Home · 2018 Ford Focus Bev · Complaints

What 743 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Focus Bev

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 (743)Crash / fire / injury (21)Transmission & drivetrain (285)Engine (195)Fuel system (181)Engine & cooling (108)Electrical system (38)Steering (30)Speed control (23)Brakes (21)Airbags (8)Body & structure (6)

Newest first · 743 complaints · page 7 of 30

Jul 18, 2024Fuel system

I bought this car in 2020-2021. My check engine light came on recently and when I took it in to get it fixed, I payed $1,140 (general maintenance, and fuel injector cleaner) and when I picked it back up they informed me that some 2018 models had a recall on my car. I called the dealership, and they informed me I had no open recalls. However, I am having all of the symptoms of the recall open on some of the same vehicles. Whenever I get gas, my car will not start. I have to turn my car over multiple times before it will safely start. Sometimes, when I get gas, if I slow down or completely stop my car will just turn off and then I have to repeat the same process over and over until it will start on its own. It has died in the middle of busy roads before and it is not safe.

NHTSA ODI 11603121

Jul 17, 2024Engine

Coolant keeps disappearing with no sign of leaking, only possibly on the ground when my car sit. Engine keeps overheating and smoke comes out of air vents. Recall that is out now is what seems to be the issue but does not cover my Ford focus.

NHTSA ODI 11602848

Jul 15, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Engine failure warnings, overheating, and car loss power slowed down to 5 miles per hour. The engine was replaced four times; head gasket replaced three times. I have had the car for three years, and it has been out of service for more than 190 days with the same problem. I have pleaded and begged Ford Motor Company and the dealership to take the car back and give me a refund. It is at the dealership service department now. They have had it from July 3-July 15, 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11602429

Jul 12, 2024Engine & cooling

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 while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked at the residence and upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was jumpstarted by a towing service. The contact stated while driving to the dealer at 25-30 MPH, the vehicle experienced engine hesitation. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with metal shavings in the engine oil. No further information was provided. The dealer related the failure to the recall and informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11601472

Jul 12, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact's son 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 while the driver was driving 50-55 MPH in the rain, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle jerked and lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that while the driver was depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shuddered and became undriveable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer related the failure to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 and offered to reimburse the contact for any rental vehicle expenses incurred. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11601541

Jul 11, 2024Fuel system

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and idled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with purge valve failure. The contact was informed that the purge valve needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened and the contact was referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11601246

Jul 9, 2024Engine & cooling

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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the "Low oil pressure" warning illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the oil pump had failed and damaged the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer and was informed that the oil pump had failed and that the engine and oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11600434

Jul 9, 2024Engine

Engine failure

NHTSA ODI 11600632

Jul 3, 2024Engine & cooling

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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11598648

Jul 2, 2024Engine

The oil pump control arm failed. There is an open recall with no remedy. We were originally told Q2 2024 and now it's Q1 2025. This is unacceptable as this recall was issued in January 2024 with no remedy.

NHTSA ODI 11598408

Jul 1, 2024Engine & cooling

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 local dealer was contacted. 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.

NHTSA ODI 11597915

Jul 1, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission is slipping causing the transmission to emit a “transmission hot” code on car . Dealer is aware of certain cars with the same issue . This is an automatic transmission but codes are reading that the clutch is stuck . Car suddenly loses power which can cause a major accident .

NHTSA ODI 11597945

Jul 1, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine seized with a loss of oil pressure. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pump and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11597978

Jul 1, 2024Engine

My oil light came on while driving, it was flashing. I pulled over, checked my oil level and it was full. I had it towed to the nearby Firestone that I always use to check what was going on, I was afraid to keep driving it. The mechanic called me a day later and said that my wetbelt had disintegrated and that my engine was gone. He said that there was no way to check this during oil changes also. He said this wetbelt caused a loss of oil pressure which is why my engine was impacted. Firestone didn't know what the error code was and reached out to the Ford Manufacturer and they were advised what a wetbelt was and did. I attempted to get the recall taken care of in March at Cavalier Ford and they cancelled my appointment since there was no active fix. I have also been advised I can replace the engine out of pocket and hopefully Ford will reimburse me. I also reached out to Beach Ford to see what I could do and what my options were, she also told me I would pay out of pocket and hopefully be reimbursed. No one can confirm if I would even be reimbursed, if I had the amount of money needed to get a new engine. Luckily, I was not put at risk or others. I do drive for a living, 50% of my job is on the road. I stopped driving my car at the first sign of trouble and only hurt the engine.

NHTSA ODI 11598051

Jun 28, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was 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: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 53,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11597457

Jun 27, 2024Fuel system

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the engine would shut off or idle roughly immediately after starting up. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed; the contact was later referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11597226

Jun 27, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The VIN was included, but 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 notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 51,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11597296

Jun 27, 2024Fuel system

Oil light on engine is on. Issue is related to recall. Not able to fix issue until early next year

NHTSA ODI 11597348

Jun 25, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The VIN was included, but the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11596519

Jun 25, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Driving on highway, message transmission overheating, park car. We were on highway, and had to pull over, this very much put our safety at risk. 2018 ford focus titanium 29,000 miles Got it to dealership Replaced clutch/levers with seal kit $4123.05

NHTSA ODI 11596546

Jun 21, 2024Engine & cooling

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 while driving 55 MPH, there was air coming from under the hood of the vehicle and the RPM was fluctuating. In addition, the vehicle failed to respond, while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pump drive belt, drive belt tensioner, and an unknown sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595710

Jun 20, 2024Engine & cooling

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 while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the contact heard a loud ticking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and 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 37,084. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11595445

Jun 20, 2024Engine & cooling

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 vehicle was towed. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with engine oil pump failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then 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 dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 55,428. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11595541

Jun 20, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Upon purchase of the vehicle in 2018 it has been taken into Ford dealer for multiple issues over the years up until current related to transmission (cvt) and TCM. It has excessive shudder upon acceleration, feels as it will stall suddenly, hesitant upon acceleration, shifting roughly and not shifting at all at times, with and also without a check engine light on. Multiple codes have been read but the TCM has needed a reset every time it’s been taken in. There has been a recall/extended warranty on other Focus and Fiesta years due to same issue with TCM, which often times is misdiagnosed due to faulty codes. This has been an ongoing and consistent problem since I’ve owned the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11595601

Jun 18, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was replaced. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the turbo charger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the same assessment was made. Additionally, the dealer determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11594997

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Working with the data? Download all 743 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 22, 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 2018 Ford Focus Bev verdict →