2003 Ford Focus transmission problems

Filed Apr 1, 2016 · Engine, Transmission · 80,000 miles · OH

The car stalls randomly while driving. All power is lost for steering and brakes. Highly dangerous situation and I don't feel safe driving the car. Happens in all conditions and unexpectedly. Car will restart. Appears to be a current "recall" of ford cars for the same issues. Dealer has no idea what to fix and claims to have no knowledge of the problem. However, this appears to be a never ending problem with fords based on the information I see online. Have already replaced air hose, spark plugs, valve cover gasket, wires. It has been suggested by others online to clean the maf sensor and throttle body, but the dealer doesn't really know if that is the problem or will fix the problem. To them there is no problem. I can see from information posted by others along with the recent recall that this is not a new problem for ford. I have almost been hit and have almost hit others when the car stalls. The problem has been occurring for more than 1 year. Recently stalled 2 times in a week while driving.

Filed Jun 20, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 26,692 miles · MI

While waiting in a parking aisle for a car to exit a parking place the engine accelerated to very high RPM. As my car was stationary and my foot on the brake and in drive the car did not seem to move. Placing the car in neutral or park made no difference. Shut off engine and restarted with same result. After waiting several minutes while responding to an interested person I tried again and everything appeared normal. Drove the car home and left it parked. This is the only time this has occurred .

Filed Dec 29, 2009 · Airbags, Transmission · 147,000 miles · WA · crash · 2 injuries

Tl* the contact owns 2003 ford focus. The vehicle slid on an ice patch , which caused her to loose vehicle control. The vehicle spun around several times and then collided on an embankment. None of the air bags deployed. She received injuries to her neck, feet, and ribs, the passenger received injuries to the spine. The insurance company concluded that the vehicle was completely destroyed. Also the ignition switch had to be replaced at an expense of $450.00. She also paid $300.00 to repair the door locks. The transmission needs to be replaced. The sheriff report number was 09004117. The failure and current mileages were 94,000.

Filed Oct 7, 2009 · Steering, Transmission · 80,000 miles · WV

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The transmission slipped out of gear while driving 25 MPH. The steering column also needs to be replaced since it can be turned 360 degrees. The manufacturer could not identify the cause of the failures. The current mileage was 120,000. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Sep 18, 2008 · Transmission · 68,897 miles · MI

The transmission was slipping,hard shifting, and not going into 4th. The car had less than 70 thousand miles. Took it to repair shop and was told that it was a solenoid. Also was told that it was a common occurrence in my type of vehicle. It may or may not fix the problem completely. When I questioned why he said that many of the focus transmissions have solenoid problems until they need to be replaced. I went online and did some searching and found that there are many people who have had the same problems with the same year and make of my car. When I contacted ford they said that they did not see these problems very often. When I approached them with the discussion boards that I had read and the comments from my trusted mechanic they had no comment. My car does work now after the solenoid was replaced, but it still slips and shifts hard from 1st to 2nd. I am disappointed that ford will not admit to a problem with the mechanics of this transmission.

Filed Sep 15, 2008 · Engine, Locks · 70,000 miles · SC

I have replaced the transmission, the water pump, the thermostat, and all radiator hoses. The car overheats daily still. The stereo cuts on and off and can't be turned off by the power button. The rear left seatbelt is stuck where it can't be used. The driver window fell into the door, when the panel was removed it showed that the whole wire system had snapped. The driver door also can only be opened from the inside.

Filed Sep 9, 2008 · Transmission · 26,452 miles · WA

I purchased my car a year ago. It has 26,452 miles on it. I was on the interstate when a warning light came on. I pulled over, turned the car off and back on again and the light was out. I continued on. A day later the same thing happened. I took it to the garage and they pulled the codes that said the gear ratio was incorrect in 2nd and 3rd. I took it to the dealer and was told the transmission needed to be replaced....after 26,000 miles??? My powertrain warranty had expired about a month prior. I called ford. They refused to help me in any way and even went so far as to say my driving had caused the failure. They also flat out lied and told me the warranty was for only 3/36,000 when I have a news release from ford stating it is for 5/100,000. I did get the transmission replaced at the cost of $3600. Ford still refuses to acknowledge that they obviously made a malfunctioning transmission.

Filed Mar 5, 2008 · Transmission · 36,610 miles · CA

When driving on freeway to pass other cars the transmission drops into lower gear the the motor revs up not shifting into another gear stalling and slowing down causing cars behind to almost hit my car. At higher speeds in traffic this can cause a accident.

Filed Dec 28, 2007 · Transmission · 18,000 miles · NY

I have had two complete transmissions rebuilt on this vehicle, the first at around 18,000 miles, the second at around 50,000. It is beginning the same sequence of events, failure to engage in 4th gear (automatic). Dealer will not do anything until complete failure. I understand the 2003 transmission to have relatively frequent failure occurrence based on web and other investigation. Date of first incident below is approximate.

Filed Oct 9, 2007 · Transmission · 33,000 miles · NH

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. While driving 35 MPH, the clutch locked and the vehicle would not shift into gear. The contact had to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to his home. Ford advised the owner that the parts for this vehicle are no longer being produced. The current mileage was 38000 and the failure mileage was 33000.