2009 Ford Focus

Fatalities reported

Owners filed 229 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k

189 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 30,00040,000 miles; the median is 45,690 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System32
000
Power Train28
000
Vehicle Speed Control23
201
Air Bags17
1008
Wheels15
306
Latches/Locks/Linkages14
000
Suspension13
010
Unknown or Other10
000
Engine10
000
Tires9
100

What owners reported

Newest filings
Fuel/Propulsion SystemCrash
Filed May 24, 2026WA

Incident [XXX], Parking in front of Physical Therapy clinic, suddenly the motor revved and car shot across the sidewalk and went through the wall of the clinic. No one was there and no one was hurt. Insurance was notified. (Hartford) Googling Auro malfunctions for Ford Focus, I come across several things which could have malfunctioned and caused "unpredictable acceleration. Car had within 2 weeks had been to automotive shop for maintenance. I think this was a serious malfunction and should have been noticed. thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Structure › Body
Filed Oct 10, 2023MI

Rocker panels rust out and cause the lifting points on the car unable to be used. Mechanics refuse to work on my car due to not being able to lift the vehicle per manufacturer lifting points.

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Aug 29, 2023PA

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated while parked in the driveway, the contact opened both rear doors; however, while attempting to close the doors, the doors failed to latch securely. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the latch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Service Brakes
Filed Jul 13, 202380,000 milesRI

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact felt the front passenger’s side brake was seizing. The contact stated there was smoke coming from the brakes. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and waited for the vehicle to cool down and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact had the brakes replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 14, 2021PA

My car started to rough idle, when I go to press the gas pedal there is no rev or acceleration or anything. It came up with a code for the throttle body and had it replaced and it worked fine for a while and then it happened again, so I replaced the throttle body again and it started happening right away again. This has happened at 80 MPH and almost caused an accident! I just want this to be understood, and I am not the only other person having this issue!!

Electrical System › Ignition
Filed Aug 13, 2021170,000 milesMI

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts without warning. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the ignition switch and housing were replaced. A few months later, the failure recurred, and the contact took the vehicle back to the same mechanic and had the starter replaced. A few months later after the repair, the failure recurred, and the contact took the vehicle to another independent mechanic who replaced the ignition switch and housing for a second time. After the failure occurred for the fourth time, the initial independent mechanic instructed her to place the vehicle in neutral to see if the restarted. The vehicle was started in neutral and the mechanic replaced the neutral safety switch. Despite the repair, the failure recurred. A dealer was notified of the failure and a representative acknowledged that the failure was a known issue; however, there were no recall for the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer was then referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Electrical System
Filed Aug 13, 2020130,000 milesGA

THE FUEL PUMP KEEP DISABLING! WHEN TRYING TO CRANK THE CAR IT WILL CONTINUE TO TURN OVER AFTER THE KEY HAS BEEN PULLED BACK OUT OF THE START POSITION

Electrical System
Filed Jun 22, 2020122,827 milesTN

TL* THE CONTACT'S SON OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT SON STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS JUMP STARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 122,827.

Power Train
Filed Feb 18, 2020150,000 milesWI

THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO HESITATE SHIFTING THEN WOULDNT GO PAST THIRD SHIFT AND THEN COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD.

Electrical System
Filed Jan 23, 2020120,000 milesIN

WHEN I TRY TO START MY CAR, SOMETIMES IT WON'T TURN OVER WHEN TURNING THE KEY. I HAVE TO TRY A FEW TIMES IF NOT MULTIPLE TIMES IN ORDER FOR IT TO START AND IT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE OVER TIME.

Power Train
Filed Dec 12, 201989,000 milesMD

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT HAD TO WAIT UNTIL HE COULD SHIFT INTO THE CORRECT GEAR IN ORDER TO CONTINUE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V176000 (POWER TRAIN). THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

Structure › Body
Filed Nov 12, 201965,000 milesNY

MY CAR WAS STATIONARY. THE DOORS LOCK AND DO NOT UNLOCK. AFTER HOURS OF SEARCHING THE MANUAL AND GOOGLE I FIGURED OUT HOW TO BYPASS THE AUTOMATIC LOCK AND TURNED THAT OFF SO MY DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK WHILE I DROVE. THAT WORKED FOR A WHILE BUT, THEN THE DOORS JUST STOPPED OPENING FROM THE OUTSIDE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL MECHANICS THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS YEAR FOCUS.

Latches/Locks/Linkages
Filed Oct 16, 2019145,000 milesMO

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DOORS FAILED TO LOCK AND UNLOCK AND WERE INOPERABLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT A MODULE NEEDED TO BE RESET. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 145,000.

Electrical System
Filed Oct 14, 2019AR

MY IGNITION IS NOT WORKING. I TURN THE KEY OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND THE CAR WON'T START. THE LIGHTS COME ON, THE BATTERY IS CHARGED, THE AIR WORKS, BUT THE VEHICLE WON'T START. I USED TO BE ABLE TO GET IT STARTED BUT I NOW HAVE BLISTERS ON MY HAND FROM TRYING TO START THIS CAR.

Electrical System
Filed Jul 24, 2019160,000 milesSC

THIRD TIME HAVING A PROBLEM WITH IGNITION SWITCH! CAR WILL TURN ON BUT WON'T START, COSTING MORE TO FIX THAN THE CAR IS WORTH.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 12, 201988,000 milesGA

THE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT HAS BEGUN GOING OFF ( TWICE NOW) BUT ONCE TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON IT DOES NOT COME ON. WHEN IT COMES ON IT LOOSES POWER AND THERE ARE ISSUES WITH ACCELERATION. IT HAS ONLY DONE IT AFTER A LONG DRIVE AND GOING (MOVING) AT A NORMAL PACE OF ABOUT 45 TO 55 MILES AND HOUR. IT HAS NOT GONE OFF AT A TIME THAT ALLOWS IT TO BE DIAGNOSED BY A PROFESSIONAL AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET IT TO REGISTER WHEN HOOKED TO THE COMPUTER,. THE LIGHT IS NO LONGER ON AND DOES NOT NOT ILLUMINATE IN AROUND TOWN DRIVING.

Seat Belts
Filed Jun 17, 2019OH

MY SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WOULD NOT UNLOCK AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES I LOOKED MORE CLOSELY AND I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK IT...BUT NOW IT WILL NOT LOCK ...IT IS NOT LATCHING LIKE A SPRING OR SOMETHING ISNT WORKING...I WAS STATIONARY TRYING TO EXIT MY CAR AT MY APARTMENT

Unknown or Other
Filed Jun 5, 2019135,000 milesMS

IGNITION MODULE...IGNITION SWITCH. CAR WON'T START WITH KEY, UNLESS PUSHED IN HARD, AND EVEN THEN IT TAKES SEVERAL TIMES FOR IT TO START.

Latches/Locks/Linkages
Filed Feb 21, 2019101,000 milesOH

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK AND THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. ED MULLINAX FORD (8000 LEAVITT RD, AMHERST, OH 440011, 440-296-3021) STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS CONTACTED AND QUOTED A REPAIR COST THAT WAS LESS THAN THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

Power Train
Filed Feb 2, 201943,165 milesTX

I HAD JUST GOT IN MY CAR TO GO GROCERY AND I STARTED UP MY ENGINE AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. HOWEVER, I WAS GOING UP TO 5000 RPMS JUST TO GO 30MPH AND IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT WHEN I WAS DRIVING, SO I PULLED OVER AND STOPPED THE CAR. WHEN I DID THIS, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS ONLY FUNCTIONAL IN DRIVE. I WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO REVERSE AND THE WHEELS WERE LOCKED IN NEUTRAL. SO, I CALLED FOR MY PARENTS FOR HELP. WE KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION, SO WE USED A CODE READER TO SEE IF THE CAR WAS GIVING AN ERROR MESSAGE BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE ONE AND PUT IN NEW TRANSMISSION FLUID. AFTER LOOKING ONLINE, WE NOTICED THAT THE FORD FOCUSES FROM 2010-2015 WERE ALSO HAVE TRANSMISSION ISSUES. SO WE HAD IT TOWED TO A FORD DEALER AND SERVICE CENTER LOCATION. WE TOLD THEM THE ISSUES WE WERE HAVE AND PAID FOR DIAGNOSTICS BUT THEY DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE HAD DONE. I WAS TOLD MY YEAR WAS NOT ONE OF THE RECALLED ONES, SO I WOULD HAVE TO PAY ABOUT 5,00 TO REPLACE IT. HOWEVER, I TOLD THEM THAT IT HAD LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AND A TRANSMISSION SHOULD AT LEAST BE ABLE TO LAST UNTIL 50,000 BUT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE.

20 of 229 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
2009 — this page229023Fatalities reported
2008250200Above average
2007391272Fatalities reported
2006204231Fatalities reported
2005441590Above average
20043876131Fatalities reported
20039777171Fatalities reported
20029398201Fatalities reported
20011,76114478Fatalities reported
20003,686181189Fatalities reported
199911000Routine

Compare every Focus year →

Reading this record

3 deaths reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.

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.