The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse and failed to properly shift gears. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 9 MPH. The vehicle was shifted to neutral and coasted to the residence. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02; extended warranty coverage for the Transmission Control Module. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer and was provided the cost of a diagnostic test, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall, warranty, or customer satisfaction program associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Ford Focus whining noise problems
34 of the 22,112 owner complaints about the Ford Focus describe whining or grinding noise, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 34
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical mileage
- 90,029
By model year
- 20183
- 20172
- 20163
- 20152
- 20143
- 20131
- 20123
- 20081
- 20051
- 20041
- 20031
- 20021
- 20012
- 200010
Often reported together
Stalling 6Grinding brakes 6Shudder 4Hesitation 4Check engine light 4Loss of power 3Jerking 3Transmission failure 2
What owners say
I was driving on a 40mph road, went to pass someone and touched the gas to do so and the car shuddered, lost power, and made a whining noise anytime the turbo would engage. The turbocharger had to be replaced. Luckily this occurred on a road that wasn't busy and was close to home. The car has 55,000mi on it and it meticulously maintained.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal whining sound was coming from the vehicle and the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the “Service Engine Soon” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used a code reader and retrieved information that the failure was related to the ECU (Engine Control Unit). Due to the failure, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions where the turbo assembly, purge valve, related hoses, and gaskets, engine mount, coolant expansion tank, and various other parts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was provided a case number and was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and decelerated, with the message "Transmission Fault" displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved DTC code: P074 (Third gear failure, clutch failure). The mechanic confirmed that the vehicle jerked and popped out of gear and confirmed the whining noise from the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 132,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving and exceeding 45 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and made a whining sound. The vehicle was towed to an Auto Parts store, where it was diagnosed with high-pressure fuel pump failure. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving at highway speeds, causing the vehicle to be towed several times. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 18V845000 (Power Train), and 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. Additionally, the vehicle had experienced an oil leak and was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the chain gasket was faulty and needed to be replaced. The chain gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 159,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the transmission. The contact stated that the sound increased while the RPM was ascending or descending. While driving, the vehicle jerked and shuddered. The vehicle failed to accelerate as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. The contact stated the problem was the transmission and repairs were made at the owners expense. The contact is requesting to be reimbursed for the repairs to the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound while shifting into gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The transmission was replaced a second time; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 10,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 50-60 MPH, the vehicle was emitting abnormal loud whining sounds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon refilling gas in the vehicle and starting the vehicle, the vehicle experienced a rough start, was shuddering and was jerking, in addition to the abnormal loud whining sounds. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the failure was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the recall repair was previously completed but the fuel tank and fuel delivery module were not replaced as the vehicle was not experiencing a failure at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.
Automatic transmission on 2012 Ford Focus SEL hatchback has been stalling. I drive on heavily traveled highways, leading me to be at risk of a major traffic accident if my car loses power. Transmission also whine and grinds really hard. Dealership is aware of the issue, but refuses to recall these faulty transmissions, leaving several thousands of people at risk of losing power and getting hit. Has been inspected by the dealer and multiple mechanics, all point to transmission issues from a faulty factory clutch system.
Related recalls
Power train: manual transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
- Risk
- A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were October 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on on July 6,2026.
Recall number 26V376000 · Recall details
Power train: manual transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
- Risk
- A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V‑169.
Recall number 18V845000 · Recall details
Power train: manual transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Fusion vehicles equipped with a 1.6L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission and 2015-2016 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Also included are four 2017 Ford Focus vehicles that had clutch replacements with potentially affected parts. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
- Risk
- A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Focus vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. Owners of Fusion vehicles will have their clutch assembly replaced free of charge. The recall began August 3, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07.
Recall number 18V169000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Focus whining noise
Which Ford Focus years have whining or grinding noise problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (10 complaints), 2012 (3 complaints) and 2014 (3 complaints).
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