I OWN A 2013 FORD FOCUS HATCHBACK TITANIUM MODEL. PURCHASED THE CAR IN JANUARY 2013. CURRENTLY HAS 1100 MILES ON IT. CAR HAS A SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THAT FORD HAS DUBBED "POWERSHIFT". TRANSMISSION IS VERY JITTERY AT ALL SPEEDS WHEN SHIFTING GEARS WHILE ACCELERATING. IT IS ALSO HESITANT TO SHIFT GEARS AND PICK UP SPEED. IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING IS GOING TO BREAK INSIDE THE ENGINE AND THE CAR JERKS WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. FROM A STANDING STOP THE CAR WILL START TO ROLL BACK WHEN YOU LET OFF THE BRAKE AND STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR
2013 Ford Focus complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2013 record →
THIS IS A COPY OF COMPLAINT SENT TO FORD... "THE HOOD ON MY ONE MONTH OLD FOCUS HAS POPPED FOUR (4) TIMES. TODAY I BROUGHT IT IN TO MY DEALER (RT 23 AUTO MALL, BUTLER, NJ) AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. IT "MAY" BE MY FOOT ACTIVATING THE HOOD LATCH. IF MY FOOT CAN OPEN THE CAR HOOD, YOU HAVE A SERIOUS DESIGN PROBLEM. (WHICH WE ALREADY KNOW FROM THE OTHER DESIGN ISSUES THE FOCUS HAS). THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!! FORD SHOULD REMOVE ALL FOCUS' FROM THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY. MY DEALER AGREED AND GAVE ME A LOANER. THEY WILL BE CONTACTING YOU MONDAY TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. IF I WAS ABLE TO TEST DRIVE THE FOCUS FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR, I PROBABLY (DEFINITELY) WOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED IT. I HAD CONVINCED MYSELF TO BUY AN AMERICAN MADE CAR, BUT I WAS WRONG!" *TR
APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES INTO TRIP TO WORK FROM HOME THE POWER ASSIST STEERING ON MY 2013 FORD FOCUS FAILED AT WHICH POINT THE VEHICLE BECAME SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFICULT TO STEER. LUCKLY I WAS ON A STRAIGHT PATH, HAD THIS HAPPENED IN A TURN, AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY OCCURED. AT THE POINT WHERE THE POWER ASSIST STEERING FAILED A MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARDS LED DISPLAY THAT READ SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT LOSE OF POWER ASSITED STEERING DETECTED. AFTER THE MESSAGE DISAPPEARED, THE VEHICLE'S (!) LIGHT REMAINED LITE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHO AFTER LOOKING AT IT STATED THAT THE TECHNICIAN STARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT RAN PERFECTLY. NO ISSES WITH THE STEERING AT ALL, BUT THAT THERE WERE SOME "CODES" LOOGED IN THE VEHICLE'S SYSTEM THAT THEY WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH AND WERE TRYING TO REACH THE "FORD HOTLINE" FOR FURTHER HELP. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR DOORS WERE OPENED, AN UNUSUAL NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER THREE TIMES FOR THE PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 564.
DRIVING STRAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY ~50MPH THE CAR SEEMED TO BE DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT AS THOUGH BEING BLOWN BY HEAVY WINDS, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS LITTLE/NO WIND THAT DAY. I APPLIED A TYPICAL, SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT TO THE LEFT BUT THE STEERING WHEEL RESISTED MY INPUT, AS THOUGH SOMEBODY WAS HOLDING ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL AND APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE RIGHT, AFTER A SPLIT SECOND, THE OPPOSING PRESSURE RELEASED AND THE WHEEL OVERCORRECTED TO THE LEFT FOLLOWED BY THE IDENTICAL RESPONSE WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT BACK TO THE RIGHT. IT CONTINUED TO DO THIS EVERY MILE OR SO, FOR APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES, UNTIL I TURNED OFF THE HIGHWAY. AT LOWER SPEEDS (CITY DRIVING) THE STEERING IS COMPLETELY NORMAL. THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED ON THREE DIFFERENT STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY IN THE JACKSONVILLE AREA. I HAVE TRIED DIFFERENT LANES, CHECKING THE TIRE PRESSURE, AND I HAD THE DEALERSHIP CHECK IT BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. APPLYING LIGHT/STEADY/EVEN PRESSURE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DESIRED CORRECTION, WITHOUT APPLYING PRESSURE BEYOND THE POINT WHERE YOU FEEL THE RESISTANCE SEEMS TO HELP PREVENT THE OVERCORRECTION PROBLEM. ON 9 JAN, WHEN CROSSING UNEVEN LANES ON THE HIGHWAY DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, THE WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT MORE THAN YOU'D EVER EXPECT UNDER THESE CONDITIONS AND I ENDED UP HALF WAY INTO THE NEXT LANE. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO CARS IN THAT LANE OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITHOUT A DOUBT. THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY AN OVERCORRECTION TO THE LEFT, AND AGAIN BACK TO THE RI
WHEN SLOWING DOWN IN TRAFFIC OR IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, AND THEN HAVE TO ACCELERATE IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR HESITATES OR STUTTERS TO GET INTO THE NEXT GEAR. IF SLOWING DOWN FOR TRAFFIC, AND THEN ACCELERATING THE CAR HESITATES TO GO FORWARD, THE ENGINE REVS BUT HESITATES TO GO FORWARD. IT IS LIKE BEING IN NEUTRAL FOR A FEW SECONDS. I NOTICED AT THIS TIME THE NEEDLE FOR THE TACHOMETER WENT UP TO PAST THE NUMBER 4. *TR
INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE IN PARK - STOPPED THE CAR AND PLACED IT IN PARK (THOUGHT I DID) SHUT THE CAR OFF AND LOCKED THE VEHICLE AND ENTERED THE STORE. THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS OBVISIOUSLY NOT IN PARK BUT ALLOWED ME TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AND LOCK THE DOORS WHILE NOT IN PARK. I HAVE NOTICED THIS BEFORE AND FIND THAT YOU NEED TO ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT IS IN PARK. THIS IS A KEYLESS VEHICLE - OTHER KEYED VEHICLES THAT I OWN WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO PULL THE KEYS OUT IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN PARK. THIS APPEARS TO BE A FLAW IN THIS KEYLESS VEHICLE.. *TR
TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER TRAVELING UPHILL, THE VEHICLE WOULD ROLL AWAY IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHENEVER SWITCHING FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED AND THAT THE OCCURRENCE WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER THAT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SUPPOSED TO ROLL AWAY IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 500. KMJ
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEAD RESTRAINT WERE NOT ADJUSTABLE AND WOULD PUSH HIS HEAD FORWARD TO THE POINT WHERE HE WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHO SUGGESTED THAT THE CONTACT PURCHASE THE ADJUSTABLE HEAD RESTRAINTS. THE CONTACT FOUND THE SOLUTION TO BE UNREASONABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 300.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE. THE TRANSMISSION HUNTED FOR A GEAR BUT SEEMED TO GET STUCK BETWEEN GEARS AND ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE RPMS STAYED UP SINCE I HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS. I LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ENGINE RPMS DIDN'T DROP, BUT KIND OF JUMPED AROUND. I TRIED APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR BUT IT JUST REVVED AND DIDN'T ACCELERATE. I THEN STOPPED APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR, SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL, THEN SHIFTED BACK TO DRIVE AND THE TRANSMISSION FOUND A GEAR AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. *TR
AT APPROXIMATELY 7:15 AM, ROADWAY WAS WET (PREVIOUSLY RAINED), TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH IN LANE 3 OF 3 AND CHANGING LANE INTO LANE 2 OF 3 WHILE MILDLY ACCELERATING AND THEN LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR LIGHTLY AS CHANGING LANE (APPROACHING REAR OF VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME). AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE AFTER CHANGING INTO LANE 2, THE VEHICLE APPARENTLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT USER INPUT, ENGINE COULD BE REVVED TO 5K RPM WITH NO EFFECT ON FORWARD SPEED. I MOVED GEAR SELECTOR INTO N FROM D AND BACK, AND D TO L AND BACK WITH NO EFFECT. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO FAR LEFT AS IT WAS UNSAFE TO MOVE TO RIGHT. VEHICLE WAS OTHERWISE COASTING WITH VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE (SPEED LOSS WAS VERY GRADUAL SUGGESTING NO BRAKING EFFECT VIA ENGINE COMPRESSION). ONCE I REACHED APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MPH THE TRANSMISSION REENGAGED A GEAR AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AWAY. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED WITHOUT USER COMMAND, CAUSING LOSS OF PROPULSION AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION OF BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND. *TR
THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES ARE HARD TO READ ON A SUNNY DAY. THE VISION OF THE SPEEDOMETER, WHILE DRIVING ON A SUNNY DAY IS VERY HARD TO READ. IT IS A DISTRACTION TO STARE AT THE SPEEDOMETER, TO SEE THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS ARE SET AT THE BRIGHTEST SETTING. THE GLARE FROM THE POLISHED ALUMINUM ON THE STEERING WHEEL IS ALSO A DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING ON A SUNNY DAY. THE CLUSTER GAUGE BACK LIGHTS NEED TO BE BRIGHTER. MY LOCAL FORD DEALER WAS NOT A HELP... *TR
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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