1999 Ford Focus

Routine

Owners filed 11 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine › gasoline. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling2
000
Structure1
000
Steering › Rack and Pinion1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine1
000
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch1
000
Air Bags1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Oct 10, 2006166,508 milesTX

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. IT WAS RESTARTED BUT STALLED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND LATER DRIVEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 11/14/2006 - THE FAILURE A AY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WAS DONE ON THE VEHICLE. THE CODES INDICATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR, VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR, AND O2 SENSOR WAS OUT, AND THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SWITCH WAS OUT OF RANGE. *NM

Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control
Filed Apr 19, 2006AL

CONSUMER REQUESTING RECALL INFORMATION ON 1999 FOCUS. *TS THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED EMISSION PROBLEMS. *JB

Structure
Filed Oct 12, 2004MI

HEAD IMPACT TUBES (OFLEX TUBES) ARE BEING INSTALLED THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME BY HAND ON HEAD LINERS AT FORMER EMPLOYER GRUPO ANTOLIN-WAYNE 47440 MICHIGAN AVE. SUITE 130, CANTON, MICHIGAN 48188. THE HEAD IMPACT TUBE ARE TO BE MEET FEDERAL REGULATED SAFETY STANDARDS, THEY ARE TO BE PUT ON BY A FIXED FIXTURE THAT I BROUGHT TO THE COMPANY'S ATTENTION. THE COMPANY HAS NO MASTER TOOLING TO CHECK SPECIFICATIONS FOR FINISHED PRODUCT. *NM

Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Filed May 4, 2004NC

WHILE PLACING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION., AND MECHANIC REPLACED SOLENOID SWITCH. *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Aug 15, 2003WA

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL ENGINE STALLED. DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL FILTER. *AK

Steering › Rack and Pinion
Filed Jun 25, 2003IN

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON 6/25/2003. DEALER STATED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE RACK AND PINION, AND THE TIE RODS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

Air Bags
Filed Mar 4, 2003125 miles00

THE VEHICLE IMPACTED A POLE AT 25 MPH. AS A RESULT THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE BENT BUT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER WAS INJURED. *NLM

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Feb 25, 200373,000 milesAZ

THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED, WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A CRACK IN THE ENGINE HEAD AND THE MOTOR MOUNT BEING BUSTED.*JB

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Feb 3, 2003OH

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. PH

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Aug 24, 2001KS

THE ENGINE MELTED COMPLETELY WITHOUT ANY WARNING. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THIS WAS DUE TO A FAILED IMPELLER IN THE WATER HEATER. IT WAS ON ITS WAY INTO THE SHOP FOR THE USUAL REPEAT PROBLEM WITH THE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER (THAT IS WHY THE READING IS 11,000 BUT THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 99,000 MILES). SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE ENGINE AND IT STOPPED COMPLETELY. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE IMPELLER BROKE, CAUSING THE WATER PUMP TO FAIL AND THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT AND MELT INSIDE. THE ENGINE IS NOW USELESS. THE CAR IS SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP IN PARTS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IT IS WORTHLESS NOW AND THAT EVEN A REBUILT ENGINE COSTS MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. THE ENGINE DID NOT SHOW THAT IT WAS HOT (HOWEVER, THIS IS ON THE SAME INSTRUMENT PANEL AS THE MALFUNCTIONING ODOMOETER/SPEEDOMETER). THERE WAS NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. IT IS UNSAFE FOR ENGINES TO SUDDENLY MELT WHILE ONE IS DRIVING. THE CAR HAS HAD ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND RECALLS. THIS IS INEXCUSABLE FOR A CAR THIS AGE. THE $3,600 PROPERTY DAMAGE EXTIMATE IS MY ESTIMATE OF THE VALUE OF THE CAR. I SEE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS TO NHTSA REGARDING THE SAME PROBLEM. IS FORD FIXING THIS OR NOT? CONTOUR OWNERS SHOULD BE MADE AWARE THAT THEIR ENGINES MAY SUDDENLY MELT, OR THE IMPELLERS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD LOOK INTO THIS FOR THE SAFETY OF THOSE DRIVING CONTOURS AND THOSE DRIVING BEHIND THEM. IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY I

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc
Filed Mar 23, 2000WV

BRAKES SQUEALED WHENEVER BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THIS WAS NORMAL, AND NOTHING WOULD BE DONE. *AK

11 of 11 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2012
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2018834730Above average
20178961020Above average
20161,1801020Above average
20151,018940Above average
20142,6011291Do not drive
20132,11012123Fatalities reported
20123,7688155Fatalities reported
2011113000Routine
2010287040Above average
2009229023Fatalities reported
2008250200Above average
2007391272Fatalities reported
2006204231Fatalities reported
2005441590Above average
20043876131Fatalities reported
20039777171Fatalities reported
20029398201Fatalities reported
20011,76114478Fatalities reported
20003,686181189Fatalities reported
1999 — this page11000Routine

Compare every Focus year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.