Used 2013 Ford Focus Hatchback Consumer Reviews
Ford Focus NOT RECOMMENDED!
I disposed of my 2013 Ford Focus on 9-15-14 at a loss. I experienced all of the transmission issues already mentioned including almost getting struck when entering an intersection and the transmission simply stopped giving forward movement. I was always told it is suppose to run like that. At a 35000 mile oil change I was told a seal between the transmission and engine had failed an oil had leaked from the engine. It was repaired and I was then told about a surprise extended warranty on the part and associated parts from Ford only Ford did not say anything until a week after the repair. All of the shuddering eventually started back up again and on 9-14-14 I noticed a burnt rubber smell from
The Kelvinator
Bought this car as basic transportation for commuting. It's an SE hatchback with the 5-speed manual transmission (although I was not able to select this model configuration from the review menu) and the 202A package--alloy wheels, power windows/locks, cruise, and SYNC. The car is extremely well-equipped for the price and drives nicely. Have had moderate success with programming the SYNC system to recognize my phone book, and the menus and sub-menus that need to be navigated for basic radio functions is maddening, but after a few weeks I am getting used to it.
- SE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $5,49568 mi away
- SE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $11,590126 mi away
- SE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $5,425127 mi away
My 2nd Ford Focus
My 2013 Ford Focus SE hatchback is a terrific vehicle. We still have our 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 hatchback - 250,000+ miles and still a very reliable vehicle. Both are manual 5-speed transmission. The 2013 performs well in acceleration, road handling and on ice/snow. The only complaint i have about the 2013 SE hatchback is the quality of the "cargo cover". It's been falling apart (on the ends/connection) since a few weeks after I purchased the vehicle in August, 2013. I sent a note to Ford Motor Co; never received a response. It gets 28-35 mpg normally; the max mpg was about 50 mpg when driving a country highway for 30-40 miles at 50 mph. Overall, I like the head room/leg room for driver/front passenger, sunroof works well; I purchased the winter package. i have moved 6' tables, a large TV, appliances, etc. and able to close the hatch - wow. Overall satisfaction is 9.5 out of 10.0 (due to a faulty cargo cover; I ended up using duct tape to fix it where it connects to hatchback door on both sides (it's tacky looking but better than paying $$ to replace it).
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Love the car, except............
I fell in love with this car the moment I sat in it. For the most part, it is very well designed, the handling is incredible and it is a great value. It is a quiet ride and a very fun car to drive around town. But, there are a couple of opportunities for improvement (see Suggested Improvements). I'm getting about 24MPG on short, in-town trips this winter.
Mediocre car with a fatal flaw
Leave it to Ford to get almost everything right about an affordable hatchback and then blow it with this god-awful transmission. The car handles like a dream, outstanding fuel economy (sometimes over 40mpg on the highway), room for days with the hatch and was pretty top-of-the-line tech when I bought it back in '13. Downsides are the car is slow off the line (but has a little go after 3500 rpm), transmission needs a new clutch every 10-15K and the leg room could be better. If you hunt around in the aftermarket, find a cheap 2012-13 because Ford extended the transmission warranty out to 100K on those (but not the 2014 and after). Update 2022-04: Car is at 100K miles. I've had 8 clutch replacements, yowza, plus a slave cylinder replacement in the transmission. To Ford's credit, they've covered all of that. It is clear to me this will never be fixed completely. Other routine maintenance: tires @ 50K, brake job + new air filter @ 60K, new battery @ 70K, inner tie rods on suspension and front wipers needed replacing @ 75K. Headlights and another set of tires at 90K. The car definitely has a rattle or two but no other showstoppers besides the transmission. Overall, it's much the same story: great little city car with outstanding fuel economy but that damn transmission. Get the ST with the manual, wish I had.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value