2015 Ford Focus · symptom sheet
Transmission fails or needs replacement
- 51owner reports
- 65,000median miles
- $3,175median quote
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Jun 9, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
559 of the 1,019 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 51 of those describe transmission failure.
Tick what matches of 51 reports
Transmission failure on other Focus years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them.
What this problem usually is
This is the end of the road for a transmission: the car stops moving under its own power, or a shop says the unit has to be replaced or rebuilt. Half of the owners here mention a warning light or message, and a quarter mention it happening again or to a second unit.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the transmission (51 reports).
Recalls and investigations
2 recalls on the transmission and drivetrain cover the 2015 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
Also included are four 2017 Ford Focus vehicles that had clutch replacements with potentially affected parts. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
All 9 recalls on the 2015 Ford Focus, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
What owners paid
6 of the 51 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $200 to $4,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 35,000 and 94,000 miles, from the 37 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“Transmission overheating and internal wear (metal particles in fluid) following electrical/TCM malfunction in Ford Focus DPS6. Transmission failure recurred after earlier repair under 14M02. Current failure includes overheating messages, shudder, and loss of safe drivability. Ford acknowledges issue relates to known PowerShift defect but refuses coverage. Vehicle unsafe.”
Filed Nov 25, 2025
“Transmission failure, car seized on freeway going 75mph and almost lost control and crashed. Car is locked in park and inoperable.”
Filed Jan 21, 2024
“When I was driving on the highway I received a notification that my transmission was overheating. The car dropped to 40 mph and I had to put on my 4-ways. I managed to get off the next exit where the transmission died.”
Filed Nov 15, 2022
“I was driving on my way home from work when the transmission failed. Car lost all ability to maneuver - no forward or reverse. I was in the middle of an incline when the car stalled, had to roll to the bottom of the hill and call a wrecker. If I had been in high volume traffic, this would have been a death sentence.”
Filed Sep 16, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 51 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 295 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 221 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 96 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 56 reports
- Loses power when accelerating 30 reports
- "Service Transmission" message or wrench light comes on 28 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 25 reports