2013 FORD FOCUS Complaints

My daughter-in-law's 2013 Ford Focus SE started experiencing hesitations and slow/no acceleration. As she was driving, the car suddenly would not go above 30mph and the "check engine" light illuminated. OBD codes P2831, P2832, and P287b are present. She is the 2nd owner and the car only has 56,000 miles. The Transmission Control Module (TCM) appears to be the issue and the replacement should be free under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02 (10yrs/150,000miles). Ford issued a "Manufacture Communication" about this very serious safety problem instead of a Recall, which is why she was not notified of this dangerous problem. The "warranty in service date" on this car is March 2013 which means the car is less than 2 months over the 10 year limit, but is 99,000 miles under the mileage cap. I talked to Ford customer care this morning and they told me that Ford would not cover this because it is 2 months beyond the 10 year cap. I am extremely disappointed that Ford is not willing to stand behind their product and fix this potentially deadly problem that customers do not know about because of Ford's lack of direct communication. Instead she's looking at a $900 repair bill.

There was a past recall for the purge valve canister and the fuel pump and I was never notified from Ford about the recall when it was open. Now they are asking me to pay out of pocket for these repairs the dealership is asking $1400 to repair. Ford shoild honor there recalls even if the recall is closed. Now that I have the problem with the fuel system it is affecting my fuel tank as well. I have been buying Ford cars for over 20 years. The least they can do is offer financial assistance. If this is affecting my fuel tank now my car can catch on fire. I can't drive my vehicle more than two miles before it starts to slow down. At the time of the recall my vehicle had 83,000 miles. it now has 140,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his son was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle would not accelerate above 5 MPH. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective transmission control module. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under recall or warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

While driving at approximately 60 mph on a highway in the passing lane, the engine shut off without warning, and the following lights appeared on the dash: check engine, ABS, and traction control. The speedometer needle also went down to zero. I was in the process of passing a tractor trailer, and another tractor trailer was right behind me. I was barely able to maneuver off the highway onto the left shoulder and was almost rear-ended by the tractor trailer. The lack of power steering made it extremely difficult. This is a major safety issue. My family was in the car with me. After sitting on the side of the highway, I was able to start the engine and drive home. I arrived home and tried to back into my driveway, but it would not go into reverse. I took the car to the local Ford dealer and I was told the TCM needs to be replaced for around $750. I asked about the recall and they said that it expired in October of 2022. I did not know that recalls had an expiration date. After reading through many other complaints on the NHTSA website for the 2013 Focus, it seems that I have purchased a lemon. I just bought this vehicle in January at 57000 miles and have only put around 5000 miles on it. I still owe $9700 on the loan and the vehicle is undriveable. The manufacturer needs to buy this vehicle back so that I can purchase a replacement vehicle.

Driving on the highway car started to make a loud noise when I tried to accelerate I couldn’t then I lost power, lucky I was near the breakdown lane. I pulled over no warning lights ever came on started up again put gear in drive and it wouldn’t move only worked in reverse. I just found out that the control module was recalled last November but I was never contacted.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the contact became aware of a delay while shifting gear. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle; however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the warranty had expired and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 114,000

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started sputtering and hesitating. The vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall. The contact stated that five times between 2016 and 2018, while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle sputtered and paused. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 63,503.

Faulty door latch/ car not registering door is closed Dealer did not recognize this as part of the recall for cars of the same year and model because of the difference in vin

On Monday March 27th 2023 at about 7:00 pm I was leaving the parking garage where I work in Rosslyn, VA: I started the car as usual and notice that I couldn't put the car in Reverse using the clutch (it's an automatic Ford Focus 2013): Luckily, the parking garage was empty on the level where I was parked, and I pushed the car back and forth to be able to keep the car in "Drive" mode so that I could drive the car out of the garage. I did that and I started to drive to go home. I started to notice that I couldn't accelerate the car and at about 20 min into driving I started to get a signal on the dash board that said: “TRANS OVERHEATING”, and I was getting the signal to stop the car to cool off before driving it again. I had to do this several time (at least 6 times) while I was driving home to MD. The car was NOT SAFE to drive I barely made it home and the next morning on Tuesday March 28th I drove the car to the Ford Dealer "Academy Ford" in Laurel MD, having the same issue and emergency signal on the dash board. This is the SECOND TIME that this issue has presented itself: in 2019 the Car had the same problem, and at the time, because the car was under extended warranty, Ford replaced the part at no cost. I took the car at the same Ford Dealer in 2019. (see paper attached) This time the Dealer said that I would have to pay for the COST OF THE REPAIR, which I provided with the QUOTE from the Dealer in attachment. I was advised to contact directly "Ford Costumer Service" to see if they would provide Financial Assistance and Reimbursement for the Car Rental that I had to get because I didn't have a car and I work in VA every day (the cost is provided in attachment). Ford Costumer Service opened a case but denied ANY FINANCIAL HELP and Assistance for the Car and for the Rental because THERE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ANY RECALLS of this nature ON THE FORD FOCUS 2013. I need to open a CASE & A RECALL for this PROBLEM for the FORD FOCUS 2013. Thank you.

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, she lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll over twice and ended up in a ditch. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the front driver's side and the front passenger dashboard air bags did not deploy. The contact stated the front passenger curtain air bag did deploy. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. The VIN was not available.