NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Ford Focus. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and jerked before losing motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle stalled and failed to immediately restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle briefly failed to indicate that the power was available to the vehicle before finally displaying electronic information. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clutch assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (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 133,318.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02, prompting her to schedule the vehicle for service with the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the service could not be completed, due to a general failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 107,000.
Transmission programming recall, clutch recall, fuel cap recall and many more recalls were not performed at ford dealership! Had to pay out of pocket at dealer for “labor” task was never performed at dealer for all recalls!
I noticed that KIA had a recall for emergency trunk release. I have a 2014 Ford Focus. The manual says there should be a release latch in the trunk, but there is none.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle began to lose forward momentum. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle revved; however, the vehicle did not respond as needed and stalled. The contact pulled over and attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission clutches needed to be replaced; however, the dealer stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty for the Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08 Transmission Clutch Shudder (Power Train). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and was jerking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the clutch assembly was previously repaired and the TCM was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or 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 71,000.
The power steering went out while driving it. She could hardly turn the vehicle to get it to a parking spot. Vehicle needs a new steering assembly. My daughter drives this. So many other concerns about steering issues on this type of vehicle.
My clutch which we paid out of pocket for the first time we need to get it fixed and I only had the car for 6 months when the clutch went out the first time then only a year later I had to get it fixed again and got it under warranty and then the following year I had to get it fixed and it was covered again under warranty and now 2023 again a year later my clutch went out and even tho my clutch was covered under a two year warranty they are refusing to fix my clutch because it is a "transmission issue" even after running my diagnostic it clearly states it is a CLUTCH issue and since they are calling it a "transmission issue" my car can no longer be fixed and covered under warranty because it is not a "transmission issue" it is a CLUTCH issue. I have only ever gotten my car fixed from Ford and we cant understand why this is a recurring issue and there for WHY FORD CANNOT FIX THIS ISSUE.
The engine control module failure. I was on a busy two lane highway and my car stalled out almost causing me to get hit from the back. I had to be pushed off the busy road from a police officer so I wouldn’t get hit by the heavy trucks. This is a dangerous for anyone whom experienced this. An investigation need to or process
The car continues to stall and buckle while driving. Doug Henry og Tarboro NC Diagnose came up with replacing clutch and transmission with a cost of of 10237.57 dollars. This car is a safety hazard.
I purchased a new 2014 Ford Focus Electric (FFE) in 2014. I have learned since then that every FFE develops a high voltage battery, the battery that powers the electric motor, coolant leak at no more than 80,000 miles, rendering the car inoperable. Ford will not repair the leak and will only sell a replacement battery. Ford has not issued a recall and is allowing the cooling system for a battery made from a highly combustible material to fail. The cooling system failure also requires the driver to get off the road immediately with the "Stop safely now" message and leaves the driver stranded with a useless car. The following are links about the FFE battery coolant leak. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact pulled off the roadway and then turned off and restarted the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 181,000.
My 2014 Ford focus SE hatchback is having bad transmission codes throwing at me. Automatic transmission electrical system codes and transmission stuck in clutch A. I have 123,000 miles on it. I'm afraid to drive it as it being a electrical problem and I have my teenage son in the car with me. I'm afraid of a fire. Ford wants hundreds of dollars just to diagnose what 3 other mechanics have already diagnosed it. I have a picture of the codes. Ford knows about this problem but wants hundreds of dollars to tell me what I already know and then thousands of dollars to fix it.
Unable to control vehicle in light rain conditions. Steering took me straight off the highway into a steel wire fence. Totalled the car with massive front end damage. Seat belt did not lock. Knocked window out with head during impact. The ONLY airbag to deploy was the knee airbag, shooting the hard plastic straight into my kneecap.
Transmission dual clutch failed causing transmission to fault in the middle of highway driving
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH, the front driver’s side door independently opened. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
I was driving my 2014 Ford Focus electric car sometime in 2023 and the system told me to immediately pull over for no reason. I was able to pull it over but it would not start again after turning it off. I let it sit and came back the next day since I needed to go somewhere and it started. The car then had issues starting and I tried to diagnose with the dealership and we ended up recharging the battery because it was low. It was a little more consistent but it died again but this time it would not turn over. I finally got the car to the dealership to diagnose and it took them over a month to do so. It seems the High voltage wire harness was bad and needed to be replaced. It seems that this should be a recall because it is a major component and even a safety issue since the car died while driving.
My car has Direct Clutch Transmission that I am told has a design flaw so even after a $3,000 transmission repair the problem will re-occur. The car revs like crazy & doesn’t move forward. It is so dangerous when I am transporting my grandchildren to & from school crossing 4-lanes if traffic in town to get to the other side & the transmission does this in front of oncoming traffic! And no - no fatalities yet!
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.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 48,700.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started to shake, after which the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 5 MPH. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module. The TCM was replaced, but the dealer was unable to program the TCM. The dealer diagnosed an additional failure with the dual clutch. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started sputtering and then stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred a short while later. The contact stated that gasoline was added to the fuel tank allowing the vehicle to be driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the canister purge valve, fuel tank ,and fuel pump module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,074.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to reverse however, the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty transmission and that the Shift Motor-B stop was fractured inside the case. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon attempting to close the driver's side rear door, the door failed to latch securely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the door latch. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages), 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 111,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio was making an abnormally loud cracking noise whether the vehicle was started or turned off. The contact stated that radio fuse was hot to the touch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
I know it’s the transmission because it gears just goes and the car doesn’t go anywhere. Now I have my car parked
Steering gear box failure. Open recall 14s18 for same month and year manufactured but Ford declines to repair.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with evap purge valve failure. The contact was informed that the evap purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) had expired. The contact stated that there was two parts to the recall repair being completed and only one part was completed. The failure mileage was approximately 112,665.
We bought this used vehicle from Toyota of Peoria Dealership in April 2023. Was in the middle of traffic when my vehicle stop almost getting into a accident.Due to a clutch recall that we were not informed of. When we got it into a Ford dealership they told us that we would have to pay for theses recalls that ended going bad in the vehicle. Told us that recall only last for 5 years or 100 thousand mile it would of been covered. Being a big dealership in our area they should of checked all recalls as well looking over everything before selling a car. These recalls should go longer then 5 years.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear and the vehicle started to shudder. The vehicle was taken to an auto repair shop where it was diagnosed that the clutch failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was also diagnosed that the dual clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall and that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 65–70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
AsI drive down the road my car swerves back and forth hard to control the steering wheel. This has happened several times and gets worse every time. Very scary to drive down the road I took it to a mechanic he said that it was the rack and pinion part on the car. He also said that there was a recall on it in 2014, I have only had this car since 2018 so I don't know if it was fixed in the recall. This car is very dangerous to drive. The traction light came on and has not gone off since, also a message comes up that Hillside assist start not available . Would like to have this problem fixed if it a recall. I don't feel safe traveling in it.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the “Power Steering Failure" message was displayed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 147,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the message "Extreme Heat, Park Vehicle" was displayed. The vehicle was parked and after lifting the hood, the contact noticed extreme heat coming from the engine compartment. The following day after driving and parking the vehicle anti-freeze was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the anti-freeze was leaking from a hole in the radiator. The contact was informed that the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 81,409.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera was inoperable. The contact stated that the “Camera Unavailable” message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,688.
The car slips gears on takeoff. This is a common problem with these cars. The problem is when people google it the results tell them to drive them hard not easy on takeoff. They say drive it like you stole it. I feel the is very dangerous and these cars should be recalled and taken off the roads.
I am writing to express that ford issued an extended customer satisfaction program (19N08) to get transmission issued fixed within a specific window or time and mileage. Unfortunately that time has passed and the opportunity for smoother, safer driving has been missed by many people including me. Ford is unwilling to extend the warranty and fix the transmission issues which I feel is a concern. The car rattles and shakes when I go at a slower speed which I imagine could be dangerous. This fix is over $3,000 and not attainable for the average American to pay out of pocket. Ford needs to extend the warranty for the transmission clutch shift motor to keep the roads safe.
Car jerking and started to not move forward when step on gas pedal then had to pull over and stop car. Was on local road. Brought car to dealer and they found it was due to TCM mail notice saying this car year / model needs replacement, but they have ordered parts 6 months ago and none has been received nor do they know when they will receive. This would be covered by Ford. Dealer also said Clutch needs to be fixed, around $5,000, which dealer will not pay, we will need to pay. Dealer did not provide paperwork. My car is only 9 years old, 30,000 miles, and Dealer warned us not to drive car till the 2 problems are fixed because they are unsure when car is going to suddenly be volatile and cause major unknown problems
There is a recall on this car for TCM transmission module. This part is available through non-dealer car repair shops, however, Ford has been unable or unwilling to provide this part for recall for over 1 year, saying that it is back ordered with no date of arrival estimated. I received my recall letter in August of 2023. I was in dealer and had this part tested on September 18th, confirming the recall applied to it. The dealer had my car for one month before returning it to me still broken. Today they still have no estimate on when they will fix this. This issue causes my car to lose power and shudder and the engine light comes on when starting off from being stopped, or sometimes just suddenly act like it has gone into neutral on the freeway. Ford apparently only has to replace this on vehicles with less than 150,000 miles that are under 10 years of age. My car is a 2014, so in one month it will be 10 years old, and only a few months after that it will reach 150,000 miles. It seems like Ford is trying to wait out this recall so they do not have to pay for the repair. It is unreasonable that there are obviously suppliers for this part but Ford is not willing to contract with them and make the repair, meanwhile those of us who spent tens of thousands of dollars on Ford vehicles have to take our lives in our hands every day just to drive the garbage they wont fix. Please make Ford do more to help those affected by this recall and please don't allow corporations to time out their responsibility to fix the low quality garbage they produce. I have received no indication that Ford will ever fix my car. Ford Motor Company said they have a loner program that goes through the dealer, but the dealer says they know nothing about any such program. It's a lot of games being played and very few cars being fixed. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 1 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart after an hour. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked into second gear. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Transmission Control Module). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the mechanic confirmed a failure with the clutch and ignition coils. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and directed the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
as I am not 100% sure where the problem comes from. And I know that this car and other Ford vehicles are infamous for these issues. My Ford focus’s transmission will spontaneously without warning completely shut off while driving which has caused me to almost get into crashes multiple times. I have brought my car to a ford dealership to get inspected in hopes of being included in a program which makes ford pay for a rental car while the part that causes the issues is delivered (there is large back order on the TCM) but when my car was done being diagnosed they claim my clutch needs to be replaced for 3200 which is ridiculous first of all but the main problem with this is that the broken TCM is what is causing the clutch to break creating a never ending cycle of replacements I have to pay for and even if i get a clutch replacement it won’t fix my overheating issue. These problems that are caused by ford have caused me to almost get into mulitple crashes and is restricting me from getting to work and I am getting no help from ford customer service and the individual dealerships try and scam me any chance I get so this is my last resort at getting any help
I was driving the 2014 ford focus and it slipped out of gear no warning lights when accelerating only rpm’s would go up the vehicle still out of gear I immediately put on my flashers and pulled to the side of the highway with cars going by and the vehicle would restart no go in or out of gear. I had it towed to the nearest dealership after pulling over and turning car off after I turned key back on the engine light was on red and stated transmission fault, repair immediately. It was very dangerous situation I was in four lanes of traffic doing 65 mph when the vehicle slipped out of gear with no acceleration. It completely stalled at 65 mph.
tHIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE SAME ISSUE 3 TIMES AND STILL DOING THE SAME THING. SO OBVIOUSLY NOT PROPERLY REPAIRED, AND FORD HAS CLOSED THIS RECALL ON IT. I CALLED OVER THE CONCERN THAT IT IS STILL NOT PROPERLY REPAIRED AND WAS TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. THEY OFFER NO HELP OR SOLUTIONS OTHER THAN, TOO BAD IT ISN'T REPAIRED PROPERSLY BUT IF I WANT IT REPAIRED IT WILL HAVE TO PAY. THIS IS A CONCERN THAT THEY CANNOT REPAIR IT PROPERLY AND STILL CLOSE THE RECALL.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the “Transmission Hot” message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while shifted into reverse(R), the wheels locked, and the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Transmission Control Module). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Hello, We are writing in regards to Ford Motor Company’s inability to resolve their (Automatic) Transmission Control Module issue, as noted in TSB-16-0129, in a timely and reasonable manner. Our 2014 Ford Focus (with 47,000 miles, and we are the only owner) stalled, without warning, in a busy intersection while we were traveling out of state to a major suburb of Chicago. This stall almost caused a major accident, and we had an 18-month-old child in the vehicle. We had it towed to the closest Ford Dealer (Buss Ford in McHenry, Illinois). We have this part escalated with Ford, however Ford and the dealership have no timeline on when the part will arrive. We believe the part to be AE8Z7Z369F. We called a local Wisconsin Ford Dealer to see if they had the part. They stated that there were about 27,000 of these parts on backorder, and it could take more than 3 months to resolve. Our car is out of state, with no timeline of a repair due to Fords inability to get the part, so we cannot even plan when we can pick it up, and we are down a car. The dealer is out of loaner cars, and they are maxed out of the rental cars. We are on a wait list that is 12 people long. We called Ford customer service to request Ford to provide a rental car until the vehicle is fixed, however they are unwilling to do so. Ford sold a defective transmission (this is not the only issue with this transmission) and is not providing a reasonable timeline to get the part fixed, and they even knew of these issues. In addition, they are not providing customers with a rental car or loner car during this unknown time period. I am asking that you require Ford to provide loaner or rental cars free of charge until these vehicles can be fixed, not only for our family, but the 27,000 families that are out there waiting for this part. TSB-16-0129 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/MC-10109047-9999.pdf
12-18 ford focus equipped with 2.0 GDI or 2.0 GTDI equipped with purge valve, failing causing gas tank deformation
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, she depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that she applied more pressure to the accelerator pedal and the vehicle slowly responded. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated while driving and the message "Transmission Overheated" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road to allow the transmission to cool off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions, and the grill shudder module assembly, the transmission fluid, and the transmission clutch actuator were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 19N07. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.