Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Ford Focus Electric owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Over the last 3 years, the vehicle displays "stop safely now" and all electrical systems shut off immediately after or soon after the message is displayed and the car has come to a complete stop. This occurs at low city speeds (20-30 MPH) as well as highway speeds (60-70 MPH) leaving the driver and it's occupants sitting vulnerable to being hit by moving traffic. This usually occurs while braking to slow or stop. This has happened 15-20 times over the last three years. We have brought in the car for service for this same problem 3-4 times each time being told that this is due to various reasons (harness, loose connections, faulty circuits, etc.). No fixes to date have permanently fixed the problem. Usually, the problem is temporarily resolved when the vehicle comes to stop, it's placed in "park" and the car turned off. After a minute or two, it can be restarted as normal. …
While driving down a major local road, the car completely lost driving power (accessories still worked) and a warning light on the dashboard came on saying "stop safely now!". My wife was barely able to pull over and we were unable to get the car moving again, eventually towing it to the dealership. When we picked the car up they stated that a connection to the high voltage battery came loose and they've fixed it. Yesterday, when attempting to start the car, the same warning message came on and the car would not start. We once again have had the car towed to the dealership. The dealer called me this morning saying the car "works fine" which makes me more concerned since clearly this issue is now totally unpredictable.
On 4 separate occasions since purchasing this vehicle on 9/22/2017, the car while in motion has abruptly and unexpectedly lost all power and rolled to a complete stop. When this happens a warning indicator on the dash reads "stop safely now"! Once stopped, the car is unresponsive and cannot be turned off or restarted. Only after several minutes of waiting (5+ mins), the car responds again, allowing a restart. Thankfully, in all four instances, I have been traveling on city streets and have been able to pull to the side of the road safely, but this is a very dangerous situation, as the car loses all power and once stopped it will not respond.
19K miles and 2 years into having this car -- "stop safely now" shows up with a red triangle on the dashboard and the car suddenly loses power while driving. It happened to me on freeway with kids on board and was very scary. Ford would not help. My car is not on recall list though this is exact same issue reported on NHTSA website about this car. Dealer is super busy and I don't expect my car to be looked at for days. Its really frustrating to be held hostage on this, being stuck with no car to commute to my work without absolutely any fault of mine.
While braking, the "stop safely now" message appears and once stopped, the car loses all motive power. Occurred first in nov 2015 and dealer replaced wiring harness. Problem recurred in oct. 2016 and dealer performed recall TSB. Problem recurred a 3rd time in nov 2016 and dealer was able to replicate failure while in for service. "repair" implemented did not resolve the problem as the car had 4th incident while driving off the dealer lot. Dealer currently has the car and is in communication with Ford.
I had yet another "stop safely now" warning in which the car completely lost power to the drivetrain while in motion. I had previously taken in the car for the recall in January and was told that would resolve the issue, but the problem has popped up again. This is a very dangerous thing to happen to have a car suddenly lose all power while driving in the middle of the road. Ford has clearly not fixed this problem yet.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus Electric. The contact stated that the vehicle shuttered and shook without warning. The vehicle was taken to willow book Ford (7301 kingery highway, willowbrook, il) where it was diagnosed that the transmission was defective and the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,744.
"stop safely now" warning and motor shut down while driving on city roads. The car was pushed to a nearby parking lot. Has been at the dealership for nearly 2 months due to a backorder of a high voltage power cable. Ford has been unhelpful and is not taking responsibility for the part backorder. They are claiming the backorder is the manufacturer's responsibility and not their own.
Stop safely now error message appears when trying to start the car, often. The error disables the car. Sometimes the car will work immediately after restarting and sometimes I just have to try again later in the day after finding alternative modes of transportation for the time being. Most often occurs when conditions or damp like early morning or following rain.
I was backing out of my driveway in reverse when I received a "stop safely now" warning from the car. The car completely shut down power to the drivetrain and I was stalled in the middle of the road and unable to move. Luckily this was on a quiet street but if this happens on the freeway it could have been catastrophic.
Related recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Focus Electric vehicles manufactured September 15, 2011, through August 23, 2013. In the affected vehicles, a powertrain control module software problem may result in a stall-like condition.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the power control module, free of charge. The recall beganon November 22, 2013. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S09.
Transmission complaints in other Focus Electric years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2014 Ford Focus Electric?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2014 Ford Focus Electric, 38% of the model year's 55 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2014 Ford Focus Electric transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 13V-523 (control module (tcm/pcm/tecm), Oct 30, 2013). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2014 Ford Focus Electric transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 11,000 miles, and 84% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.