Ford Focus Change Vehicle

“We get transmission overheating messages when going up steep hills”

“The transmission "stutters" from a standing start and at low speed all the time. Ford recalled my car because of it and I will have to make another trip to the dealer because the problem continues”

“With just 20,000 miles on the car it started giving poor MPG and was shifting badly like the automatic transmission bands were slipping. Then I got a warranty recall notification from Ford about a transmission issue. They fixed the problem with a two day repair”

“Stuttering at low speed shift as speed increases. recall to fix, but I have had it adjusts and reprogrammed, but it is still rough”

“The Focus jerks during takeoff and sometimes in any gear in city driving when accelerating. The car jerks hard continuously until it shifts out of first gear. This jerking is hard and it slows acceleration”

“Transmission shudders when taking off from a dead start”

“When new, Focus would not downshift at 45mph or higher when pressing on gas pedal; very dangerous to get on freeway. Also, gas mileage was 9 mpg. Dealer supposedly "fixed" it, and now get good gas mileage, but now there is perhaps 3-4 seconds hesitation before downshifting when pressing on gas pedal at low speeds. But at least can get on freeway without danger now, even though starting up from a stoplight, especially when engine is cold, is still somewhat dangerous”

“This was associated with the transmission problem mentioned previously. Had they not tried to avoid the issue for so long, we would have had a much better experience. Everyone one will make an occasional mistake. How you handle it speaks volumes. They did not handle this well initially”

“Poor shifting at low speeds”

“The car would stumble when accelerating from a start and sometimes while underway. It began to concern me in terms of safety. The Ford dealer diagnosed a clutch problem that apparently is common in this model and replaced the clutch under warranty. It works fine now”

“Rough shifting was the symptom that indicated the clutch needed to be replaced. So they were really the same problem”

“I have had the problem since the car was new . The dealership kept telling me there was nothing wrong and I needed to drive with more consistent actions as the car was self adjusting . I had to find evidence of a factory recall before the dealer acted”

“delayed shift then shifts hard”

“The car will buck as it accelerates”

“Flops around like a fish out of water. Almost impossible to maintain a constant speed between 40 and 70 when in heavy traffic without selecting the manual mode. Their advertising suggest that the next gear is lined up for a quick shift, but it may be lined up, but the shift is sloppy and variable”

“I feel the transmission shifts to hard and sometimes downshifts to soon, especially at highway speeds”

“Transmission had a severe "trailer hitching" feel when shifting from 1st to 2nd”

“delay in gear engagement. transmission chattered”

“The car shakes when starting from a complete stop. Ford knows about the problem and has a back order on the parts needed to fix problem”

“The car was very jerky every time it tried to shift”

“After 15 minutes of driving, transmission would shift roughly from 1st into 2nd into 3rd starting from a full stop”

“Rough movement through gears, delays in shifting”

“Shifted irradically, Ford repaired on a recall”

“sometimes after fully warmed up the transmission will shift to fast into the next gear from a stoplight or, if not at a full stop kind of bang into the next lower gear when accelerating at slow speeds”

“Transmission makes rough shifts at low speeds and up hills. Transmission seems to get confused going up a hill or when immediate speed needs to be built up. It is not sure which gear to go in during these instances”

“got it fixed and was covered by my warranty”

“The transmission is very rough and jerky when accelerating from a full or nearly full stop. Apparently this is a common problem due to the design of the transmission. The dealer said it "wasn't bad enough" to fix, and extended the warrantee to 100,000 miles. I really want to get rid of this car, but who's going to buy it with the rough shifting. I really hate this car”

“rough shifting. solved via redesigned clutch replacement and computer adjusts by Ford under warranty”

“Dealer has worked on this twice, needs to go in again for corrections”

“Sometimes it doesn't shift timely and gets very high in RPMS before shifting”

“New clutch and it is horrible again jerking skipping rough shifting”

“Not a good transmission”

“at times it does not know what gear to be in, computer programming problem”

“The rough shifting was due to the double clutch which was replaced by Ford and it now shifts fine”

“Transmission does not seem to know what gear to be in at times. Up and down shifts trying to find the correct position”

“Shifts like a 15 yr old's first time in a stick. HORRIBLE; goes to neutral when turning so nearly rear-ended or t-boned all the time. Can get whiplash from the shifting! Car is under Lemon Law Consideration”

“Rough shifting at low speeds only”

“This transmission is a manual transmission with electronic shifting. The transmission engages and disengages at slow speeds normally while in first gear. Ford has had a clutch pack on order for three months”

“shifting out of first is delayed, makes noise and seems to grind a bit”

“it would pause like could not make up mind about what gear to be in, while going through intersection, dealer said too intermittent to fix, traded for corolla”

“Transmission "shutters" on acceleration when engine RPM is low. Problem is intermittent. The dealer says that's the way these work, but it's not”

“lunging,,, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! rolling back on hills”

“Starts out shifting kind of jumpy and then smooths out”

“Hesitation when starting from standing start (not always)”

“Chattering very bad between gears. The dealer had to reprogram the computer. This only half corrected the problem. It sounds like the transmission is coming apart”

“Car continuously revs high and shits late or slips down to 1st gear and takes off with abrupt torque from a stop. We had it in for one TSB repair, an ECU reset twice, excessive gear train noise and it's still no better”

“Bad clucking and banging in stop-and-go traffic. Very rough from a dead stop. At highway speed, smooth and good gas mileage, but everywhere else - TERRIBLE!”

“Ongoing problem that Ford knew about and it exists in almost all the Focus models with automatic transmissions. Very annoying”

“Not severe, but still not smooth”

“Shifts rough and does seem to know what gear to be in. Dealer reprogramed computer at 5000 miles. This did not solve the problem. Have to take back and see if they can find the problem”

“This is related to the former problem, i.e. sluggish shifting to a more efficient gear going uphill”

“Rough shift from stop position through what I would consider 2nd gear on a manual transmission. Make a rattling noise when trying to go up a hill in "1st" gear. I can manual shift better than this car does automatically!”

“Grabs--jerks--races and searches for the proper gear”

“Transmission is very moody, jumps around in gear and is impossible to drive in stop and go traffic”

“the transmission is always hunting for gears at low speed and when the car is floored it has a hard time finding what gear it should be in”

“The car has a "trailer hitch" feel on acceleration and shudders when shifting between first and second alot of times”

“I repeat, this car is a piece of crap. Grinding, jerking and stalling in traffic. Terrible mpg-22! Dealer blew me off saying the noises were normal, and didn't believe me when I said it jerked thru intersections, especially when turning”

“what else can i say it was slipping and shifting poorly”

“Transmission shudders and vibrates whe taking off from a dead stop”

“Shuttering”

“slipping badly on steep inclines”

“Transmission proforms poorly on snow. I get overheat alarms. Car barely moves going up steep snowy hill. Our 2003 Ford focus does much much better”

“The trans slipped from day one that's the reason I've only driven it 22000 miles in three years”

“Ford has increased the transmission warranty to 10 years because of problems”

“Vehicle shuddered from accelerating. Fixed under warranty”

“was covered by paided extra warranty and the problem was fixed”

“Sometimes when I gun it, for example to make a left turn to beat approaching traffic is slips into neutral which is very dangerous and could cause an accident. I told Ford and they blew me off”

“Not a good transmission”

“Automatic transmission slipped a bit going up hills at low speed. Ford recalled the vehicle and replaced a lot of stuff in transmission. Then exactly the same sequence of events happened a second time and there was a second recall and a second repair by Ford. Transmission is OK now”

“Transmission is annoyingly slipping, is scheduled for repair in May 2015”

“On several occasions, while driving at 50mph, the car lost power while the engine RPM went very high. It was like being in neutral. I pulled over and the transmission worked when I "tested" it on the shoulder. I can't reproduce this”

“pauses.. lunging is the biggest problem...jerking”

“Like I said, it starts out from take off kind of jumpy”

“My car will randomly shudder upon taking off from a stop. Sometimes it is worse than others, so much that I worry that it is a safety problem. I have had the dealer look at it twice...they say it is within Ford's allowable limits”

“Car has an "automatic-manual" dry clutch transmission. Doesn't shift smoothly every. Commonly is in the wrong gear, doesn't downshift and shudders and slips in the wrong gear all the time”

“see previous comment”

“Sometimes doesn't immediately engage from a stop when the accelerator is pressed and then, all of the sudden, BANG!”

“It would shift from one gear to another and then also do a lot of shuddering when when going at slow speeds. Resoled with PCM/TCM software upgrade”

“Part of total problem. See other comments”

“Just Bad”

“The transmission started slipping when the car had about 16000 miles on the car”

“The software for the transmission is part of the "stuttering" problem described previously”

“hesitation starting off, rough shifting, transmission shifting a lot. Did have 2 software up grades, did little to improve problem”

“The TCM was part of a Ford Recall to reprogram it”

“There was a recall for re-programming the transmission computer in hopes of addressing the issue; to no avail”

“Worst Automatic transmission that I have ever experienced. Feels like a young person trying to learn to drive a manual transmission. Have had Ford Dealer reset the transmission multiple times”

“Have had the computer updated 3 times”

“Yesterday I just had the software on the PCM and TCM updated because there were still problems with shuttering and poor shifting”

“My understanding is that he issue is well known. The transmission is essentially a manual transmission converted to auto. the car shutters after slowing then speeding up again. there are frequent rough shifts associated with the stalls”

“The local Ford Dealer reprogrammed the computer as the first FIX for the transmission problem. They sent us home admitting the reprogramming did not fix the problem. They then ordered the clutch pack”

“First to second gear slippage by the electronic shifting of the manual geared transmission. Software has been reloaded three times and it has improved. Ford went to this type of transmission in 2012 to improve gas mileage. Was told that the transmiss”

“I am assuming the transmission issues are a software problem, yet the car is suppose to have the most current software installed”

“this car is a piece of crap and I unloaded it recently. The transmission made grinding noises, the car stalled and jerked thru intersections, its a safety hazard. Ford dealer useless-said its not a problem and I should ignore noises I hear. Prick”

“car diagnosis said transmission failure. service immediately. i put the car in R and backed up a bit, put it back in drive, havent seen the problem since”

“Ford recall for Transmission Control Module issues. 1st time Ford updated TCM software, second visit Ford replaced TCM along with the software update. No issues since”

“Car shakes at outset. hybrid transmission doesn't work properly. Ford said transmission control module needed replaced but when I took it to a dealer they replaced the clutch. I had to take it in three times before they replaced the clutch. They claimed they did software upgrades but they never worked”

“The car is dangerously sluggish when I try to accelerate going uphill; this despite my giving it more gas; it almost stalls”

“Clutch has been replaced twice. At Fords expenseeach time taking a week. They provided a rental but very inconvenient”

“Repeated problem with shuttering in low gears that dealer blames on the automatic transmission clutch. It's been fixed twice but is still an issue”

“car transmission started to slip so took it to dealer and they replaced it”

“Clutch was replaced under warranty and is working satisfactorily now”

“We don't like the transmission with the dual clutch. Ford need to put a different type of transmission in that car”

“The dealer recommended that they replace the clutches”

“Usual Powershift problem of trans fluid leaking on to clutch plate causing slippage fixed under warranty”

“Transmission problems. Clutch replaced at 16,000 and 33,000 miles and needs to be replaced again (47,000 miles)”

“From 2 months after I bought the car brand new it began "shuttering" when accelerating from a stop. It was horrible when in traffic when you are constantly stopping, then slowly accelerating. It would literally bounce me around. I brought it to the dealer many times for that. The first time they gave me a sheet of paper explaining the 5 speed power shift transmission and said its an automatic that works like a manual transmission, that's why I get 40 miles to the gallon. I brought it in again an”

“car shuddered going through first two gears”

“5th clutch within 60000 miles”

“Slipping and chattering in low gears”

“serious slippage -- Ford replaced as warranted work -- replaced the door latches (recall) at the same time although I had no problems with them. This was the second major clutch/transmission problem (averages about 15,000 miles per fix) They extended the warranty period through 110,000 miles, I think”

“Clutch was replaced under warranty. Ford also extended the warranty for the transmission system due to problems like I experienced”

“Ford replaced the first two clutches with the original design and that did not fix the problem. i finally had the new design clutch installed and somewhat alleviated the problem”

“Worst car I have ever owned due to constant transmission problems”

“I bought the car used. From the beginning there was a shudder as the car went out of low gear into drive. The first time I took it to the Ford Dealership, they adjusted the clutch settings. There was no improvement. The second time I took the car in, they put in a new clutch. It is working now”

“This was a known issue with the Ford Focus, but the dealership where we purchased the vehicle said they couldn't replace the clutch unless the 'Maintenance Required' light came on. We took the car to a different dealership who wouldn't even let us leave the dealership with the car because of how badly it shifted. They replaced the clutch and in the process, discovered that the sensors had actually been removed/line cut so the issue would never be diagnosed through the on-board computer”

“Very rough shifting - sometimes wouldn't shift. Already had to have one of the clutches replaced. Am currently having same symptoms. Vibration when accelerating. I've been told Ford has extended drivetrain warranty to 7 years, 100,000 miles due to all the problems with Focus”

“automatic transmission clutch replacement at 30000 and 40000 miles”

“Poor shifting, jerky starts, car virtually undrivable”

“It was a recall”

“I've had the Clutch Assembly replaced twice with this vehicle within the past 18 months. The slip count was above 250 each time and they found damage to the Clutch Assembly”

“Sometimes when accelerating the car would shudder and not change gear smoothly. Seems to be a problem with this model. Work done under warranty”

“The automatic clutch went inside of two years. Many people consider Ford's automatic clutch design to be garbage, including some Ford employees”

“Car was in the shop twice over 12 mo for clutch issues”

“Ford built these cars with a PK two disc clutch. System was very sketchy from the factory and has a recall on it. The clutch system shudders when taking off, and has a hesitation when accelerating from a stand still”

“Dealer replaced”

“The car seemed to shutter and slip as it moved through the lower gears. On the 3rd return to the dealer (over a 2 year period) the clutch was replace. That fixed the problem”

“This game ok month for part to come in I had to personally contact ford to speed up process Also it is bad again skipping bad shift less than year”

“jerking and grinding when pressing the gas pedal to move forward from a stop”

“I've had the clutch replaced twice. Warranty covered both replacements. Good service at the Ford dealership”

“Car shuttered and lurched from a full stop on both flat and inclined streets. It took Ford three days to fix the problem under warranty”

“The clutch and seal kit have had to be replaced twice now in six months. It's a warranty issue”

“This vehicle requires clutch replacement by the dealership approximately 2-3 times per year. Due to some issue with the transmission, it is causing the clutch to wear out quickly. Instead of Ford replacing transmission or figuring out another solution,we are doomed to continue this pattern”

“In low gear or driving slowly the transmission would hesitate. With the warranty it was replaced free”

“Replaced twice. Slips, jerks, noisy”

“clutch was replaced with out incident”

“Just new car, already fix tranmission”

“took my car back to the dealership because of shaking during acceleration. they checked the car and found that the clutch needs replacing”

“The dealer that sold me the car took a couple of weeks to get a replacement clutch for my car”

“Clutch was chattering. It was replaced and now it's fine”

“dealer repair no issues”

“Was replaced as a part of the clutch replacement”

“The "torque converter" is a double clutch and there was a problem with it being jerky and causing the transmission to keep switching gears especially lower gears. Ford replaced the double clutch under warranty and it is now working fine”

“Transmission slipped skipped and jerked. Recall replaced computer but fix only lasted a few months, Transmission clutches were replaced under warranty recall. Working fine so far,”

“first replaced transmission, then the clutch went out”

“slipping transmission ? bad shifting”

“Transmission provided no power, car would not accelerate. Transmission was rebuilt by Ford under full warranty. We had to wait for 9 weeks for the Dealership to receive the needed parts”

“When the problem began two years ago, the local Ford dealer said jerky transmission was "normal" for this make and model. I tolerated it too long, took it back again, along with a handful of invitations to join various class action suits against Ford for transmission issues with this model. They fixed it”

“The t ransmission was jerky”

“Purchased from North Country Ford in MN. Believe the car was in a flood, but they state it was not, car has had several problems with Transmission and it has been worked on 3 or 4 times, replacing parts and it fails again and again. Headlights out of alignment and cannot be corrected. Taillights have connection problems, and very poor service from dealer, normally take to other dealers”

“Transmission experienced shuddering, caused loss of power”

“Leaking transmission seal. Ford covered rebuild cost with recall warranty”

“The transmission seemed strange in that is didn't seem to firmly drive the car. It didn't have a problem that was clearly defined as I drove it but felt like something was wrong. My Ford dealer, West Hills Ford told me the transmission internal clutches were shot and needed to be replaced which my extended warranty covered except for a $100 deductable”

“Erratic shifting. Replaced clutch and seals. Problem solved although dealer tried 3 times to adjust/reprogram trans”

“Automatic transmission started slipping. Car was recalled for total replacement of clutch system. Note: your single question about gas mileage is stupid. We track city and highway mileage separately”

“My 2014 Focus is experiencing severe knocking and hesitation as it changes gears. The scheduled replacement parts needed are out of stock for at least the next three months”

“Rebuilt at no cost under warranty”

“passenger front door trim molding out of alignment and catching on c pillar. door also sagging a bit”

“Driver's visor has been loose since car was purchased. When not locked into place it swings around and hits driver in face when going around a corner. Dealer HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM although it is clearly covered under warranty. Also a road hazard killed a tire and it was covered under new car tire warranty for 6 years. Dealer lied and said it was not. We found documentation after it was too late”

“The glove box didn't close completely. Loose and lacked about 1/2" from closing completely. The whole glove box had to be replaced by dealer”

“Extensive paint chips on hood (more than 2 dozen); never had this problem with my last Focus with over 150K miles”

“There was trash in the paint. Ford acknowledged this with a TSB. Ford fixed the problem, but the car was in service for several days”

“Many areas of the car were unpainted, only clear coat was present. Had to be taken back three separate occasions to ensure all the painting was done”