10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,176 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.

problem #191

Mar 172025

Focus

  • 152,910 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 152,910.

- Fulton, MO, USA

problem #190

Feb 032025

Focus

  • miles
Coolant kept emptying out and causing the engine to overheat randomly. The only warning would be having to immediately pull over right then because the engine was dangerously hot. Heater core had to be replaced because it was extremely damaged even though no accidents or anything happened to cause it to be. The metal of the core just failed in an area cause a huge hole.

- Scottdale, PA, USA

problem #189

May 302022

Focus

  • miles
The current recall issue already happened to my vehicle in 2022 and I had to pay out of pocket to have the entire engine replaced. I have contacted ford to get reimbursed for this due to the recall and they have not responded. Also this recall has been in place since 01/2024 and still no fix.

- Brownsburg , IN, USA

problem #188

Feb 062025

Focus

  • 111,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 14 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the transmission was slipping while shifting between first and second gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause of the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle jerked, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the power train and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the transmission failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

- Coushatta, LA, USA

problem #187

Sep 132022

Focus

  • miles
In 2021 there was an issue with my vehicle before 50,000 miles that the engine completely seized and had to be replaced under warranty. It took 3-4 months to get my vehicle fixed and sent to 3 different dealerships because every location did not want to fix the car and we had to fight them to get it back to me. Once I finally got the car back, less than a year later it started to pull a code saying that the engine was over heating and the engine would turn off in the middle of the road and I would have to coast to get out of traffic. Because of the engine replacement I was granted till 80,000 miles for warranty to expire and so I repeatedly brought my car in over the past 3 years for this issue while the car was still under 80,000 and each time I was told there was nothing wrong with the car. Now, the head on the engine is no longer operational and I'm outside of the 80,000 miles warranty. Conveniently, now that that the car is once again at a Ford dealership, they have now found that the head of the engine is cracked and leaked coolant into the engine. The dealership that it is at now is one of the dealerships that looked at it before and told me there was nothing wwrong.

- Surprise, AZ, USA

problem #186

Jan 222025

Focus

  • miles
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 Office of General Council is still looking into it, but originally denied my claim before saying they would reconsider my case. An official report from the Lakeland Fire Department stated mechanical failure and loss estimated to be equal to $10,000. The engine light blinked on the way home, the oil lamp went off and on, and then the car wouldn't start. These were the only signs prior to a total loss of power and smoke before my life was in jeopardy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #185

Feb 122024

Focus

  • miles
My vehicle seized up as I was driving it and I wrecked it aside a median. I had to tow it to the ford dealership for them to diagnose it as the recall stated. The recall wasn-??t officially out yet, so I had to tow my vehicle back to my house. This happened in February 2024. I have received a new engine, but had to continue to make payments on a car that I was not able to drive and only received a rental within the past 6 weeks since I have paid for new brakes, new battery, new tires, and an alignment. None of these things were covered for the recall except the engine. The dealership clearly states that because my car has been sitting I have to purchase these other items. I have reached out to corporate and the dealership and haven-??t gotten anywhere. I don-??t know if even doing this will help, but I definitely feel taken advantage of. I think someone should reimburse me for tires and battery due to the extended time it sat. Heck, even the brakes too.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #184

Jun 202022

Focus

  • miles
In June of 2022 We were driving when all the dashboard lit up saying stop immediately, get to a mechanic, engine light and every light was on. We happen to be right near the Ford dealership in our town and pulled right in. After diagnosing it we were told it needed a new engine as the one we have had metal in the oil, it was froze, they had no idea a car with such low miles would do this, that is until they looked it up and found the recall on this car saying this exact thing could happen. It cost $6000 to have it fixed, this was in 2022. We keep getting told parts would be in to fix this problem, Now its almost 2025 and still waiting on parts, , are we to lose another engine? Which by the way, we want a full refund on the one we had to have fixed, , wouldnt have happened if Ford didnt have this problem with their cars.

- Mobile, NM, USA

problem #183

Oct 162024

Focus

  • miles
I bought this car it was used by two other owners. I bought a new battery for this car but there is some kind of electrical problem with smell coming from vents and the radio system keeps shutting off.. keeps giving me a message on the screen that says sh*t off admission or restart engine to save battery then my whole radio system turns off till I turn off my car... Also now it time 4 tries to start my engine. Dash board will turn on but not engine..

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #182

Oct 312024

Focus

  • miles
This complaint is related to an existing recall for the 1.0L Ecoboost engine in 2016-2018 Ford Focus models. As stated in Recall 23V-905, "The engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm may fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt material may degrade and lose teeth, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure. A loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine damage or seizure, which can result in a loss of motive power and a loss of the mechanical vacuum pump required to provide power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash. The oil pump drive belt tensioner arm retention caulking joint is not robust to the vibration experienced by the component over time, which can cause arm separation. The tensioner arm can contact the engine balancer shaft, which can cause the tensioner arm to fracture. A greater than expected load on the oil pump drive belt may result in belt degradation. Ford-??s engine design verification testing did not adequately represent the load on the oil pump tensioner system experienced in the vehicle." This recall is written to apply only to 2016-2018 Ford Focus with the 1.0L Ecoboost paired to the automatic transmission - exempting the same car equipped with the manual transmission, even though it has the same faulty engine with faulty oil pump drive belt tensioner. It seems like a miss to not include the manual transmission variant of the same vehicle & engine combination, as the same safety hazards resulting from an oil pump tensioner failure exist! This cause of catastrophic engine failure should be corrected for both the manual and automatic transmission variants of the 2016-2018 Ford Focus 1.0L Ecoboost.

- Athens, AL, USA

problem #181

Mar 012024

Focus

  • 37,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked violently. The transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the clutch actuator; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

- Andrews, SC, USA

problem #180

Jul 032024

Focus

  • miles
My son car broke down Towed to Ford Waiting on a back order part since July 1st. No rental available. No loaner and no buyback. 23s66l4 recall#. Number23V905

- Marion, VA, USA

problem #179

Mar 042024

Focus

  • miles
In March 2024, I was driving my Ford Focus when the engine suddenly shut off at a stop light and never restarted. There were no warning lights or indications that anything was wrong with the car prior to it shutting off. The car was towed to a Ford dealership where it was determined that the reason the car broke was due to the oil belt breaking which is an active recall. The manufacturer recall number is 23S64. The NHTSA recall number is 23V905. This oil belt failure, led to both the turbocharger and engine seizing up and breaking due to a lack of oil being delivered to the system. This problem poses a safety risk as a loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine damage and/or seizure, which can result in a loss of motive power and a loss of the mechanical vacuum pump required to provide power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash. In March 2024, the recall only covered replacing the oil system - not the engine or turbo charger. In mid-June 2024, the recall was updated to include replacing the oil system as well as the engine and turbocharger that was affected in the cascading effects of the lack of oil delivery. We were told by the Ford dealership that a new engine and turbocharger had been ordered and would be delivered and installed in my car at the beginning of July 2024. Since early July 2024, I have called several times for an update of the status of my car. Each time, I have been told they are waiting on parts. Most recently, I was told that the one part they are waiting on is the high pressure pump. The service advisor at the local dealership said he has ordered it twice and emergency ordered it one other time. However, corporate Ford is not getting this order taken care of in a timely manner. It is now October 2024 and I have been waiting 7 months to get my car fixed. Per the NHTSA, car companies are expected to fix the recalled issue in a timely manner and Ford has failed to do this. They have also refused to buy my car back.

- Eldridge, IA, USA

problem #178

Sep 062024

Focus

  • miles
Engine light and red oil can symbol's keeps showing on the dashboard. Brake pedal is tight & hard when stopping when pressed on them.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #177

Sep 292023

Focus

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shaking moderately lost motive power, and failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that an unknown software needed to be updated and the actuators and clutch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #176

Aug 022021

Focus

  • miles
Before Ford issued the recall, our 2018 Ford Focus engine seized up and stopped working while we were driving it. We had it towed eventually to the Ford dealer in Shakopee, MN and they said the engine was shot from the issue it was finally recalled for in February of 2024. We bought the car in August of 2018 and this happened in August of 2021 with less than 80,000 miles on it. We ended up replacing the engine which cost $6585.44 for a new engine. We reached out to Ford and they told us it was not their problem. That was until February of 2024 when we received a letter with a safety issue regarding that problem. Now the new engine is also having this problem. Ford would not reimburse us for the new engine. We want to put in an official complaint that they actually ignored this problem even as we googled at the time and saw that it was happening. They're still not equipped to deal with it. We want our money back from the new engine we paid for.

- Prior Lake, MN, USA

problem #175

Mar 012024

Focus

  • miles
Drove car it stopped accelerating causing the engine to fail causing me to be broke down on interstate 81. Car has been sitting at the dealer since April

- Marion, VA, USA

problem #174

Jun 152024

Focus

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence and parked. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

- Tecumseh, MI, USA

problem #173

Jan 112024

Focus

  • miles
See attached document for complaint

- Summit Hill, PA, USA

problem #172

Aug 072024

Focus

  • miles
I had my car looked at by a mechanic because I was losing coolant! This has been going on for a few months. The mechanic found that the coolant was leaking from a water outlet on the passenger side in front of the motor! We took the car to a dealership to try to get the part. The parts agent could only find a water outlet for the thermostat in the drivers side" The part has lower radiator hose, Overflow reservoir, and a coolant line leading to the thermostat outlet on the drivers side of the vehicle? The outlet has 3 mounting studs with 10 millimeter nuts. that part is not listed in any parts stores? It leaks down to the minimum on the reservoir daily to a point that I have to put antifreeze in it everyday just to not have my motor become overheated"

- Washington Dc, DC, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »