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 that on several occasions while driving below 15 MPH, the transmission began jerking and slipping and there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a 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. The failure mileage was 24,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. 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 clutch and transmission assembly. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was included but already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 34,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shifted erratically, after which the vehicle lost motive power. 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 transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02. 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 unknown.
When I left work one evening, my 2015 Focus transmission started slipping and wouldn't stay into gear. The folks at Koons Automotive (Silver Spring, MD) indicated that this transmission is habitually problematic and has probably failed.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly jerked and hesitated before returning to normal functionality. The message "Transmission Overheated" was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the TCM and actuators A and B. 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 notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 43,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. An unknown warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to respond while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, and the transmission clutch was replaced, and unknown repairs were performed. Additionally, the contact stated that while on vacation on an island, the vehicle was started, but the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the TCM had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a second dealer, Larson Ford (1150 Ocean Ave, Lakewood, NJ 08701), where the same assessment was made and the TCM was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact's father owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his father was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shifted out of gear into neutral. The contact's father pulled over and waited before restarting the vehicle. There was an unknown warning message displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle intermittently did not start as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the PCM was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact stated that the vehicle failure was associated with Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Vehicle equipped with DPS6 Automatic Transmission) however, the manufacturer declined to cover the cost of the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
My check engine light came on and I took it to oreily to read the codes. It stated O2 sensor. Had it replaced immediately. Light went off for 2 weeks. I've notice my car having a lack of power but I thought it was due to the cold negative temperatures. Last few days the light came back on and I tried driving in D gear and my car would not move. It went in reverse. Transmission fluid was LOW. Had it filled and the next day it was back low. At this point I already had an appointment to get the TCM replaced (experienced all symptoms including lack of power, no start, engine light on). since there is a warranty extension and I was finally able to get in after waiting a few months. I called when I received the letter back in September of 2023 and was told by multiple dealers that they were booked and I would get a call back after giving them my name and number. Dropped my car off today at the dealer and as I pulled in my car stopped moving and I got an emergency message stating to stop the car and that the transmission was over heating. Wait 5 minutes until it cools. Keys were given to the workers and I get a call stating that I need a new clutch and that's the code they got back from the transmission. They also stated that warranty won't cover since I'm over the mileage and date. Had I received an initial letter about the warranty I could have had this situation resolved and a vehicle to drive. Im now stuck with the cost and just found out that I can't get it covered. My family's safety was put at risk because I was not made aware of this problem since I never received a letter and I assumed my car was reacting to its environment. My car has always had a lack of power when taking off from breaking or not driving in D when I first press the gas. I've received a letter about the transmission before and it's shuddering, lack of power and other symptoms, and assumed it was just that. Nothing to do with the clutch.
Transmission failure, car seized on freeway going 75mph and almost lost control and crashed. Car is locked in park and inoperable.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly shuddered. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure but performed a reprogramming of the transmission control module. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 9,000.
Drove home from work and stopped at Walmart on the way home. Pulled into a parking spot against a curb and when I came out to start my car and reverse out of the spot, it would not move. I got the car pushed out of the parking spot, and when driving out of the parking lot could not go past 1st gear. It has now been sitting at my apartment complex for two days. Couple years ago the transmission was replaced due to manufacturer recall. At the time, I had stopped in the middle of the road and could not go past 1st gear driving all the way home like this. I addressed the recall, and now I would like to believe the same thing is happening again. I have not gone to any mechanic or dealership yet for analysis however will attempt as soon as possible.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking, and the transmission shuddered. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a persistent failure. In addition, the contact stated that the internal transmission clutch was replaced eight years ago; however, the failure had reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed internal transmission clutch and that the internal transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 49,242.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power, shuddered, and failed to properly accelerate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission actuators and clutch were faulty 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 103,500.
Transmission has been jerking and shifts hard into gears. A messaged popped up as well that the transmission was running on hot. Transmission control module was recently replaced by a ford dealership but problem still persist.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to shift the vehicle into reverse, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to shift into drive however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. The contact then stated that while shifted into drive, the vehicle performed as if the transmission had shifted into neutral, making it difficult to make left and right turns. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the TCM had failed, and the dealer needed to take the transmission apart to determine the exact cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the Extended Warranty had expired. There was no further assistance provided. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
The contact's niece owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his niece was driving from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch assembly had failed. The dealer determined that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had exceeded the 7-year warranty. There was no assistance provided. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a failed transmission clutch assembly. The transmission clutch assembly needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was stopped, the contact attempted to accelerate, and the vehicle jerked before lunging forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed the be replaced. The contact notified that the Extended Warranty related to the failure had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 37,050.
I have a customer satisfaction program 19N08 for Transmission clutch shudder -transmission clutch warranty extension,I have 96000 miles and was told I have to pay for a new clutch
My car has shuddered and stalled significantly since I purchased it brand new from Serramonte Ford on September 6, 2015. The car will lose acceleration quickly when I am on the highway and driving on hills. I have had the clutch replaced by Serramonte Ford three times over the last 7 years and I have been informed that it needs to be replaced again. I have only once, on 10/27/2023 had a warning displayed on my dashboard immediately after a shuttering and stalling incident. I was driving up a hill when the car began jerking and shuttering. I pulled the vehicle perpendicular to the hillside and received the message, "transmission fault, service now". The car would not go into reverse to allow me to back up and safely park the vehicle. I immediately had the car towed to Serramonte Ford, per the service waring, and have been told that the clutch needs to be repaired again. This car is a ticking time bomb, I have been fortunate not to have had this stalling and shuttering cause a serious accident where myself or others could be seriously or fatally harmed.
6 speed automatic transmission shudder's, shakes, downshifts and lurks vehicle. This is an automatic transmission with a manual clutch, part of Ford's "Powershift" transmission program. This vehicle is unsafe to drive as it causes driver hesitation, unpredictable behavior at stop lights causing the vehicle to lurch forward and unresponsive to driver input due to shuddering shaking and downshifting. The vehicle has been brought in twice to ford to have the clutch replaced at roughly 35,000 and 65,000 miles. Documents to prove, the clutch goes out every 35,000 miles even though it is automatically controlled. The vehicle is at roughly 100,000 miles and the same issue is happening again.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that when she shifted the vehicle into drive (D) and depressed the accelerator pedal the vehicle would shudder and not gain forward momentum. The contact stated that the vehicle would eventually slip into gear and gain momentum. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the issue had occurred in the past and was covered under manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Bulletin Number: 19N08 Transmission Clutch Shudder (Power Train) for repairs. The contact had another failure of the transmission and drove the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the failure as transmission clutch shudder and that she was no longer under warranty for the repairs. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and jerked before accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was related to TSB Numbers: 10237441 (Power Train) and 10164603 (Power Train) which covered a PCM repair and a clutch repair. The contact was informed that the PCM and clutch needed to be replaced. The PCM was replaced; however, due to the Extended Warranty Coverage the clutch was not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
The transmission bucks, jerks, jumps forward when breaking, and stalls out. The car stalled out and left my 16yr old with no way to steer or brake which could have been extremely dangerous in certain situations. It has not been inspected but I have done extensive research on this auto and it seems like this type of issue comes pretty standard on the 2015 Ford Focus. When the auto stalled out all the dash lights were lit up. My child had just left the driveway when the car stalled and had no use of the steering or brakes. This poses a huge risk.
Vehicle hesitates and jerks a lot during stop & go. Feels very unsafe when yielding to incoming traffic to make left turn and vehicle hesitates and jerks as I’m beginning to accelerate during turn. Transmission dash light recently appeared stating “Transmissions Hot.”
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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.