general problems of the 2014 Ford Focus - part 1

Windshield wipers won't move and I got caught in the rain on the highway so its definitely unsafe.

My 2014 Ford Focus with approximately 145,000 miles is experiencing a failure of the transmission control module (tcm). The vehicle hesitates, jerks, and has difficulty shifting, which creates a safety concern when driving in traffic. The issue was diagnosed by a dealership, and I was quoted approximately $1,800 for the tcm replacement. I contacted Ford for assistance, but they stated the vehicle is “outside of their programs” and refused to help, despite this being a widely known issue with Ford Focus transmissions. This defect affects the safe operation of the vehicle and should be investigated.

Problems with dual clutch automatic transmission Ford Focus class action lawsuit of 2013.

Complaint description: this complaint involves a 2014 Ford Focus with VIN [xxx] . The vehicle experiences severe transmission shuddering, slipping, delayed acceleration, and hesitation when attempting to accelerate from a stop. The vehicle sometimes struggles to move forward normally when entering traffic or crossing intersections. These symptoms appear consistent with the widely documented powershift dps6 dual-clutch transmission defect affecting 2012–2016 Ford Focus vehicles. The hesitation and delayed engagement create a potential safety hazard when merging into traffic or attempting to accelerate normally, as the vehicle does not respond immediately to throttle input. The vehicle also appears to have electrical irregularities associated with the transmission control system, which may be related to the transmission control module (tcm) failures previously reported in these vehicles. Although there are currently no open recalls associated with this VIN, the vehicle continues to exhibit transmission behavior that creates an unsafe driving condition. This complaint is being submitted so that the issue can be documented as part of the ongoing safety record regarding powershift transmission failures in these vehicles. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am requesting an investigation into a vehicle I purchased on November 28, 2025, in a transaction conducted using the business name ridetime llc. After taking possession of the vehicle, I noticed inconsistencies related to the title and odometer reading. I titled the vehicle on December 1, 2025, prior to full confirmation of these discrepancies. Subsequent investigation through experian autocheck, consultation with the virginia dmv, and inspection by a licensed mechanic revealed evidence consistent with title jumping and possible odometer tampering. Additionally, a mechanic identified indicators consistent with prior flood damage that were not disclosed at the time of sale. I acted in good faith and relied on representations made during the sale, including the use of the business name ridetime llc. Once the discrepancies were confirmed, I immediately ceased any attempt to sell or transfer the vehicle and am reporting the matter for investigation and guidance on proper resolution.

While has had the transmission recall work done x 2 and was told by the mechanics that to recync “drive it like you stole it” when you can prior to the last recall fix in Feb and just had the cpv recall replacement done in February it was not driven a lot and I am in my late 60’s so I do not drive it like a teenager. During that recall repair they said I needed to replace the engine bolts ( I would think would be related due to the “drive it like you stole it” to resync the transmission but had to pay for out of pocket and found a transmission bolts also needed replaced that I wasn’t told by the Ford service guy. Recently in driving it would thunk when stopping and pinched forward and had major excelleration delay when trying to turn in traffic causing safety issues. Shifting was erratic and would stay in like 1st or 2nd when should have been going to 3/4th gear. Took in to service at Ford again as the wrench showed up on dash finally thinking it was the auto shift transmission to be told I had a complete computer failure to replace at my cost of approx $2400. Isn’t this part of what controls the sync in the transmission in the first place? isn’t this part of what they should have done on the other recalls like the 18v-735 or should it not be covered as the reprogramming apparently failed and at some point destroyed the computer module system?.

My car has been to the shop twice for the tcm issues, and both times, in 2016 and 2021, the shop performed adaptive learning and cleared the codes, instead of replacing the faulty part. Now, the tcm has completely broken and needs to be replaced. The car wouldn't start at the gas station suddenly. After rocking the car back and forth it did start, but wouldn't go when shifted into drive. It is apparently 2 months out of the extended warranty coverage and now, I have to pay $1,300+ for a repair?! this seems unfair. They knew they had a faulty part, they performed band-aid fixes, and now I am holding the bag.

Car running rough/jerky. Trouble accelerating, especially up hills, and following stops. On [xxx], car stalled on [xxx]. Dash light came on saying "transmission overheating pull over immediately". This happened multiple times on the same day. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Door lock and windows dint work properly. Transmission not working appropriately or at . Randomly says transmission overheating or won't go in reverse.

My 2014 Ford Focus is having problems with the engine. For starters is several occasions the car will start and not turn off when turning the key to the off position, the car will still stay on. I took it to the automotive parts store and the guy there had me turn the key off and disconnect the battery and that seem to turn off the car. After they had my car scanned with a computer and found lots of issues with. Car stalls and had check engine lights and also a transmission warning light on making it difficult for the car to drive. Recently water dripping inside the vehicle passenger side when the ac is turned on. The car also doesn’t unlock the doors from the inside have to open it for the passenger side.

Be reaching out and taking my car to Ford for recalls within the time limit told me they did not see no code I replace it it breaks down put me and my daughter at risk on the highway unsafe and now I spent all my money and can’t afford another car because of Ford not doing their job with the policy and the warranties the recalls I’ve been going through so much trying to fix this car and now I have to take a complete loss because it’s finally broken down and no one wants to take the car.

Improperly shifting, intermittently stalls in shifting and loses transmission power. Scan code po902 clutch actuator circuit low plus 3 other possible.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that a wiring harness needed to be repaired. The dealer made the contact aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking abnormally and then stalled with the “service transmission” warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle shut off in the middle of the roadway. The contact was assisted by a police officer was nearby in moving the vehicle over to the shoulder. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact stated that occasionally while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that occasionally while driving and exceeding 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the horn and the hazard lights failed to function as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

This tcm issue is a known issue with Ford. They issued recalls on this in 2015 and 2017 and extending the coverage in 2023. Please put this on the recall list as it has affected many people.

I have been trying to get my car fixed but they will not honor the recalled part. I took it to another garage bc Ford is saying it's my clutch but I seem for my own eyes the only code was for the tcm. And then Ford told me they do not honor another mechanics diagnostics.

Transmission failure, lots of jerking. Also I think there are some electrical components messed up. As when my car is off no keys in the ignition, it sounds as if the engine try to turn over. Also when no keys in the ignition loud clicking noise comes from down by the transmission. Received multiple information dashboards messages started about 2 years ago. ”trasmission failure” only happened once each year in the past 2 years. I’d let the car sit for the weekend and then it would be fine to drive. Also related to this issue when the loud clicking noise comes from the transmission while the car is off when I go to start the car it won’t turn over have to pump the gas pedal or put it in neutral and it will turn over. Also have had other dashboard messages a lot recently, but haven’t drove my car in 2 weeks as it’s unsafe as will stall up at stoplights. These include “transmission overheated”. Brought it to advanced auto part to try getting codes to see what’s wrong, but all that would pop up on their reader was “error”. Date below is when I received the first transmission failure message. Happened again in may 2025, and now the car is undrivable as of February 10 2026. Video I’m attaching is the noise the transmission makes when the car is turned off with no keys in the ignition. Will not let me upload it. Can send it in an email when you respond. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

It did the exact same thing it did in April! driving in traffic this time. The jerking, and not wanting to excelerate. . . Then jumps from drive to neutral doing 70 mph! on hwy 59! this is a safety concern at this point! make Ford fix this.

The general information I have is my transmission is not working, and it causes the car to stall and jerk unexpectedly, it will be driving fine then aggressively slow down almost to a stop, then launch forward, which could cause an accident to the person in front of me or behind. When these events happen it’s on and off, and the stalling will follow multiple times during a driving period. The engine light will come on, and many mechanics we have talked to have said to either replace the transition or sell the car, and the transmission is the same price I paid for the car. It’s ultimately unfortunate because it is a great car, low miles, in great condition, and I am young into college with big loans and can’t afford to fix this car.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and jerked before losing motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle stalled and failed to immediately restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle briefly failed to indicate that the power was available to the vehicle before finally displaying electronic information. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clutch assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 18v845000 (power train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

My 2014 Ford Focus se hatchback is having bad transmission codes throwing at me. Automatic transmission electrical system codes and transmission stuck in clutch a. I have 123,000 miles on it. I'm afraid to drive it as it being a electrical problem and I have my teenage son in the car with me. I'm afraid of a fire. Ford wants hundreds of dollars just to diagnose what 3 other mechanics have already diagnosed it. I have a picture of the codes. Ford knows about this problem but wants hundreds of dollars to tell me what I already know and then thousands of dollars to fix it.

I was driving my 2014 Ford Focus electric car sometime in 2023 and the system told me to immediately pull over for no reason. I was able to pull it over but it would not start again after turning it off. I let it sit and came back the next day since I needed to go somewhere and it started. The car then had issues starting and I tried to diagnose with the dealership and we ended up recharging the battery because it was low. It was a little more consistent but it died again but this time it would not turn over. I finally got the car to the dealership to diagnose and it took them over a month to do so. It seems the high voltage wire harness was bad and needed to be replaced. It seems that this should be a recall because it is a major component and even a safety issue since the car died while driving.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio makes a strange, loud cracking noise, whether the vehicle is started or not. The contact stated that when she checked the radio to change the fuse, it was too hot to touch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

This car has had the clutch fork, clutch and tcm replaced since ive owned it and continues to still produce the same scary issue erratically. When it's not throwing codes it's sticking in gears, shifting hard, accelerating on its own (( almost went through a drive through window when it did this last)) this car is going to cause an issue/wreck. I will be driving yhis car and the Focus looses power, no steering, no acceleration available during the main issue im addressing today. It will flash the engine light and the cluster will continue to flash for about 30 seconds and you have no choice but to stop or pull over. What's fascinating and scary each time , it throws different codes. Anywhere from one code to up to 13 codes. I now carry a code reader in my glove box. Took me one hour and 17 minutes to get 8 blocks home in a very small, non traffic, town four or five days ago. Sometimes you can clear the code(s) and be on your way right away until the next dreaded failure. Or sometimes as soon as you turn the car back on it goes right back into loss of power and throwing codes. Nothing particular sets this off, not heat or cold temperatures. Not running the heater or a/c. Not driving fast, slow or in-between. Not turning or driving straight. Not driving short distances or long distances. Nothing is the same to produce this issue. This was tested by not only myself, husband and two mechanics. Ofcouse each time the codes say something different, tcm,clutch,clutch forks, gas, you name it the code was thrown ,ect. Even after the money pit of fixing the supposed issue(s) we still continue to have the exact same very frightening experience. Ford should eliminate these cars, crush them so nobody else falls victim to these failing known issues they've produced.

My transmission shutters in traffic and Ford dealership said they replaced the transmission control module . When I got the car back it was doing the same thing. Now they say it is undser recall . That it has been fixed.

The steering assist went out while driving 65 mph on the 15 south freeway.

Car stalls, shakes,won’t accelerate properly, won’t go passed 35mph, engine fault light comes on, and car goes into limp home mode.

Bcm failed the mechanic states that it is corroded moisture in the dashboard causing the brand new battery to die and car not function.

My car if jerk when taking off. Horn stopped working and will not sound when you lock it with the key fob.

When car is wet, windshield wipers turn on an go crazy an will not stop. Even when car is off they continue to wipe at crazy speeds. Car stay parked in wet weather. Fuse had to be pulled to shut off.

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 NHTSA 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.

Car just stopped on a 5 lane highway while waiting at traffic light. Car just stopped and would not go forward. All lights came on. Police officer helped get car off of highway and pulled into a business parking lot. Mechanic looked at vehicle, police officer also looked as well as a few others. Noone could get car started. Friend ended up having to take my 16 yr old son home. This is holiday weekend so dealership not open until next year. Car will need to be towed to dealership for repairs. Car is not recognizing any drive reverse etc. . . Is not safe to drive. All lights came on on the dashboard. Check engine oil light etc. . .

While in heavy traffic, the car started to "shake". At one stop point I removed feet from brakes pedal to move forward, but car did not reacted and stayed in same spot as if car was parked. I then put the par in "p" and then "d" and then I was able to continue driving. Car has been "shaking" and "pulling" after that. That happened two week ago, I call Ford, but they hang up, I leave voicemails and they have not responded.

The vehicle suddenly lost power while driving and was unable to be shifted out of first gear. This happened while on a main road and thankfully I was not hit when this occurred. When the vehicle was put in reverse, it goes into neutral and revs the engine instead of engaging the gear. The check engine light is on, was on for two days prior to this incident. Since this incident the car has been unusable. I called many different Ford dealerships and only one would see my car since they all "have too many cars" waiting for the same repair. When I took my car into the dealership today (via towing, as they instructed), they did not even inspect it, and simply told me to have it towed back home. I believe this to be an egregious safety hazard that, despite the extended warranty, is in no way being actually fixed. If nowhere will take my car to repair it then am I expected to just keep driving a broken, unsafe vehicle?.