Four problems related to manual transmission have been reported for the 2005 Ford Focus. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Ford Focus based on all problems reported for the 2005 Focus.
I bought a 2005 Ford Focus zx3 at the end of 2004. At 42,000 miles the clutch went out without any warning. I have driven manual cars since first getting my license over 20 years ago, so I know how to drive a manual transmission. I looked up info on the internet and found that Ford knows of the problem (TSB# 05256 NHTSA id# 10018945 dated Jan. 1, 2005). Now that the clutch (which Ford knew about ) went bad, Ford says it is not a warranty part and they will not replace, leaving me to pay for it out of my pocket. I don't think customers should pay for Ford's bad parts.
Once on a 3 lane expressway (7/29/05) and once on a busy street (8/4/2005), the stick shift disconnected itself from the transmission leaving me in neutral the first time and 1st gear the second time. The 2005 (245 miles on it) Ford Focus left me in a situation where I was a sitting duck and almost got rear ended the first time and yelled at the second time. The dealer (frontier Ford, santa clara, CA) reconnected the linkage the first time it was towed in. It failed again on 8/4 and was towed in again. Now the car has been sitting at the dealership since 8/4/2005 awaiting parts. The dealer said my manual transmission car was not the only one to exhibit this failure. This is obviously a safety hazard and Ford is doing nothing to fix it but tell me that the cable assembly is on order.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 25 mph it became very difficult to shift gears. The dealer advised the contact that the clutch needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileage was 4000.
2005 Ford Focus. The consumers vehicle has been in the shop for over a month. The first indication was that it would not shift right and the transmission locked up. The consumer had to drive it to the dealership in 3rd gear. The part was on back-order, and there were so many on order that there was no known date when the part would become available.