2018 FORD FOCUS Complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift into gear properly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while at a stop, the vehicle shimmied while attempting to shift into gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the failure was related to the transmission and the contact was referred to the dealer for further assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the independent mechanic. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.

The fuel pump has failed and causes my car to loose power after the car has started. This is able to occur while operating the vehicle and results in immediate loss of power. This component has been inspected by an auto mechanic and will be looked at by the Ford dealership. A check engine warning appeared on 27Oct2025. However, my vehicle had been showing symptoms starting as early as Nov 2023. The symptoms included: a clunking vibration while accelerating the vehicle and switching gears, stalling at low speeds, and making weird noises when switching between gears at low speeds. I first contacted a Ford dealership about these symptoms six months ago.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle felt as if the transmission had slipped into neutral(N). The contact was not able to get the vehicle back into gear, and the vehicle lost forward momentum. The contact was in the parking lot of the residence and stopped and called a tow truck. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that it was the fifth time that the clutch had been replaced. The contact stated that the clutch was most recently replaced in May 2024. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

My wife was driving her car home from work when her car suddenly overheated in light traffic. She pulled over and called me. I came by and we saw that the coolant level was low, so we filled it up to the normal level and she drove it another 20 minutes back to our home. She said it was shuddering the whole way back. I started it in the driveway later that evening and a large amount of white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe and the engine still seemed to be misfiring. I tried starting it again the next day and it would crank but not start. It seems to be an issue with the engine, my guess is a ruptured head gasket. The shuddering caused by the misfires made the car unstable to drive especially if it died while she was at speed with other cars around. The car was towed to a dealer over 30 days ago and they said that it may be related to the open recall, but they won't know until they tear it down. Which they still haven't done. There were no engine codes or prior lamp indications until the overheating event.

On August 26, 2025, my 2018 Ford Focus suffered an engine failure and had to be towed by AAA to [XXX] of Saugus. Prior to the tow, service advisor [XXX] confirmed the vehicle could be inspected for secondary engine damage connected to Ford recall 23S64 (oil pump drive belt). On August 29, [XXX] texted me that the engine required replacement due to engine failure but that Ford would not cover it since the oil pump belt itself had “not failed.” He claimed Ford only covers engine replacement if the belt breaks outright. This is inaccurate: recall obligations extend to secondary damage caused by the defect, which in my case left the car inoperable. When I requested inspection documentation, technician notes, and photos, Service Director [XXX] and [XXX] told me “there is no checklist” and insisted the car was “drivable,” which was false—I have the AAA tow receipt. Internal correspondence shows [XXX] asking if photos “must have been taken for SSSC contact,” yet the case was never escalated to Ford’s Special Service Support Center as required. On Sept. 30, [XXX] emailed me that he would no longer respond, accused me of manipulating details, threatened storage fees, and refused to perform recall repairs. On Oct. 1, in person, he told me [XXX] “does not need to follow Ford recall protocol” because it is a private dealer and that he blocked my vehicle in Ford’s system to prevent any [XXX] location from performing recall work. I believe [XXX] of Saugus and Ford Motor Company have failed to comply with federal recall obligations, misrepresented the condition of my vehicle, refused escalation, and retaliated against me. I respectfully request NHTSA investigate Ford and enforce compliance with recall 23S64 so my vehicle has both the recall and the secondary engine damage repaired, ensuring that my car is safe to drive INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking and hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown transmission repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were contacted and offered to take the vehicle in a trade-in, but the contact declined. The vehicle was taken to Marcino Enterprises LLC, where it was test-driven, and the failure recurred. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission fluid was contaminated with metal shavings and had become brown. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine overheated. 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 8,899.

My vehicle is part of the 23S64/23V905 Ford recall. The car died in the middle of an intersection in 2024 and Ford finally agreed to replace the faulty parts with more faulty parts until there was a fix. Now there is a fix and Ford said they will not replace it because it's still running, but when/if the parts fail again, to bring it in and they'll fix it. So if the vehicle fails on the interstate or in the middle of an intersection again and I'm in a crash, then they'll fix it. But they will not fix it until they fail because "there are too many not running vehicles in front" of mine.

Bought a used 2018 Ford Focus From a dealer in October 2024. In February 2025 the car started shuttering when put inn reverse when I left work. I drove ten miles to Home and didn't drive the car util the next day. The next morning when I went to work the car would not do more than 25 miles per hour. I pulled over and called someone to come tow the car. The car would not go in reverse. Car was taken to Dealership Which told me I needed some kind of part for the transmission. the Part was replaced but then the dealership could not get the car to go forward or in reversed. The car kept throwing codes for the mechanic. I had the car towed back home. the Transmission light is on and cannot drive the car. The car has not been driven since the end of February due to unable to pay for more repairs.

My 2018 ford focus broke down in the middle of the road on [XXX] leaving it undrivable. The engine light came on and it gave an error saying “system engine fault, service now” I had it towed to Legacy Ford in Corbin KY on [XXX] and was they advised it was due to a recall with the with Oil Pump Drive belt and told me it would be covered but they didn’t know how long it would take….after having it for OVER a month, they called and said it was finished and ready for pick-up so I picked my car up on September 9th (still was driving weird) and picked my kids up from school & daycare, then went home so I only drove it about an hour before parking it. I went to leave to take my son to school the next morning and before I even pulled out of the driveway, the same error message had kicked on and the engine would seize and died- which is the same exact thing it did whenever it initially broke down…. Well they had it towed back to them on Wednesday September 10th so they could take a look at it since it was most likely related to the recall… So they called me the next day to let me know they had checked it out and it was an issue with the PCM and is unrelated to the recall and it will be $1,600 to fix it even though it’s doing the SAME EXACT thing it did whenever it broke down the first time. I found information supporting the fact that the issues from the recall can most certainly cause damages to the PCM. I also found out my car was part of a class action lawsuit and the Plaintiffs allege that Ford internally acknowledges that there is no permanent fix for the alleged defect; however, it continued to manufacture and sale the car. I don’t know what to do at this point but if they aren’t going to make it right then I guess my next step is to speak with an attorney for emotional distress and loss of pay. I tried to resolve the issue with the dealership but they weren’t helpful so customer support opened a case. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I have had this car for 2 years, the transmission went on me in the middle of the night and I had to have it towed home and to a transmission SPECIALIST. I just got the car back 2 weeks ago after spending $2,000 to get it NH road legal. My transmission NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I’ve contacted Ford, my car should be on the recall list but it isn’t. I have the junk transmission that they never should have “engineered”. The car has done nothing but cost my money and I still owe on because the dealership ripped me off. The attached file is from recent work, I haven’t gotten the invoice from AAMCO of Concord NH.