Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving away from my boyfriends house heading to the interstate 95 . As I was driving I noticed white smoke coming out of the dashboard, I the car around and headed back to my boyfriends house, I put the car in park and jumped out, my boyfriend came outside and he was able to put the fire out.
I've had the transmission redone twice one at 58K the problem started at 31K and again at 86K two weeks later the same surging, jolting, loss of power is still happening. Ford motor co. And dealers are horrible to deal with. Ford motor co. Won't respond they take messages if you can actually talk to someone. There are thousands of these cars with this transmission which is crap. They need to discontinue use because the fix is not a fix. Someone needs to stop Ford from producing unsafe cars. Any time I drive this care the jolts start after second gear then it doesn' change gears correctly it's sluggish this happens on streets and highways or when slowing down and attempting to speed up it has very little power and I end up wasting a lot of gas so the mpg's aren't correct in rating. Vehicle health report in syn is a joke, it will tell you your breaks are OK and they aren't. …
While at a stop light on a busy street my car jerks and then gets quiet, when the light changes to green I hit on the gas pedal and the car does not move, no matter how hard I press, I turn on my emergency lights and after about 3 mins the car finally moves but while driving once again I hit on the gas pedal to increase speed and it does not work, I decide to turn around in a small parking lot and take it home and while doing that the car doesn't reverse, I get it back on the road and it jerks and jumps to the point where I just had to park it and call a ride. The week prior a mechanic told me I just needed coolant after the car jerked and stalled on the highway while I was going 70mph, and now every time I bring the car to a complete stop it doesn't move once it's time to accelerate, I've had it stall in heavy traffic where cars where bumper to bumper and I could not move. …
I'm at the tail end of a buyback for multiple recall issues that seem to be unfixable. They had also replaced a week engine mount that is failing now they had to replace a safety recall for gas fuel. All of which in the past downtown Ford in sacramento did for free and now they are trying to charge me $1300 to fix the recalls and repairs that they had done without my knowledge. Since it was ordered to them by you guys. And now they are saying at future Ford of sacramento off of madison avenue that they will not fix it for free and that they are going to try and take it out of my settlement when theyare scam artists and are charging me way more than any part needs to be. And I'm also being lied to by Ford wrap who told me they were going to pay for the parts and they were also going to put me in a rental. All of which was a lie. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the traction control, "service engine now", and "hill assist is not supported" warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred twice within fifteen minutes. Larry h. Miller Ford (11595 6th avenue, lakewood, colorado 80215, [phone]), phil long Ford of denver (7887 west tufts avenue, denver, colorado 80123, [phone]), and o'meara Ford (400 west 104th avenue, northglenn, colorado 80234, [phone]) were made aware of the failure along with several other unknown Ford dealers in colorado and stated that the vehicle would not be assessed and/or diagnosed until November 26, 2018. In addition, the dealers stated that they were "backlogged" with vehicles and would be unable to perform the necessary repairs. …
Car makes noise. Car sluggish when I give gasoline. Went to dealer about 5 times before dealer decided I had transmission problem. Dealer told me would only repair transmission. Waited for part. Went back to dealer to say car almost stalled. Was applying brakes at the time on highway. Out of concern for condition car was in, had car on cruise control to limit sudden application of gas or brake. Was on road for about 20 minutes on highway. I worried car would stall and cause accident. Dealer later said machine review of my car says it was drivable. Advised dealer if it almost stalls, it May stall. Dealer said: I will have to wait for part. It has been over 2 months, part not at dealer. Latest is that Ford corporation advised me part was sent 8 days ago. Dealer does not have part. Last 3 days dealer does not call back after I left messages to tell me status of part. …
Ford Focus 2013 se - while driving (in motion), driver's side door unlatched and swung open, and would not close, horn stopped working, interior displays and lights flickered, when pulled over, car would not start. If we were on a highway it would have been tremendously dangerous. Later car did start, but door would not latch, radio was reset, hazards would turn on and off at random. Door latch and horn would not work after this event. Shortly prior to this issue, horn started working at random, wipers would not turn off. When inspected, advised battery was bad and had corroded negative wire to battery. One week after replaced, this event occurred. Clutch in vehicle also jitters when increasing speed from full stop, allegedly corrected at Ford dealership after recall (2 years ago). Per research this issue is being caused by a faulty clutch interfering with electrical system.
My car shutters and hesitates when pulling off, rpms rev up and gas mi is not as advertised. It also makes noises that I thought were the door locks clicking when car is off, later to be told its the transmission is re-setting? Besides that I have had 3 flat tires on the same side of the car, from rivet looking things that I think are falling out of the wheel well (at least 1 did!) this is my 1st new car and I've taken care of it! In fact I got it early 2013, and as of now it only has 15,600 miles on it! The last oil change was due at 16,000miles and I had that done @ November because that date was recommended. Everytime I have mentioned this to Ford they blow me off and say there is no recall, well bs I want, and deserve what I paid for, a new car, not a big headache!
My car stalled going down the road at approximately 35 MPH upon attempting to accelerate the vehicle revved to the red limit, and would not go into gear. I was thankfully able to pull to the side of the road and get myself and my child to safety by rolling in neutral. Ford motor company has had thousands of complaints about the transmissions in these cars stalling or completely malfunctioning while driving yet there has not been a recall on them. My infant was in the car! Had I been entering a highway or something the results would have been terrible. All the company will do is extend the warranty to 100,000 miles and then we as consumers are screwed. Basically they "fix" it until the warranty is up. This is not acceptable or safe in any way.
Audio control module failure causing ear piercing noises at any random moment that totally disracts the driver. Attempt to file this safety concern was not accepted by ainsworth and lewis as it was not already on their listing. This was referred to as a cosmetic problem by lewis. It is my understanding this defect will not be taken seriously until several accidents are caused and many lives are lost due to this serious problem. No proactive activity within NHTSA whatsoever. If this is the way NHTSA conducts their operations, I strongly suggest a computerized application that will simply handle lewis and ainsworth's jobs. Taxpayers and concerned citizens are getting no value from these positions whatsoever.
Traction Control complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2013 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2013 Ford Focus, 2% of the model year's 2,112 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Focus traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2013 Ford Focus, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford Focus traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to stability & traction control problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.