Was told by dealer transmission was normal if it jerks hard and grinds and knocks,dealer was checking transmission the whole time. Transmission had a seal leak( dealer stated you can run those transmission without fluid), dealer fixed so they say, dealer left ratchet the size of my forearm on transmission when I pulled away from dealer I thought transmission had fell out. Dealer could have been bought for a dollar. Dealer placed dye in transmission offered free oil changes no thank you I replied. Three days later back in shop transmission still bad along with a bad miss. Now the clutch plate is bad. Got car back drove three more days, car shaking was told cant do anything about that( didn't do the hard shaking until they messed with transmission), transmission still isn't right in low gears hard shifting and grinds . Took car back to dealer refused service I was told to take car somewhere else that nothing was wrong with. We feel all the transmission fluid leaked out causing all this. This car was taking in to dealer after I came off a exit all was clear transmission would not in shift in gear to go all to soon a semi-truck was on me if he had not had room to get over it would have been fatally. That's not a new normal transmission . I have filed a lemon law suit. Ford notified made all the excuses that everyone else has been told, car will get better the more you drive it, parts on backorder, that's the way it is, car has to learn your driving habits. All the same stuff.
2013 Ford Focus transmission complaints
Page 37 of 38: complaints 1,061 to 1,090 of 1,102, newest first, as owners wrote them.
This applies to the ford focus electric. I was backing out of my driveway when I heard a load clunk. I instantly felt the power steering fail and the motor cease function (lost all power rendering me immobolized in the middle of the street). The dash displayed the warining "stop safely now". This indicates an electrical fault. Note the battery had a full charge. The symptom persisted.as I was able to drive a few blocks with the same behaviour. I was able to drive the car back to my house and called roadside assistance. I was lucky I was not on the freeway when this happended.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford focus se. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle began to jerk with an accompanying rattle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who reprogrammed the PCM and the TCM. The clutch assembly was replaced on a separate visit. After the repairs were performed the transmission failed to shift correctly from first to second gear. The jerking became progressively worse whenever the contact was driving at low speeds. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 17,042.
Brand new 2013 automatic. Apparently, my automatic has a manual transmission to improve fuel efficiency. Around may my vehicle started acting up when I would pull forward or back up - the transmission would shudder causing a delay in acceleration. I took the car to the dealer who did a software update, no change. They told me to drive it for awhile to allow it to reset. After about another few hundred miles the problem was still there- took it back and they put in a new clutch. Same issues - same response, drive it for awhile and let it break it. Took it back - told it was within standards and I was to expect the shudder!? It's brand new - according to the sale rep and maint supervisor its part of the design, but customers and even ford sales and maint was not told until complaints came in. Ford will do nothing but tell me I can take it for another opinion and pay for it. No matter, they feel it performs within their standards. The problem is I'm paying for the car and when I pull into traffic I expect it not to pause - that is dangerous and could cause me to get hit. This is unacceptable! I can't believe ford will not make this right.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle failed to respond to acceleration attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the transmission was re-calibrated. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.
May 1st: significant vibration, vehicle shutters when shifting 4th: no changes in performance. Shutter and vibration continues; no work performed. Advised all of this is a ?normal characteristic? Of a dual clutch transmission. 10th: significant shaking at idle continues 17th: vibration continues; transmission continues to buck and stall. Vehicle does not respond well to sudden stops? Significant shuddering and RPM gauge has rapid fluctuations. Gears still making grinding noise. 18th: transmission problems felt worse than usual today. 20th: vehicle does not drive well. Transmission continues to click/pop/grind; gear changes are rough, similar to someone who cannot drive a manual transmission 24th: rough idle persists; car slow to engage in first gear; feels like it is going to stall. June 4th: rough idle continues 26th: gear changes are not smooth and in fact are quite rough; car does not function normally. No improvement whatsoever since last update. 29th: vehicle shakes badly upon start; very rough shifting; car does not feel safe july 5th: gears are not engaging properly; delayed acceleration from 0mph in drive 11th: vibration is as bad as ever; no improvement. 17th: had two cases of delayed acceleration & bucking today 19th: vehicle shuttered significantly today; RPM gauge plating continues to rattle; passenger door would not unlock with remote key; beginning of electrical problems 21st: transmission stalled upon acceleration again; substantial hesitation 22nd: loud grinding noise shifting to reverse; RPM gauge went to about 2500 26th: stalling, shuddering/bucking continues; gear changes are not smooth 28th: interior electrical problem; interior overhead lights do not illuminate nor do the A/C & radio lights; 29th: experienced a very hard jolt upon acceleration so much so that it jarred the entire car.
December 2012 - while stopped on hill car put itself into a hard reverse without driver input - could have killed someone - march 1, 2013 near 8700 mi on od while driving car in traffic car quit communicating with transmission - car dash lit up with everything message: transmission fault, then made it last 1/4 mile in low gear. In driveway - starting car - trans. Would not engage. Car then went into limp mode. After forced to take car back from dealer not fixed car failed next day - car flashed messages - hill start assist not available. Car went into limp mode. After 1/2 hour or so, drove car to my mechanic where car completely failed again while diagnostic being run. Car then towed to dealer - dealer gave joneses run around - forced again to take car back not fixed on 3/19/13. Documented on release form that car generating multiple nondescript error codes. Car has always run rough, unpredictable and unreliable. Consider too dangerous to drive on fwy. Car sold as traditional automatic and find out 2 manual transmissions operated by computer that has trouble figuring out what driver is doing at stop or low speeds. This car is a nightmare someone could get killed. Lemon law blogs and other blogs full of ford focus owners with transmission problems. Lemon law suit pending. Ford and dealers game customers to not document problems. Dealer called hard reverse incident "normal operation" and refused to document it. Ford just as bad. Someone with clout needs to step up & protect consumers.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford focus. The contact stated that the transmission would hesitate when shifting between gears. The manufacturer advised that the action was normal for a 2-clutch transmission within the first 5000-6000 miles. The contact stated that the failure continued for an additional 10,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed service to the transmission but the failure persisted. In addition, the transmission emitted an abnormal ding when completing a turn in either direction. Or when shifting between first and second gears. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 20 and the current mileage was 13,300.
While driving residential streets at approximately 25mph, the car sounded an unfamiliar warning tone along with the message "stop safely now" - at which point, I coasted the car to a stop (unfortunately this happened to be in the middle of an intersection). Even though I had no throttle control at this point, the car refused to shut down after multiple presses of the "start" button. I eventually took my foot off the brake, hit "start" again, opened the door and this seemed to cycle the car to "off" mode. I then tried again to start the car and it worked - after about 10 seconds of driving the "stop safely now" error came on again. I pulled over this time and shut the car down for 10 minutes - I was able to later drive the car home. Waited an hour and decided to have my wife video tape me while driving incase this happened again.. The error occurred 3 more times and is all on tape - all while coming to a stop or accelerating from a stop. I shudder to think what would happen if this occurred on my normal commute on the carpool lanes of the 405 or 110 -or worse, decided to power down in the middle of a left hand turn!- this would be a huge liability and safety risk for myself and family. The car is currently with ford and I'm in a rental until we have a resolve - I didn't find out until after signing a 3 year lease that this is now a well known issue (at least to the federal safety agency and on many ford forums and in articles on the internet) it's an amazing car and I hope ford figures this out very quickly.
While driving at low speeds and stop and go situations, the auto transmission has a loud grinding noise and the car bucks, shutters and feels like it will stall out. The car rolls back immediately on hills even though it is supposed to have a hill start assist system that holds the car in place for 2 to 3 seconds. While making a left turn onto a busy highway and applying the brakes, the car jerked and pulled strongly to the left and four loud grinding/popping noises came from the transmission. It sounded like applying the brakes with no pads. The car has been brought to the dealership 3 times and every time they say it is normal. I even received a letter from ford describing the above as common characteristics of the powershift transmission. I do not feel safe driving this car.
"stop safely now" indicator came on while driving vehicle. At a stop light approximately 5 minutes later, the vehicle lost all power in front of intersection. This is an all electric vehicle. I placed transmission in park and attempted to power cycle car with no success for approximately 2 minutes. Once I opened the driver side front door, the car was then able to power back on. The "stop safely now" warning did not reappear.
The same afternoon after picking up my new car I noticed jerkiness while accelerating from a stop to around 30 MPH. I blew it off and thought they maybe it was bad gas that was making car run funny. It only got worse from there. So bad I was scared to even pull onto a highway cause it would act as tho it was going to stall out. Then I started noticing noises kind of a grinding noise along with the hard shifting. I took it in a dealership said it was normal and give transmission time to get " use to how I drive" the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Needless to say my new car is in shop for however long. I'm not sure I even want it back from all the other horror stories I've read. Some catching fire and such. Ford needs to recall this vehicle and put a normal transmission back into it before something serious happens to someone.
This complaint applies to the focus electric. While turning into a parking lot, going approximately 5mph, the vehicle abruptly lost power, the "stop safely now" warning light came on, and I coasted the car to a halt at the side of the lot entrance. No other warning lights illuminated. Although the vehicle was inoperable, it also could not be turned off. Usually, pressing the power button to turn the car off disconnects the high voltage battery from the rest of the electrical system and shuts the car down, but in this situation it would just cause the warning bell and "stop safely now" light to pop up again in the instrument panel. After maybe 45 minutes, right as the tow-truck driver arrived, I was suddenly able to turn the car off by pressing the button. It then functioned normally when turned back on. Luckily I was in a reasonably safe situation when the failure occurred. However, many similar complaints exist for the focus electric (many more in public forums than here), and the failure has occurred on the highway and in traffic for some people. Clearly the issue needs to be addressed.
I recently purchase this 2013 ford focus se 6spd powershift with appearance package on june 8 2013. When I took it only had 7 miles. As I drove the next couple of days I heard noise coming from underneath when accelerating from stop and go traffic and this happens between 5 to 20 miles per hour as I accelerate and then it disappears. I went online and google this noise and read the threads looks like it needed to break in. When I reached around 700 miles on the odometer the noise is almost gone but still there and not as bad as before. Today june 30, 2013, it has 1183 miles on the odometer as I was making a turn from the light accelerating I got a sudden shift felt like something hit me from behind and heard a thunk when it shifted after that it went through the shifting sequence as I accelerated. This is the first time I bought a new car and have this kind of issues. I read about the power shift tsb bulletin but something is not right in this car hopefully ford will fix this problem before warranty runs out. I believe the way its shifting something will wear out fast and ford needs to act on this.
Purchased the vehicle last saturday june 22. About 2 days after purchase the transmission started making noise shifting gears. Sounds like rocks in a aluminum coke can. It hesitates and shifts hard sometimes. Contacted dealer and was told if it should mess up I am covered by warranty. This to me is not normal and its quite scary. My car has 300 miles on it I shouldn't be having trouble like this. I read reviews from others and this seems to be a widespread issue. Also this is my first brand new car purchase and I am not very pleased.
Traveling on a road. Stopped at a stop sign. When the pedal was pressed the car showed an error of "stop safely now" and refused to move. The car had to be pushed around the corner of the intersection while vehicles tried to pass.
On sunday june 23, 2013 at approximately 3:00 pm on or about buffaloe rd at southall rd in raleigh, nc, we were heading west bound in the right lane of buffaloe rd. Approaching a green light. Approximately, 700 ft from the limit line, the light changed to yellow and we slowed to stop. Stopping was a little more firm than the slow paced regenerative charging, a noise was from the front was heard, resembling that of a loose brake pad hitting metal and the vehicle them sounded a warning and flashed "stop safely now" visual warning as we came to a full stop at the limit line at the light. Although there was no power to the motor, the system was active and the green go car was not visible. We attempted to reset the vehicle by powering off and powering on to no avail. The light turned green and cars began to sound their horns. I immediately activated the emergency flashers and stepped out the vehicle to direct traffic around the stalled vehicle (not recommended unless properly trained). Traffic on several instances came dangerously close to collision as this situation presented a huge risk to personal safety. Had we just sat in the vehicle, we surely would have experienced a collision. Several minutes passed and we attempted to restart the vehicle from a cold start. It was only after the vehicle was completely shut down, rested and powered on that we were able to proceed. Having a vehicle just stop in traffic for no reason presents a huge risk not only to the owner but those around.
Vehicle abruptly lost drivetrain power and came to a sudden stop in the left-hand lane of a major surface street in san jose. The vehicle suddenly displayed the warning 'stop safely now". Attempts to restart or reboot the car failed leaving us dangerously stranded in moderate traffic for over 20 minutes until a nearby resident helped us to push vehicle to safety. All electrical systems on the vehicle continued to function but the vehicle was immobilized. Pushing the vehicle was very difficult, as if the brakes were engaged. The ford dealer reported that the regenerative braking system was engaged and could not be disengaged. Ford dealership reported over 30 diagnostic trouble codes appearing on the vehicle that proved to be misleading. Inexperience of service team with electrical vehicles provided low confidence that they understood and repaired the cause of this failure. Ford motor company instructed the dealership to replace the electric motor and control module. Ford motor company agreed to refund or replacement of this vehicle.
Transmission sputtering, hiccuping going through low gears. Sometimes it seems fine.
The car is a brand new 2013 ford focus with an automatic transmission. After approximately 450 miles, the car started making a grinding noise in the lower gears - similar to one might hear in a manual transmission if you can't find the gear. In addition, the car stutters/shudders at the start in lower gears. An internet search reveals this is a common problem in the focus which ford seems unwilling to adequately address. While the stuttering/shuddering issue can certainly present safety issues, I'm not sure what the transmission problem relates to.
After an accident, tried to drive the car home and the car kept stalling out while trying to give it gas. I had the car towed to the dealer, they repaired the body work and said that the switch for the gas to shut off had to be reset. Picked up from dealer and the car kept stalling out and shaking when trying to take off or accelerate the car. Took the car back to the dealer and they said it could be the clutch in the transmission. Dealer kept for a week and could not find anything wrong. Ford is aware there is a problem with the clutches in the ford focus. They service department stated so far he has put in 5 clutches on the 2013 ford focus. Dealer refuses to do anything unless ford will do a recall.
While traveling at approximately 50 MPH on a busy highway, the car suddenly lost power and the "stop safely now" warning was displayed. This vehicle is the ford focus electric. The car would not respond to the accelerator and was coasted to a stop on the side of the road. The highway patrol promptly showed up to lecture on how this was a unsafe place to stop. No kidding. It was explained that we had no choice. Internet research has shown that this condition has happened several times to ford focus electric operators. One ford spokesman has been reported to say that like a gas car, this warning is similar to the "check engine" light and can be caused by any number of things. However, unlike a gas car, when this happens on a focus electric it may render the car powerless and may expose the driver to a very unsafe condition.
My performance concern started within the first week of ownership. I had reported what I perceived as a performance issue to the dealer but opted to give a new car time to "break in". 4 weeks into my owner experience, the service department held and drove the car for 5 days and had determined that a transmission component was the cause of the issue I was experiencing. I now have over 10k miles on the vehicle and have had the same experience. The service department has since told me that the rough idle in park or in gear with brake applied is the result of the "direct injection" technology used in this vehicle. The hesitation experienced during 0 to >0 acceleration (gradual or hard) is also the result of the "direct injection" technology coupled with electronic clutch technology used in place of a torque converter. This combination has yielded numerous "almost stalled" conditions during normal driving maneuvers including acceleration during the completion of a left turn crossing oncoming lanes of traffic. I raise this concern as I understand there is an investigation of f150 vehicles with "direct injection" technology as a potential cause for the loss of power. My experience with the ford focus has not resulted in an accident. My goal is to raise awareness to a similar condition from the same manufacturer utilizing the same technology. I also have a second vehicle ([xxx]) that is leased and has the same performance issue described above. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford focus. The contact stated that when attempting to accelerate, the vehicle would jerk and hesitate to respond. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis where the contact was informed that the software for the transmission would need to be updated. The vehicle was repaired. Eight hundred miles later the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the software was again updated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the failure was characteristic of the vehicle but not a defect. The failure mileage was 100 and the current mileage was unknown.
I purchased the 2013 ford focus brand new on 2-09-13. Car barely has 1800 miles on it. While slowing down in a school zone to 15mph, I noticed the car seemed to lose power, and feel shaky. Once past the school zone I accelerated to 20mph and car shifted roughly into gear with a bumping noise. I pulled over and stopped and turned off the engine. After restarting car initially seemed fine. Exactly one week later same thing happened again when in supermarket parking lot. This time however the orange engine service light that looks like an outline of the engine appeared on the dashboard panel. I stopped the car again. When restarting the light went out but reappeared on the 2 mile drive home from the store. Car also seemed to lose power and not accelerate when I needed it to. I called my dealership 1st thing and was told it's most likely a sensor issue and very minor but I made an appointment and took the car in. The dealership ran computer diagnostics and service mgr. Came in and told me 2 error codes showed up of transmission malfunction/ and possible failure! A brand new car!!! They started talking about replacing the transmission and the on board computer, etc.. But dealership can't repair my car at this time because a specialist they don't have on staff needs to be called in. So I have an un safe, unreliable new car sitting in my driveway. 15 calls to dealership and to ford's customer relations number and I can't even get an appointment to get the car looked at further to determine how defective it is!!! What a lemon! No matter how this is resolved, will never do business with ford again. They seem unconcerned with the safety issues this defect is causing and they have the worst customer service I have ever dealt with!!
Vehicle has had oil leaking into engine compartment since purchased in november 2012. At 3000 miles, rear engine seal replaced - leaks continued. Rear main engine seal replaced again at 8000 miles - engine compartment leaks continued. After two more visits to dealer and two additional trip to different dealers, third service dept. Claims that transmission is source of leak, not engine. If this is the case, then vehicle has been driven for over 11,250 miles with insufficient transmission lubricant - great cause for concern.
Ford focus electric vehicle stops suddenly with "stop safely now". When this occurs driver (me) looses all ability to accelerate. This even occurred today and left us in danger on the highway while we nervously waited for professional assistance. Many reports of this exact issue with this make/model vehicle on the public forums. Concern of loss of power train could mean injuries or death depending on the moment a car looses it's ability to drive while mobile.
Vehicle has been leaking oil since it was purchased. (2) ford dealerships have attempted repairs multiple times to stop engine oil leak(s), all of which have been unsuccessful. Was under vehicle on 5/12/13 and noticed there is still engine oil leaking from area around engine/transmission. Defect allowing engine to run without optimal amount of oil, leaking oil creates fuel for potential fire, used engine oil is known carcinogen, which is being deposited within engine compartment and allowed access to passenger cabin.
Purchased my car new transferred from a local dealer. Had 40 miles on it when I bought it. After driving 160 miles noticed transmission banging and stuttering when trying to accelerate. Took to apple ford in red lion pa, is in svc ctr told me transmission needs pulled out of car and parts replaced. At this point I left car at dealership, will not take this defective car home with me. Have asked for a replacement car. No resolution.
Cpsc: i1340028a. 2013 ford focus. Consumer stated after five days of purchasing the car it started having transmission problems.
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