Owners have filed 19,080 complaints on the Ford Focus, covering 2000–2018. The system named most often is Power Train (1,502 reports). Worst years by volume: 2012, 2000, 2014; cleanest: 2011, 2006, 2009. 907 reports describe a crash, 250 a fire, 31 a death. On average the car was 4.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Focus
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 19,080 Focus complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 1,502 Read
Vehicle is shuddering, stalling, and refusing to accelerate under power
Car was at highway speed and was given light input to change lanes. With light input, the engine accelerated in an uncontrolled manner, revving to maybe 5000 rpm. The driver had to slam on the brakes to counteract. Result was a rear-end collision with the car in front (Route 95 near Laurel, MD). For what it is worth,…
The contact owns a 2017 ford focus. After pulling into her office parking lot, the contact shifted the gear into park and turned off the vehicle. Suddenly, the vehicle began to roll forward and struck a stone wall. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle sustained minor damage and did not…
Air Bags 405 Read
On december 12th, 2019, I was involved in a three-car fender bender on fairfax county parkway in virginia. I was traveling in slow-moving traffic at 7:20am, close to reston hospital, when the two cars in front of me slammed on their brakes unexpectedly and I unfortunately could not brake in time to avoid hitting the…
Airbag failed to deploy or exploded sending yellow gas into the air on impact of wreck as [xxx] was hit by another vehicle. Resulting in total lose of vehicle [xxx] hospitalized. Damage to his neck smashed shoulder. He has pictures and documentation of injury, police records and hospital records. 'information redacted…
While traveling at 50 mph consumer's vehicle went into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy. Both drivers sustained injuries. *ak *bf
Engine 373 Read
2013 ford focus was going 35 mph, saw a late 1990's ford ranger stop short in front of a fire station and tried to brake. Couldn't stop in time and rear ended the ford ranger. The driver of the focus got out of the vehicle and to speak to the other driver and the engine of the focus caught fire about 30 seconds later.…
As I was driving my 2018 Ford Focus, the check engine flashed on. Almost as soon as I noticed it flashed on, it went away. Several more miles down the interstate, it came on again. Almost as soon as it came on, a warning displayed stating Engine Temp Hot, Stop Safely. As I started to pull over onto the shoulder, the…
My car keeps stuttering and stalling. I've been trying to get it fixed at specialists but they say nothing is wrong with the car, even though I've been stuck on the side of the road multiple times. Not to mention the intense jerking the car does when I try and speed up
Engine And Engine Cooling 294 Read
This complaint is concerning clarification of our previous complaints to NHTSA regarding the 2000 ford focus : #10104088 and #10107840. I am extremely concerned about the misinterpretation of data collected by your agency and posted for public review. Deaths are not posted, nor are they included as injuries. This…
We were driving eastbound on 290 at 1st ave.our vehicle stopped accelerating. We pulled over to the shoulder. We called the ford 1-800 number and requested tow service and that an illinois trooper be called. We also called the dealership where we purchased the brand new car. The person at the dealership suggested we…
I was driving around 10mph and getting into a turning lane when the front passenger side of my car hit the median which was no higher then a curb. After hitting the median the engine mounts broke off and part of the engine fell off the car. The impact caused no seeable damage to the outside of the car neither did the…
Electrical System 228 Read
While driving on the highway at approximately 55mph in the center lane, the consumer blacked out and hit the guardrail. Upon impact, the airbags deployed, and then a fire began under the hood. The consumer is very concerned because the vehicle had completely burnt in 10 minutes. *ak the consumer feels that the ford…
While driving, vehicle caught on fire under the hood, eliminating visibility, and causing consumer to collide into side of mountain. Related recall 02V288000, consumer's vehicle not included due to VIN
After working on [XXX], my vehicle made it home, and wouldn't start. After jump starting, I began to drive it to the dealership. My safety, and others, was put at risk when the car began to smoke, lost power in a driving lane, and then burned down with extreme intensity. The dealership isn't helping. Ford said their…
Fuel/propulsion System 195 Read
While driving my car cuts off in the middle of the intersection of one of the most busiest streets where I live causing someone to bump into me nothing major but I was already still at that point with my Emergancy signals on but the oil pump went causing my car to shut completely off oil light comes on I contacted a…
I was driving last february, 2018, low on gas. About to pull off interstate to refuel. Less than a mile from exit, engine cut off completely. No indicator light ever came on that I was low on fuel. I pulled over into emergency lane. While waiting for tow operator, my focus was side swiped by a tractor trailer and…
On several occasions over the last several thousand miles, several issues have developed (all without warning at the time of first occurrence). At random times the engine will shut off when lifting out of the throttle. The car will run out of fuel before the fuel gauge is on empty or the "Miles to Empty" indicator…
Steering 194 Read
I beg of you recall this car. It will eventually kill somebody and their children. No safety defect listed
Fatality vehicle fire, dec. 8 2004. My husband is the original owner of a 2000 ford focus, subject to numerous service visits to bill brown ford, livonia mi for: ignition, steering column, wheel bearing, brake, rear window control, seat belt &trunk latches, overhead light and engine light. The vacuum line & fuel pump…
The contact owns a 2018 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn in either direction causing the driver to loose control of vehicle and crash into a ditch. During the crash, the air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported.…
Fuel System 190 Read
Please look into the fuel systems of the 2000 ford focus. My son and his friend were killed in an automobile accident on 12/8 in detroit, mi. Early that morning, they struck a fire hydrant and the car exploded (back of the engine fire). Earlier, in the summer of 2004, I had driven the car home, turned off the engine,…
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus ST. The contact stated that when he proceeded to start his vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The contact stated that he then had his vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who was able to start his vehicle by placing air in the fuel tank. The contact stated that once the…
I purchase a 2016 ford focus today and there's one open recall on my vehicle. The takata recall and I would like for this issue to be fixed because it sounds dangerous from the research I did on the recall. Plus I have my 1st car wreck a couple months ago and my car was totaled out. I want to be safe behind the wheel…
Focus years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Air Bags | 14 | 3 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 18 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 25 | 3 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 30 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 61 | 10 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 46 | 11 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 95 | 14 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 17 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 18 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 16 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 43 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 17 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 40 | 7 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 27 | 13 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 39 | 14 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 60 | 17 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 138 | 42 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 197 | 102 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 2,091 |
| Average complaints per series | 9.1 |
| Worst single series | 133 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.6 years |
A model average of 9.1 hides a worst series at 133. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Focus?
By complaint volume, 2012, 2000, 2014 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Focus years are the cleanest?
2011, 2006, 2009 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Focus have?
19,080 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2000–2018. Of those, 907 describe a crash and 250 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.