2013 Ford Focus Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle started to overheat. The contact's son was able to drive the vehicle to a safe location off the roadway. The contact's son allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact's son safely drove the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed TCM. The contact was informed that there was a technical service bulletin for the TCM replacement, and the part would be ordered. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had provided any assistance or information regarding the ordered parts for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
Car was inspected by a Ford certified mechanic after issues arose. My car only has 24,000 miles on it. Was informed that it was the clutch in the transmission that needs replaced. Investigation into the problem I saw a recall referring to the clutching, but was not associated with the car I have. For it having low miles and the clutch going out on it already, seems a bit odd. The car cannot be driven until repairs get done as I do not want to be breaking down on the side of the road.
The contact owned a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that she left her dog in the vehicle with the engine off and the windows partially open, as she entered her workplace. Approximately 30 minutes later, she was alerted that there was a vehicle on fire. She rushed outside to discover that her vehicle was on fire. As she attempted to save her dog, the fire grew stronger and the vehicle became engulfed in flames. By the time the fire department arrived, the vehicle was incinerated. Her dog died as a result of the fire and was taken by animal control. A police and fire report was filed. The contact sustained severe emotional trauma due to the loss of her dog but did not seek medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was deemed a total loss and destroyed. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
The vehicle had a recall on the clutch that is faulty AGAIN, only after 2.5 years from the last repair. This part has been replaced 2 times and now needs to be replaced a third time. The vehicle frequently and unexpectedly stalls during acceleration and is a tremendous safety issue; however Ford is stating the part was already repaired under the recall once and will not repair it a second time, even though it is the same function and safety issue as the previous recall only 2.5 years ago
Transmission failed. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. The car was in a stalled out mode. Unable to drive the vehicle. No warning lights, symptoms or messages. Simply got in the car at the store and put it in gear car would not go forward or backwards. The motor would only raise as if the vehicle was in park.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shuddering, and lost motive power. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal however, the pedal was firm. The contact pulled over and used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact allowed the engine to cool down before restarting the vehicle. The vehicle then operated as designed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted a case was file and the contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 115,670.
There have been several lawsuits filed and settled for the vehicle in question previously. Most recently, Ford was having so many issues with models 2011-2016 Ford Focus cars that they were taken to court over the matter related to the transmission control module in the vehicle. This was settled and Ford placed and extended warranty on vehicles of that model should customers have issues. However upon taking the vehicle to a Ford dealership, they are saying that that is not in fact the issue with the car, it is the clutch in the transmission which they also had an extended warranty on that expired conveniently not long before this happened. The clutch going out would mean that I would not be able to go and I would be stuck where the car sits. I have reached out to several other independent mechanic shops and every single one of them have stated that it is only a matter of time before the transmission control module breaks as it sounds like it is not functioning correctly now. I would also like to state that in no way did Ford attempt to contact me about any of these issues involving my car via and email or letter. They knew of the issues that could happen and the risks involved with me continuing to drive the car around and did nothing. The vehicle has been sitting for 7 months now as Ford has deemed it worthless. A vehicle that they sold me they will not even negotiate for because of how broken it is. I find this to be extremely irresponsible and quite frankly I do not have the money to be doing this.
When pulling out on a hill or incline the car hesitates and seems to fall on its face for a short time then it finally picks up and has power. It just feels like it only has ten percent of power. It puts myself and others at risk of being in an accident , especially when pulling out into traffic. It could cause a side impact or rear collision very easily. I have driven a streight shift all my life and never ever had a vehicle seem to stall like this . I try and wait for a very large gap in traffic to pull out. On a hill in traffic I am afraid of getting rear ended trying to get pulled out and going. This has happened several times, it is intermittent .the car has only 60,000 miles, so it isnβt worn out.
Clutch and actuators , car only has 80,000 miles. $3500 transmission repair .
Two weeks after purchasing vehicle from a used car dealer, started having severe transmission shudders and car shut down stating the transmission was in need of repair. Had vehicle towed to dealership where diagnosis determined transmission needs replacing. Upon researching on line,, cars.com states NHTSA vehicle safety recall was issued for the transmission and also βcopilotβ states on line that a recall was issued on this vehicle power shift transmission,,, only two of many complaints on line about the transmission in 2013 Ford Focus .. However Ford states there is no safety recall .. only an extended warranty customer satisfaction warranty for transmission clutch slippage ,, which ended last august , campaign #14M01... What am I to do ? ... the price quoted for a new clutch exceeds the value of the car....
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine and service now warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing a spark plug and the fuel injector to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact also stated that the vehicle was started and the parking aid fault, serviced required warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE STALLED AND RESTARTED INDEPENDENTLY. THE TRANSMISSION FAULT WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AS WELL AS THE SERVICE VEHICLE MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. THE CONTACT CALLED. SIMI VALLEY FORD 2440 FIRST ST, SIMI VALLEY, CA 93065 (805) 583-0333, HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,000.
MY CAR IS HAVING ISSUES SHIFTING. IT IS AN AUTOMATIC CAR. THERE IS ISSUES ACCELERATING. WHEN STOPPED I HIT THE GAS PEDAL AND ITS FINE UNTIL IT SHIFTS, THEN THE CAR STALLS FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN CATCHES UP. IT DOES THIS EVERY TIME IT GOES TO SHIFT GEARS UNTIL ABOUT 35 MPH. IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION, BUT IT POSSES A HUGE SAFETY RISK.
I WAS DRIVING ALONG WITH MY 3 CHILDREN WHEN MY FORD EXPLORER 2011 SUDDENLY TURNED OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED AND WAS INFORMED THE WATER PUMP HAD FAILED AND CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE PROBLEMS.
VEHICLE STALLS ERRATICALLY DUE TO A FUEL DELIVERY ISSUE. LEAVES DRIVER STRANDED WITH NO MEANS OF STARTING THE CAR. FORD IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE VIA NHTSA RECALL NUMBER: 18V735 BUT NO SOLUTION HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED YET.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V735000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BY MAXWELL FORD (5000 S IH 35 FRONTAGE RD, AUSTIN, TX 78745, (512) 443-5000). AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER BACK AND WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE MAY BE DUE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WHICH FAILED PRIOR TO THE RECALL REPAIR. WHEN THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THE RECALL REPAIR, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS NOT RELATED TO THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE IT IDLED, BUT DID NOT ENGAGE IN ANY GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DAVE SINCLAIR FORD (7466 S LINDBERGH BLVD, ST LOUIS, MO 63125) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CLUTCH FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE CLUTCH HAD TO BE REPLACED TWELVE TIMES SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN 2015. THE MECHANIC ALSO MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.
SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN 2013, IT HAS HESITATED AND SHUDDERED BADLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN BEGINNING TO MOVE FROM A STOP AND WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. PEOPLE WHO RIDE IN THE CAR ALWAYS ASK ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE FORD DEALER REPEATEDLY, BUT THE SERVICE MANAGER HAS ALWAYS CLAIMED HE DOESN'T FEEL ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. HE SAYS IT'S JUST THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTING GEARS. ONCE I GOT SO EXASPERATED I TOOK IT BACK AND TOOK THE SERVICE MANAGER FOR A RIDE IN IT MYSELF. IT SHUDDERED AND HESITATED BADLY DURING THE ENTIRE RIDE. HE STILL CLAIMED HE COULDN'T FEEL ANYTHING UNUSUAL. TWICE WHEN I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT, THE CAR HAS SHIFTED ITSELF FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL AND THE VEHICLE HAS COASTED TO A STOP, TOTALLY WITHOUT POWER. WHEN I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AFTER THESE OCCURRENCES, THE SERVICE MANAGER HAS SAID THAT IT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CAR TO SHIFT ITSELF FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. I HAVE RESPONDED THAT IT VERY CLEARLY IS POSSIBLE FOR A CAR TO SHIFT ITSELF FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL, BECAUSE THE CAR HE SOLD ME HAS DONE IT TWICE NOW WHEN I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT. THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE, I POINTED OUT TO THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT HIS DEALERSHIP SOLD ME A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY FOR FEAR OF LOSING POWER DOING 70 MILES AN HOUR WITH A LARGE TRUCK RIGHT BEHIND ME AND BEING RUN OVER. I ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THEY SOLD ME A CAR THAT I CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIENCE ALLOW MY WIFE AND KIDS TO DRIVE. I ASKED HIM TO MAKE IT RIGHT. HE REPLIED THAT THE CAR IS PERFECTLY SAFE AND THAT IT IS COMPLETELY UP TO ME IF I CHOOSE NOT TO DRIVE IT IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC, AT HIGH SPEEDS, OR LET MY WIFE AND KIDS DRIVE IT. CLEARLY, FORD AND ITS DEALERS HAVE NO INTENTION OF 'DOING THE RIGHT THING' HERE. I TRUST THAT NHTSA FINALLY WILL.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STARTED JERKING INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN DRIVING FORWARD AND REVERSING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ROBERT HORNE FORD (3400 TOMAHAWK RD, APACHE JUNCTION, AZ 85119) AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,112.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS FAULTY AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. AFTER REFUELING THE VEHICLE, THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THE FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR WAS ALSO ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GREEN WAY FORD (9001 E COLONIAL DR, ORLANDO, FL 32817, (888) 984-4895), BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,900.
THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN GIVING US PROBLEMS SINCE WE GOT THE VEHICLE. RIGHT NOW, IT IS AGAIN IN THE SHOP. IT IS REPAIRED AND THEN THERE IS ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE SAME SYSTEM. WHEN WE TAKE IT INTO THE SHOP, NUMEROUS PROBLEMS SHOW UP. WE HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE FOR ONLY A LITTLE OVER A YEAR SO IT WOULD SEEM TO INDICATE THAT THERE ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS.
STARTING TO DRIVE CAR HESITATES AND VIBRATES.
THERE IS AN ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON MY DASH BORD AND WHEN I DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF TWO TIMES BY THIS WK. AND ALSO WHEN I DRIVING UP HILL THE CAR FORCE BECOMIN WEAK
WHILE WAITING IN TRAFFIC ON A HILL OR ACCELERATING UPHILL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT RANDOMLY TURNS ON AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHUTS OFF. THIS HAS LEFT ME ROLLING TO A STOP ON THE FREEWAY AND EVEN ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWNHILL UNABLE TO TURN THE CAR BACK ON. TODAY I BARELY PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE I STARTED TO COAST BACKWARDS. RECALL WAS POSTED 10/22/18 AND THERE IS NO SOLUTION YET OVER 4 MONTHS LATER.
THE CAR SHUTTERS WHEN ACCELERATING (NOTABLY AFTER MAKING A TURN). THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO PRIME FORD IN AUBURN, MA ON AUGUST 17TH, 2018 FOLLOWING A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS CAR, WHERE THE VEHICLE OWNER WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AND NO FIX TO THE CAR WAS MADE.
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Quick Summary
The 2013 Ford Focus has 77 Engine complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.