What 743 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Focus RS

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to crank as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the head gasket, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11678881

Loss of engine oil pressure, possible engine damage, and/or seizure.

NHTSA ODI 11663921

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

NHTSA ODI 11662196

My 2018 Ford Focus (DPS6 dual-clutch automatic transmission) suffers from severe hesitation and shuddering when accelerating from a stop, especially under 10 mph. More concerning, the car has stalled multiple times while merging into traffic and during right turns at intersections. We can no longer safely take free right turns due to the risk of the car dying mid-merge. This poses an immediate safety hazard and mirrors known failure patterns in earlier Focus and Fiesta models. Ford previously extended warranty coverage for the same TCM defect in 2011–2016 models, but my 2018 — which uses the same DPS6 system — has been excluded without explanation. The dealership acknowledged the TCM failure but refused to cover the repair. Instead, they charged me $300 to tell me they would not perform the service Ford originally recommended (a fuel injector purge) and that I now need to replace the TCM entirely. This is a known, documented issue that Ford has admitted to in other years. My car has lost power four times in the last three months, and all signs point to this being the early stages of the same defect. Allowing this failure to persist without coverage or recall is negligent and dangerous. Ford is knowingly placing families like mine at risk by refusing to act. I request an NHTSA investigation into the 2018 Ford Focus DPS6 models, which are experiencing the same failures that have already led to recalls, lawsuits, and warranty extensions in earlier years.

NHTSA ODI 11658591

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the RPM fluctuated while shifting gears, and the transmission shifted erratically. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechani,c where a handheld diagnostic tool retrieved DTC: P07A3. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11658157

Since I have had this car the engine has been replaced 4 times and transmission once Engine has been replace 3 times under the same warranty due to recalled part I was not in an accident however car broke down while I was in traffic I am putting the latest date car broke down

NHTSA ODI 11654809

I am experiencing symptoms of Safety Recall 23S64 on my 2018 Ford Focus — specifically, intermittent oil pressure warning lights. I took my car to a Ford dealer who initially stated the issue may be recall-related, but later refused to inspect the oil pump belt and tensioner unless I paid out of pocket, despite the recall bulletin (MT23S64A) stating Ford will reimburse 2.8 hours of labor for the inspection even if no failure is found. I contacted Ford Customer Relationship Center and they were unable to locate the labor code or confirm the policy, and gave me the same incorrect info. This appears to be a violation of federal recall policy, where the dealership and manufacturer are both refusing to honor a safety recall without charging me for the diagnosis.

NHTSA ODI 11654597

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated and experienced hard transmission shifts. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission clutch and the clutch actuator were replaced. The contact stated that while her significant other was driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The driver was unable to pull to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the driver noticed that the engine had fallen onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Don Vance Ford, Inc. (MO-38, Marshfield, MO 65706), where it was determined that the motor mounts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R). The contact stated that the vehicle was significantly sluggish while shifting into gear. The first dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the transmission control module had failed; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653449

UNKNOWN Took my vehicle in to check recall and get oil change, and two-days later I had to bring it back. The check engine light came on and they stated that oil was leaking.

NHTSA ODI 11649844

Manufacturer Recall Number 23S64 NHTSA Recall Number 23V905 I am sending this from in as my car is still not repaired & has been worked on for over 8 months with no fix for the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11649616

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 152,910.

NHTSA ODI 11648793

Coolant kept emptying out and causing the engine to overheat randomly. The only warning would be having to immediately pull over right then because the engine was dangerously hot. Heater core had to be replaced because it was extremely damaged even though no accidents or anything happened to cause it to be. The metal of the core just failed in an area cause a huge hole.

NHTSA ODI 11644696

The current recall issue already happened to my vehicle in 2022 and I had to pay out of pocket to have the entire engine replaced. I have contacted ford to get reimbursed for this due to the recall and they have not responded. Also this recall has been in place since 01/2024 and still no fix.

NHTSA ODI 11644056

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 14 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the transmission was slipping while shifting between first and second gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause of the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle jerked, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the power train and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the transmission failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

NHTSA ODI 11643939

In 2021 there was an issue with my vehicle before 50,000 miles that the engine completely seized and had to be replaced under warranty. It took 3-4 months to get my vehicle fixed and sent to 3 different dealerships because every location did not want to fix the car and we had to fight them to get it back to me. Once I finally got the car back, less than a year later it started to pull a code saying that the engine was over heating and the engine would turn off in the middle of the road and I would have to coast to get out of traffic. Because of the engine replacement I was granted till 80,000 miles for warranty to expire and so I repeatedly brought my car in over the past 3 years for this issue while the car was still under 80,000 and each time I was told there was nothing wrong with the car. Now, the head on the engine is no longer operational and I'm outside of the 80,000 miles warranty. Conveniently, now that that the car is once again at a Ford dealership, they have now found that the head of the engine is cracked and leaked coolant into the engine. The dealership that it is at now is one of the dealerships that looked at it before and told me there was nothing wwrong.

NHTSA ODI 11642586

After working on [XXX], my vehicle made it home, and wouldn't start. After jump starting, I began to drive it to the dealership. My safety, and others, was put at risk when the car began to smoke, lost power in a driving lane, and then burned down with extreme intensity. The dealership isn't helping. Ford said their Office of General Council is still looking into it, but originally denied my claim before saying they would reconsider my case. An official report from the Lakeland Fire Department stated mechanical failure and loss estimated to be equal to $10,000. The engine light blinked on the way home, the oil lamp went off and on, and then the car wouldn't start. These were the only signs prior to a total loss of power and smoke before my life was in jeopardy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11639732

My vehicle seized up as I was driving it and I wrecked it aside a median. I had to tow it to the ford dealership for them to diagnose it as the recall stated. The recall wasn’t officially out yet, so I had to tow my vehicle back to my house. This happened in February 2024. I have received a new engine, but had to continue to make payments on a car that I was not able to drive and only received a rental within the past 6 weeks since I have paid for new brakes, new battery, new tires, and an alignment. None of these things were covered for the recall except the engine. The dealership clearly states that because my car has been sitting I have to purchase these other items. I have reached out to corporate and the dealership and haven’t gotten anywhere. I don’t know if even doing this will help, but I definitely feel taken advantage of. I think someone should reimburse me for tires and battery due to the extended time it sat. Heck, even the brakes too.

NHTSA ODI 11632177

In June of 2022 We were driving when all the dashboard lit up saying stop immediately, get to a mechanic, engine light and every light was on. We happen to be right near the Ford dealership in our town and pulled right in. After diagnosing it we were told it needed a new engine as the one we have had metal in the oil, it was froze, they had no idea a car with such low miles would do this, that is until they looked it up and found the recall on this car saying this exact thing could happen. It cost $6000 to have it fixed, this was in 2022. We keep getting told parts would be in to fix this problem, Now its almost 2025 and still waiting on parts,, are we to lose another engine? Which by the way, we want a full refund on the one we had to have fixed,, wouldnt have happened if Ford didnt have this problem with their cars.

NHTSA ODI 11629863

I bought this car it was used by two other owners. I bought a new battery for this car but there is some kind of electrical problem with smell coming from vents and the radio system keeps shutting off.. keeps giving me a message on the screen that says shit off admission or restart engine to save battery then my whole radio system turns off till I turn off my car... Also now it time 4 tries to start my engine. Dash board will turn on but not engine..

NHTSA ODI 11629472

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked violently. The transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the clutch actuator; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

NHTSA ODI 11621699

My son car broke down Towed to Ford Waiting on a back order part since July 1st. No rental available. No loaner and no buyback . 23s66l4 recall#. Number23V905

NHTSA ODI 11619549

In March 2024, I was driving my Ford Focus when the engine suddenly shut off at a stop light and never restarted. There were no warning lights or indications that anything was wrong with the car prior to it shutting off. The car was towed to a Ford dealership where it was determined that the reason the car broke was due to the oil belt breaking which is an active recall. The manufacturer recall number is 23S64. The NHTSA recall number is 23V905. This oil belt failure, led to both the turbocharger and engine seizing up and breaking due to a lack of oil being delivered to the system. This problem poses a safety risk as a loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine damage and/or seizure, which can result in a loss of motive power and a loss of the mechanical vacuum pump required to provide power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash. In March 2024, the recall only covered replacing the oil system - not the engine or turbo charger. In mid-June 2024, the recall was updated to include replacing the oil system as well as the engine and turbocharger that was affected in the cascading effects of the lack of oil delivery. We were told by the Ford dealership that a new engine and turbocharger had been ordered and would be delivered and installed in my car at the beginning of July 2024. Since early July 2024, I have called several times for an update of the status of my car. Each time, I have been told they are waiting on parts. Most recently, I was told that the one part they are waiting on is the high pressure pump. The service advisor at the local dealership said he has ordered it twice and emergency ordered it one other time. However, corporate Ford is not getting this order taken care of in a timely manner. It is now October 2024 and I have been waiting 7 months to get my car fixed. Per the NHTSA, car companies are expected to fix the recalled issue in a timely manner and Ford has failed to do this. They have also refused to buy my car back.

NHTSA ODI 11618266

Engine light and red oil can symbol's keeps showing on the dashboard. Brake pedal is tight & hard when stopping when pressed on them.

NHTSA ODI 11613295

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shaking moderately lost motive power, and failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that an unknown software needed to be updated and the actuators and clutch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11611603

Before Ford issued the recall, our 2018 Ford Focus engine seized up and stopped working while we were driving it. We had it towed eventually to the Ford dealer in Shakopee, MN and they said the engine was shot from the issue it was finally recalled for in February of 2024. We bought the car in August of 2018 and this happened in August of 2021 with less than 80,000 miles on it. We ended up replacing the engine which cost $6585.44 for a new engine. We reached out to Ford and they told us it was not their problem. That was until February of 2024 when we received a letter with a safety issue regarding that problem. Now the new engine is also having this problem. Ford would not reimburse us for the new engine. We want to put in an official complaint that they actually ignored this problem even as we googled at the time and saw that it was happening. They're still not equipped to deal with it. We want our money back from the new engine we paid for.

NHTSA ODI 11610940