2015 Ford Focus Transmission Problems

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-30 MPH, the transmission started slipper while shifting out of 2nd gear with the message "Transmission Overheating" and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Auto Zone and a diagnostic scanner retrieved DTC: P090C and P207A. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,100.

NHTSA ID

11680969

Incident

May 15, 2025

Mileage

109,100 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at a roundabout at 20 MPH, the "Transmission Overheating - Please Pull Over to a Safe Location" was displayed, and the contact pulled over for 30 minutes for the transmission to cool down. However, after restarting the vehicle and attempting to drive, the contact noticed that the transmission was slipping between 1st and 2nd gear. The contact proceeded to pull over and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the dual clutch assembly and the fuel rail pressure sensor were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,007.

NHTSA ID

11678873

Incident

Oct 16, 2024

Mileage

109,007 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound and hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission clutch was replaced several times under an extended warranty; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for a diagnostic test and repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11660996

Incident

May 14, 2018

Mileage

50,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the transmission suddenly switched to neutral and the vehicle would no long accelerate. During the failure the message "Transmission Fault" had displayed. The contact was able to continue driving but later discovered that the vehicle would not operate in reverse. Later while driving the message "Transmission Overheating" had displayed and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred shortly after the TCM and PCM software was updated as part of a recall repair. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 35,000.

NHTSA ID

11656225

Incident

Apr 7, 2025

Mileage

35,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the transmission was unable to shift out of park(P). The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clutch. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 154,000.

NHTSA ID

11646794

Incident

Mar 3, 2025

Mileage

154,000 mi

The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 45 MPH, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle started jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked while accelerating from a stop. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, a year later the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the clutch had been replaced twice however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ID

11630178

Incident

Jan 28, 2019

Mileage

40,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on three occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began vibrating with a grinding sound coming from the front end of the vehicle while shifting gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11617811

Incident

Dec 1, 2019

Mileage

10,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and shuddering abnormally. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission clutch shudder. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,000.

NHTSA ID

11616463

Incident

Sep 9, 2024

Mileage

91,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the Transmission Control Module (TCM). The contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact's daughter stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence and diagnosed the vehicle as a failure with the clutch. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,502.

NHTSA ID

11600261

Incident

Jul 8, 2024

Mileage

79,502 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the clutch assembly. The contact was informed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11597467

Incident

Jun 28, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that no defect was found; however, the failure recurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Mace Ford (4501 S US Hwy 41, Terre Haute, IN 47802), where the TCM was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with transmission clutch shudder and determined that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 19N08 because the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 approximately 62,000.

NHTSA ID

11587238

Incident

Dec 6, 2022

Mileage

62,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11586370

Incident

Dec 4, 2023

Mileage

49,242 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11571705

Incident

Dec 31, 2023

Mileage

24,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a stop, the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle failed to move forward when in third or fourth gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who informed him there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 69,759.

NHTSA ID

11558969

Incident

Nov 30, 2023

Mileage

69,759 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11555450

Incident

Oct 16, 2023

Mileage

74,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. While the contact's mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shook excessively. The contact's mother stated that when she depressed the accelerator pedal the vehicle started shaking excessively. The contact stated that he contacted the dealer to inform them of the failure. The contact stated that the transmission clutch assembly had been replaced three times under an unstated recall repair. The dealer informed the contact that the repair would not be covered under the recall because the recall had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. 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 88,000.

NHTSA ID

11553488

Incident

Nov 3, 2023

Mileage

88,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. 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 14,500.

NHTSA ID

11546871

Incident

Jul 15, 2023

Mileage

14,500 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11544027

Incident

Feb 12, 2021

Mileage

138,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the clutch; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 82,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11531256

Incident

Jun 10, 2023

Mileage

82,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that on a separate occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under the Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08, and advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11523542

Incident

May 22, 2023

Mileage

90,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when shifted to reverse(R). The contact also stated that the transmission was slipping while driving and the vehicle failed to accelerate properly while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the transmission control module (TCM), but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the clutch had previously been replaced; however, the failure occurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11496551

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

Mileage

80,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while parking the vehicle in a parking lot, the contact was unable to shift the vehicle into reverse(R). The contact stated that she then shifted the vehicle to drive(D) and was able to front-end park the vehicle and then shift to park(P). When the contact returned and started the vehicle, she could not shift the gear shifter into reverse(R). The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that once she left the parking lot, the vehicle engine would rev as she depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to properly respond. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The TCM was replaced; however, the contact was told by the dealer that the transmission needed additional work. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ID

11496478

Incident

Aug 13, 2022

Mileage

86,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that when she started the vehicle, the clutch intermittently started to shake. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that clutch and the seal 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 vehicle was previously repaired and there was no warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA ID

11496040

Incident

Apr 22, 2022

Mileage

56,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the dealer previously replaced the TCM; however, the failure recurred while driving at an undisclosed speed, and the transmission failed to shift into the intended gear. Additionally, the vehicle would not accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at 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 52,000.

NHTSA ID

11489751

Incident

Jun 30, 2022

Mileage

52,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 67 MPH, the vehicle would no longer accelerate and instead decelerated to 30 MPH. Additionally, the transmission failed to shift as designed. The check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle was overheating. The contact stated she was almost struck by an oncoming truck but was able to pull over safely and waited until the vehicle cooled down. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dual clutch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the mechanic stated that the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 31,000.

NHTSA ID

11487132

Incident

Jul 26, 2022

Mileage

31,000 mi