What breaks most · 1999 to 2018 model years
Ford Focus problems by year
Owners have filed 15,265 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Focus across model years 1999 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2000 for electrical system complaints, 2012 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2001 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1999, 2011 and 2016.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2012, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1999, 2011, 2016
- Complaints on file
- 152651999 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 20003678 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 974267 fires · 781 injuries · 31 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 52kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 132Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 3678 | 248 | 18 | Electrical system (1342) | |
| 1752 | 171 | 14 | Electrical system (492) | |
| 932 | 82 | 8 | Electrical system (276) | |
| 970 | 51 | 7 | Electrical system (521) | |
| 376 | 32 | 6 | Electrical system (178) | |
| 427 | 42 | 5 | Electrical system (111) | |
| 194 | 22 | 2 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 364 | 54 | 2 | Air bags (109) | |
| 222 | 18 | 2 | Electrical system (51) | |
| 211 | 25 | 0 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 256 | 17 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (50) | |
| 97 | 8 | 0 | Electrical system (24) | |
| 2600 | 82 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (899) | |
| 1324 | 37 | 12 | Powertrain and transmission (685) | |
| 1271 | 50 | 12 | Powertrain and transmission (733) | |
| 293 | 14 | 9 | Powertrain and transmission (143) | |
| 185 | 12 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (86) | |
| 71 | 5 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (36) | |
| 32 | 4 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (9) |
What fails on the 2000 Ford Focus
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 36% |
1342 | 18 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2000 Ford Focus |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
474 | 14 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2000 Ford Focus |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
406 | 28 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2000 Ford Focus |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
389 | 22 | Shop suspension parts for the 2000 Ford Focus |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 10% |
366 | 11 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2000 Ford Focus |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
224 | 15 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 5% |
201 | 6 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 2000 Ford Focus |
| Air bags | 5% |
191 | 127 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The key would no longer turn in the ignition, leaving me and my baby niece stranded far away from home. We parked the vehicle and when we returned, we found ourselves stranded, because the ignition lock could no longer be operated. Apparently this is a known problem with FORD focus locks!
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I have a called the dealership i bought my car from. They are refusing to help me. My transmission is going out on my car. That i've had for 1 year. I've had my car looked at 4 times. But the issue wasn't fixed. This car isn't safe for me to drive. I want this fixed.
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Ignition key gets stuck and will not turn. FORD has known of this problem should have to pay for repairs and reimbursement.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Focus years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2012, 2001 carry the most filings on the Ford Focus. The 2000 alone has 3678 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Ford Focus problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 1342 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Focus problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Focus complaints that include mileage is about 52,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.