Three problems related to transmission slip out of gear have been reported for the 2003 Ford Focus. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Ford Focus based on all problems reported for the 2003 Focus.
I have a 2003 Ford Focus that I bought brand new and drove off the lot with 60 miles on it. Not long after we purchased the car, it started to act as though the transmission was slipping when changing gears. We have always kept up on the recommended maintenance and no one has ever been able to find a problem with the car. About 3 weeks ago we were driving around the neighborhood, not on a busy street thank goodness, when the car shifted very hard as we slowed down for a stop sign. When we attempted to begin driving again, the car would not shift out of first gear. We promptly took it to a transmission shop where they have been working on it for nearly 3 weeks. They have pulled the transmission out to rebuild it twice and have still not found what is causing the problem. The mechanics have even taken it over to the local Ford dealership and they cannot figure it out. I now have a 4 year old car with 53000 miles on it that does not run. If that had happened while we were driving on the highway we certainly would have been hit by a car behind us. This is not normal wear and tear, there is a serious problem with the transmission or the computer system. If this car ever actually gets fixed, I will certainly not feel safe driving it as the performance of the car is unreliable and there is no telling when it will suddenly quit working again.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The transmission slipped out of gear while driving 25 mph. The steering column also needs to be replaced since it can be turned 360 degrees. The manufacturer could not identify the cause of the failures. The current mileage was 120,000. The failure mileage was 80,000.
While driving engine/battery light illuminated. Then, transmission slipped out of gears. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.