10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,752 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Ford Focus:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #39

Nov 082020

Focus

  • 49,600 miles
Everytime I go to get gas and try to restart my car, check battery light pops up and my car won't fully start, and ever since this has been happening my check engine light is always on, today I had to call someone get a jump at the gas station.

- Lewis Center, OH, USA

problem #38

Oct 232020

Focus

  • 55,652 miles
Check engine light is on. Service dept identified problem codes P1450, P0456 which are under recall but the VIN for my car is not under recall. Recall notice warns, engine could stall at anytime! called Ford customer relations center, nothing done because VIN is not under recall. Cannot drive car because it is unsafe. On fixed income, cannot pay for repair out of pocket. Please help. Thank you.

- Windsor Mill, MD, USA

problem #37

Oct 012020

Focus

  • miles
The engine stalls after adding fuel at a gas station, then hesitates to start. Also, the transmission (automatic) slips gears, especially when vehicle has been driven for long period of time. Transmission also makes clicking noises when driving off.

- Fairhope, AL, USA

problem #36

Sep 202020

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
There are more than a few faulty purge valve and similar type valves on the Ford Focus possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system. The excessive vacuum may result in an engine stall while driving, . without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. And yet my year model and motor size did not make that list. But yet I have this problem on my 2018 Ford Focus SE only @ 40,0000 miles. This could have been a huge safety issue w/ my young college student driving all hours of night on back roads due to her schedule. She had no warning no check engine light nothing. She was very lucky this did not stall on the highway. She could have been rear-end or who no what else. I believe this should me Ford manufacturing issue and that it should be added to safety recall list

- Greenville, TX, USA

problem #35

Aug 042020

Focus

  • 48,858 miles
When driving my car the engine stalls trying to get it up to speed and when you attempt to step into it my car stalls to where it feels like your foot is at the floor my dealership claims it's just the style of the car it's supposed to do that

- Avon, IL, USA

problem #34

Apr 012020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the engine would not immediately start. The failure was only present when refueling more than a half tank of fuel. Also, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly shutoff and the message transmission not in park would be displayed. The cause of the failures were not determined. The local dealer palmetto Ford located at 1625 savannah hwy, charleston SC 29407 and the manufacturer were notified of the failures but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number 18V735000 (fuel system). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- Hollywood, SC, USA

problem #33

Jun 282020

Focus

  • 63,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving after refueling, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the evap purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

- Sallisaw, OK, USA

problem #32

Aug 142019

Focus

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle sputtered, hesitated, jerked, and responded very slowly. There was no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

- Maysville, KY, USA

problem #31

Jun 242020

Focus

  • 50,652 miles
A full tank is 160 miles. And has a smell when the A/C on. Engine light on but can't find the problem.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #30

May 202020

Focus

  • 54,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving, the transmission failed to properly shift gears while the rpms increased at low speeds. Additionally, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that after refueling, the vehicle failed to start immediately with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Mountaineer Ford located at 615 N. eisenhower dr, beckley, wv 25801, was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.

- Prosperity, WV, USA

problem #29

Apr 152020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Each time I fill the car with gas, even with the tank half full, the car stalls and has trouble starting. I have checked for clogged or cracked fuel lines and there are none. It puts out the code P1450. Replacement of the fuel tank pressure solenoid and it's still having the same problem. I have read that there may be a recall of some sort on the fuel system in these cars.

- Bullhead City, AZ, USA

problem #28

Aug 222019

Focus

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to mccombs Ford West (7111 northwest loop 410, san antonio, tx 78238) for warranty service on the transmission and was informed that there was sludge in the engine. The dealer replaced the transmission. However, the contact stated that while driving, the vehicle stalled without warning, the contact turned on the hazard warning lights while on the highway and was about to drive when the vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The contact sustained back and neck injuries that required medical attention. The front passenger seat moved forward as a result, the front passenger sustained face and chin injuries after colliding with the dashboard as well as back and neck injuries that required medical attention. The driver from the other vehicle was not injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer, the contact stated that he was not aware of diagnostic testing or repairs because his lawyer was dealing with the accident case. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #27

Jan 062020

Focus

  • 50,550 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The dtc code showed a failure with the canister vent solenoid. The part was replaced however, the failure recurred a week later. The vehicle was taken back to the same independent mechanic and different dtc code was retrieved. The contact was informed that the failure was still due to the canister vent solenoid failure. Additionally, after refueling several attempts were necessary to start the vehicle. The contact reached out to the manufacturer and was informed that a callback would be forthcoming. The contact stated several more attempts were made to reach the manufacturer however, the phone number was no longer in service. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 50,500.

- Leeds, AL, USA

problem #26

Mar 092020

Focus

  • 44,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while at a stop sign and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and driven to parks Ford of wesley chapel located at (28739 Florida 54, wesley chapel, fl 33543), but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.

- Wesley Chapel, FL, USA

problem #25

Jan 312020

Focus

  • 31,200 miles
After warm, at a red light, in neutral (manual transmission), car will drop RPM and stutter, nearly stalling out. Sometimes only once, and other times repeatedly while sitting there.

- Fountain, CO, USA

problem #24

Dec 302019

Focus

  • miles
2018 Ford Focus. Consumer writes in regards to shaking in motor. The consumer stated the vehicle was repaired twice, but the failure persisted.

- Apollo Beach, FL, USA

problem #23

Nov 302019

Focus

  • 36,000 miles
This is the 2nd time I am having the same issue. They replaced the clutches. I drove the car a couple of weeks and am having the same issues with surging/lugging. Now, it is happening in lower gears and when I accelerate to higher gears. It is now happening when I am in reverse, too.

- Benton City, WA, USA

problem #22

Dec 122019

Focus

  • 31,000 miles
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 car in front of me. The car directly in front of me was a Toyota SUV and had a tow-bar, which took most of the impact of the crash and caused damage to my vehicle. Aside from some minor scratches, both of the other cars involved in the accident were fine and the two drivers were able to continue on their ways to work. My car, on the other hand has been declared a total loss by my insurance company as it immediately burst into flames upon impact. As I mentioned above, the traffic was slow-moving so we were not traveling at more than 25-30mph at any time on that stretch as we navigated the traffic. This should have been a very low-impact and minor incident; however, for some unknown and unexplainable reason, the Ford Focus was on fire before I even knew that I had crashed. The impact was so minimal that no airbags deployed. Firefighters were onsite within 5 minutes and had difficulty putting out the blaze. In addition, I was still in the car while it was on fire because it happened immediately upon impact, so while I was lucky to walk away without any physical injuries, I was immediately taken to the ambulance to monitor my vitals and try to control my shock. I realize that there have been recalls of Ford Focus vehicles purchased in 2017 and prior; however, I strongly believe that the safety concerns raised in previous lawsuits against Ford pertain directly to the 2018 model as well. We had already replaced the clutch in the Focus after a year and a half because of a transmission failure also noted in previous years.

- Hamilton, VA, USA

problem #21

Nov 262019

Focus

  • 70,000 miles
I approached a stop sign, and lost complete power, couldn't even move it out of gear, tried to jump it and nothing. I could've wrecked because of this

- Elkview, WV, USA

problem #20

Nov 122019

Focus

  • miles
The 2018 Ford Focus has been in the repair shop four times for a check engine light relating to the vaper/vacuum hose, sensor over the past couple of months. In addition, the Focus now has a broken steering gear. I was driving on the city street when it went out, and thankfully no other vehicles were near.

- Weiner, AR, USA

Read the next 19 complaints »