2015 Ford Focus · symptom sheet

Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard

295owner reports
61,000median miles
$2,500median quote
5involved a crash

Newest report Aug 10, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

559 of the 1,019 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 295 of those describe transmission shudder, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2015 Focus.

Narrower sheets: Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear (120 reports) · Transmission hesitates when accelerating (77 reports) · Transmission slips (76 reports)

2 recalls on this systemcovering the 2015 model year

5 crashesin 295 reports

4 people hurtin these reports

Tick what matches of 295 reports

shudders or vibrates at low speed

135

slips or revs without pulling

124

bangs or clunks into gear

hesitates when I accelerate

a dealer did a software update

fluid was changed or flushed

Transmission shudder on other Focus years

2014847 reports 2015295 reports 2016352 reports 2017232 reports 2018132 reports

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 biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the clutch (144 reports) and the transmission (8 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.

26V-376Jun 9, 2026

Power Train:Manual Transmission

The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Risk, remedy and owner complaints on recall 26V-376

18V-169Mar 12, 2018

Power Train:Manual Transmission

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.

Risk, remedy and owner complaints on recall 18V-169

All 9 recalls on the 2015 Ford Focus, with the owner complaints on each recalled system

What owners paid

30 of the 295 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $419 to $3,175.

$419$2,500$3,175

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 28,000 and 83,000 miles, from the 223 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 4 service bulletins or notices for the 2015 Ford Focus that deal with this problem. Newest first.

Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.

Service bulletin19N08Aug 14, 2019
Certain 2014 through 2015 Model Year Fiesta and 2014 through 2016 Model Year Focus Vehicles Equipped with a DPS6 Automatic Transmission - Transmission Clutch Shudder / Transmission Clutch Warranty Extension
Service bulletinSSM 46355Feb 2, 2017
MULTIPLE 2014-2016 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 6F35 TRANSMISSION AND BUILT ON 1-JAN-2014 AND THROUGH 31-DEC-2015 MAY EXHIBIT HARSH REVERSE ENGAGEMENT AND HARSH/DELAYED 3RD AND 5TH GEAR UP/DOWN SHIFTS WITH NO DTCS PRESENT.
Service bulletinTSB16-0109Aug 16, 2016
SOME 2011-2015 FIESTA VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/15/2014 AND 2012-2016 FOCUS VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DPS6 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MAY EXHIBIT EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SHUDDER ON LIGHT ACCELERATION.
Service bulletinTSB15-0120Aug 4, 2015
FORD: 2012-2015 FOCUS AND 2011-2015 FIESTA MAY EXHIBIT TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKAGE AND EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SHUDDER ON LIGHT ACCELERATION ON VEHICLES THAT HAVE A DPS6 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION *CN

What owners wrote

“I was driving in the city and my car did the transmission clutch shudder so bad I almost got t boned I have 120k miles on it and I think ford should have to find a better replacement fix to fix it right I had it already in there for a year just waiting on a part for the transmission now this”
Filed Jul 7, 2024 · 120,000 miles

“1.Clutch shudders and hesitates on acceleration 2. safe driving requires non hesitation when accelerating 3. yes the dealer confirmed 4. Dealership has inspected, recommends replacement of clutch on automatic transmission at 27,000 miles 5. no warnings indicated, car has been regularly serviced by the dealership From what I am reading, this is a common problem and a design flaw per the dealership”
Filed Jun 18, 2024 · 27,000 miles

“I have a customer satisfaction program 19N08 for Transmission clutch shudder -transmission clutch warranty extension,I have 96000 miles and was told I have to pay for a new clutch”
Filed Jul 11, 2023 · 96,000 miles

“Overheating. Car stalling. Jerking of the vehicle while in motion. Pauses in between acceleration.”
Filed Nov 7, 2022 · 130,053 miles

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 5 of 295 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 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