Ford Focus Problems

There are no hard and fast rules unfortunately, so you are relying on your skills of negotiation and Ford doing the right thing. I think you should get your money back, but that's being unrealistic. Ford has been doing deals to buy cars back, and that would appear to be your best bet to get out of the car. The dealer would probably offer you $14,500 to $16,500 as a trade-in, but your car is worth more like $18,000-$20,000 as a private sale, which is the minimum I would be trying to get Ford to pay.

The deal you have been offered is the same one that has been offered to many other owners in your situation, so you're not being treated differently to others. 

You won't get a refund, or simply be given a new car in exchange for yours. The simplest way out is to weigh up the offer of the discounted price on a new car, together with the trade-in the dealer might offer you, and see if that works for you. If you don't want to go down that path you could join the class action lawsuit that is in train over this issue, but that's likely to be a long drawn-out process and you would need to be patient.

You are spot on, there are others with the same problem, and the cars should be recalled and fixed. Instead of talking to the dealer, you would be better off talking directly to Ford through its customer service (13 3673). You could also contact Bannister Law about their class action lawsuit.

I doubt that Ford would buy the car back from you outright, they would be more likely to offer you a trade-in deal on a new car. As a guide I would expect you would get $11,000 to $12,000 as a trade-in on your car. Talk to Ford and find out what they are offering; you can then consider your options. If you feel it's not enough you could go to the consumer affairs people, or join the class action that's being run on this problem.

Thanks for the tip, it's a good one.

Ford's offer is pathetic. The trade-in value for your 2014 Focus is $12,000-$14,000, not the pitiful $5000 you have been offered. That shows how much Ford values the cars they produced. Start by going to Consumer Affairs and enlisting their help to negotiate a better deal, also consider joining the class action against Ford being run on this issue.

I feel your pain, but you really are stuck with your car, particularly now that you have joined the class action against Ford. You can try and negotiate a trade-in deal on your car, but it’s unlikely that Ford will be willing to deal with you given that you are, in effect, suing them. You are correct in your criticism of the consumer laws in this country, but that doesn't help you in the short term when you need to get out of your car at minimum cost to you. The best course of action is to stick with the class action and see it through.

There are known problems with the double-clutch gearbox in the Focus and there is a class action under way from some unhappy owners. But I have had success for several CarsGuide readers in getting their cars right.

Good to hear from someone who is happy with the auto transmission in their Focus. Others could do well to have their car updated if they haven't already done so.