What 743 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Focus Bev

When I filled my gas tank up recently my car wouldn’t immediately start up, it started but then stalled, I repeated that a couple times before revving the engine a bit before trying to put it in drive, that got it going but now I’m worried there’s something really wrong.

NHTSA ODI 11576420

While driving the oil pressure light came on. Within seconds the check engine light came on. The car was being backed out of my driveway at the time. It was pulled back in & parked at the end of my driveway. The oil was checked and was not low. I had it towed to a dealership. After a few days, the dealership called & told me I needed a new engine and turbo. I inquired about whether it was related to the current recall & was told “your oil pump isn’t working because of your motor”. How can they tell me it’s not because of the belt breaking down (which falls under the recall) without going into the motor to inspect the belt. I asked to speak with someone who actually worked on my car. The tech told me that the car lost oil pressure which meant the oil wasn’t moving and my engine burned up. I reached out to Ford & was simply given a case number & told that I would receive a letter when the parts are available for repair. I am beyond that point as my engine is already shot and it’s $6-7k to replace. But why replace the engine with the same engine that has the same belt that’s causing these issues??? The car belongs to my son who is a full time nursing student & REALLY needs his car. I can’t get a loaner and can’t afford to rent a vehicle for no telling how long. We are still having to make car & insurance payments on a car that we can’t drive. It is currently still sitting at the dealership. It’s $155 per hour to have the dealership go into the engine & inspect the belt to see if it in fact is at fault for my engine failure. That’s on top of the $100 I paid for towing and the $188 I paid for the diagnosis. Not to mention having to help my son pay for rides to school and work every single day. Ford needs to come up with a solution ASAP! The car was fine until this sudden loss of oil pressure.

NHTSA ODI 11576322

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message indicating that the transmission was overheating and needed to rest for 5 minutes was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11576000

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 MPH, a message indicating that the transmission was overheating and needed to rest for 5 minutes was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11576005

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was operating as if the vehicle was in LIMP Mode. The contact stated that when the gear shifter was in reverse, the vehicle did not function as needed. The contact parked the vehicle and turned off the vehicle, however the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with failed transmission clutch packets and that the transmission clutch packets needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 97,500.

NHTSA ODI 11575888

Timing broke with 71k on engine. Cut off and will not start back

NHTSA ODI 11575895

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the fuel injectors were replaced. The failure recurred three additional times. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a stuck clutch and stated that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.

NHTSA ODI 11575549

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 not yet available. 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 stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and slowing for a traffic signal, the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact called an independent mechanic who drove to the residence and diagnosed the vehicle. The independent mechanic determined that the oil pump had failed but was unable to further diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,428. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11575583

Engine seized

NHTSA ODI 11575622

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly shuddered and hesitated. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11575390

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the engine failure was due to the oil pump tensioner arm failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11574569

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light and the low oil warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the brakes were inoperable and the contact had to utilize the hand brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, however the dealer was unable to service the vehicle due to being over-booked. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed oil pump tensioner. The contact stated the timing belt, the oil pump, water pump, oil pump belt and the tensioners, brake booster vacuum, and thermostat were all replaced. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,300.

NHTSA ODI 11574578

The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the vehicle began to hesitate with the "Temperature Hot, wait 5 Minutes" and check engine warning lights illuminated. On both occasions, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective transmission module and actuator assembly. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 100,908.

NHTSA ODI 11574538

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an oil change was performed. The dealer diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11574321

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown due to the oil pump failure. The vehicle was repaired under warranty; however, the contact was charged a deductible fee. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which the contact related to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted for reimbursement of the deductible fee, but the manufacturer denied reimbursement. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11574353

The Transmission system of the car stopped shifting into gear and would randomly shift back into gear and jolt the whole car forward. This problem has happened with other ford focus models that have been recalled but not this model having the same issues. Had a transmission company look at the car and they said to take it into the dealership due to it being a manufacturing problem. Then I had to replace the lever ASY clutch release, Clutch ASY, Seal ASY, Cylinder ASY, Retainer bearing, Bracket, Retainer nut, and 2 Axles. The car is only a 2018 model and only has 70,000 miles. This ended up costing about $5,000 to repair when it was a manufacturing error and not from the driver.

NHTSA ODI 11573520

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The low oil pressure, the check engine, and the battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed. The dealer determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer informed that contact he needed to pay for the repair out-of-pocket and be reimbursed once the recall parts became available. The failure mileage was approximately 65,619.

NHTSA ODI 11573685

The contact owned a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message displayed reading "Low Oil Pressure," after which the vehicle lost significant motive power and was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the timing solenoid and oil pump belt tensioner. The timing solenoid was repaired, the oil pump belt tensioner was not, and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pump belt tensioner, resulting in damage to the engine cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the VIN was included but parts were not yet available. The contact stated that she had since sold the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11573692

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and the vehicle lost motive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an Auto Collision Center. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump drive belt had fractured, causing engine and turbo charger damages. The dealer determined that the oil pump drive belt, the engine block, and the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold because she could not cover the cost of the repair. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,909.

NHTSA ODI 11573481

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. In addition, the contact stated that the brakes were inoperable. The contact's wife had to slam on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the brakes locked up and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine due to a faulty oil pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11573006

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The check engine, oil, and engine failure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired three times, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572999

I purchased this vehicle from a dealer on 10/3/2022 and have had some issues, and 1/22/2023 my oil light came on and i took the car to a Tires plus who said it was a camshaft sensor, and the engine was vibrating to only have the engine light come on later. Called dealership only to find that they closed shop and you have to reach out via email/text. I was told to take to a mechanic which I then took to Jensen who said that the engine was shot, could not be fixed but would have to be replaced. I contacted the dealer again via text letting them know..I did purchase an extended warranty through the dealer and they sent out their 3rd party inspector who assessed it as the same. NOW the warranty place wants to know WHY the engine failed in order for them to repair and even in that ..they said IF what caused it falls under their' do not cover' then they will not cover it. I have contacted the loan people prior to even this, the dealer (prior to this) about issues but they kept stating that nothing was wrong along with some cosmetic issues as well that they attempted to patch up..seatbelt was not working properly so they attempted to fix but still was tight and you have to pull to get it to roll up into the slot. My vehicle is now inoperatable and I have been w/o a vehicle since the date of engine failing. I also discovered other issues that were noted after the fact that were not revealed to me at the point of sale. (yes this is a branded title, and i was informed that the vehicle was ONLY hit on drivers door but was fixed, however via the warranty company who looked up CARFAX I was informed that there was way more damange to this vehicle then I was told). I am unsure what my next step and if you can give me some options of what I should do next would be great.

NHTSA ODI 11572491

While driving on I75 the car started to act funny. No issue indicating lights came on the dash board. I exited the highway and the brakes did not work. I was able to get the car to eventually stop without damaging anyone. I had to use the hand break. My foot had the break peddle all the way to the floor and that would not stop the car. Once the car was stopped the check engine light came on when i tried to start the car. The car was towed to the nearby Ford dealership who determined the oil pump failed which caused the turbo to fail and 2 of the 3 pistons to fail. Engine, oil pump and turbo all had to be replaced. The break pump also had to be replaced. These were all related to the oil pump failure. This could have been so much worse had i had to slow down or come to a sudden stop on the highway. Or if there was any oncoming traffic at the exit intersection i had to go through without breaks.

NHTSA ODI 11572510

Only after 30,000 miles the clutch became defaulty. Vehicle is unable to go in reverse and CLutch B is stuck engaged.

NHTSA ODI 11572532

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the screen display would intermittently malfunction and display a black screen. During the failure, the backup camera became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the access protocol interface module (APIM) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 51,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572279