Noises During Shifting Problems of Ford Focus - part 1

Was driving down the interstate at roughly 80 miles per hour when the check engine light came on. Engine lost power and would not accelerate. Engine started making a loud noise. Car will still start but is not drivable and engine has no oil pressure and mechanic said it downshifted to 4th gear at 83 mph. Car has been serviced regularly and has given no indication of engine problems. Was quoted $4500 at first Ford dealership to repair car with a used motor with equal mileage. 2nd Ford dealership quoted $3700 with rebuilt motor. Has been looked over by 2 mechanics including Fords and other than reading diagnostics nobody can provide a reason the oil pressure dropped or why the car downshifted into 4th gear uping the rpm's causing engine problems. They said there is no other problems with the car at this point other than the engine. Very no Smart to replace an engine without knowing the what caused the initial one to fail.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Focus 🔎.

My vehicle's make/model/year (2016 Ford Focus) has a reported recall for a serious safety hazard involving the powershift dual clutch transmission. Online, it states that model years 2012-2016 Ford Focus vehicles have this issue. This type of transmission is considered a manual transmission that is controlled electronically by a computer while using a dry clutch rather than a wet one, meaning oil is not supplied to the shifting mechanism and can result in increased wear and tear the longer the issue persists. When the computer module that operates the transmission can't handle rapid acceleration or speed shifting, the vehicle will sputter and make an audible noise. Other issues that can be caused are problems with downshifting, leaving the vehicle in a higher gear despite deceleration and cause it to "lurch". The main safety hazard this issue causes is when accelerating quickly into an intersection, the delay prevents the vehicle from reaching the same speed a vehicle should achieve with an automatic transmission. In terms of deceleration, the car's inability to correctly downshift caused the vehicle to lunge forward, despite the brakes being applied.

My 2016 Ford Focus se has stalled while driving on the freeway twice in the past two weeks. In addition, the transmission is very jerky and the engine studders and makes loud noises when shifting into 2nd and 3rd gears. The car only has 53,000 miles on it, yet the transmission is defective.

My 2012 Ford Focus has recently began making a grinding, rattling noise during acceleration, and sometimes shudders or jerks on acceleration from a stop or when the automatic transmission shifts white driving. These symptoms are most severe when starting from a stop or transitioning from city street to highway speed. The current symptoms cause my vehicle to behave unpredictably in traffic. My Ford dealer diagnosed this as a failure of the clutch, common in powershift transmissions from this era. Others have reported the development of even more dangerous symptoms, such as vehicles shifting into neutral without warning while on highways. Despite widely-reported defects in these transmissions, Ford is not willing to cover any repairs to improve the safety of my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2012 Ford Focus 🔎.

My car has a hard time shift automatically and makes a grinding noise and vibrates when shifting gears. It also falls out of park a lot when on an incline and starts to roll backward. I nearly hit a car behind me because of this and the incline wasn't steep. I found out that the 2016 models had the same issue because of the dsp6 transmission. I also have issues with the evap canister now which is causing my car fuel emission issues and performance.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Focus 🔎.

While in accelerating vehicle stalls and trembles before making a lot noise and then it accelerates. Yesterday the vehicle started decreasing spontaneously when shifting gear. It feels like the transmission wants to fall of the car, it lit the check engine sign, the millage on it is 60675. I've taken it to the dealership and have had the clutch replaced twice. Also every 3 to 5 months I also have to go under the car and clean the horn plug since it keeps going malfunctioning ( I have even tried sealing it with electrical tape) and currently I have no radio and no bluetooth since it also stop suddenly while driving.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Focus 🔎.

Transmission is sluggish, tugging. . Taking off, not shifting or shift all at once. Even up hill, in traffic. Car speed will take off on its own. Hard to brake. Went down hugh hill, car in control tugging back so hard, the noise was so loud that we thought car was going to blow. 15yr old in car. Dealership had me drive car off lot with a temporary inspection and come back in month. Its not a temporary sticker. I couldn't take car home night I bought it. So all these things happening after taking car off lot. I went back in a couple days later. Told to buy a warranty, they reset the transmission, as if I owned the car for years. This isn't right. They prolonged helping, etc. . . Even asked for my car back. Then thrown in my face that it was at auction. Nobody was helping. Send letters, did a survey, calling, dropping in, etc. . . I documented everything. I need help!! this is a dangerous lemon and they took advantage of me. Ceo is contacted to. I need help incase I get the run around again. The car has someone else's inspection on it 7-19 come back in 4wks. . . What?? day I brought it home. All these suprises!.

When accelerating the car makes a loud noise when trying to shift and hesitates when giving it gas. Car was purchased in Jan 2019 and had been doing this since we owned the car.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Focus 🔎.

Car stuttered when gear shifted from 1st to 2nd. Car stood accelatating while driving, causing the transmission to overheat. Transmission now is making a grinding noise.

The transmission is shuttering and sometimes makes long hesitations to shift. This is dangerous and needs to be recalled. I took it to tidwell Ford in kennesaw, GA and they told me its normal and until a code (wrench) lights on my dash, they cannot do anything. I bought the car with 48k on the mileage and now have 54k. The transmission (powertrain) is warrantied to 60000. I am afraid this is going to be a disaster. I would like the car fixed or another car. The gears grind and noises happen when turning. I need a resolution on this before my warranty runs out code or no code. I just picked my car up and it is still shuttering. Tidwell Ford did not help me.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Focus 🔎.

Tl the contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. While driving at any speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle made a rattling noise and shuddered. The contact also stated that the vehicle lunged forward when it was shifted into reverse. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to uptown Ford Lincoln (414-771-9000, located at 2111 n mayfair rd, milwaukee, WI 53226) to be diagnosed, but the failures could not be duplicated. The clutch was replaced, but the failure recurred several times. The clutch was replaced again. The contact was informed that the transmission could not be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 13,803.

My car had less than 90,000 miles on it when it began to have issues with the transmission. The engine stutters or idles when I accelerate, which has made getting on the interstate a nightmare. If I accelerate to even 35 mph, I have to completely remove my foot from the gas pedal, otherwise my rpms will shoot to over 4 (4,000 rpms). It causes my entire car to feel like it's shaking, and it almost seems like my car is having trouble shifting gears. Not only that, but when I've stopped at a stop sign and begin to drive, my engine makes the most terrible churning/clashing/grinding noise possible. Lately it has gotten to the point that my rpms will continue to increase but my car's speed will stay the same. All of these situations (trouble shifting gears, noises, and high rpms) will occur no matter what, every time I accelerate. It doesn't matter what sort of road I am on.

When placing pressure on the brakes to slow down or stop you hear/feel a crunching sound. It never did that before now it does it every time you use the brakes. I have taken it to 3 different garages to be checked and got back that my brakes was fine. One garage said it could be the abs system making the noise. No power to climb a hill or if you get up the hill the engine/motor does not shift like it suppose to. This all took place in August of 2018.

Transmission has never worked correctly, brought into Ford to have recall of part of transmission repaired. Never shifted correctly into next gear, sometimes jerked and sputtered and makes grinding noise and was told that it was because engine was 4 cylinder. Early in 2018, electrical system shut down. Dash lights of defrost, door lock no longer worked. Trunk stopped opening, radio stopped working and all that was heard was loud static sporadically with or without radio being on, and dome lights no longer worked either. Brought into Ford dealer and was told car needed new clutch (due to transmission never working correctly) and was no longer covered under warranty. Was told the electrical system failures were due to battery, which was replaced outside of dealer with no fix to problems at all. Was told need to replace radio which was no longer any good, car less than 5 years old at this time and that the trunk latch needed to be replaced. Was told none of the issues on the car were covered under warranty. Also received information in 2016 for class action law suit regarding my vehicle due to transmission issues.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was operated, there was abnormal noise coming from the vehicle and it failed to properly shift when driving up an incline. The contact also stated that the vehicle experienced hesitation while being operated on an incline. The vehicle was taken to leniore city Ford dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500.

2012 Ford Focus se 65k miles: automatic transmission stops suddenly loosing power and can cause an accident when you go on the highway or on busy street. Shift gear get lost and speed, velocity and acceleration decrease. Wheel bearings make a lot of noise on the rear tires like if they going to fly out of the car. Radiator have a hair line crack so is leaking coolant. Note: the car is well maintained and have all maintenance made on time. No abusive driving. What happen Ford???😡 no quality at all!!!.

I purchased the vehicle Feb 23, 2017 with 137 miles on it. Drove it off the lot within a month of having the car it starting making a weird noise kind of like a clanking noise in the front engine area, contacted the dealership they stated this was normal noises for a 2016 Ford Focus. The noises continued to get louder took it back this time they said it was the clutch downshifting(mind you it makes the noise before the car even has a chance to even get to a speed high enough to shift so how is it downshifting?) it also is having issues with the remote start you start it with the remote start it shuts off, start it again shuts off again, start it for the 3rd time it starts you go to unlock the car to get in and the car shuts off again ( not normal and it was installed from the factory not aftermarket) now the car has been hesitating to shift as well as lunging when it does shift and when we bring it to the dealerships service department they tell us this is all normal and they have a bulletin from Ford stating that it is "normal " for this year vehicle.

Transmission failure. I've had the clutch strum replaced six times, most recently my car experienced a transmission electrical and actual failure without warning. I was unable to move on a highway bridge. It has been having shifting issues since I got it and makes a noise and stutters, usually between first and second gear but also in other instances. This has been an ongoing issue.

Automatic transmission makes rattling noises when starting and stopping. It hesitates when it tries to downshift and lurches when it gets to the right gear. It will stay in a higher ear for too long causing the engine to strain. The dealership says it is normal and can't be fixed.

Vehicle is equipped with the dps6 powershift dual clutch transmission. Vehicle was purchased used from Ford dealership in December of 2016 with about 44,000 miles on the odometer. Several months after purchase it started exhibiting some minor shuddering when accelerating from a stop. Over time this shuddering became quite severe and would sometimes even appear when already up to speed driving down the road at a steady pace or when accelerating to pass another vehicle etc. It also exhibited some grinding noises as well when accelerating. Eventually this shuddering became so severe it was un-bearable and at approximately 67,000 mileswe brought the car back to the Ford dealership for diagnosis. It was determined that defective seals on the input shaft of the transmission had caused the dct gearbox oil to contaminate the linings of the clutch assembly. The remedy was to replace these seals and the clutch assembly with updated items. This repair was completed at a cost to us of just under $1600. 00.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal noise while in motion. While shifting gears, the vehicle shuttered and stalled several times. In addition, the vehicle stalled several times without warning. The dealer (gosch Ford temecula, 26895 ynez rd, temecula, CA 92591, (951) 708-9148) replaced the clutch assembly. Months later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16v479000 (power train). The manufacturer also had 19 technical service bulletins for the power train. The dealer and the manufacturer indicated that there was no warranty, service campaign, or recall to provide a repair solution. The dealer mentioned that the clutch assembly, seal assembly, and additional repairs may be required. The manufacturer provided no solution. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.

Transmission is overheating; light comes on while in stop and go traffic. The car shifts harshly, makes gurgling noises, hesitates and jerks. Roaring and clunking coming from engine when starting the vehicle and when vehicle is running.

On December 26, 2015 I bought my daughter a used 2013 Focus four door sedan with 46882 miles from a local dealership in annapolis, maryland. The car drove very nice with no obvious problems. In early February this year my daughter noticed that the transmission made a loud rattling, shuttering noise from a stop. It now happens from pulling forward from every stop, like from a stop sign or traffic light. The cars feels like there is no power to the wheels and when the transmission catches it lunges froward. The transmission feels like it is shifting between first and second gear and vibrates badly. The symptoms are getting worse and now the symptoms are worse and it happens almost every time you start from a stop. It is also worse if you are on an incline or slight hill although the symptoms can occur on a flat road. The symptoms also occur in reverse. The problem is now happening almost all the time. The car does not appear safe to drive. The car currently has only 49000 miles. I bought this car for my daughter and now I can not let her drive it since she commutes 75 miles a day. My daughter now has to use her mom's car and since I am handicapped I can not drive the Focus so my wife has to and I feel she is at risk of injury or worse. I am over 50 years old and have never had a car do this. I have talked to other Focus owners and they all have the same problem. Someone has to do something to Ford to have them fix the transmissions before a death occurs. Not only do the dealerships not know how to fix the problems they are saying nothing is wrong. Please help us consumers who have been the victims of Fords new transmission. Ford has not fixed this problem which was reported in 2012. . . It is now 2016!!!.

My car has been a problem since I purchased it new in December 2013. It would make a loud grinding noise, slip when shifting or when downshifting to come to a stop, bog down when taking off and also jerk when shifting after taking off from a stop. I've taken it to the Ford dealership several times for the issues and they fixed the clutch once but even since then it still has issues shifting. Also since then I've had to replace the fuel pump as there was a recall on it for my car which the dealership was surprised by because it was the first of this recall they had seen for this car. I've also called Ford headquarters twice personally to see about a buy back or trade deal and they said they could do nothing for me at this time. This car is a brand new, junk, safety hazard and needs taken off the road but Ford will do nothing. I'm disabled so if it causes a crash I will die instantly and then they will have a big lawsuit on their hands from my family. I've also contacted attorneys and am part of the class action lawsuit for this car as well as speaking to a lemon law attorney. All they would have to do is step up and except responsibility for this and make it right but they won't do anything.

Car is at 18k miles. Trans has been shuddering, hesitating upon acceleration & making grinding noises. Dealer "recalibrated" 2 times and now says I need a clutch for which I have been waiting 9 weeks. Believe that Ford dealer is hoping I miss NJ 24k lemon law limitation. Fearful of long distance travel since don't know if car will stop shifting. Problem is evident at stop and go traffic.

Ever since I bought the car I thought there was something wrong with the transmission, but it being a new car and a new system we thought that maybe this is just how the car works. . Fast forward to around 20k miles my car now needs a new clutch. . It will not shift properly it will shutter, it will stall it makes grinding noise while increasing speeds and shifting. . This car is not safe and I don't del comfortable driving it or putting my kids in it, the dealership told me it will take 4-6 weeks for my new clutch to arrive but it's ok to drive my car it won't cause issues unless it starts to stall. . If this car was to stall while on a freeway or or going at fast speeds this could cause an accident and put mine and my children's life in danger.

Letter from senator burr on behalf of constituent re 2013 Ford Focus issues. The consumer stated while driving on the freeway at 65 mph, he noticed dead spots in the steering function, the vehicle seemed to drift in a direction and while trying to correct it, nothing happened right away. Then it would catch. The consumer also stated after driving the vehicle for a month, it was apparent there was a problem with the transmission. It was hesitating trying to shift and making noises. The dealer was aware of the problem and it stated it was called shuddering. The dealer informed the consumer it depended how fast he took off from start and it was standard for the vehicle. The consumer discovered there was a fix for the problem. However, records indicated the transmission had already been fixed on the vehicle.

Purchased vehicle oct 2013 with less than 400 miles, within a few days I called dealer to say I heard a grinding shuttering noise coming from transmission to be informed that was "normal". Car began to get louder and began hesitation so I took it in and was told computer needed recalibrated. Ran ok for awhile then began to do the hesitating and shuttering again. I was informed there was a recall on the clutch seal. . Took it in for replacement. Ran fine for awhile began hesitation and shuttering yet again and had to have computer recalibrated again. Now with 28000 mile it has began to shift hard, shudder and hesitate yet again. Service is scheduled for Saturday 11/14/15.

I purchased this vehicle new in October 2013 from a local dealer. It was not disclosed to me at the time of purchased that the transmissions on this car was one that was experiencing problems and was a known fact by Ford motor CO. I started experiencing issues with my transmission a few months ago that have progressively gotten worse: jerking, noises, not properly shifting, lurching forward, stalling. I have recently learned that this problem has been present in the Ford fiesta and Focus models for a few years. I took the car into the dealer service department, only to find out what I already suspected, that I need a new clutch. One was ordered but I was given my car with the defective clutch to drive until the new clutch comes in (4-6 weeks estimate). I feel cheated and unsafe. Big corporate wins again. Consumers are out on a limb. I have filed a complaint with Ford motor CO.

Purchased a new 13' Focus and within the first couple months it started making the grinding/shutter when shifting. Have taken the car in a total of 3 different times for same issue. Since the last time it was taken in (10/07/2015) the noise is still present and the gears now seem to be slipping when the car attempts to shift at anything over 3k rpm. Discovered the issue trying to merge on to the highway when the rpm's went above 6k but the car would not shift into any gear as if transmission was/is slipping in high rpm's.

My wife and child were at a red light and when the light turned green and the gas pedal was pressed, the vehicle did not move only revved causing the man behind her to inch very close behind due to the light then honking his horn and yelling. In addition, after my wife and child returned home, I went to run to the store only to find that the vehicle does not turn over, not even sound like its attempting to as there is no noise when turning the key. I believe the vehicle does not recognize what gear it is in, thus will not start and has always had erratic shifting and lurching tendencies. I do not know what to do now, I have a family of five I support and no money to fix this. How am I going to get to work!!! I still have 5 years to pay on this. . . Ughhh. Trapped.

I was attempting to cross a busy highway. When I accelerated the gas pedal had to be pushed to the floor in order for the vehicle to respond almost causing me to be hit by oncoming traffic. This sluggishness continued as well as hard jolting forward shifts after initial acceleration and eventually a forward jerking loud downshift noise when stopping. These problems continued, vehicle was taken to dealership. They acknowledge it is a transmission problem but refuse to cover it.

The wife complained about the transmission making noises periodically but I never did hear or feel any issues when test driving it. I first noticed the issue myself on 7/2/15 when I was driving. It at the beach on vacation. I spoke with the dealership on 7/6/15 about the issue and a recall I received on the fuel pump and was told they would contact me when the fuel pump came in and to monitor the transmission until then. Returning home from a trip the week of 7/28-8/2/15 the transmission started to violently shudder when leaving from traffic lights to the point there was concern if we would get through the intersection without getting hit or struck from behind. We contacted the service dept on 8/3/15 and an appointment wasn't available until the morning of 8/6/15. We did not drive it until we took it to the appointment due to safety concerns and it is now 8/10/15 and we are still without a vehicle. The dealership stated it was having problems but Ford wouldn't fix it until it fell into a certain rpm category or totally failed . They said they would reset it and if we have further issues let them know. The service tech told us the transmissions in the Focus have had issues due to using a converted manual to automatic transmission and that the system gets "confused" when to shift. We are also told, the six speed transmission learns the operator and if someone else drives it, it gets confused when to shift or what to do and creates failure of the clutch. The issues noted create a very dangerous situation that could lead to collisions at intersection or if pulling out into traffic.

Monday June 1st after clearing the codes from the previous incident 2 days prior and taking a few short drives around town on Sunday the vehicle transmission seemed to be operating normally so Monday I drove to auburn at 5 am and had no issues. Coming home at about 1:30 it started to exhibit the same symptoms from Saturday so I got off the freeway and within a few blocks had intermittent “no power” to the wheels, giving it gas just revved the engine, I managed to limp it into a parking lot with the transmission going in and out. Hooking up my obd2 computer I got the following codes: p2862, p2837, p2862 (again) and p287b. I did notice on both days it failed that the transmission would not go into sport/manual shift mode. I attempted to clear the codes and the p2862 would not clear after 3 attempts so I called Ford roadside. Late in the 3 hour wait for a tow truck the car started and the code seemed to have cleared, I was able to move forward and reverse in the parking lot. I believe that it is somehow triggered by higher temperature drives but not that high, and at least a 20-25 mile drive. Saturday it was about 73 degrees when it failed and Monday it was in the high 60s. When I drove to work Monday morning it was in the low 50s. Also when it failed I could hear mechanism in the transmission seemingly trying to shift like the noise a regular manual transmission makes when shifting, (gears and lever actuators). They have no idea when Ford will be providing clutch parts let alone whatever else is broke. I now believe that the latest problem I have having is way beyond the clutches slipping and shuddering like most people have described. This problem is extremely dangerous and somebody will be seriously injured or killed when their Focus "automatic transmission" causes the car to loose power without much warning and in a dangerous situation. Why no recall?.

We responded to Fords notice 14m01 which is in reference to the problems of the transmission, experienced by 1000s of Focus and fiesta owners years 2011-2013. The 1st dealership we contacted was key scales leesburg FL. After 7 weeks of hassles trying to schedule, the repairs were made 1-7&1-8. As we tried to start the vehicle at key scales, there was a long delay from the time I turned key until it actually started. That was never an issue before we took it in. Within a few days, the trans began to shutter like it had before, as well as noises, clanking, grinding and problems with it shifting from 1st to 2nd. I called key scales and was told any repairs would now be at our cost as the original 36000 mile warranty had expired. The notice that was mailed clearly states that Fords warranty on trans is now 7 yrs/100,000 miles. Let it be known that we also have an entended warranty that we bought at time of purchase for 60 months/100,000 miles. I then called Ford of claremont FL. And they agreed to look at the vehicle. We dropped the car off on 1-16 with mileage showing 46092. After 5 days I called and was told they couldn't find a problem. The service advisor wanted to have his shop foreman drive the car home that night. I agreed. I called back the next day and was told he did experience a problem but after notifying Ford they were told it was "within acceptable limits" I was told to come and pick up vehicle the mileage was listed as 46098 when in fact is was 46154. (the difference of the foremans drive home) we were told that there is a breakin period of 1000 miles & nothing can be done. The following day we received another call from Fords regional service mgr. (jean 866-631-3788x77727) and she stated the "breakin period" is now 1500 miles. We are still experiencing shuttering, noises, starting delays. Scared to take car anywhere. Need to get to michigan in April.