2018 FORD FOCUS Complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that soon after starting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to accelerate above 35 MPH and was driven to an independent mechanic. A diagnostic test was performed on the vehicle and the contact was instructed to stop driving the vehicle due to a drive belt failure. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which was linked to the failure; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 52,595. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Driving into a parking lot the check engine light came on and the vehicle would only move about 10 mph - parked the vehicle and returning to the vehicle it would not go into reverse or any forward gear.06

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to drive at any speed, the vehicle would jerk aggressively while either accelerating or decelerating, The contact also noted that when shifting the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle would move very slowly. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch and both forks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 148,406.

After filling up gas tank, car continues to sputter and tries to stall. This only happens after filling tank.

My car stalls when I get gas. If I get gas, I have to try multiple times to start my car and once it starts, I can’t stop. If I stop, my car will turn off and I have to start it again. My car has died in intersections and on streets many times. I called ford and they told me that I am basically out of luck and will have to have it repaired on my own dime even though I am having the same symptoms of a current recall.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light and the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the timing belt needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the thermostat had recently been replaced. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the manufacturer was unable to confirm when parts would be available. The failure mileage was 63,895. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I was driving to church on I-95 north bound when my sunroof exploded and shattered on me and inside my car

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.

On several occasions over the last several thousand miles, several issues have developed (all without warning at the time of first occurrence). At random times the engine will shut off when lifting out of the throttle. The car will run out of fuel before the fuel gauge is on empty or the "Miles to Empty" indicator state there are more miles to empty. Additionally, when shutting off the car to fuel at a gas station, the car takes up to a minute of cranking to re-start. When it starts, it will randomly shut off for the first several minutes unless throttle is applied before it shuts off. On 10/30/24 when driving with the gas gauge and range to empty indicators not on empty, the car stalled when beginning a slight climb, leaving the car stranded at night in the left most lane of traffic. This suggests fuel tank deformation. When issues started, the Canister Purge Valve was tested and found to be working correctly. It appears Recall 18V-735 is the issue here. Every symptom related to Recall 18V-735 is being experienced ("malfunctioning Canister Purge Valve (CPV) that can stick open and a Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software that does not adequately detect a stuck-open CPV. A CPV that is stuck open in these vehicles can cause excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system, potentially deforming the fuel tank. If this occurs, the customer may observe a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL), inaccurate or erratic fuel gauge indication, drivability concerns or loss of motive power."). Expanding this recall to cover 2018 Ford Focus with the 1.0L Ecoboost seems prudent as Ford should update the PCM to avoid drivers of this vehicle being stranded in unsafe situations.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.