Ford Focus 2000–2018

Summary

19 model years in 3 generations, 22,316 owner complaints in total.
Within their own generation, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2013 and 2014 drew the most complaints in the first three years.
2004, 2005 and 2007 drew the fewest complaints of their generation over the same span.
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.
Half of the complaints that give a mileage were filed by 58,000 miles (15,064 of them give one).
Owners reported 1,111 crashes, 289 fires, 903 injuries and 35 deaths across these model years.
50 recalls and 22 federal investigations cover these model years; 1 investigation is still open.

2000–2007

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: 269.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Most reported system	Note
2000	3,686	1,237	Electrical System	most complaints
2001	1,761	697	Electrical System	most complaints
2002	971	407	Electrical System	most complaints
2003	977	269	Electrical System
2004	387	136	Electrical System	fewest complaints
2005	441	97	Electrical System	fewest complaints
2006	205	48	Electrical System	not compared
2007	391	91	Airbags	fewest complaints

Electrical System is the largest group in 6 of the 7 compared years.

2008–2011

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Most reported system	Note
2008	250	46	Electrical System	not compared
2009	229	53	Electrical System
2010	287	78	Engine
2011	113	23	Electrical System	not compared

2012–2018

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Most reported system	Note
2012	3,803	656	Powertrain	most complaints
2013	2,181	662	Powertrain	most complaints
2014	2,661	748	Powertrain	most complaints
2015	1,034	134	Powertrain
2016	1,195	154	Powertrain
2017	907	176	Powertrain
2018	837	134	Engine

Powertrain is the largest group in 6 of the 7 compared years.

Every model year

A model year gets its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it either compares with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. The rest are listed here with their figures.

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Investigations	Bulletins	Combined MPG	Page
2000	3,686	18	13	298	24–27	yes
2001	1,761	14	9	180	24–28	yes
2002	971	9	5	145	20–28	yes
2003	977	7	1	109	20–27	yes
2004	387	6	1	60	21–27	yes
2005	441	5	1	55	23–26	yes
2006	205	2	0	23	23–26	listed here
2007	391	2	1	19	23–27	yes
2008	250	2	1	19	28	listed here
2009	229	0	0	18	27–28	listed here
2010	287	0	0	24	28	listed here
2011	113	0	0	33	28–29	listed here
2012	3,803	11	5	149	29–32	yes
2013	2,181	15	5	179	26–32	yes
2014	2,661	14	5	170	26–32	yes
2015	1,034	11	6	146	26–34	yes
2016	1,195	11	5	223	22–34	yes
2017	907	10	5	182	22–34	yes
2018	837	7	5	107	22–34	yes

What owners report across all years

System	Complaints	Share	Median mileage
Powertrain	6,891	32%	50,000 mi
Electrical System	4,428	21%	60,000 mi
Engine	3,622	17%	58,000 mi
Fuel & Propulsion	2,712	13%	64,000 mi
Steering	2,126	10%	70,000 mi

Shares are over complaints that name a component; a complaint naming several systems is counted under each.

Powertrain

Owner report The transmission is messing up real batteries like it's automatic.And when it goes into the next gear , it goes into gear and then goes all the gas falls down all the way 20 and the gas is gonna be about like you got a five speed it shifts up-and-down all the time up down up down, there was A\n Problem with these trans…

Owner report The vehicle is subject to NHTSA Safety Recall Campaign 18V-735 (Ford Recall 18S32) regarding a defective Canister Purge Valve (CPV) that causes fuel vapor saturation, excessive fuel tank vacuum, fuel tank deformation, and engine stalling.The vehicle presented with an active check engine light for diagnostic trouble cod…

Electrical System

Owner report The vehicle was brought to a certified Ford dealership for an active safety recall and manufacturer extended warranty repair. Due to a malfunction related to the recall issue, the fuel lines were completely ripped off the fuel tank. This component failure is currently available for inspection on the dealership's lot. T…

Owner report The vehicle experienced a catastrophic failure of the canister purge valve (CPV), causing an excessive vacuum that violently deformed and collapsed the plastic fuel tank. The deformation was so severe that it breached the fuel system, causing raw gasoline to pour directly out of the filler area and onto the ground when…

Engine

Owner report I had a recall on my vehicle in June of last year for a new motor. I had oil leaking all in my intake. I didn’t get my car back till December with a new motor. As soon as I left the check engine light came back on. I took it back and they said it was my battery. Now my oil is leaking all in my intake again. I haven’t p…

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…

Largest recalls

Campaign	Component	Filed	Vehicles
20V331000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2020-06-08	2,147,323
16V643000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2016-09-06	2,046,297
18V735000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS:CANISTER	2018-10-22	1,282,596
01V258000	VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR	2001-08-08	1,083,000
03V482000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	2003-11-19	671,000

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

Open investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Subject
EA26004	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS	2026-07-31	Timing Belt Failure

Service bulletins

Ford issued 2,139 service bulletins covering these model years, 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 a bulletin listed here may not be specific to one year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-08-25	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Customer Satisfaction Program 26L02 Certain 2014-2021 Model Year Various Vehicles 1.0L Fox Classic Engine Timing Belt and Oil Pump Belt Interval Change
2026-05-09	ENGINE	Certain 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-…
2026-04-29	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Harvest Program 25H05 – Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program
2026-03-25	LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION	Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
2026-03-04	POWER TRAIN	Certain 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
2026-02-24	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Ford 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…
2025-12-03	POWER TRAIN	Certain 2015 - 2018 Model Year Focus Vehicles with 1.0L Engine Canister Purge Valve (CPV) Replacement (if required) and Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Reprogramming
2025-11-26	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	This 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…
2025-11-19	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	This 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…
2025-11-12	POWER TRAIN	Some 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 after news coverage or a recall. That is why years are compared only with other years of the same generation, over the same span, and never with other models.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications (data as of 2026-10-28).
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines and fuel economy.

This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection.