What 2,644 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Focus RS

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the vehicle would intermittently jolted forward upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the transmission warning light illuminated. The dealer was initially notified about the recall and confirmed that parts would not be available for months. The contact then took the vehicle to another dealer where and left the vehicle in their possession. The contact was then informed that the manufacturer had instructed the dealer to order the parts then closed the recall. The contact was informed to pick up the vehicle despite the recall not being serviced; the recall was removed from the VIN. The manufacturer had not been notified of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11484423

The car was having problems shifting and the check engine light came on. Took car to independent mechanic and they discovered the Transmission control module needs to be replaced, but not able to get one. Told there is a 50,000 on a waiting list to get one. Went to trade car in at ford dealership towards a new ford and they will give $100 for our 2014 focus with the TCM problem.

NHTSA ODI 11484517

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the message "Transmission Fault" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the vehicle would surge while braking or accelerating. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) had failed and the failure was associated with Ford Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign Number: 14M02. However, the parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the part to repair the vehicle was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11484338

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the clutch was slipping. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated and flashing on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11483988

The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that there was a defect inside the transmission. The contact was then informed that the part to repair the transmission was on backorder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11483718

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle began to shudder. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist where it was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) had failed. The TCM was flushed. However, the failure persisted. The transmission specialist diagnosed that the module needed to be replaced. The contact referenced Ford Customer Satisfaction Program Number:14M02. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. A case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 38,232.

NHTSA ODI 11483534

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed and became inoperable and felt loose. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 41,004.

NHTSA ODI 11483275

The canister purge valve is stuck open causing a vacuum inside the fuel tank. Fuel tank is currently deformed because of the vacuum. This issue has lead to a recall in other year models of the Ford Focus (2012 & 2017) but not the 2014 Ford Focus.

NHTSA ODI 11483038

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine and transmission overheating warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure; however, the contact was informed that it was okay to keep driving the vehicle. On another occasion while the contact was at a stop light, the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was informed that the vehicle was over the mileage for Extended Warranty Coverage. The failure mileage was 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482568

The transmission continues to fail by losing power, jerking, gears slipping and the dual clutch shakes the car in low gear. The car has been in the Ford shop in Fayetteville, Ga on numerous occasions for the transmission. More than one time the shop said there was not any problem at all. We explained the car I’d unsafe because the transmission shutters and jerks. The car was also at Mcdonough Ford and they said the same thing - there is not any thing wrong with the car. Before the transmission issues Ford replaced the fuel tank and fuel injectors. Now, the transmission failed the car will not go into any gear.

NHTSA ODI 11482588

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated to respond and jerked. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch had failed and the failure was associated to an unknown recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the recall repair could not be completed unless the transmission had completely failed. However, the failure persisted and caused the vehicle to roll backwards while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Hiawatha Ford (1812 Oregon St, Hiawatha, KS 66434), who informed the contact that the recall repair could not be performed as the recall had already expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482612

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently downshift with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and referred to contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482369

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. Additionally, the gear shifter intermittently failed to shift to the intended gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty automatic clutch. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11482372

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission shifter failed to shift to park(P). The contact stated that the vehicle started to roll away. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the transmission shifter cable located under the hood had malfunctioned. The contact stated that a friend was able to manually shift the transmission to the park, preventing the vehicle from rolling away. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who confirmed that the shift cable bushing was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number. 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 95,000. The VIN was not provided.

NHTSA ODI 11481750

After the engine light had been on for about a day and before I remembered to get it looked at, an alarm indicating "transmission fault" suddenly came on when I was in the middle of an intersection and the car completely stopped moving and wouldn't accelerate. Other cars went around me, but I was stuck there until I was able to restart the engine and try again and pull over. If another driver had not been paying attention, it could have caused an accident. This occurred at a four way stop, but on a busier street it might have been worse. We were able to get it driving again after restarting, and the independent mechanic diagnosed it with multiple error codes from the transmission control module. They reset the error codes to get it out of second gear and advised us that the TCM would need to be replaced soon. When reaching out to multiple Ford dealers and customer support representatives, we were told that though the TCM issues were under extended warrenty the replacement TCM part are backordered and we were offered no guidance on when parts would arrive and were told others had been waiting for months, so we have no recourse to fix the faulty system and were offered no compensation or assistance in the meantime. It has so far been about 6 weeks since the incident and have no updates. As a family with one car, this leaves us unable to trust that our only vehicle and we have needed to rent cars at great expense for longer trips.

NHTSA ODI 11481637

Took my vehicle to a dealership for TCM work they could not see anything wrong with it even though I had the check engine light on for it and read the code and it said it was the TCM. took it to the dealership again they said they replaced it but my vehicle is still having the same exact issue intermittently as always. I have been stranded once as it failed JUST after they said they “fixed my car. I didn’t even make it home at least the dealership towed my vehicle again saw nothing wrong with it then said there was a wire that was cut. (That was not there before at this point they were doing things and just wanted money) in the long run they said they fixed everything but my car is still having the stalling of tcm modual part failing and going to neutral. I’ve had almost MULTIPLE car accidents with the TCM going out at stop and go lights, and stop signs. ford NEEDS to fix this issue in all vehicles before someone gets hurt or worse.

NHTSA ODI 11481320

My drivers side door will not latch shut. It is not safe to drive.

NHTSA ODI 11481435

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became slightly difficult to turn. The following day after starting the vehicle the steering fault message was displayed and the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure stated in the recall. The failure mileage was 76,000.

NHTSA ODI 11481229

August 19th 2022 car violently jerked and check engine light came on I then pulled into parking lot. Stopped car and let cool off. After starting carbi put in reverse reverse gear would not engage. I was able to pull out of parking spot going forward. The 4 miles left to my house. The car transmission would loose all power and motor would rev up. Then tires would chirp and jerk would shudder and jerk then go into gear this was at light turned green. I almost completely stalled in busy intersection transmission would not engage. Ford has a field service action for the issue. Parts are backordered and months before they will repair or a diagnos issues

NHTSA ODI 11481300

Transmission has failed. It’s available for inspection. Car wouldn’t drive up an incline. The problem has been reproduced at 2 mechanics. In the first 2 years of owning the car I had taken it to 2 Ford companies and the dealership that it was bought from. Jerking, slowing down between 15-25 miles, car wouldn’t start the first time after turning the key, when opening the door I heard noise coming from under the hood, the radio would turn on when opening the door.

NHTSA ODI 11480905

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the stalling also occurred after refueling. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that the fuel gauge was not accurate. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the dealer stated that the failure could be related to the fuel tank and the fuel tank might need to be replaced. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V525000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480813

While driving down the road I went to accelerate and the vehicle revved up but didn't accelerate at all so I parked my vehicle and when I tried to move it again I had to back up yet I had no reverse all of a sudden. I limped it to my dealership and they told me that my clutch went out but it's an automatic so I didn't understand that, I had to get a new transmission and ever since it hasn't shifted smoothly and not even 50000 miles later I'm having the same problems only it's not under warranty and I can't afford a new transmission or a new car. I know that's my problem but what if I had been turning into traffic and it slipped? I would be at fault for an accident that wasn't my fault, it was a crappy transmission that failed and could have cost me my life, my son's life, or whoever I would have collided with's life. I just want to make sure no one else has the same false hope of merging into traffic and instead causes an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11480384

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated before accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who replaced the clutch; however, the failure persisted. The contact had the clutch replaced twice and was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced a third time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480215

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle would fail to accelerate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that the clutch actuator was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479943

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?

NHTSA ODI 11479632