2015 Ford Focus Power Train
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 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and attempting to make a right turn while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,676.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The failure occurred on several occasions. The message that the "Transmission was Overheating" was displayed on the instrument panel; however, there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and allowed the vehicle to cool down for several minutes and the vehicle returned to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
The PowerShift Dual Clutch Automatic in the 2015 ford focus is faulty. This issue has caused my car to stutter since purchase. Even after utilizing the warranty regarding the TCM (Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02 - Supplement #5) and doing all all preventative maintenance per fords recommendation throughout the entire cars life (New batteries, oil changes, fluid flushes, etc.) the car has always failed to operate correctly. Now, at 89,991 miles, my service light is on and my car is stuttering to the point where is is dangerous to drive do to intense lagging between shifts and unpredictable rpms. Ford diagnosed the issue as "tcm followed pin point test states to inspect clutch and shift forks." Ford denied coverage under warranty, recall, or class action lawsuit ([XXX] v. Ford Motor Company, C.D. Cal. Case No. [XXX]) I was required to pay a $175 fee for diagnosis and was quoted $3,888 additional to fix the problem. I denied service. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Automobile shudders horribly on first gear and shifting from first to second gear. Attempted repair, however in time the shuddering came back. Then downshifting to go up a steep incline transmission made grinding/ticking noise. Experienced too much anxiety driving, got rid of the car.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated before losing motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. 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 a failure with the dual-clutch. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond as intended when shifted into reverse and the accelerator pedal was depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving to the local dealer, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven back to the residence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
The clutch/transmission. From day one this new car had issues with the clutch. It was reported to the dealer on [XXX] and they ran a clutch test. They said it passed. The problem is, this shutter/jerking occurs intermittently. It has been going on since then. We took it in to the ford dealer locally last week. They confirmed it was the clutch, and that it would cost $3200 to fix. There was no warning light. The vehicle has been taken care of all these years. Why didn't Ford notify the owners on this Customer Satisfaction Program 14M08 which is the clutch/transmission?? The car is available anytime anywhere someone would like to look at it. It is currently in Florida. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while driving up an incline. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle almost stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked and occasionally the vehicle could not be shifted out of park. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,205.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated, shuddered, and jerked. The contact stated that the wheels locked up while accelerating. The vehicle failed to shift into gear. While driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off. There was an abnormal growling sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that an unknown sensor needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 74,239.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that there was hesitation or lagging while attempting to accelerate at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The clutch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 92,000.
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 45 MPH, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle started jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked while accelerating from a stop. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, a year later the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the clutch had been replaced twice however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
The transmission went out, revving in all gears
Car has a transmission stutter when pulling out into traffic or at low speeds. Apparently it is a known issue from Ford and the vehicle is outside their 7yr warranty, but only has 67k miles on it so it is not covered.
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start immediately, and several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. While driving at various speeds the vehicle would begin decelerating and then turn off independently. The contact stated that approximately 30 minutes later the vehicle would restart as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed. The transmission control module was replaced. The contact stated that several weeks after the repair, while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power. The check engine, low oil level, and several unknown system warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift as needed. The contact stated that after waiting for a while, the vehicle was restarted and driven as designed. The contact stated that several weeks after the repair was performed, while pulling into a parking lot the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted after waiting for a while. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, the brake seized, and the transmission failed to shift into the intended gear. The vehicle continued to roll. The contact was assisted with moving the vehicle over to the side of the road. After a while, the vehicle was able to restart; however, the contact opted to not drive the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed there was a blown mega fuse #9 causing an open wire that needed to be replaced. The powertrain control module (PCM) had experienced a loss of communication. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and shuddering abnormally. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission clutch shudder. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,000.
When accelerating through 10-15 mph the vehicle shudders more than normal
I'm writing to seek assistance with transmission problems in our 2012-2016 Ford Focus. Despite visiting a repair shop, we've encountered a roadblock with Ford's expired Manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Programs. Background: The repair shop diagnosed an issue with the Power Shift transmission, a known problem affecting all 2012-2016 Ford Focus models. Ford had two Manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Programs in place (Transmission Control Module and Transmission Clutch Shudder) until 2020. Unfortunately, we purchased the vehicle in 2023, and the previous owners didn't participate in these programs. Current Situation: Ford is refusing to address the issues due to the expired programs, despite the vehicle remaining dangerous to operate. We've contacted Ford headquarters, and they suggested reaching out to the NHTSA for potential assistance in extending the warranty or instructing Ford to fix our vehicle. Request: We kindly request your help in exploring options to resolve this matter. We believe it's essential to ensure the vehicle's safety, even if the Manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Programs have expired. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shuddered. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission clutch shudder. The vehicle was repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 19N08; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Eide Ford Mandan (3205 Memorial Hwy, Mandan, ND 58554), where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission clutch assembly and other unknown parts needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under Ford Campaign Number: 19N08. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Parts replaced, according to 2019 R/O from Ford Dealer: clutch assembly Parts needed for replacement, according to R/O from Ford Dealer: clutch, clutch forks x2, clutch bearing, clutch hardware, 1 qt of transmission oil Available for inspection, however it is getting diagnosed with possible proceeding of replacement at an independent service provider. I experienced gear slippage, resulting in high rpms and no gaining of speed while driving on an on ramp onto a 65 mph limit freeway, which my vehicle then maxed out at 50 mph. Following this, the transmission did not engage into reverse when shifted from within the car. Yes, I had the work done in 2019 for the 14m02, TCM recall, and the dealer saw that the "clutch assembly" was worn and not performing within the necessary standards. This was covered by my general warranty, not the 14m02 extended warranty. I currently don't have the repair order from the 2019 fix as it's in my car at the independent mechanic, but can be provided. The vehicle will be inspected by an independent service center this week/today. This model has had a known problem of "shuddering" in earlier years, which my personal vehicle does experience from time to time, specifically when stopping and going or going uphill. My engine light did eventually turn on, but with no direct messages, once the vehicle became fully undriveable (not shifting from 1st to 2nd without major kickback and no reverse). Using my personal code reader I received the following DTC codes: P07A5 - Transmission Friction Element "B" Stuck On P287A - Clutch 'B' Stuck Engaged
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the Transmission Control Module (TCM). The contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact's daughter stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence and diagnosed the vehicle as a failure with the clutch. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,502.
Transmission jerks, jumps, skips, etc., I was scared when trying to accelerate while trying to pass other people, car felt like it was giving out on me, there where no warning lamps, until after the first encounter, and that's when it first appeared...
The transmission clutch failed. The parts were taken by CrossRoads Ford of Henderson, NC. I did not make a claim on my insurance, I was told initially that this was a recalled part. I did not make a police report and I don't know if the manufacturer was alerted to this problem from my car. After the repair was done, I had to pay for the repair since the person at the dealer said that the codes it was recording were not for the parts that were under warranty for the transmission. My safety and that of my children were at risk, as the transmission was not permitting the forward gears to engage out of low, and we were driving in city traffic. I was almost rear-ended several times and had to try to find places to pull off the street so that I didn't get hit by the car behind me. The reverse gear was also not working at all. I did not have any warning lights come on to warn me of this problem.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, hesitated to respond, and the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving, and the vehicle jolted while shifting to first and second gear. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly while driving 30-65 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was significantly sluggish while depressing the accelerator pedal and decelerated unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission fluid was replaced. Additionally, the dealer recommended the transmission clutch replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond while shifting to drive(D) and to reverse(R). The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had become undrivable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 19N08. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the message "Transmission Overheating" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission clutch forks was stuck, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 80,000.
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Quick Summary
The 2015 Ford Focus has 423 Power Train complaints on file. 7 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.