What 743 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Focus Bev

USB, Sync, radio system and A/C stopped working. Dealership found APIM is defective and needs to be replaced. This issue has occurred for many other Ford vehicles and is a known defective part, although Ford will not cover the cost (over $1500) to replace since there is not recall for this Ford make, model and year.

NHTSA ODI 11496140

took to discount tire and they could not take tire off due to lug nuts. they said it was a common problem with fords and we should take to a vehicle repair shop,

NHTSA ODI 11495400

This VIN needs to be updated clearly because I was experiencing transmission issues that were extremely unsafe causing the vehicle to jerk left and ride on the road as well as not go into reverse - I almost got killed by upcoming traffic!!!! Ford as well as the dealership took no accountability but stated there was a recall with the clutch system and it needed to be replaced as well as codes that needed to be reset. My vehicles year, make, and model indeed have similar recalls so my VIN should be under that classification as well because it left the repair shop with $1,000 worth of repairs and it arrived to me unable to start! There’s still internal issues and unfixable transmission issues like many of the pending lawsuits have stated.

NHTSA ODI 11495236

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle, but the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 76,000.

NHTSA ODI 11494880

The car sputters consistently in 2nd gear

NHTSA ODI 11494107

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle started to stall as if there was no gasoline inside the fuel tank. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after several attempts the vehicle started as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the PCV needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11493518

I was driving on interstate at 75 mph when my vehicle oil light came on. Before I could react, I lost cruise control and my engine began to stall. A loud noise came from my engine and it shut off while still driving. I was able to pull over without being involved in an accident. I towed the vehicle from the side of interstate to the nearest ford dealer. I explained the oil pressure light came on and my car instantly stalled and how I was put in a dangerous situation. He told me before the inspection that I would need an entire engine replacement. He explained this is a very common issue with 2016-2018 ford focus with eco boost engine. The timing belt fails early, causing debris to fail the engine,. He explained that if this light comes on, ford will automatically recommend a new engine as the light comes on too late. He explained that Ford have been aware of this problem but have not provided any solution or guidance besides to quote an engine replacement. He showed me that in his small service lot of 20 cars, 5 of them were 16-18 ford focus with the exact same timing belt issue and awaiting motors. I contacted ford and explained my situation. Ford said they could not help in any way as I was 7k miles over my 60,000 mile warranty. I am the only owner of this vehicle and maintain frequent oil changes. The repair was quoted at $10k by a certified Ford dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11493250

On Saturday October 15, 2022 while driving my 2018 Ford Focus hatchback, the steering went out. I was able to avoid being hit by the car behind me by somehow managing to pull into a driveway. I had the car towed to my home and called my usual mechanic on Monday the 17th who told me that it could only be repaired at the dealership as it would require special calibration after the steering was fixed. I then had it towed to the closest Ford dealership to my home. I was informed the next day, the 18th, that the "steering gearbox had to be replaced which was caused by intermittent overheat internal to steering gear, internal fault has caused steering gear damage internally". I was informed parts, tax and shop fees would amount to 3500.00. They also said there was a back log on parts and they have no idea when it would be fixed. It has now been there 3 weeks and they still have no idea when the parts will come in. There was no warning lights or messages prior to the steering going out. If I had been on the highway, as I often am as I am a nurse who sees patients in their homes, I truly believe I might have been killed as it was incredibly hard to even pull the car over into the driveway when I was going 30 miles an hours, let alone if I had been going 60 mph on the highway. I am a caretaker for elderly family members and as I stated, am a nurse. I have not been able to work, nor have I been able to do my usual caretaking for my family members. The car is only 4 years old with low miles and having the steering go out without warning is completely unacceptable which is why I am filing a formal complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11493081

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped at a stop sign the vehicle shut down completely. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle drove rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the canister purge valve was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was 53,000.

NHTSA ODI 11492724

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds and accelerating, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the clutch was replaced. The failure reoccurred and the clutch was replaced three times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was 600 miles over the warranty, and the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11492062

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 40 MPH and attempting to change lanes, the steering wheel seized. The driver was unaware if any warning lights were illuminated. The driver started to depress the brake pedal and jerked the steering wheel until the steering wheel unlocked. The driver was able to continue driving to her residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11490953

Transmission failed to engage in changing gears on the road. When idle wouldnt go in reverse and can hear grinding sound or gear changing sound . Gear moving or changing sound when I turned car off. Few minutes after this happened engine light came on. Problem has not been confirmed by dealer, etc. Bought at approximately 40k miles - Ford replaced 2 clutches,now. They will not extend warranty for new clutch. When I called national Ford customer service since I have no warranty I will have to pay for tow and work, etc. Would be out of pocket. Used code machine - have code numbers if needed.

NHTSA ODI 11490770

While driving service transmission light came on, car won't shift, no reverse, 76,000 Miles on car. Check engine light on but no codes showing. No warning as this happened.

NHTSA ODI 11490579

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly while at a complete stop. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk, would shudder, and would hesitate to respond when accelerating from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with the fuel line and the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however the VIN was not included. The local dealer and other unknown dealers were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488816

bought my car 2018 ford focus in 2019 used. its since been at the dealership 3 times. transmission is jerking and taking off by itself. they had my car for 5 months said it was fixed but almost a year later doing the same thing. the warranty just ran out, they said i would have to pay for it. the car is very dangerous. i still owe 10000 on the car. i am so heartbroken. i have no one to help me.

NHTSA ODI 11488681

The automatic transmission control module has malfunctioned. When the car is stopped and the accelerator is pressed, the car will stall and jolt forward. This is an extreme safety risk as it could cause an accident and could be a life or death situation. The problem has been confirmed and diagnosed by a dealer. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacture company . The check engine light appeared as the vehicle was being given to the dealership for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11487900

I hit 75,000 miles in my Focus. Got routined maintenance. Having issues with the transmission. While driving the car it skips from 1st to 3rd, it will not reverse, and I have to get it jump started half the time. Haven’t been able to drive my car since 05/2022. Ford acknowledged my recall but the VIN number isn’t the same, so they aren’t willing to help out much. The amount of money it’s going to take to fix this car will not be worth it.

NHTSA ODI 11487367

Yes, both the safety of myself as well as others is at risk. The engine shuts off while driving, which is extremely dangerous in many scenarios: on a highway - the risk of rear-ending at high speed, hazardous when passing another car on a two-way street, inability to leave the intersection safely etc. During regular operation, the vehicle loses power and enters "idle mode"; the car shakes a bit like choking, the engine shuts down, and no acceleration is possible. An error message " engine fault service now" appears. You are losing control over a car and cannot safely leave a line or an intersection. Turning the engine off and back on clears the message, and the vehicle typically runs back and runs without problems. The incidents happen entirely at random without any warning. There is no pattern, fast or slow drive, length or dynamic of the drive, the weather, etc. Happened to me multiple times. Around August 8th - the first observance, on an interstate highway, the car entered idle mode and died numerous times when slowing down. The car was dropped off at the authorized FORD dealer. The dealer cannot replicate the issue. Car picked up from the dealer around August 30th - throttle body replaced as per dealer recommendation. September 15th - same problem. The car shuts off during driving. No acceleration, same message. Fulls speed, city driving, lost acceleration mid-intersection. Car towed to an authorized dealer. The dealer cannot identify the issue, cannot replicate the problem and says everything is ok. On September 23rd, the car was picked up from the dealer, stating that they replaced the harness and resolved the issue. September 24th card enters "middle mode" while on the highway off-ramp. Unable to accelerate same error message. Miraculously avoids being rear-ended by the driver behind. The message clears off after tuning the car off and on. The vehicle operates normally after. Dropped the car off at the authorized dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11486944

Transmission / Clutch Slippage. Apparently a well known issue for the 2018 Ford Focus. I am now looking at my 3rd replacement for the clutch as it continues to fail, most recently within 10k miles from the last replacement. Vehicle has less than 85k. Simple daily driving and the vehicle transmission starts to slip gears when leaving a stop, from 1st to 2nd gear. This is not good when crossing larger interceptions or going up hills. The longer I drive the vehicle, the worse it gets. Ford is well aware of this issue with the 2018 and earlier models, as are the Ford dealerships and Focus owners.

NHTSA ODI 11486550

The clutch on the vehicle continues to fail. It has been replaced three times by a ford dealer. When taking off from a stopped position the vehicle makes a grinding noise and shudders when switching from first to second gear(Around 16mph). The shudders can be slight or aggressive enough that it shakes the entire car.

NHTSA ODI 11486258

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated she depressed the accelerator pedal harder than usual and the vehicle jerked and accelerated abruptly. The contact stated that on another occasion there was an abnormal sound while shifting gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission and clutches needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11485212

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission control module (TCM) to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part being on backorder. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

NHTSA ODI 11484024

The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that her daughter attempted to start the vehicle, but the engine failed to turn over. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11483255

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and climbing a steep grade, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stated that at the crest of the grade, the vehicle regained motive power. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure could be associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The independent mechanic recommended that the vehicle be taken to a dealer. The dealer confirmed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and that the fuel tank was damaged and the purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the VIN should be included in the recall. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11483257

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while idling at red traffic light, the vehicle jerked and shuddered and then hesitated while attempting to accelerate. The failure also occurred while attempting to turn the vehicle to the left or right and also while shifting into reverse(R). The contact stated that occasionally the transmission failed to engage as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the clutch was replaced three times. The vehicle was diagnosed again and it was determined that the clutch needed to be replaced again. The clutch was not replaced. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482539