general problems of the 2014 Ford Focus - part 1

The transmission is over heating while driving and jerking back constantly once it hits mph on 3. It doesn’t drive properly because of the transmission.

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.

My 2014 Ford Focus experienced a sudden failure of the dps6 transmission. The vehicle shows trouble code p07a3 (clutch a stuck on). The car jerks violently when shifting, loses power, hesitates in traffic, and sometimes fails to engage gears properly. This creates a dangerous situation when merging, crossing intersections, or accelerating from a stop. Sport mode stopped working, and the transmission enters a failure state during driving. The problem puts my safety and the safety of others at risk because the vehicle does not respond consistently when accelerating. Multiple times the car lurched or delayed when I tried to pull into traffic. A dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed the transmission problem, but refused assistance because the tcm warranty was marked “expired,” even though this is a known dps6 defect that affects many 2012–2016 Focus vehicles. Ford customer service also refused escalation. A warning lamp (check engine) appeared, and the issue progressively got worse. The problem is reproducible at any time, and the vehicle is unsafe to drive.

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 was experiencing: shuddering or jerking during acceleration from a stop, most noticeable in traffic; rough or delayed gear shifting, especially between first and second gear; sudden loss of drive or delays before the car engages in drive or reverse, et cetera. It was in essence having every symptom that your agency has required Ford to fix in their 2014 Focus,a car that I have as well; however, not sure why my car wasn't listed in recall because it has identical issues. For cost saving purposes, I replaced the actuators myself, and asked Ford if they could do the reprogramming for me, which is required after replacement, and they will not do so without an exorbitant costs.

Actuator motor went out. Transmission was eligible to be replaced in 2020 however due to covid they “could not get the parts” and the vehicle became too old for replacement. The transmissions and gear boxes on this module has been plagued with failures, and Ford needs to remove the mileage and year limitations to fix them. I ended up paying over $900 and then traded the vehicle in so that I wouldn’t have to spend more on a faulty transmission.

I just bought my Focus from carmax and it shudders when I pull out. It makes me feel like the car will stall.

Order of events · [xxx]: vehicle shut down mid-drive, displaying “parking brake fault service required. ” required tow ($100). · September 27, 2025: firestone complete auto care diagnosed the issue as transmission-related. Paid $48. 13 for diagnostic (receipt attached). · September 27, 2025: contacted green Ford in greensboro, nc (service advisor josh oldham). VIN was entered in Ford’s database, which showed no outstanding field service actions. I showed them a recall letter for the exact issue at hand (replacement of transmission control module). My recall letter was dismissed as invalid despite being in hand. Vehicle towed to dealer ($120). · September 29, 2025: spent over 1 hour 19 minutes with Ford customer relationship center, providing the recall number (14m02). Ford agent ultimately stated the recall could not be honored. · September 30 – October 1, 2025: dealer confirmed by text and phone that their management refused to apply the recall or cover repairs. VIN discrepancy the core of this dispute is a direct contradiction between Ford’s official communications and Ford’s internal VIN database. Customer satisfaction program letter (14m02): - VIN listed as covered under recall/extended warranty. - coverage extended through June 2025. - sent directly by Ford in August 2023. Ford vehicle information / warranty report (via green Ford, 9/27/2025): - same VIN entered into Ford’s system. - shows 'no outstanding field service actions. ' - dealer therefore refused to honor recall despite letter. Before all of this happened I had no issues with the vehicle since purchase, and so when I received the letter I kept it but did not need to utilize it. Now Ford has stated I am "outside" the warranty of what Ford is willing to cover for repairs, however their own system does not even list that I have a recall for this. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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).

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.

I keep getting denied for warranty tcm had the code I did a report after it was I would be covered had proof of the codes and deny me for another service that’s under warranty pretty much just take my money send me out the way and then I get stuck on the highway from the problem in having to fix it myself.

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.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 30 mph, the lost motive power and started to decelerate unintendedly. The driver coasted to the side of the road; however, while attempting to turn around to return home, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. The driver drove the longer route back to the residence because the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The check engine warning light was illuminated but was off the following morning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated, and the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the message "transmission overheating" was display while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission control module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of a possible recall but confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Was driving the car and it just stalled in the middle of the road and wouldn't start.

Dual transmission clause stooped working properly in the road . . . . I was in the uphill ride so the car behind me had some problems due to me slowing down abruptly in the road.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 70 mph, the vehicle failed to respond. A transmission overheated fault message was displayed. The contact's husband merged to the side of the road while the vehicle was losing motive power. The vehicle was driven into a gas station and placed into unknown gears as the transmission seized. The contact towed the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,771.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while refueling, the vehicle started shaking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to reverse. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the driveshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred approximately 11 days later. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the same code and that the clutch assembly had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.

The check engine light comes on; check and advise. The Ford dealer performed an eec test, retrieved codes p1674 and p0122, tested the system, and found the wiring harness rubbing at the intake manifold. They disassembled to gain access, repaired the wiring harness at the engine, wrapped and re-routed the harness, cleaned all codes, and retested. It passed the road test and was ok, but the dealer charged me for this harness repair, and I found that this exact issue was subject to a Ford motor company safety recall (recall 14s17 / NHTSA recall 14v-495) concerning the engine wiring harness.

Unknown, the car refused to turn on one day and then started up again once I popped the hood. The car refused to go into reverse, I tried some reboot steps and the car started driving like normal, drove the car all the way from nv to nv, husbands new military station, took the car to the Ford dealership and they assessed it was the tcm and that the car would be fine to drive again but they recommend another part for up keep, as soon as they replaced the clutch aculators the car started to have more issues than before letting me know it's worse than they thought something about the engine going out and they mentioned its why Ford discontinued the dual clutch engine bc it was failing.

The warranty was extended on the transmission control module (tcm) instead of a recall. Symptoms of the tcm include “intermittent loss of transmission engagement while driving, no start, or lack of power”. All potentially very dangerous in my opinion. It is also my opinion (and others) that a failing tcm can harm the clutch. My tcm was reprogrammed in 2019 and the clutch (under warranty at the time) was replaced. Last week the tcm was replaced at no charge and the clutch was replaced again but at a cost of $3,571. 77 this time. I was driving on an interstate highway when a warning light came on and minutes later the car went into neutral. Fortunately for me I was able to get off an exit and pull over on the exit ramp shoulder. I see online that many others are having similar problems. Some might not be as lucky as I was.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power, after which the contact became aware that the vehicle had shifter into neutral then shifted back into drive on its own. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the shift forks and dual clutch. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 109,000.

Engine service now popped up on my dashboard and the car did not want to drive it wanted to stall out and die, car is not driveable. Have not had the car long only 8 months I’ve had this car, this car has been having transmission issues since we bought it and we also were sold this car with a known recall. Dealership will not do anything to fix these issues and I am going to be without a car and way to work.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was driven to a local independent mechanic where it was advised to have the vehicle diagnosed by the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the rpm clutch shudder was at 349 when the normal rpm was 250 and that disks 1 to 3 were burned due to overuse. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the vehicle remained in the dealer possession pending repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 to 40 mph, the vehicle began to jerk. While at a light, the vehicle revved up. The vehicle failed to go into gear. The check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined the transmission was the cause of the failure. The mechanic informed her the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case and referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The service engine soon warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the tcm needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under the warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to customer satisfaction program 14m02, and technical service bulletin: 16-0129 (power train). The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

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).

As I have stated before , this seems to be an issue with all cars like this and the year! I am very disappointed that I heard nothing back from the first time I sent this. Spending over $4000 on a $4000 car is ridiculous.

When the transmission went out, it shuddered so hard it broke the motor mounts. This is a serious problem and needs to be one recall list! I just had to pay $4000 to have the clutch, nigh shift levers engagement bearing and bearing support tube replaced. The dealership can almost do this car with his eyes closed because he has done so many! this should not be the case!!!.

The vehicle is a 2014 Ford Focus equipped with a powershift dual-clutch transmission-named dsp6. The vehicle exhibits a faulty automatic transmission/shift malfunction and is unable to shift properly; causing intermittent engine deceleration coming to a stop; this indicates there is a shift malfunction and a faulty transmission. This problem has been confirmed by the dealer.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle sputtered and stalled but restarted. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running roughly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 19v515000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact determined that the failure was due to the code for the purge valve. The contact replaced the purge valve, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred to the local dealer and the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.