My name is [XXX] I own a 2015 ford focus 4dr sedan It has 131908 miles and the issue I've been having is with The TCM module on the transmission it won't go into sleep mode and it's draining the battery is have gotten a customer care warranty notice on my car but the local Ford dealer said it's expired in November of last year and I've been having family issues and personal issues we're i wasn't able to take care of it but I need this issue fixed on my car it's my only means of transportation for me and my mom because she has altzimers and dementia Here's my number [XXX] this my cell to contact me I live in Portland Oregon And also right now I have no way of paying for the repairs on my car because I lost my job because of a lower back injury I thought it was going to be a easy fix but it something I'm not able to do And thought it was going to be covered under the so called warranty which it's actually part of the recall I've gone through something like this with a previous car I owed and it was supposed to be taken care of through a recall but the dealer wouldn't do anything about they wanted me to pay on my vehicle I have i need this repaired I should not have to pay for the repairs that should be done through warranty or a recall it's been happening since the past couple years INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Ford Focus battery drain problems
45 of the 22,111 owner complaints about the Ford Focus describe battery drain or dead battery, most of them for the 2014 model year.
- owner complaints
- 45
- worst model year
- 2014
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 64,685
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 8Won't start 5Headlights 3Door locks 3Check engine light 3Wipers 2Transmission failure 2Won't shift 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P287B 1P2837 1
What owners say
My battery died in my car. I replaced the battery with a brand new battery and then I noticed transmission issues that were not present 1 day prior. My check engine light came on as well as a “transmission fault warning” message. My car would not drive over 10 mph in drive. My car would shift into reverse, but would not drive at all. Car would not shift into S gear. Dealer told me it was the TCM. And that I just missed the TCM warrant by 3 days. They replaced the TCM and now they’re telling me there are deeper issues with the transmission.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, and while driving at various speeds, messages that the brake fluid level was low, and to shift into park were displayed. The contact stated that other unknown messages were displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle, the instrument cluster and the infotainment system screen failed to turn off intermittently. The contact stated that the vehicle had also experienced abnormal battery drainage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was recommended to replace the negative (-) ground wiring cable. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred the following day. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM had failed, and the failure could be the cause of the battery drainage. The dealer determined that the TCM needed to be replaced and ordered the part. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Battery was disconnected in order to install new radio. After installation, car started just fine but could not go faster than 20mph and would "stall" (even though it is auto transmission) once getting up to that speed. Ford dealership diagnosed as needing a new transmission control module. I was also told this problem would have occurred whenever the battery died, so it was no fault on the radio installation. There is a recall on these parts but for some reason my vehicle is not included in any warranties or recalls. I do not have any written communication with the Ford dealership yet as all contact has been via phone calls.
I have two recalls on my ford focus 2014. Ford refuses to fix the TCM due to the transmission shifts. I brought my car in with issues dealing with the tsb revolving around the engine wiring harness and told them my car battery died and it couldn't reverse now brought it to get the work done which I thought included them looking at why it could not reverse I paid them over 1,300 dollars to fix this issues and then after I pull off and notice my check engine light is still on I bring it back inside and they hit me with oh the transmission needs a diagnostic after I paid them a substantial amount I want them to give me my money back
While changing a dead battery, the vehicle's transmission control module (TCM) malfunctioned and caused the shift drum to shear off a piece of the aluminum casing inside the gearbox. DTC codes P2837 and P287B were present indicating a shift fork failure. The dual-clutch transmission (DPS6) lost access to reverse, 2nd gear and 4th and 6th gear, but was still able to shift into 1st, 3rd and 5th. Under these conditions, there is the possibility that the sheared off piece of aluminum can enter the gear train and cause the transmission to seize, putting passengers life at risk. The problem is either that the aluminum casing is deficient, or, more likely, that the TCM software is flawed. The problem has been confirmed by the local Ford dealership, who took pictures of the damage, including the piece of aluminum. Judging from Internet search results for the DTCs, the problem is widespread and triggered by a low battery or weak (high impedance) ground condition in the TCM. No warning lights or low battery indications were shown prior to the incident.
Ford Focus went into automatic limp mode after a dead battery with no reverse. I've heard it's an ongoing issues with these cars. And Ford has a program to fix these issues unfortunately my car year falls outside their current criteria. Took the car to the mechanic and they said it's an ongoing issue with these cars.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the engine remained running. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been draining the battery. The contact’s husband had to disconnect the battery after turning off the vehicle in order to prevent the battery from being drained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 15C06. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Faulty windshield washer pump pushing liquid into the Body Control Module and harness - Damaged electrical communications communications controlled by the Body Control Module including: 1) functionality of the wipers resulting in obscuring the windshield from clear visibility of the road 2) vehicle will not reliably shut off after removing the key. It continues to run. 3) vehicle will not reliably shift into different gears due to the disruption of the electronic transmission signaling. 4) electrical system drains the battery after a few hours of sitting idle. - The problem has been identified by a dealership - A dealer has inspected the problem. - Washer pumps would intermittently function and then randomly would not.
Bought my car from a dealer Ford and it was fine to start out then the battery died put a new one in kept doing what it was took it in to Ford They said it was the battery so I bought a new battery I asked them to check the alternator starter and the electrical wiring and things to see if they were something wrong with them they told me no that they had checked each one I can’t be driving in the whole car will shut off and shut back on then when you get in it the next day there is no electrical working had to call [XXX] when I was grocery shopping to have them to come look at it they jarred the car little bit and it started up then my brother got in the car to start it lights and dash lights kept going off like it was possessed but would not start Would like to know if they are any recalls on the electrical of the car it’s a 2013 Ford Focus INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Related recalls
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured January 11, 2012, to April 1, 2013, and 2013-2014 Focus ST vehicles manufactured May 03, 2012, to October 14, 2013. Insufficient compression in the engine wiring harness splices to the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor may provide incorrect signals to the powertrain control module (PCM).
- Risk
- The incorrect signals could cause the vehicle to hesitate or the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S17-S1.
Recall number 15V813000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 1, 2014, to June 12, 2015, Ford Focus vehicles manufactured June 17, 2014, to June 12, 2015, and Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured April 22, 2014, to June 12, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the engine may continue to run after the key or the START/STOP engine button is turned to off. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If the engine does not turn off as expected, someone could move the transmission shifter out of park and the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C06.
Recall number 15V436000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to April 1, 2013, and equipped with 2.0 liter engines and Focus ST vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to October 14, 2013, and equipped with 2.0 liter engines. Insufficient compression in the engine wiring harness splices to the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor may provide incorrect signals to the powertrain control module (PCM).
- Risk
- The incorrect signals could cause the vehicle to hesitate or the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S17.
Recall number 14V495000 · Recall details
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles equipped with zetec engines, loose or broken attachments and misrouted battery cables could lead to cable insulation damage.
- Risk
- This, in turn, could cause the battery cables to short resulting in heat damage to the cables. Besides heat damage, the "check engine" light may illuminate, the vehicle may fail to start, or smoke, melting, or fire could also occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the battery cables for the condition of the cable insulation and proper tightening of the terminal ends. As necessary, cables will be rerouted, retaining clips installed, and damaged battery cables replaced. Owner notification began february 10, 2003. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 02V288000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A decklid wire harness can fatigue and develop broken wires in the bend area of the wire harness.
- Risk
- This could result in either a loss of individual lamp functions, or in the case of a short of the broken wires that causes a fuse to open, in the loss of stop lamp or tail lamp function. Loss of stop lamp or tail lamp function could increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the decklid wire harness.
Recall number 00V411000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Focus battery drain
Which Ford Focus years have battery drain or dead battery problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2014 (12 complaints), 2012 (7 complaints) and 2000 (5 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix battery drain or dead battery on the Ford Focus?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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