I bought a 2015 Ford Focus not too long ago and I really like the car. Has 2.0 liter motor with automatic transmission. I am curious whether it would be advisable to tow anything with the car? The few people I have asked have given conflicting information - but really are not car experts either. I am not talking about a travel trailer - but rather a single motorcycle that weighs about 330 pounds fully loaded and a lightweight motorcycle trailer that might weigh 400 pounds.
I used to have a 2014, same engine and manual transmission. I did not recall checking the manual for towing capacity but I know the owner’s manual was even available online. Just from what I remember from driving the car, I don’t think towing anything with it would be safe.
DON’T!!! This vehicle has a powertrain that is both fragile and not designed for heavy work. Transmission problems are a major reliability problem with this car even without towing anything.
@insightful ; I was thinking the same (used to be a basketball player and sometimes 6-7 of us will get into a sedan and drive to practice). But I think the physics of having 900 lbs inside the car is very different from when you have it dragged behind the car hanging by some tow hook.
I’m guessing the OP want to do it more than infrequently.
My vote is “no way.”
Even vehicles you’d think would be capable of it aren’t, such as the 1991 Bronco 2 I owned. We moved to a new house in 1998, and I used it to haul things in the back, in addition to towing a very small trailer. I regret that move. That transmission was never the same, and I eventually donated the thing because it was going to be very expensive to rebuild the transmission, and the thing wasn’t worth it…
I think if you really need to do this on a regular basis, you’re going to need to trade your Focus in on something that has the capacity to do it.
Maybe I am,old fashioned, but if I am,going to tow,a,trailer, I want a rear wheel drive and full frame–not unibody. The Focus is unibody and front wheel drive. I rarely see anything but a pickup pulling a U-Haul trailer.
My vote is to not do this. The bike and trailer alone are 3/4 of a ton. Towing a bike also means (I’m assuming here…) that some additional tag along weight will be inside the car.
If this towing was done very infrequently and for a very short distance you may get away with it.
If the Focus trans is weak, that’s a problem you’ll face without the trailer. That weight is so low, you shouldn’t have any problems with it.
I towed a small utility trailer (maybe 500 lbs) with my 1992 Saturn and its 1.9 liter engine and it didn’t even know the trailer was behind it. You’d carry more weight with luggage and 4 people in the car.
