You're either gonna love this car or hate it. After I started to understand it a little better i fell in love with it tbh

Last spring, I was looking for a new car and the Ford Focus was on my list. In a test drive, driving in moderate/fast moving traffic, this was THE car I was looking for. BUT in slow bumper to bumper traffic, the dual clutch transmission made the car buck/surge and occasionally hesitate before acclerating. This was a brand new 2015 Focus test drive with less than 50 miles on the odo. Once the car got moving, the shuddering stopped. Sad, it really was fun to drive other than that.

got my 2015 focus, at 17k km it does the same thing. thought it was the trans slipping. was about to call the dealer, but thanks for the information. now i know that its normal. . .=)

I just got a used '13. I like feeling the shifts, what some might call odd - my main complaint with Auto was that it felt boring and lifeless - with 6 speed it runs thru the first 3 rather quickly. The throttle response is pretty good and with proper practice it doesn't feel boggy.

2018, se 24k miles on it and it's amazing. Going to get an st soon, now a focus fanatic

I have a recall on my transmission, it has its moments but other than that it's a pretty good transmission. Smooth shifts and pretty quick

I had a 2015 fiesta with manual gearbox.....super reliable to be fair, it's well built for the price and the breaks were excellent, they started to fade at 40000 km which is kind of normal for my aggressive driving in the city. I hope they get their gearbox issues sorted out , they are good value for the money. Jeeze, If I didn't have family.....would have bought the Focus RS....that is a CAR !!!

I got 2013 they were build as a standard transmission its automatic but standard in the inside they all have that feeling but no worries your good bro

Trust me when it slips you'll be stuck

My 2012 Ford Focus se has 120,000 miles and I’m just beginning to notice my dual clutch start to slip. I know this is probably late to tell you this and probably a little early in it’s mileage to do this, but replace the trans fluid. When I bought the car at 100,000 miles, the trans is jilting like you said. I changed the trans fluid and the jolting magically went away. But now, if you have to floor it, the car revs to 3k rpm and when the clutch stops slipping, the rpms drop. it could be something as simple as CHANGING THE TRANS FLUID

Go to your dealer and specifically say you want the transmission PCM reflashed and that you're having this issue. They'll update the transmission software to the latest and greatest. I have a 2013 Focus Titanium and havent had this problem yet. Good luck!

i have a 2016 it does the same thing makes me a little nervous when changing lanes you have to slam the gas to make sure u get enough speed in time

Just because a car shifts differently doesn’t mean that it’s “slipping.” It’s a DCT not a torque converter.

You say that " a lot of parts are wearing out", could you elaborate?

My cousins 2013 does this. Driving around her country town it's do-able. But going any farther causes it to act up way worse. This is covered under that recall right? I'm trying to figure it out for her since she's never dealt with a recall before and the nearest dealer is 50 miles from her rural town.

I have the same car, as of 11/2017, I have 95,000 miles. I'm sure everyone is aware of the TCM (Transmission Control Module) recall. Had that done at the dealer, ran like a charm. Now, they're recalling the clutches themselves and mines just out of the warranty date.

FYI, a lot of dual clutch Ford's have recalls for the input shaft seals and a few other parts that will fix the shudder issue, and the weird grinding noise heard in low gears. What this guy's is describing is the symptoms of this recall.

Have the same issue it also shudders when accelerating. Ford fixed the transmission but a couple months later it started shuddering again and still does. So now it broke again and when u try to speed up while cruising it will hesitate and it will just rev like in neutral then after a couple seconds it will shift and go. It also makes noises. And for some reason it's so weird but it only shutters the second time u start it and after. Every day the first time we drive the car the transmission is fine but when u start it a second time and more then it shutters I don't get that.

I just had to put my TCM in learning more again and the shudder is gone and only comes back when the car has been driven for too long or it's really hot. I think it needs to cool off or something

if you drive in hill mode. should be a button on shifter for that. it will feel like a normmal transmission

I took my Focus in for these issues today. They said my Clutch was going (whoever had this before me must've ran it hard -- only 22K miles on it), so they replaced it and made a change to the TCM. They put in a revised clutch, so hopefully it will put a stop to these problems.

I have a 2012 focus se and since your check engine light or anything isn’t on it’s definitely just the dual clutch or double clutch transmission that they have.

its because its computer controled shift.

The slip is only when it goes thru 2k in 1st gear in mine after having another engine put in after tcm replaced

My 13' se with the sport auto trans and its a 90k km and it only really slips in second when the car is cold

I’ve got a 2016 SE and looked up how to fix that, apparently all you need to do is sand the paint off of the metal where the bolt for the ground on you battery is. It sounds ridiculous but apparently the computers aren’t fully grounded and this helps that. I did it to mine and have been seeing way better shifting and no more grinding

Hi There, do you still own the car? Did the transmission go out? thanks.

You always preesed brake and never shift to N when in traffic lights and always used this car at traffic jammed area ?

As most posts have stated that yes it is a dry clutch transmission, but only the clutch pack not the whole transmission, the second half has transmission fluid in it. Here the problem, the seal between the clutch and gears are faulty and leak just enough fluid on the clutch pack and this is what's causing the slipping issue. Ford has extended warranty on the transmission so check with a ford dealer.

Mine is at 74,000 miles in 2020. Great condition

I have a 2013 and it has this issue sometimes but I've learned to smoothen it out. odd but I just accelerate quickly a few times than i dont have any jolts

My 2014 gets new clutch today because of the clutch shuddering and the recall of the module that operates the vlutch its a big problem but clutch is up dated or different ftom oe

I can see you're from Mt Lebo. Washington Road! How's the car do in the snow?

By what I've seen by the camera movement, and the Tach, it seems the operator might be trying to mash on the gas a little bit from a dead stop. My (soon to be former) Cavalier does the same thing.

If you accelerate too hard in second gear when your out of sport mode it will jolt, I drive mine in sport mode most of the time so I can shift on my own because I believe its a tuning issue.

mine just slow cranks and wont start, anyone else have this issue, what was it 2014 SE please help. I was told the TCM and the FORD garage is telling me its not saying its my engine.

I have a same problem. Please can someone tell, is there any solution? is this a transmission problem or what?

I have a 2014 Ford Focus too and it slips and jerks the first gear, I just wanna let you know I have 41,000 miles on mine and the transmission is failing.... I have a feeling it’s the spark plugs

I had jus recently got a letter in the mail saying that the transmission needs a software or firmware update. which I thought was wierd. bt hopefully thst will fix the issue bc mine does that as well.

I have the same car, automatic. I have the same issues, I bought it brand new and now even a few months into it, it started feeling as if the transmission was slipping

I have a 2013 Focus that was slipping when setting off etc and that was fixed under warranty by changing clutch pack, only auto i have drove so i cant say for sure but to me this gearbox isn't smooth or great at all....sometimes it hesitates or shifts down or up when you dont want it to and also doesn't display what gear your car is actually in which is annoying, powershift have tons of issues and wont last long so i dont think i'd get another Ford automatic.

My focus when you barley press the gas, it shifts into second at about 2k but all the other gears it’s fine. Also it takes my car a second to go. I’ll press the gas and about a second to 2 later then the car will start to go

The transmission is not slipping. It's essentially a manual transmission. Its called a dual clutch transmission. 1st and 2nd shake because you are giving to much gas. You have to treat it like a manual transmission. Little at a time. People are having trouble because they are not educated on what they are buying. Maybe if the ales people did a better job at explaining it less people would freak out. Happy my sales guy was right on the money. I bought my 2014 Ford Focus SE brand mew in 2013 and was explained this transmission in full before I test drove any of them. This transmission was designed to give you that great gas mileage you love about the vehicle. I hope this helps you.

and the way, with this type of transmission in general, it is as smooth as the regular auto. I had a 2012 Golf TDI with DSG, it would knock between the first and the second at slow speed. This was very pronounced when it was cold ( I live in Montreal, Canada). But I was ok with that once I knew it was normal and nothing was wrong with the car.

Doing better than mine. My car 2104 Ford Focus SE hatchback has the eng serv light on. P2831 diagnostic code(Shift fork.TCM problem). I have made several attempts to clear the code just to see if it would do anything however the service engine light stays does not go away not eve for a moment. It does blink occasionally when I am trying to clear it but it will not go away. Tried disconnecting the battery negative cable and left it like that for a few hours and still it stays on. Diagnostic code points toward the transmission control module as the culprit. Had the software update on it this past June.Started having issues last week. Just loaded up a video on it. Recorder the dash like you drink a few minutes of driving.

I've got the same year/make/model- it slipped like crazy from the start-and now my transmission is out!!! Warrant is out by 12,000 miles- and I'm looking at a very costly repair! I took it in twice to the dealer and was told it was fine- So you are NOT an idiot-

if you hit too many bumps, the axle seal leaks and you lose transmission fluid. The fluid helps the transmission shift without grinding metal.

If starts to shudder excessively from 1-2 take a few full throttle runs from stop to clean the clutch. Also putting it in tow mode 1st thing in the day occasionally helps. Tow mode is key on hand brake on don’t start shift to neutral look at info center. Then park ,off ,start and go as usual.

I have a 2014 focus se 6speed. Flex fuel. Can some one tell me why the transmission doesnt pop out of gear ONLY when it's on e85. With normal gasoline the car stalls

I have this car and I HATE that it does that I always want to ask other people I see driving this exact car do they have this problem until I came across your video and others saying it’s a recall on the transmission

Same problem here , any body know the issue?

My 2014 focus had both clutches bad and would stutter until it hit second gear finally ford issued a recall to fix it and now I'm happy with this car

I have the 2012 focus titanium and it also shutters when taking off and also in 3 and 4th gear it shifts hard or weird. It also doesnt catch when on a hill. To me this trans is like driving a manuel. It will go to the dealer next week for the recall it has 86k on it. This will be the 3rd time to the dealer. Wish I would of bought the st instead.

Watch out for transmission control module (TCM) failures. My car was updated to 15B22 (the most recent transmission controller program) and the TCM failed three days later. The transmission is okay if you don't drive it like a conventional automatic car (race the engine a bit, and make sure to leave space between the car in front of you and your car, so you don't have to activate the clutches as much when decreasing the car's speed.)

What do u mean the parts are wearing off.....?

Hello, I have a 2013 Hatchback and my wife a 2014 Sedan and yes, they are both “jerky” at times. As another posted if you give it gas slowly, it is not as jerky. I was told that sine the DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) lacks a Torque Converter ride quality is sacrificed for better fuel economy than a typical automatic with a Torque Converter. This applies to the American Fiesta as well.

I got this car and now the transmission has malfunctioned on me only had it 3 years and it’s tends to always have problems and now it has major transmission problems

My transmission was going out on my 2014.... just bought a Toyota Camry & will never be going back to Ford

I have a 2012 ford focus when I was on the freeway it started loosing speed randomly and it started shifting down for no reason it only had 60k miles and it still does it and when the door latch recall happened last year I needed to get my door replaced so this car is very faulty in my opinion

Man these things are so weird. I've got a '15 I bought for 2 grand, I love it but just in that shift from 1st to 2nd it jerks and shudders but for every other shift it's completely fine. I love the car, it's fun to drive outside of that damn shudder. I'm looking to get my clutches replaced, the TCM reprogrammed and new fluid and just see where it goes from there. I do drive it pretty aggressively ngl.

my 2013 focus shutters when taking off. it's annoying to say the least.

Thanks. This is exactly what is happening to my 2013 Focus

I have a 2014 Focus SE with 27,000 miles on it. The transmission has had the exact same problem since the day after I drove it off the lot. I took it back and got the run around about it. I've had the transmission inspected and I'm on a very long wait list for replacement parts from Ford. They will fix it (supposedly since I've been on the wait list for 4 months) and there should be improvement. Ford knows they are selling bad cars I have no idea why they are still doing so. This is my 4th Ford in a row and this is the 1st to have any problems. Sadly since I am now economically in this level of car I won't be returning to Ford.

I have a 2016 focus S and it has the 6 speed DCT automated manual. As it's not not a good transmission, the car is great everywhere else otherwise. It rides comfortably, handles well. Yes I only have 17 almost 18k miles and it's had the clutch replaced once, but Ford cheaped out on these transmissions. They do slip, they do leak. It's just cheap. The car is great besides the automatics. The manuals on the other hand don't have these issues. Despite replacing my clutch my car it shifts, and drives well, no slipping, no dropping into neutral between gears it's a good car and I love my focus. It's a really fun car and I can recommend it to anyone besides the automatic. xD The automatic is a little more optimal with the s and se models. Maybe I will just see if I can swap an aftermarket trans in one day.

Bought my 13 new....just now having this issue...only problem I've had with it wonder what's"falling off" yours

What did the car have

its the clutch in the carif you go to your local dealer they'll do a tcm and pcm reprogram and you have to go 200 miles for a relearn process and if that don't take care of it come back they'll do test and have to order a clutch its a warranty. I work at a ford dealership

my sister car been doing the same thing today.. and when we too it to the shop it did not do it.. but now the way home it did and its getting more bad as she keeps driving. it.. only on the first two gears... what they told us it might need to be re programed. on the transmission ... to help it shift .

Did you find out the problem having same problem with my ford fusion took it to repair shop they said I need a new transmission

Are these transmissions problems only for automatics or manuals as well?

The 2014 Focus came with a double clutch transmission which acts as a manual transmission when you start and also it helps in fuel ratio. It's the way the car was designed. I have one, mine does it and it doesn't bug me.

I understand my 2013 does that all the time and its like I anticipate it, but today it revved up and seemed stuck in between 3 and 4. Transmission service now message came on and when I restarted it the message was gone but I was left with a check engine light. This is a continuing issue and everytime I go to the dealership I get told they couldnt find anything( all that means is they don't want to admit an issue) I wish I could go back in time and never get this car but im stuck in a loan and unsafe, unpredictable car

Lol what?? My last focus had 108k miles when I sold it. One set of brakes, oil changes, and 4 sets of tires. No issues with it. My new ST has 42k miles on it now and 1 set of tires and oil changes is all I've done to it. Zero issues.

does a cool air intake help resolve this? I have a Ford with the same thing and I was thinking about getting a roush CAI

Look like we live in the same city that's cool but yeah I have 2012 Ford focus titanium and I have had the same problem so I'm on my third transmission now

Dual clutch the answer is right there. It has two clutches one to handle forward one to handle reverse. The car has a natural slag time because it's not a true automatic. It does have problems with those clutching system though, if you can clear some paint off the metal where it's being grounded that should clear that up. If that doesn't work you may need a transmission pull kit to spin the engaging forks. Which are located directly under both clutches. Clean area with bake cleaner then 14 turns counter clockwise in each fork. Good luck.

The car is find and your transmission isn't failing. The car has a dry clutch which acts both as a manual then turns into an automatic. This is why you are getting that jerking motion. You don't pull the car forward as if it is any other because you have to slowly give it gas. It just does it in 1st and 2nd, but more first. There is nothing wrong with this version of the focus. People just aren't used to the dry duel clutch system. Hope it helps anyone new to this car. It is a great car. No not a fast or powerful car, but I'd still recommend it.

Try doing "Scrub The Clutch" 0-60 acceleration test on an open road somewhere away from town

I believe the shuddering is from the computers adaptive learning on the drivers driving habits. That grinding is from the clutch almost engaging into the gear. This bad habit is learned from driver's habits of feathering the gas when accelerating , so basically just almost engaging the clutch. This is why dealers fix this by reflashig the computer and letting it learn again( wiping out the bad habits ) . This is also why custom tunes of the transmission control work because these custom tunes make the gear shifting more aggressive. Ford's tune makes it drive and feel like an automatic by trying to engage the clutches slowly and smoothly, but that's why it shudders and wears down clutches Ford is trying to get rid of that "kick" manual transmissions have when switching gears . . It's because the DCT transmission is best driven like a manual transmission because it is a manual transmission. What people mean by that is don't baby it, push that accelerator hard to let the computer know you want to shift gears instantly, this will engage the clutch much faster avoiding it from hovering infront the gear, slowly pushing itself in and grinding the crap out of it. Need to really drive the DCT transmission like you mean business . That's just the truth to it all. Push the gas hard , let it rev high quickly so it will shift gears faster. This eliminates the shudder.

its not hesitation its just like any car u gas it will jump and accelerate quickly

It has a DCT wich means you gotta give it 50% throttle when taking off

After about 20-30 minutes of driving, my 2016 starts to vibrate pretty bad shifting thru 2nd gear. Around 18MPH.

That's why I got the 5-speed manual ;) Love it to death.

i have one 14 it shudders call the lemon law and a lawyer im not dealing with it only has 35000 mile

hey, I have the same exact model and it kinda does the same things its a good car for the most part just that part where you take off seems weird.... my car has about 55000 is miles on it ... I got mije used I want to finish and get this car paid off and get something else tho

driven my gfs 2013 focus. that is nothing out of the ordinary at all. It's not a typical automatic so it doesn't drive like one. You feel almost everything it does

Mine had a broken pressure plate. It slipped in 1st 3rd and 5th gear.

I own that year and model of Ford Focus the transmission is unusual but what you're experiencing is normal.

I was having a problem like this with my 2013 Focus, took it in to the dealer and they told me they had to replace the clutch. Luckily had it done under warranty with some other things.

I have the 2014 ford focus titanium sedan and since it has a dual clutch transmission I was wondering if it was possible to replace that transmission with a normal automatic transmission and how much would that cost? Would appreciate an educated reply from anyone. Thanks in advance.

If you still have the car. Look into the newer 14M02 recall. My transmission was 20x worse than this so yours might just be in the beginning of the failing TCM in that recall. I didn't know of it when I dropped the car off, it became literally undrivable. Would stall completely at any light and wouldn't go. It's fixed and performs like new. I've got a video of mine if you want let me know.

Mine was the clutch making it shutter and a recall on the purge filter

I have the same problem. 1st and 2nd gear as well.

Soporte de transmisión o soporte de torsion trasero dañado, eso produce ese temblor cuando el motor hace fuerza, cosa que se nota en las subidas en las marchas bajas. Si es STD se nota más

My mom has a 2017 Ford Focus she got after her 2013 Ford Focus got flooded and totalled. Unfortunately, it is a common problem with Ford's DC (Dual Clutch) automatics which are found predominantly in their Focus and Fiesta models from 2011-2019. They addressed the design a little bit in 2017 but it's still a dual clutch and the shuttering or lag is iminent still. I have a 1999 Grand Marquis with a 4 speed automatic (Mercury was made by Ford) and there's no lag or stuttering at all.

Wow, thats Rt 19 in Bethel Park area. I used to live there when I was a kid. Randomly looking for a transmission issue video and found this haha, small world.

My 2014 Ford Se with 120,000 miles does this, but it doesn't happen everytime, just occasionally. I haven't had any issues with it yet besides this issue.

Just got a 2013 Focus titanium the carfax had no reports of the car being brought in for this problem hopefully mine won’t have this problem

My brother has a 2014 Focus. I haven't driven it, but it seems like the transmission is going to fall out in second gear. He says he knows it's got transmission problems. If it were my car, I would be scared to death to drive it on the highway, indeed.

maybe torque converter is not engaging or disengaging all the way