Ford Focus Problems

Michelins have a good reputation for a balance of performance, wear and noise, but it's hard to say they will be any quieter on your car than the Goodyears until you actually fit them and see. Road noise is affected by many factors other than the tyres themselves. Things like the amount noise insulation in the car, the body structure, the suspension mountings to the body. The tyres, while they might have an effect might not provide the solution. I recently drove a new Nissan Tiida and the level of road noise in that car would be unbearable over the long term.

The noise is not coming from the computer, that's for sure. I've heard explanations before that it's the ABS braking system self-checking as you take off after restarting the car, but I can't accept that either. It only happens on some cars and all cars basically use the same ABS system, so that explanation doesn't stack up.
 

Your dealer appears to have been helpful in trying to address your concerns, so I would stick with him at this time. But I would request that he asks a Ford representative to drive the car with you to see first hand what your concerns are, and than they could explain to you why they believe it is a characteristic of the car, if that's what it is. If that doesn't bring a resolution to your issues then you really have no alternative but to seek a resolution in the court.

No, it's not normal. You need to have a mechanic determine what is causing it. It sounds like it's coming from the driveline, but you first need to determine what it is before you can fix it.

We haven't had any other reports of this happening on the Focus, and from your reports it seems it only happens on the one stretch of road. Go back to your dealer, who seemed to think it was a problem, and if he still agrees that it is an issue ask him to arrange for a Ford representative to assess the vehicle on the strip of road where you experience the problem.

It sounds very much like fuel vaporization, which suggests the fuel is getting too hot at some point in the system. If you could get someone to fit a fuel pressure gauge to the car you could monitor the pressure and it if's fuel vaporization as I suspect you should see the pressure drop away when the problem occurs. The source of the problem could be in the fuel tank itself, the lines between the tank and the engine, or in the engine bay. Look for any location where the fuel system comes close to a heat source, such as the exhaust system.

First, your car has a double-clutch automated manual gearbox, not a conventional automatic you probably thought you were getting. One of the differences between a double-clutch transmission and a conventional automatic is that they roll backwards on an incline if you don't keep your foot on the brake, as you would if you were driving a manual. A number of carmakers use similar transmissions, from the same maker or other producers. VW was one of the first to use one of the new-age automatics and it has been plagued with issues, essentially the same ones you complain about. The clutch packs appear to be the cause of the issues, the shuddering etc. that you report; the electronics can be another source of trouble. We have spoken to Ford and we know that a Ford representative has been in contact with you to arrange a test drive of your car, and the company ha s arranged a loan car while yours is being evaluated.

It's good to hear that you have been able to come to a satisfactory resolution with Ford over the issue. It's also good to hear that the consumer protection system works.

Without being able to assess the action of the system it's hard to comment, other than perhaps it is doing what it's designed to do. If you're concerned about it, take it back to you dealer and have them assess it.