1,117 complaints reported

2014 Ford Focus Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
1,117
Crashes
6
Fires
1
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jun 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started to stall with the message "Transmission Hot - Wait 5 Minutes" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and allowed the vehicle to cool down; however, the vehicle failed to resume normal operation. The contact stated that despite the message being repeatedly displayed on the instrument panel, the contact's daughter was able to coast the vehicle back to the residence. The following day the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the clutch assembly was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The manufacturer also referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 124,624.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2025
May 2025

I am submitting this complaint because Ford Motor Company is refusing to honor its Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02, which extends warranty coverage on the Transmission Control Module (TCM) for certain 2012–2016 Ford Focus vehicles. The 14M02 program extends TCM coverage to 10 years or 150,000 miles from the original warranty start date, and according to updates from Ford, offers a on updates from Ford, offers a one-time repair for TCM failure through June 30, 2025, regardless of mileage or vehicle age. My vehicle experienced issues delayed shifting, transmission failure, or loss of which I have been told is caused by the faulty TCM covered under this program. However, both Ford and the dealership have refused the repair, claiming the program does not apply—despite my vehicle falling within the described criteria. I have found the official 14M02 program bulletin online (e.g., via TSBSearch.com) and spoken to other owners who have successfully received the repair. I believe Ford is failing to uphold its Please investigate Ford’s refusal to honor the TCM extended warranty under Program 14M02 and help ensure affected owners receive the repairs they were promised, especially prior to the June 30, 2025 deadline public warranty commitments, potentially putting drivers at risk due to sudden transmission failure. The company’s inconsistent handling of these repairs raises serious concerns about fairness, accountability, and public safety. Ford has failed to properly diagnose the issue and misled me regarding the coverage of the TCM under the 14M02 warranty. Despite having paid for diagnostics and extensive repairs, my vehicle continues to have the same problems, which should be covered by the 14M02 warranty, and Ford refuses to address the underlying TCM issue. This not only causes significant financial hardship but also leaves me with an unsafe and unreliable vehicle.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2025
May 2025

On [XXX], we reported the vehicle to a local dealership that it was running rough, with hesitation at acceleration, then a sudden surge of speed; stalls at low speeds/while idling at stop lights; and unexpected increases in RPMs when driving a constant speed. This left my son feeling very unsafe and at risk for accidents. We took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection, suggesting it may be the Transmission Control Module causing issue (for which we've received two notifications about the warranty recall). The dealership said that there was no issue with the TCM and refused to perform the repair. (The dealership said that any repair could not be covered because there was no error code related to the TCM, even though the symptoms were as described in the warranty recall letter.) The dealership instead replaced the canister purge valve. On [XXX], approximately 2.5 weeks later, my [XXX] son was driving this vehicle when he got a transmission warning light indicating an urgent repair. He barely got the car home (at midnight) and was unable to put it in reverse to park. We took the car to the dealership for further inspection. The dealership said that the entire clutch assembly needed to be replaced, for $4100. Based on our research on past class action suits and recalls, it seems like the deterioration of the clutch assembly may be directly related to the TCM issues. However, the dealership has said that... > There's no error code related to the TCM so they can't say whether it is related > Without an error code, the TCM itself can't be replaced, nor can they associate the needed repairs to the TCM > Clutch repair was covered but only to 10 years (this vehicle is low mileage, but 11 years old). Consequently, we are expected to bear the burden of the entire $4100 cost ourselves for a known issue that resulted in thousands of recalls and repairs. Furthermore, this issue should've been caught much earlier given the information we've provided. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2025
Apr 2025

Transmission unexpected stalling and acceleration while driving. Yes Ford dealer located on 9371 Roosevelt blvd Phila PA 19114 they refused to fix the issues stating that the TCM 14302 warranty expired although it has been extended to June 30Th 2025.as well an an independent dealer who has fixed the clutch and transmission but I am still having transmission issues and warning lamp “service transmission now” and vehicle is still experiencing sudden stalling shuddering and is unsafe to drive. I purchased the vehicle Feb 2024 I started experiencing issues the end of December 2024 I took my vehicle to Ford Jan 9th and Fixed the Vehicle through and independent shop on 04/14/2025 and after replacing clutch and transmission I am still experiencing transmission issues.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2024
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the transmission shifted hard and hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on three occasions, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired twice however, the failure returned three years later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2019
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her sister was driving 30 MPH and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that when her sister attempted to reverse, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that a software update was performed on the rearview camera. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that her sister’s vehicle was not under recall. The contact related to the failure of the Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 -(Focus Vehicles Equipped with a DPS6 Automatic Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage); however, the VIN was not included in the customer satisfaction program. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 143,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2025
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle after a few minutes, the vehicle responded as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 30 MPH on another occasion, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch Actuator B had failed, which caused the TCM to fail. The contact was informed that the clutch Actuator B and the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the safety failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2025
Mar 2025

Excessive jerking when accelerating from a stop.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2025
Mar 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently shifted into neutral(N), with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact coasted the vehicle into a parking lot and turned off the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and repeatedly moved the gear shifter back and forth until the vehicle correctly recognized that the vehicle was in drive(D). The contact was driven to the residence and remained at the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was contacted about the failure and the contact was informed that a recall related to the failure had expired and that the vehicle no longer qualified for the free repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but the contact was offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2025
Mar 2025

Car shakes and shutters while shifting between gears, no other warning system came on to let me know about the transmission issues prior to this day.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
Feb 2025

Zero codes, but massive stuttering/hesitation when accelerating from stop. Almost in several accidents when turning across traffic or with traffic.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
Jan 2025

I took my car to Downtown Ford Sacramento for a door latch recall and Transmission Control Module (TCM) coverage under Campaign #14M02. A day later, they called saying it was ready for pickup. When I asked about the transmission, they claimed a diagnosis was required at my expense before warranty coverage would apply. I approved the diagnosis, yet my car sat for over a week with no updates. Every time I called, I was directed to Service Advisor Christian Silva, who never answered or returned my voicemails. When I finally went in person, they asked me to sign paperwork but refused to provide diagnosis results. Another advisor then admitted no diagnosis was ever performed, they only completed the door latch recall. They now demand $360 for a diagnosis and insist I leave the car again, refusing to honor Campaign #14M02. This is unacceptable, and I need Ford to address this. (VIN# [XXX] ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2025
Jan 2025

Transmission is jerking/hesitating between gears. I carried it into the Ford Dealership in Rockingham, NC thinking it was the TCM which is covered under the extended warranty recall. The dealership says it is the transmission clutch.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2025
Jan 2025

When driving the car it shutters, jerks, loses power and accelerations, shakes. The transmission was replaces once and it is doing it again under 100k miles. It could easily cause an accident. Transmission also randomly says it is hot to stop. There is a customer safety extended warranty on the tcm for this specific car. From what I have seen there is a recall on transmission clutches for the 2014 Ford Focus SE just not my car apparently for the clutch. Ford wants me to take it to pay 250 to tell me if its covered under warranty recall but a transmission place already told me it was a faulty clutch they told me about the extended warranty. I have read this happened to hundreds of people. It is dangerous. How can I file a class action lawsuit, report to the better business bureau to be resolved or report to the proper place? Also not to long ago driving down the highway the doors just swung open door locks stopped working. There was a recall and got fixed but this car is a safety hazard and ford should care more about their product and customer safety. Is there anyone who has a 2014 Ford Focus with a clutch issue. I was told if its the TCM the car wont start I don't want to spend 250 to be told the clutch isn't under warranty. It is a ripoff. I know its not the TCM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2023
Jan 2025

I have had the vehicle in the shop many times for tcm clutch and it is doing the heavy jerking again I believe the same issues are happening.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2025
Jan 2025

During acceleration there is a hesitation. With the Transmission almost like the car was put into neutral. The accelerator needs to be fluttered to get it to respond. This has happened several times pulling into traffic. This last time it happened the notice came on stating that the Transmission is over heating. Pulled over to let it cool down. I notice recalls for this problem but my car is not listed. This happens at different speeds Any help would be appreciated. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2025
Jan 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the vehicle failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Transmission Fault - Service Now" was displayed. The contact was able to shift to neutral(N) after several attempts, and the vehicle was pushed into a gas station with assistance. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with a vehicle scanner, the contact retrieved diagnostic trouble codes indicating a TCM failure. The contact accidentally reset the codes, and the vehicle became drivable; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure because the code had been reset. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Nielsen Ford of Morristown (170 Ridgedale Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960), where it was diagnosed with TCM failure, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. 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 approximately 95,711.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2025
Jan 2025

This car should have been added to two customer service programs through Ford. 19N08 and 19N08. This covers problems with the TCM and clutch pack. After speaking with Ford customer service, they confirmed that my vehicle fell within the build dates outlined in those programs and was built at the Michigan facility that is outlined in these programs. They refused to add my VIN to these customer service programs stating that it has expired. Had I known about the customer service programs when I was supposed to know about them, I would have easily had this issue fixed, but now I am left with a car with severe transmission issues. The only thing they could tell me to do was file a complaint with NHTSA. I need help getting Ford to acknowledge and fix this issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2025
Jan 2025

In 2018/2017 I became aware of the extended ford warranty on the TCM for a period of Fords in which my vehicle fit under. It was difficult discussing this issue with ford in getting it in to be replaced under warranty but eventually I was able to get it in for a diagnosis and appointment. Meanwhile, the whole time my car has maintained shifting roughly even though it had gotten the supposed replacement - and the vehicle was sold to me this way from Hayes Chrysler in Lawrenceville, GA. ]About a month and a half ago, my car shifts rougher than usual and my check engine light comes on, I make an appointment with Ford since there is another extended warranty covering the TCM but the dealership fails to replace it and states that it needs a new clutch - when in fact it is reading a code unrelated to the clutch (P07A5).

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2019
Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and jerked while accelerating. The check engine warning light illuminated with the message “Transmission Failure" displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer three times and it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch, TCM, and the clutch actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2017
Dec 2024

Customer experienced sluggish performance and failed starts along with computer error code P0456. Independent mechanic found open recall for canister purge valve associated with error code. Two different ford dealerships in Massachusetts indicated that the vin number associated with the recall was not covered. As a result, Ford failed to honor recall notice for canister purge valve. A year later, Ford mailed a notice to owners regarding this recall. Consumer called ford and was instructed to apply for a refund under the recall by visiting the very dealerships that denied recall services previously. This represents a failure by ford motor company to effectively comply and address a federally mandated recall causing consumers to pay for repairs and then request a refund.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the light changed and the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated before responding as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was jolting into gear. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM needed a software update. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission clutches needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure of the clutches. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2023
Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. After having the vehicle towed home, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the powertrain control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the wiring harness in addition to the power train control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2024
Nov 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The failure occurred on several occasions. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission fluid temperature was higher than normal and had caused unknown parts in the clutch assembly to melt. The dealer determined that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure occurred several months and there was no permanent fix. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2024
Nov 2024

UNKNOWN The transmission malfunctioned. While in motion, the car failed to shift gears smoothly, would jerk, rev high, with acceleration not maching the high rev, and the check engine light came up. The car's erratic movement impacted other drivers on the road as well, who had to slow down and or try to pass. The stalling and the dragging from the transmission were random and made it harder to manage the driving. The car was previously recalled for a similar, or possibly the same problem. This started on November 27th, 2024. I checked and the check engine diagnostic returned a "P07A5" error: "Transmission Friction Element B stuck on." This error code from the check engine reading and my prior experience with similar symptoms from the initial recall is why I feel the transmission or something related to it, is the cause of the problem.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2014 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2024

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Quick Summary

The 2014 Ford Focus has 1,117 Power Train complaints on file. 6 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.