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What 2,641 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Focus

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (2,641)Crash / fire / injury (89)Transmission & drivetrain (1,587)Engine (454)Fuel system (359)Electrical system (274)Steering (225)Speed control (169)Body & structure (62)Latches & locks (47)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (39)Brakes (34)

1 of 2,641 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 17, 2018Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)EngineCrash

TAKATA RECALL AMONGST THE KNOWN RECALLS, IS A LOT OF UNSAID ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT STARTED WITH THE TCM. WHEN I HAD THE DEALER FIX IT, THE CODES WERE SHOWING OK BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DISPLAY THE SAME ISSUES WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. FOR SOME REASON WHEN DRIVING, IT SEEMS AS IF I'M DRIVING A MANUAL VEHICLE INSTEAD OF A AUTOMATIC. THE CLUTCH IS GIVING ME PROBLEMS. IT TEND TO GET STUCK IN THE HILL ASSIST MODE. A FEW WEEKS AGO MY CAR JUST DIED. IT SEEMED TO BE THE BATTERY. WHEN REPLACED IT WAS OK FOR A DAY OR SO. I HAD IT CHECKED TO SEE IF MY ALTERNATOR WAS BAD. IT BOTH PLACES STAYED IT WAS FINE. PERIODICALLY IT WOULD STOP. IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE THERE WHERE ANY DETERMINING FACTORS ON WHEN (LIKE COLD OR HOT WEATHER). SO I DROVE IT LESS. ONE DAY WHEN DRIVING, GOING 46 MPH, IT JUST SHUT DOWN. THE SCREEN SHOWED 'NOT IN PARK', STARTING SYSTEM FAULT AND IT WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL. IT THEN BEGAN TO START AND STOP WHENEVER. THE GROUNDS WERE CHECKED, THE STARTER, THE ALTERNATOR, THE FUSE AND ORHERS. MY HORN WOULD SOMETIMES GO OUT FOR DAYS, UP TO WEEKS. WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR, IT WOULD EVENTUALLY FLASH 'NORMAL MODE'. IT'S SO MANY THINGS GOING ON HERE! I FEAR ALL THE TIME WITH THIS CAR. WHEN THE TCM STARTED ACTING UP, IT STOPPED WHILE DRIVING TOO. I'M A MOTHER OF 5, I'VE HAS THIS CAR FOR 4 YEARS AS FOR THE PAST 2YRS I'VE BEEN LIVING IN FEAR OF MY CHILDREN AND I DYING IN THIS CAR. I'VE SPENT MORE MONEY BUYING RENTALS AND HAVING OTHERS ASSIST WITH TRANSPORTATION WHEN THIS CAR ACTS UP, I COULD'VE PAID HALF OF MY LAST 2YRS OFF. THIS IS NOT FAIR BECAUSE EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO JUST GET UP A GO TRADE IN A CAR OR WALK AWAY. I'VE BEEN HAVING DIFFERENT PROBLEMS FOR OVER 2 YRS NOW BUT WHEN IT SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER 2018 (THIS MONTH) IT GOT WORST AND I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER.

NHTSA ODI 11130028

Working with the data? Download all 2,641 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 7, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 Ford Focus verdict →