Motor Almanac

Ford / Focus / 2018

2018 Ford Focus

Family: Focus · filed with NHTSA as FOCUS

Summary

  • In its first three years the 2018 Focus drew 134 complaints — 0.8× the median of its generation (2012–2018). It does not stand out from the other years of this generation.
  • These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
  • Of the 800 complaints that name a component, 44% concern Engine (350).
  • 7 recalls filed for this model year.
  • 5 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

In the news

At a glance

Owner complaints
837
Recalls
7
Investigations
5
NCAP overall
5 of 5 stars
Combined MPG
22–34
Combined MPGe (electric)
107
Annual fuel cost
$700–$3,500
Median mileage at complaint
56,000 mi (n = 424)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths
15 / 3 / 11 / 0

What owners report

Engine

350 complaints · 44% of complaints that name a component · median 60,000 mi (n = 159)

Owner report The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired under a recall, while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly idled, causing the engine to misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle sputtered during the misfire. The vehicle wa…
Owner report The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving uphill, the vehicle lost power, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Engine Fault" was displayed. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the check valve on the vacuum pump had separated. Th…

Powertrain

319 complaints · 40% of complaints that name a component · median 56,000 mi (n = 189)

Owner report My car had been driving fine. Until one day I leave my house and crank my car up and it does not go into reverse. It loses engine power and stalled into traffic. This is an on going issue as you can see stories from other people with the same make and model as my car with the same issue. No warning signs, hasn’t been c…
Owner report I had the engine on 2018 (61000 mileage) focus replaced 1 and 1/2 year ago because of the oil pan wet belt recall. Now my transmission locked up because of clutch failure. I was lucky that I was coming to a stop while parking in my driveway. Now im told by mechanic that i need a new transmission. Why was ford allowed t…

Fuel & Propulsion

196 complaints · 24% of complaints that name a component · median 57,000 mi (n = 102)

Owner report Car doesn't start after putting in gas, has to revved to start. Leaking fluid on right front driver side. Car doesn't start in intervals throughout the day.
Owner report The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently stalled with excessive fuel consumption. As a former Ford independent mechanic, the contact diagnosed the vehicle with a deformed fuel tank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the canister purge valve was replaced under NHTSA…

4% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2012–2018)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 176.

Model yearAll complaintsFirst three yearsNote
20123,803656most complaints
20132,181662most complaints
20142,661748most complaints
20151,034134
20161,195154
2017907176
2018837134

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

26V376000 · POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Filed 2026-06-09 · 5,252 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Risk: A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were October 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.

26V369000 · FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS:CANISTER

Filed 2026-06-09 · 257,868 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.

Risk: An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.

26V012000 · EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

Filed 2026-01-15 · 2,403 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.

26V011000 · EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

Filed 2026-01-15 · 116,672 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.

23V905000 · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP

Filed 2023-12-22 · 139,730 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.

Risk: A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.

18V845000 · POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Filed 2018-11-28 · 2,828 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Risk: A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V-169.

18V735000 · FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS:CANISTER

Filed 2018-10-22 · 1,282,596 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.

Risk: The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.

Federal investigations

ActionComponentOpenedClosedRecall
EA26004ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS2026-07-31open
PE25020ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS2025-12-182026-07-31
PE23015ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP2023-09-202024-02-1423V905
RQ23006FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS:CANISTER2023-09-152024-12-20
DP22005ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM2023-01-272023-08-0722V063000

EA26004: Timing Belt Failure

PE25020: Timing Belt Failure

PE23015: Oil Pump Failure

RQ23006: Loss of Motive Power

DP22005: Pedestrian alert sounds

Engines and fuel economy

VersionEngineTransmissionDriveCityHwyCombinedFuel cost / yr
Focus ElectricElectricAutomatic (A1)Front-Wheel Drive11896107 MPGe$700
Focus FWD1.0L 3cylAutomatic (S6)Front-Wheel Drive273831$2000
Focus FWD1.0L 3cylManual 6-spdFront-Wheel Drive304034$1850
Focus FWD2.0L 4cylAutomatic (AM6)Front-Wheel Drive263831$2000
Focus FWD2.0L 4cylAutomatic (AM-S6)Front-Wheel Drive243428$2250
Focus FWD2.0L 4cylManual 5-spdFront-Wheel Drive253428$2250
Focus RS AWD2.3L 4cylManual 6-spdAll-Wheel Drive192622$3500
Focus ST FWD2.0L 4cylManual 6-spdFront-Wheel Drive223025$2500

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

VariantOverallFrontalSideRollover
2018 Ford Focus 5 HB FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
2018 Ford Focus 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
2018 Ford Focus Bev 5 HB FWDNot RatedNot RatedNot Rated★★★★★
2018 Ford Focus RS 5 HB AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 107 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about electrical system.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

DateComponentSummary
2026-08-25UNKNOWN OR OTHERCustomer Satisfaction Program 26L02 Certain 2014-2021 Model Year Various Vehicles 1.0L Fox Classic Engine Timing Belt and Oil Pump Belt Interval Change
2026-05-09ENGINECertain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco, 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport, 2020-2022 Model Year Corsair and Escape, 2016-2024 Model Year Explorer, 2019-2020 Model Year Fusion, 2016-2018 Model Year Focus RS, 2022-2024 Model Year Maverick, 2016-…
2026-04-29ELECTRICAL SYSTEMHarvest Program 25H05 – Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program
2026-03-25BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKINGAdvance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
2026-03-04POWER TRAINCertain 2015 - 2018 Model Year Focus Vehicles with 1.0L Engine Canister Purge Valve (CPV) Replacement (if required) and Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Reprogramming Submitting Owner Letter
2026-02-24ELECTRICAL SYSTEMFord and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the access…
2025-12-03POWER TRAINCertain 2015 - 2018 Model Year Focus Vehicles with 1.0L Engine Canister Purge Valve (CPV) Replacement (if required) and Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Reprogramming
2025-11-26ELECTRICAL SYSTEMThis article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to:  Display operation concerns  Na…
2025-11-19ELECTRICAL SYSTEMThis is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently installed on one or m…
2025-11-12POWER TRAINSome 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in the Powertrain Contro…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Focus, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Focus model page.

Sources

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.