn't a computer program know what my driving habits are like within 50 or 100 miles. I came away from that encounter with a sense of unease.
I came home and immediately started to research Ford Focus transmission problems on the web and to my horror began reading and hearing many of the same problems and more from other Focus owners that I'm experiencing with my recent Focus purchase. Why would Ford continue selling this car knowing the problems it has been and still is having without correcting it? Their has to be some sort of remedy for us owners be it a true fix or some other type of compensation. I thought I had done a reasonable web search on this car prior to buying it. It was rated on some sites as the # 3 to 5 best buys for a car of it's size. I should have looked up known problems with the car on the web and then I would steered clear of this product.
- stducco, Denver, CO, US
Car has bad hesitation problem when accelerating from a stopped position. Also will start a jerking problem sometimes when starting off from a stopped position. I have had it back to the dealers shop and they tell me it is a result of the transmission design and they cannot do anything about it, which tells me that the Ford Engineers really screwed up on the design of this transmission and the consumer has to live with it.
- Warren G., Martinsburg, WV, US
I bought this car brand new off the lot in January. We started noticing the jerking/slow to take off with sluggish take off from stopping about March 10,2014. We thought maybe it was bad gas but it wasn't. I called the dealership Joe Machens Ford in Jefferson City where we purchased the car and they said it was normal! I'm 52 years old and a woman, sorry this is not normal! They told me to drive it over to have the manager drive it if it would make me feel better. OK you already said it was normal so why would I drive 60 miles for you to tell me in person? Not a happy new car owner!
- judyashford, Marshall, MO, US
FORD SELLS LEMONS! BEWARE! DON'T BUY FORD!
Transmission had a leak they said at 5000 miles. I was driving to work everyday 30 miles to find out I was missing 2 quarts of oil that slips into the tranny. They said its was bad sealant. They said they fixed it, they just clean the clutch though, it was still good
Today I just went to service it again at 19000 miles. Bad leak on the bottom, missing 2 quarts again Thanks God it is a lease and its up in two month
New DCT they call it.
I'll go with Japanese, I tried to give US makers a chance...NO WAY!
- djibking, Auburn, ME, US