Ford Focus Complaints

22,326 consumer complaints on file.

#11709885January 9, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally and was sluggish. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission 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 112,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709895January 9, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owned a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced transmission failures, including the transmission slipping, the vehicle stalling, and the check engine warning light being illuminated. Additionally, after starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond after shifting to the reverse or drive. The vehicle was towed to the residence and examined by an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission power shifter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 149,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709679January 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN
10/02/23. Recall repair 14M02B was performed by blue Springs Ford, blue springs MO. Milage on car 96,028. Car has had normal oil change by same dealer. Car now at 107,000 miles only slightly over 10,000 miles in two years has same TMC issue but code now is P07A5. Diagnosed by same dealership and because 1st time replacement done. They are not obligated to fix again. I would agree except for the lack of miles put on Car since repair. Asking for another repair due to faulty parts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709749January 8, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. Upon investigation, the contact found notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V735000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and 20V331000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES) associated with the VIN. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was shifted into neutral(N) and coasted to the side of the road. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact waited for one to two hours before restarting the vehicle. The accelerator pedal was depressed at the same time while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) in 2019. The vehicle was not inspected, diagnosed, or repaired. The contact was the second owner of the vehicle and was unsure if the previous owner had repaired the vehicle under the recall. The contact searched on the NHTSA.gov website, and the website indicated that the recall was incomplete. The contact stated that the failure had become worse. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709317January 7, 2026
STEERING
Steering system failure light came on and the Rack and pinion failed with no warning while I was driving on the highway at 75mph and the steering wheel locked up almost causing a potential fatal accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709197January 6, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2018 Ford Focus with DPS6 PowerShift transmission exhibits documented defect symptoms: shuddering, delayed engagement, jerking, slipping, and unpredictable low-speed behavior. Ford corporate has refused to open a defect case or provide arbitration review. This transmission family has known litigation history and systemic defect documentation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709240January 6, 2026
ENGINE
I was driving on a major road at about 40mph. The oil light unexpectedly came on and I experienced a sudden reduction of engine power. There was no prior warning about this issue before the oil light suddenly came on. This power reduction caused unpredictable vehicle driving behavior that could have caused an accident. I was able to get the car to a nearby Ford dealership who told me that the oil light came on because the timing belt started to break apart and began to seize up the engine. They have told me that the entire engine will need to be replaced. The malfunctioning parts should still be available for inspection. So far, only the initial Ford dealership and the auto shop I had my car towed to for repair has inspected the vehicle. I have called Ford directly and they would not help with my problem because there has been no recall issued for my manual Focus model, though the automatic models have been recalled for a very similar or the same issue according to the Ford dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708763January 5, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact ws unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the replacement engine was purchased from the dealer. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer was contacted several times, and the contact was informed that parts were not available, and the call was disconnected. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708909January 5, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I am the owner of a 2012 Ford Focus SE with approximately 54,000 miles. Beginning around 44,000 miles, the vehicle exhibited transmission shuddering, harsh engagement, and improper downshifting consistent with known DPS6 Transmission Control Module (TCM) defects. Prior to the expiration of Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02 on June 30, 2025, I confirmed coverage through Ford’s recall website and presented the vehicle to an authorized Ford dealership on May 27, 2025 (documented in Carfax). The dealership declined repair, stating no diagnostic trouble codes or warning indicators were present and incorrectly advised that customer satisfaction programs do not expire. On December 18, 2025, while driving at highway speed, the vehicle experienced sudden loss of drivability. Traction control was disabled, hill assist became unavailable, engine RPM increased abnormally, and the vehicle stalled in traffic. The instrument cluster displayed “Transmission Malfunction – Service Now.” The vehicle would not restart and required towing from the roadway, creating a hazardous traffic situation. The dealership later diagnosed a complete TCM failure and provided a repair estimate of approximately $1,800. Ford Motor Company has publicly acknowledged widespread TCM defects in 2012–2016 Ford Focus vehicles and issued multiple recalls and customer satisfaction programs, including later supplements authorizing TCM replacement rather than software reprogramming. Despite my documented attempt to obtain service before the program deadline, Ford denied coverage solely due to expiration. Ford corporate denied goodwill assistance, refused supervisor escalation, and asserted that a TCM software reprogramming performed in 2016 at approximately 19,000 miles resolved the issue. Software reprogramming does not correct the underlying hardware defect and only delays failure. This vehicle has experienced repeated transmission-related failures under 54,000 miles and remains disabled at the dealers
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708286January 2, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced due to a cracked engine block. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle during the several weeks the vehicle was being serviced. The contact received the recall notice of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted, and confirmed the parts status. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and confirmed the part availability. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708293January 2, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000(Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer informed the contact that the engine was replaced; however, the contact stated that after the recall repair, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact added coolant to the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was not experiencing the failure prior to the recall repair. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant contamination. The dealer replaced two reservoirs and cleaned out the coolant. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle in the driveway, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the spark plugs were removed, and the mechanic noticed that there was coolant leak on the spark plugs. The mechanic determined that the engine had seized. The contact sent pictures of the failure to the dealer, who advised that they would need to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, but was not yet diagnosed due to the cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,947.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707435December 29, 2025
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING
the car runs without power when shifted to drive gear. It is sluggish trying to speed up. Took to Ford Dealers on a recall with that is suppose to take care of it..nothing seems to have changed. I am not sure anything was done. trans makes a rough sound starting..
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707438December 29, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Having fuel problems with this ford se. Adding gas after starting the car it doesn't run right. It misses n doesn't have power. Plus Transmission went out two times again. First time it went out. It was about a year ago. Now the second time [XXX]. First time was about a year ago. It was repaired. Because I had a car warranty from the car dealer ship. Now they won't repair it again. This ford focus Se had the double clutch in it Plus the notorious speed shifter known to go out. These transmissions are known to have problems. But the car place never told me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707109December 26, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Something wrong with the transmission the one that Ford extended warranty on and my car is a 2016 and Ford extended it 10 years and they said it ended a few months ago as well as the TCM replacement I didn't know about because I just purchased the vehicle a little over a year ago.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707118December 26, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am in possession of Recall18S32/NHTSA recall18V-735 notice that has not been repaired but it is not showing up on my VIN and Model lookup.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707173December 26, 2025
ENGINE
At 116,500 miles, the oil pump failed on my Ford Focus. This was verified by an auto repair shop. The car has the Ford ecoboost 1.0 engine. Ford has a recall on this engine with a build date of March 24, 2015 to May 4, 2018. My car was built on Aug 4, 2015 within the range of the recall. The recall states that cars with automatic transmission are included. My car has a manual 6 speed. I don't believe that the transmission has anything to do with the oil pump failure. The car "check engine" and "check oil" lights came on and there were multiple instances where the car stalled and I became stranded, often on busy roads. It has been well documented on the internet that Ford has had issues with this engine. I am not planning on repairing this car as the shop explained it probably will be in the range of $7000 which way more than the value of this car that is almost 10yrs old and 116500. The car is currently sitting in my garage non drivable with a scrap value of pennies compared what trade-in value or extend life of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706094December 19, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
While has had the transmission recall work done x 2 and was told by the mechanics that to recync “drive it like you stole it” when you can prior to the last recall fix in Feb and just had the cpv recall replacement done in February it was not driven a lot and I am in my late 60’s so I do not drive it like a teenager. During that recall repair they said I needed to replace the engine bolts ( I would think would be related due to the “drive it like you stole it” to resync the transmission but had to pay for out of pocket and found a transmission bolts also needed replaced that I wasn’t told by the ford service guy. Recently in driving it would thunk when stopping and pinched forward and had major excelleration delay when trying to turn in traffic causing safety issues. Shifting was erratic and would stay in like 1st or 2nd when should have been going to 3/4th gear.Took in to service at ford again as the wrench showed up on dash finally thinking it was the auto shift transmission to be told I had a complete computer failure to replace at my cost of approx $2400. Isn’t this part of what controls the sync in the transmission in the first place? Isn’t this part of what they should have done on the other recalls like the 18v-735 or should it not be covered as the reprogramming apparently failed and at some point destroyed the computer module system?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705951December 18, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The car is stalling randomly with no engine lights coming on
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705241December 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle acceleration dies out during normal pressure of gas pedal. Coding showing transmission Actuators malfunctioning. Odometer Reading 120,631 check engine light came on. Date of malfunction 11/24/2025 , Vehicle was taken to Affordable Transmission on 11/25/2025
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705332December 16, 2025
ENGINE
I was driving on a 40mph road, went to pass someone and touched the gas to do so and the car shuddered, lost power, and made a whining noise anytime the turbo would engage. The turbocharger had to be replaced. Luckily this occurred on a road that wasn't busy and was close to home. The car has 55,000mi on it and it meticulously maintained.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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