2018 Ford Focus: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Apr 7, 2026 · Engine · 62,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shuddering, jerking, and hesitating to accelerate as needed. The vehicle then stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V011000 (Equipment); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

Filed Sep 29, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 8,899 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking and hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown transmission repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were contacted and offered to take the vehicle in a trade-in, but the contact declined. The vehicle was taken to Marcino Enterprises LLC, where it was test-driven, and the failure recurred. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission fluid was contaminated with metal shavings and had become brown. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine overheated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 8,899.

Filed Jul 29, 2025 · Transmission · 99,500 miles · TX

The contact owns 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The message "Transmission Is Overheating" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to reverse as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V845000(Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but the contact was informed through a voicemail message that no assistance would be provided. The failure mileage was 99,500.

Filed Jun 4, 2025 · Transmission · 96,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a defective transmission clutch. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Filed May 5, 2025 · Engine · 74,000 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and oil warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the following day, the contact's wife drove the vehicle to the dealer, and there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. A diagnostic test was performed,d which determined that the oil pump drive belt had failed, resulting in engine failure. The contact was later notified of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact's vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but was given the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Filed May 2, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · WA

My 2018 Ford Focus (DPS6 dual-clutch automatic transmission) suffers from severe hesitation and shuddering when accelerating from a stop, especially under 10 mph. More concerning, the car has stalled multiple times while merging into traffic and during right turns at intersections. We can no longer safely take free right turns due to the risk of the car dying mid-merge. This poses an immediate safety hazard and mirrors known failure patterns in earlier Focus and Fiesta models. Ford previously extended warranty coverage for the same TCM defect in 2011–2016 models, but my 2018 — which uses the same DPS6 system — has been excluded without explanation. The dealership acknowledged the TCM failure but refused to cover the repair. Instead, they charged me $300 to tell me they would not perform the service Ford originally recommended (a fuel injector purge) and that I now need to replace the TCM entirely. This is a known, documented issue that Ford has admitted to in other years. My car has lost power four times in the last three months, and all signs point to this being the early stages of the same defect. Allowing this failure to persist without coverage or recall is negligent and dangerous. Ford is knowingly placing families like mine at risk by refusing to act. I request an the federal safety agency investigation into the 2018 Ford Focus DPS6 models, which are experiencing the same failures that have already led to recalls, lawsuits, and warranty extensions in earlier years.

Filed Apr 8, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 85,000 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated and experienced hard transmission shifts. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission clutch and the clutch actuator were replaced. The contact stated that while her significant other was driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The driver was unable to pull to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the driver noticed that the engine had fallen onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Don Vance Ford, Inc. (MO-38, Marshfield, MO 65706), where it was determined that the motor mounts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R). The contact stated that the vehicle was significantly sluggish while shifting into gear. The first dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the transmission control module had failed; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Filed Feb 19, 2025 · Transmission · PA

My 2018 Ford Focus started to buck, hesitate, and felt like it was going to stall. I pulled out of an intersection and my car just wouldn't go. I almost got hit. Then my engine light came on. Took it to my mechanic and he checked it with the coding machine which showed that it was in the transmission. I looked on the recall page and although my vehicle wasn't on it, they did recall other Ford Focus vehicles for the exact same problem. Ford knows there is a problem with this. It is very upsetting that my vehicle isn't part of the recall.

Filed Feb 4, 2025 · Transmission · 500 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated, and an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. In addition, the manufacturer offered to help with the cost for the repair. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 500.

Filed Dec 11, 2024 · Transmission · 65,607 miles · CO

The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start and failed to accelerate above 15 MPH while driving. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact's son pulled over and restarted the vehicle and an abnormal burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the clutch and actuator motor were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was 65,607.

Filed Nov 18, 2024 · Engine · 52,595 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that soon after starting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to accelerate above 35 MPH and was driven to an independent mechanic. A diagnostic test was performed on the vehicle and the contact was instructed to stop driving the vehicle due to a drive belt failure. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which was linked to the failure; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 52,595. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Oct 7, 2024 · Fuel system · 79,000 miles · PA

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 35-40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle jerked and hesitated to respond. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Randy Redinger and Sons Auto Service, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved DTC codes: P0456 and P144A and determined that the canister purge valve was stuck open, which caused excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system and caused the fuel tank to become deformed. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.