10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,835 miles

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problem #222

Oct 222025

Focus

  • miles
In the Ford 3 cylinder 1.0L Ecoboost engines there is a terrible wet belt system, there is a recall on the automatic models but nothing for the manual models, regardless of the fact that the manual models are designed far more poorly than the automatic models in the sense that the manual models have no tensioners and rely solely on the factory tension of the screws, keeping in mind that the belt is both rubber and sitting in hot oil when in use, if not a money grab, my best guess is that they hoped the wet rubber belt would simply not not stretch in good faith. 4 days after getting basic maintenance, the wet belt failed, clogging the oil pickup causing engine failure, and temporary loss of power steering, after the engine was given time to warm up, luckily the road was nearly empty, and i was driving at a slower pace. However the fact that Ford Motor Company has gone nearly a decade without dealing with the issue, and then denies having knowledge of this design flaw, is absolutely and abundantly absurd. I have all vehicle maintenance records, as well as mechanic testimony, all of which point to this incident being caused by poor engine design. In addition to the estimated cost to replace the engine is 8,500$, or about 140% the cars total value prior to the engine failure. This a NOT a minor issue, this is not even a uncommon fail point on many other manual models, this IS a major safety concern, that god forbit it, could lead to a major accident. I simply think that the Ford Motor Company should be made accountable for cheaping out for profit, at the cost of customer-??s safety.

- Cream Ridge, NJ, USA

problem #221

Oct 222025

Focus

  • miles
The transistor arm or tensioning arm for the wet belt, which drives the oil pump in the oil pan failed, leading to oil starvation to the engine, causing total catastrophic engine failure, and temporary loss of power steering, while driving, fortunately, I was moving at a slow pace in minimal traffic, however, this is a known fail point in Ford 1.0 L ecoboost 3 cyl engines, that Ford claims my vehicle does not have, and refuses to cover, regardless of the fact that it did happen, and I have pictures in mechanic testimony to prove this to be true, had I-??ve been on a different road, or had more traffic, this could have to a fatality. The engine replacement would cost a estimated 4500-7500$

- Cream Ridge, NJ, USA

problem #220

Jan 062025

Focus

  • miles
The clutch had to be replaced a second time and the engine became disabled while driving due to parts failure and it blowing up. This is all happening with 60,000 miles on the vehicle. My safety came into question with both failures disabling my car while I was driving on the interstate. The clutch was replaced and paid for out of pocket and I have been trying to work with ford about the engine but they have not helped at all. The issues just popped up and failed immediately while driving. This engine failure issue is covered for my vehicle, but my VIN is not covered. The only explanation I have received is that it is because my car is a manual transmission, which has no link to the part that failed on the engine. I was also notified by the ford service manager that my vehicle was made in the exact location and time frame that the recall covers, but my VIN still is not covered. I have received absolutely no help or solution with my vehicles failure and have been without a vehicle for 9 months because of the large price on replacing an entire engine, right after I had to pay for a very expensive clutch replacement.

- Dwight, KS, USA

problem #219

Sep 102025

Focus

  • miles
I was driving the car other all of a sudden died on me and told me to put it in park I put it in park and then turned the key off and tried to restart it. It did not restart and would not turn of kept popping up a warning saying starter system failure. Could not turn my wheel or pit it in neutral to get it out of te middle of the road.

- Marcus, IA, USA

problem #218

Aug 282024

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the RPMs became drastically elevated, and the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and after three days the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle started without hesitation, and the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer to be diagnosed; however, there was no cause for the failure found. The vehicle not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

- Onalaska, TX, USA

problem #217

Aug 072025

Focus

  • miles
It is my transmission problem, there is an engine light on and the shifting is very rough and it also jumps gears, i know ford had a recall for this problem i believe it should be under warranty it is the TCM

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

problem #216

Jul 102025

Focus

  • miles
2016 Ford Focus, VIN: [XXX] Power Train: Automatic Transmission: Control Module (TCM) This complaint details a recurring and severe safety defect in our 2016 Ford Focus. The vehicle's Transmission Control Module (TCM) has failed twice, resulting in sudden, complete loss of power and dangerous stalling incidents at highway speeds. In January 2023, at approximately 8,000 miles, the vehicle suddenly lost all propulsion while traveling on a highway. We were forced to execute a dangerous emergency maneuver across lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. A Ford dealership diagnosed a failed TCM which had, in turn, caused the clutch to burn out. In July 2025, after only 7,000 additional miles (total vehicle mileage ~15,000), the identical, catastrophic failure occurred again. The vehicle once more stalled without warning on a major highway, creating another life-threatening situation. The diagnostic codes confirmed the same TCM and clutch failure, proving the issue is a persistent, underlying defect and not a random occurrence. This failure is entirely consistent with the widely-documented defect in Ford's Powershift (DPS6) transmission. This problem has been the subject of multiple national class-action lawsuits and is detailed in thousands of other consumer complaints filed. The repeated failure in our low-mileage vehicle underscores that this is a predictable and systemic design flaw that makes the vehicle inherently unsafe. We attempted to address this critical safety failure directly with Ford Motor Company. Our concerns were met with dismissal, and despite being issued a case number, Ford has failed to respond to our calls registered letter. This vehicle is unsafe to operate. We are filing this complaint to implore the NHTSA to launch a formal investigation into this defect. The repeated, sudden loss of power presents an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to occupants and other motorists. We believe a mandatory recall is urgently required. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #215

May 282025

Focus

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop or while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked, hesitated, experienced difficulty shifting into gears and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch actuator had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the part was previously replaced under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 19N08. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

- Van Nuys, CA, USA

problem #214

Jun 262025

Focus

  • miles
The dual clutch for the 2016 Ford Focus SE. This model is showing an open recall on active listings but not showing up in a search via VIN. Yes the vehicle is still available for inspection. The vehicle-??s transmission overheats which has left us stranded, on the interstate and regular roads, maybe times. The vehicle has broken down multiple times in the middle of the road and put us at risk of a collision. I have verified with the dealer that this is a problem with these specific cars but only after I had purchased it. The problem started right away after purchase by showing on the dash that the transmission was overheating but that same message would go back off, resulting in the dealer refusing to take a look at it under warranty. I-??ve seen many other customers complain of this problem and eventually end up losing a lot of money because Ford and the dealer will not do anything to fix it. They wouldn-??t even look at the vehicle to confirm that this was the problem but instead gave me the 1-800 number for Ford and then Ford told me to take it back up to the dealer who refused to even take a complaint.

- Flat Top, WV, USA

problem #213

May 312017

Focus

  • 67,855 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, an alarm sounded, the message " Pull Car Over Safely " was displayed, and the vehicle turned off independently. The contact stated that the vehicle was turned off and was restarted several times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate mileage was 67,855.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #212

Apr 252025

Focus

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle jerked until shifting into gear. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was advised that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

- Worthington, OH, USA

problem #211

Apr 252025

Focus

  • miles
Check engine light illuminated followed by unresponsive throttle. Pulled over and the car immediately stalled. Would not restart. Came back with code P1450. There's an open recall for that exact code for 2015-2018 focus, however the 1.0L supposedly "not affected" so my vehicle is not eligible.

- Bradenton, FL, USA

problem #210

Apr 252025

Focus

  • 15,060 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into second gear while driving. The contact stated there was an abnormal grinding sound while turning the steering wheel. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-50 MPH, the vehicle began to slow down and kick back. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission control module, purge valve, and power control module failure, and a software reprogramming was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, who replaced the transmission. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 15,060.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #209

Mar 172025

Focus

  • miles
Notes from the Ford dealer: Oil pump belt tensioner failed causing oil pump belt to slip and starve engine for oil. Turbo was also starved of oil. Long block and turbo were replaced. This seems to be the same issue that is included in a current recall but it does not extend to all affected vehicles. Reference NHTSA# 23V905. Ford recall 23S64.

- Plymouth, MI, USA

problem #208

Mar 202025

Focus

  • miles
I am dealing with a dual clutch going bad the car is stalling hesitating and loosing power very dangerous to drive. Also i just replaced transmission without finding any help from ford even there was a recall now my dual clutch is going on and there was a recall i never got to be apart of when i first got the car in 2015. I need help please point in the direction i feel like ford should fixed this buy the car back

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #207

Mar 182017

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The failure had occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer had made the contact aware of an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or 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 60,000.

- South Jordan, UT, USA

problem #206

Jan 312025

Focus

  • miles
I was driving the speed limit at 65 MPH down a steep hill, I felt something "drop" and then the oil lamp and "Engine Fault Error" displayed. I was unable to drive faster than 30 mph. I was fortunate that no one was following close behind. I had to put on my hazards and drive half a mile more to find a safe place to pull off the road. I had to have my vehicle towed 60 miles to the nearest mechanic. I was informed that the problem was related to a known recall, but there are no parts to fix the problem and it will be months until they do. My vehicle cannot be driven and is sitting at the dealership until it can be repaired and they cannot tell me when that will be.

- Show Low, AZ, USA

problem #205

Feb 032025

Focus

  • miles
2016-?"2022 Ford EcoSport? and Focus? 1.0L Engine--- My car is experiencing the same issue as the Automatic transmission. The car is not listed on the Oil Pump Failure Recall on the Ford Website as it shows that it applies to automatic transmission, and doesn't mentioned manual transmission. Both transmission carry the same issue as it's an engine design flaw and not a transmission related issue. The car experienced a bad idle that results to lost of power and Oil light went on as I drove it to the Mechanic shop. Currently there's no parts available and ford website the part is back ordered. The reference number is 23S64 for the current recall of the 1.0L engines. Please see reference below. I've contacted Ford support about the issue and was informed to report the issue here. Website for reference: [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #204

Jan 292025

Focus

  • 57,255 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to continue to drive. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 11 MPH. The vehicle failed to move. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle failed to restart. The contact's neighbor pushed the vehicle into a parking spot. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The mechanic used a scanner and retrieved DTC: P2837 and P287B. The vehicle failed to reverse. The mechanic informed the contact that the transmission control module had failed. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed there was no recall coverage on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,255.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #203

Jan 212025

Focus

  • miles
My car is has engine hesitation and runs rough. I have a recall call letter and the Ford dealership Ken Grody Carlsbad, Ca refused to fix the recall because it is not giving the code but I-??m having issues with it.

- Oceanside , CA, USA

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