2013 Ford Focus consumer reviews

I have 2013 Focus Titanium hatchback. Performs well, great styling, great gas mileage ~ 35 mpg and i drive fast. The car now has 46000 miles and is approaching it's 3 year anniversary. It is starting to age. I change the oil and rotate tires myself so I take a close look under the hood. Overall, I gather the dual clutch transmissions have had some issues, but I've only had my car shudder a couple of times. Ford did a software update to the transmission recently and they extended the warranty on the transmission to 150k miles, so i'm not worried about the car. I did notice drops of oil between at the enginer, transmission seal, which would be a bad thing. I think if the seal is bad, I'm ok in that the warranty covers that up to 60k or maybe more because of the known transmission problems. There is a fair amount of rust in the subframe and a cross member behind the engine which is a little surprising. It's only painted rather than galvanized. That won't cause issues in the near term but it's one of those planned obsolescence things that will make the car structurally weaker in 10 years. Overall, I'm very happy with the car.

The Focus is outstanding on MPG. On the interstate, going 65-70mph, easily obtain 42-44mph. Its a good car, except the transmission. You're read about it in other reviews. I'm not sure how this engineering design was approved by Fords quality control. The office that designed this transmission must have been under tight deadlines and external pressures to quickly design a transmission that enabled Ford to advertise 40+mph for this vehicle, because Ford invested heavily in promoting the Focus. I've taken the car back four times to the dealer, and each time they "reset" the software. A few days later, its hesitating again. One time the dealer told me that Ford wanted to have a class to "teach people how to drive". That was an insult. Ford needs to stop the policy of "resetting" the software and replace the system. It would go a long way instilling confidence with customers.

For the price, everything meets expectations EXCEPT for the transmission issues and SYNC. The car has good visibility and the side mirrors almost eliminate any blind spots. I hesitate to say they completely eliminate them, but I never had a car next to or behind me that I couldn't see. Good gas mileage. Acceleration is decent. Braking seemed a little slow to me but that could have just been the fact that I tend to drive a little fast....Good trunk space. Seats were comfortable to me. Easy to see and control in reverse. Windshield wipers seemed a tad slow to me but that could be my imagination. SYNC is a sin unto mankind and should never be used in another vehicle. It works about 60% of the time. I play music from my iPod when I drive, and whether I left it plugged in when I turned the car off or unplugged it every time, SYNC would bug out once a week and refuse to play from the iPod. SYNC would just pop back to the radio. I found that the solution to this is to repeatedly mash the AUX button very quickly for about 30 seconds. No joke. Just keep insisting that you WILL play music from your iPod or so help you God, and SYNC will eventually submit. Even with SYNC, I could have been very satisfied with this car. It fit my needs perfectly. Except for the transmission. I had the transmission situation explained to me and was told that no matter whether I had the transmission repaired or completely replaced, it would keep breaking. Forever. The design is faulty and it ruins itself. I bought this car new in the end of 2012 and got rid of it a week ago. In that time frame, I had my transmission repaired or replaced 4 times, first time occurring a month after purchase. Now, it is true that transmission fixes for this car are under warranty. But since this issue is so widespread, the parts are often on backorder. It once took a week and a half to have my transmission fixed. I am a student with a job. I cannot be without a car for over a week. It got to the point where I would wait until the hitchy, grinding, groaning transmission was nigh on unbearable before I would reluctantly leave my car at the dealership to be fixed. My transmission would act up in first gear, which means that at every stoplight and in thick traffic I was grinding my teeth with frustration and annoyance. I became resentful of my car and let it get filthy. I began to hate driving anywhere. Unless it was within a month of the transmission being fixed, when it ran fine. Ford knew they screwed up and they still kept selling these cars. I don't care that the fixes are under warranty. I'm still having to give my time for a problem that should not exist in a car this young. This car is a faulty vehicle and 3 stars is generous. I hear that later years had this issue fixed. I certainly hope so. If the transmission is functional, then this is a good car for the price, and a good first car for young drivers. It's the transmission. The transmission is the clincher.

I bought this car brand new two years ago, and am overall complacent about this purchase. Many people mention issues about the transmission, issues that I have experienced as well. I have been in to the dealership 4 times with mechanical issues. Luckily, still under warranty, I never paid a dime for repairs. I still have issues with jerking, and stalling with the transmission, and am planning another trip soon to get it looked at. I have had no issues with the car other than the transmission. The car is sleek, and still looks great. I love my gas mileage with this car, but I can't shake the ongoing issues with the transmission. Altogether, I would not buy this car again.

This car is excellent all around. I've seen complaints about the stuttering and stalling, but if you take it to your nearest Ford dealer they will fix it for free! There was a recall on these vehicles. Great ride, great gas mileage, great looks - don't let the transmission issues cause a hasty decision when the solution for it is free!

Bought this care brand new. had it 2 hrs and it broke down. the parking assist and the battery was cracked the day i picked it up. the engine shutters and grinds, and feels like its going to stall. i love this car for it's sleek and great look. But after so many problems within 2 years, i will never get a ford again and won't recommend others purchase a ford either, after they way their treat their customers.

I owned this car for 2.5 years. Loved everything about it except for the transmission. The dealer said it's normal but there's nothing normal about bogging, shaking, stuttering and stalling. I have been driving only Ford products for about 25 years but finally traded this car in for a Honda Civic due to sheer frustration over this transmission. I don't think I will ever buy a Ford again. I don't trust them anymore.

This is a follow up reveiw for my 2013 Ford Focus. After two years and 3 months with 27000 miles this car is still getting great gas milage and is trouble free. As I said in the first reveiw we had a jumpy transmission at first. After a couple of long trips this stoped. The transmission works flawlessly and I could not be happier with this car. We moved from Long Island to the Adirondacks, driving in the mountains is more challeging than the Island and harder on the transmission. But the Focus performs flawlessly. Handing is steller and the car feels like a much more expensive car would. I recomend this car and would buy again.

Have a diesel 2013 Focus which has done approx. 55,000 KM. basically used as a commuter and driven fairly hard ( driven like I stole it) - have not had the transmission problems as detailed by other subscribers on this site. Originally purchased it because it was a better drive than the Corrolla alternative and would buy another for the same reason. Mileage is 5.8 litres per 100Km. .

great riding car for the money. have not had any issues with it yet 62k miles, I've heard of people having problems with the auto trans. i have a 5 speed manual and had not had any issues with changing gears.