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What 888 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (888)Crash / fire / injury (22)Transmission & drivetrain (448)Engine (226)Fuel system (177)Engine & cooling (78)Electrical system (38)Speed control (38)Steering (20)Airbags (15)Brakes (11)Lights (9)

3 of 888 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 25, 2024AirbagsBrakesCrash2 injuries

The contact owned a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated her son was driving the vehicle and while depressing the brake pedal to switch to the right lane, the engine RPMs revved and the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. As a result, the driver crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front. The navigation display turned black and no warning light was illuminated. The air bag underneath the steering wheel was deployed, but all other air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The contact who was the front passenger at the time of the incident sustained bruises on her stomach. The contact's son sustained bruises on his legs. No medical attention was sought. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

NHTSA ODI 11579240

Jan 4, 2023AirbagsBrakesCrash

I was moving my car in a gas station parking lot and went to stop the car to go in reverse and the breaks went to the floor and I pushed them about five times and still no breaks. I hit a concrete column and air bags didn't deploy and the airbag lights were blinking on and off and speedometer needle was going crazy. Officer went to assist with moving the car to a curbside and in neutral the car was trying to go forward then when it was put in park it continued to try to go forward. We were not on a hill, it was flat in the parking lot. If this would have happened on the main roads my son, nephew and myself could have been hurt and if I had hit someone else they could have been hurt as well. I know have a adjusting checking the vehicle and a mechanics shop as well. Before this happened I had absolutely no warning.

NHTSA ODI 11500145

Jul 14, 2018BrakesCrash1 injury

WHILE TRAVELLING AROUND 20 TO 25 MPH IN THE LEFT HAND LANE OR A TWO LANE CITY STREET, THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP, HOWEVER, WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE WAS NO RESISTANCE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR. I QUICKLY RELEASED AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN WITH THE SAME RESULT. I TRIED TO AVOID THE VEHICLE BY TURNING TO MY RIGHT, BUT I WAS TOO CLOSE AND HIT THE RIGHT BACK BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, CAUSING EXTREME DAMAGE TO THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALLED THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11111310

Working with the data? Download all 888 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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 2017 Ford Focus verdict →