Hey Ford Focus owners,
What were the signs your car gave before you found out it had issues? What turned out to be the problem, and how much did it cost to fix?
My 2017 is close to hitting 70,000 miles. It’s not idling or riding as smoothly as before. It’s had that shuttering problem since I bought it. Wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.
I’ve had my share of issues with this car. The first big one happened when I was coasting to a red light, and it suddenly turned green. I hit the gas, the engine revved, but the car didn’t move. Then it slammed into gear and took off. At first, I thought it was a one-off problem with the transmission, but three months later, the car wouldn’t start sometimes, or it would miss gears.
Mechanics told me I’d need a new transmission, quoting around $10,000. I found a post in this forum that mentioned checking the actuator lever. I convinced my mechanic, and it cost me $1,500 to fix. If you’ve got an OBD2 scanner, it’s worth checking that.
Another issue was overheating in traffic or at stoplights. The A/C would cut off, and the temperature would spike. I replaced the cooling fan controller for $30 and fixed it in 15 minutes. Problem solved.
The weirdest issue? My old MyFord Touch system once threw a Windows-style error and shut the car off. Turning off my phone’s Bluetooth somehow fixed it. It never happened again, and I’ve since upgraded to Sync 3.
Oh, and if your vents stop working, it’s usually a small plastic piece that breaks. Grab spares from a junkyard—they’re cheap but hard to find new. Overall, this car has kept me busy, that’s for sure.
@mikey47
One more thing: get proper engine mounts. The cheap ones wear out fast. Stick with hydraulic ones.
@mikey47
My car overheats in traffic too, especially on hot days. I replaced the fan, the fan control module, and the thermostat, but then the water outlet sensor blew. Winter hasn’t been an issue, but I need to replace it soon. Thanks for the tip!
@Brenda
That sounds like the same fan module I swapped. Is your overheating constant or random? Mine would only happen at stoplights or low speeds, but not all the time.
My check engine light came on, and the car lost power and wouldn’t stay running. Turned out to be the MAF sensor. It cost me $70 for a good one.
Around 80k miles, my 2013 started having random no-start issues. It wasn’t often, maybe once a month. I thought it was the battery, but everything checked out. Then on Halloween, it wouldn’t start until the third try, and I saw a hill-start assist warning. By 83k miles, the shuddering got worse. I replaced the TCM, and it’s much better now. The dealership tried to say I needed a new clutch, but I avoided that.
@Adeline
My car did the same thing before the TCM and clutch had to be replaced. I’m glad yours was just the TCM!
Rooney said:
@Adeline
My car did the same thing before the TCM and clutch had to be replaced. I’m glad yours was just the TCM!
Yeah, after Halloween, I lost reverse and acceleration almost entirely. The new TCM fixed it. I saw lots of posts here warning about dealerships trying to upsell clutches too.
@Adeline
Same here! My mechanic tried just replacing the TCM first, but I still ended up needing a new clutch. Spent $2,600 on a car that’s barely worth that much. It’s frustrating.
Rooney said:
@Adeline
Same here! My mechanic tried just replacing the TCM first, but I still ended up needing a new clutch. Spent $2,600 on a car that’s barely worth that much. It’s frustrating.
That’s brutal. Hopefully, the new clutch holds up for a while. Fingers crossed for fewer repair bills!