Last updated on March 29th, 2022 at 10:15 pm
The 2014 Ford Focus has had transmission problems since its launch. For owners of the SUV, visits to the mechanic’s shop have become more frequent, specifically to diagnose and repair powershift transmission Problems. Over the years, Ford Focus automatic transmission cars have characterized an avalanche of transmission problems ranging from bad hesitation and jerking when starting to shuddering, slips and grinding noise, among others. These issues have been reported for cars with as little as 106 miles, although most problems occur in vehicles with mileage between 10,000 and 20,000. Even so, these SUVs are still covered under warranty and owners can qualify for paid repairs. Ford also extended its PCM (powertrain control module) warranty from 5 years and 60,000 miles to 10 years and 150,000 miles. This was after acknowledging that specific models, built between 2011 and 2015, had PCM failures.
5 common 2014 Ford Focus transmission problems:
a) Stalling and jerking
This is the most reported Ford Focus transmission problem. The car hesitates before taking off or stalls when switching gear, which might result in jerking. As with most transmission issues, the stalling and jerking result from faulty powertrain control modules and wrong inputs to the TCU (transmission control unit). The TCU, alongside the ECU (engine control unit), is part of the powertrain module, which is the brain of every modern car. Sometimes the car jerks when you start from a resting position or when slowing down. It may also jerk when you are braking, which can be frightening.
b) Shuddering in transmission
Shuddering transmission can cause panic, especially if it happens for the first time while driving. You might think something just broke away from the main components. Some users have reported terrible vibration, especially when shifting to a lower gear (slowing down), although shuddering in transmission can also happen while accelerating. Other users report vibrations coupled with a peculiar grinding noise when taking a corner. The shuddering might trigger or be triggered by jerking and might also cause the gears to disengage and bring the car to a halt. Shuddering is the second most reported 2014 Ford Focus transmission issue.
c) Grinding noise
If the PCM is causing transmission issues, the car is vibrating and there are lapses in gear shifts, it is only a matter of time before noise becomes an issue. 2014 Ford Focus users have reported unbearable sounds that occur after the 10,000 miles mark. Ford initially claimed the car is designed to work like that and the noise is normal. According to users, at purchase, the noise is admirable and might reflect powerful engine and transmission. However, once the transmission issues begin, the sound gets worse and can become unbearable when accelerating or marking turns. Possible in the ford fiesta too.
d) Transmission failure
Transmission failure is the hallmark of a PCM or component that has gone from bad to worse. Since the PCM hosts the transmission control unit, faulty inputs at any point may result in poor combustion and transmissions problems. However, various things can result in transmission failure other than the powertrain. Ford transmission failure is one of the common issues customers have reported. Some gears disengage and stop working in the middle of the road, while other transmissions fail to accelerate past a given gear. The engine may continue to run, but stepping on the gas does not cause any movement.
e) Significantly reduced power
Ford’s powershift transmission issues can quickly reduce your car’s power and performance. Stalling transmission, jerks, vibration and PCM faults are all terrible for engine health and performance. Ford Focus has LED light on the dashboard to indicate if the transmission is faulty or has any issues. This should prompt an immediate protocol to address the problem and restore normal transmission. In most cases, 2014 Ford Focus PCM and engine management issues can also result in transmission issues and vice versa. As such, reduced power, which is usually a sign of a troubled engine, can stem from transmission failures and faults. Also common for focus fiestas
Conclusion
Ford has been receiving heavy criticism for various issues with their trims. Their popular 2014 trims, including Ford Fiesta, Ford Fusion and Ford Focus models have all been criticized. The most common issues customers raise concern transmission, powertrain control module and control computer errors. These issues cause weak powershift transmissions, loss of engine power, hesitation, rolling back on a slope, jerking, terrible noise and other undesirable symptoms. More users are contemplating a class action lawsuit or pursuing the lemon laws against the company. However, Ford insists that their fiesta and focus transmissions issues do not pose any safety risk. While there are stern laws to ensure all consumer cars meet safety requirements, NHTSA is yet to take any action as Ford Focus cars have automatic braking and other smart technologies to ensure driver safety. This might be the same for the focus and fiesta
There isn’t any recall of the 2014 Ford Focus Transmission. Recently, some states have filed a class action suit against the company to recall and replace Ford transmissions. However, Ford only extended their PCM warranty, so customers can get free checks and repairs for longer. They have already extended the warranty twice, so a recall might never happen if the lawsuit fails.
Yes. Various transmission problems characterize Ford Focus and the company has even come forward to admit the fault is theirs. Specific models were manufactured with faulty PCM, which might cause the hesitations, slips, grinding noises and other undesirable transmissions problems.
Customers report transmission issues with various Ford Focus models. However, Ford initially announced that their extended warranty covers cars made before 2013. Mostly, it is SUVs built between 2011 and 2015 that have the most transmission problems. Nonetheless, transmission issues are becoming rampant for Ford Focus trims regardless of year.
The 2014 Ford Focus uses automatic transmission, which means everything is operated by the computer that determines the right time to switch the gear. The dual-clutch automatic transmission works efficiently, except for when the gears disengage and the car stops.
Thanks for this additional information to make our case for Ford to help us with the 2014 Focus Transmission. We heard the grinding noise and the car shuttered but we were told by our Ford dealer and a national mechanic, after they Investigated, that is was the suspension. They told us this until the warranty expired then it became a transmission problem. A local mechanic was the one who qualified this. Now Ford wants $7k to fix it. The local guy wants $4.3k for a used one but he really doesn’t want to replace it because we’d probably end up with the same problems. The Ford dealer sale manager told us to call Ford directly saying they would probably help. Really? Well we’ll try.
Did you get any help with the new transmission? Having the same issue
Im having that issue now 2014 for focus. Dont know what to do!
Did you get the help you needed? Having the problem now only 90,000 on the car
my 2014 ford focus se ,after driving it for 1 to 2 hours it does not shift ,it goes in idle only if I step wown a little most it goes at 55 miles and no reverse speed, also some times next day it is driveble again