I’m looking to buy my first car and am considering a 2015 Ford Focus S (automatic). I’ve seen mixed reviews and heard the transmission can be unreliable. Is it a good idea to buy this car?
If it’s the automatic transmission, I’ve only heard horror stories. If it’s the manual, it’s much more reliable.
I have a 2012 Focus automatic with 145,000 miles. The biggest issue I’ve had is the AC stopped working a few months ago. There have been minor repairs, but nothing major. The transmission did need the clutches and seals replaced, but the dealer covered it under warranty.
Don’t buy it.
Toby said:
Don’t buy it.
I agree—don’t buy it. I got one used for $5,000 with 82k miles. It had one owner, all service and recalls were up to date. I drove it for 8 months before the transmission failed. Ford wouldn’t fix it, and the repair cost was $8,000.
I looked for other options and found a used transmission for $5,000 installed, but it only came with a 90-day warranty. The transmission is a dual-clutch setup, and replacing the clutch alone costs $2,500+. They usually fail between 90k and 120k miles.
I ended up selling it for $1,800, fully disclosing the issues. Someone bought it thinking they could fix it.
Avoid it. The DCT transmission in the automatic is terrible.
Don’t buy it. We had one, and even though the transmission was replaced under warranty (which only covers up to 10 years), it would still overheat in bad traffic. Parts are hard to find if you want to repair it.
Avoid any MK3 Focus with an automatic transmission. It’s just not worth it.
They’re only good if it’s a stick shift.
No. Just no.
No.
The transmission is garbage.