2009 Ford Focus Owner Complaints

incident [XXX], Parking in front of Physical Therapy clinic, suddenly the motor revved and car shot across the sidewalk and went through the wall of the clinic. No one was there and no one was hurt. Insurance was notified. (Hartford) Googling Auro malfunctions for Ford Focus, I come across several things which could have malfunctioned and caused "unpredictable acceleration. Car had within 2 weeks had been to automotive shop for maintenance. I think this was a serious malfunction and should have been noticed. thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11739783

Incident

Apr 20, 2026

Rocker panels rust out and cause the lifting points on the car unable to be used. Mechanics refuse to work on my car due to not being able to lift the vehicle per manufacturer lifting points.

NHTSA ID

11549212

Incident

Oct 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated while parked in the driveway, the contact opened both rear doors; however, while attempting to close the doors, the doors failed to latch securely. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the latch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11541362

Incident

Aug 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact felt the front passenger’s side brake was seizing. The contact stated there was smoke coming from the brakes. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and waited for the vehicle to cool down and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact had the brakes replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11532153

Incident

Feb 8, 2021

Mileage

80,000 mi

My car started to rough idle, when I go to press the gas pedal there is no rev or acceleration or anything. It came up with a code for the throttle body and had it replaced and it worked fine for a while and then it happened again, so I replaced the throttle body again and it started happening right away again. This has happened at 80 MPH and almost caused an accident! I just want this to be understood, and I am not the only other person having this issue!!

NHTSA ID

11432987

Incident

Aug 18, 2021

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts without warning. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the ignition switch and housing were replaced. A few months later, the failure recurred, and the contact took the vehicle back to the same mechanic and had the starter replaced. A few months later after the repair, the failure recurred, and the contact took the vehicle to another independent mechanic who replaced the ignition switch and housing for a second time. After the failure occurred for the fourth time, the initial independent mechanic instructed her to place the vehicle in neutral to see if the restarted. The vehicle was started in neutral and the mechanic replaced the neutral safety switch. Despite the repair, the failure recurred. A dealer was notified of the failure and a representative acknowledged that the failure was a known issue; however, there were no recall for the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer was then referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11428924

Incident

Jul 1, 2019

Mileage

170,000 mi

THE FUEL PUMP KEEP DISABLING! WHEN TRYING TO CRANK THE CAR IT WILL CONTINUE TO TURN OVER AFTER THE KEY HAS BEEN PULLED BACK OUT OF THE START POSITION

NHTSA ID

11349109

Incident

Aug 11, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT'S SON OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT SON STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS JUMP STARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 122,827.

NHTSA ID

11330138

Incident

Jun 19, 2020

Mileage

122,827 mi

THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO HESITATE SHIFTING THEN WOULDNT GO PAST THIRD SHIFT AND THEN COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ID

11310004

Incident

Feb 11, 2020

Mileage

150,000 mi

WHEN I TRY TO START MY CAR, SOMETIMES IT WON'T TURN OVER WHEN TURNING THE KEY. I HAVE TO TRY A FEW TIMES IF NOT MULTIPLE TIMES IN ORDER FOR IT TO START AND IT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE OVER TIME.

NHTSA ID

11301476

Incident

Jan 23, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT HAD TO WAIT UNTIL HE COULD SHIFT INTO THE CORRECT GEAR IN ORDER TO CONTINUE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V176000 (POWER TRAIN). THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

NHTSA ID

11288722

Incident

Dec 10, 2019

Mileage

89,000 mi

MY CAR WAS STATIONARY. THE DOORS LOCK AND DO NOT UNLOCK. AFTER HOURS OF SEARCHING THE MANUAL AND GOOGLE I FIGURED OUT HOW TO BYPASS THE AUTOMATIC LOCK AND TURNED THAT OFF SO MY DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK WHILE I DROVE. THAT WORKED FOR A WHILE BUT, THEN THE DOORS JUST STOPPED OPENING FROM THE OUTSIDE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL MECHANICS THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS YEAR FOCUS.

NHTSA ID

11279639

Incident

Dec 15, 2016

Mileage

65,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DOORS FAILED TO LOCK AND UNLOCK AND WERE INOPERABLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT A MODULE NEEDED TO BE RESET. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 145,000.

NHTSA ID

11268988

Incident

Mar 1, 2018

Mileage

145,000 mi

MY IGNITION IS NOT WORKING. I TURN THE KEY OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND THE CAR WON'T START. THE LIGHTS COME ON, THE BATTERY IS CHARGED, THE AIR WORKS, BUT THE VEHICLE WON'T START. I USED TO BE ABLE TO GET IT STARTED BUT I NOW HAVE BLISTERS ON MY HAND FROM TRYING TO START THIS CAR.

NHTSA ID

11268271

Incident

Oct 14, 2019

THIRD TIME HAVING A PROBLEM WITH IGNITION SWITCH! CAR WILL TURN ON BUT WON'T START, COSTING MORE TO FIX THAN THE CAR IS WORTH.

NHTSA ID

11234649

Incident

Jul 18, 2019

Mileage

160,000 mi

THE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT HAS BEGUN GOING OFF ( TWICE NOW) BUT ONCE TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON IT DOES NOT COME ON. WHEN IT COMES ON IT LOOSES POWER AND THERE ARE ISSUES WITH ACCELERATION. IT HAS ONLY DONE IT AFTER A LONG DRIVE AND GOING (MOVING) AT A NORMAL PACE OF ABOUT 45 TO 55 MILES AND HOUR. IT HAS NOT GONE OFF AT A TIME THAT ALLOWS IT TO BE DIAGNOSED BY A PROFESSIONAL AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET IT TO REGISTER WHEN HOOKED TO THE COMPUTER,. THE LIGHT IS NO LONGER ON AND DOES NOT NOT ILLUMINATE IN AROUND TOWN DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11231225

Incident

Jul 9, 2019

Mileage

88,000 mi

MY SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WOULD NOT UNLOCK AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES I LOOKED MORE CLOSELY AND I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK IT...BUT NOW IT WILL NOT LOCK ...IT IS NOT LATCHING LIKE A SPRING OR SOMETHING ISNT WORKING...I WAS STATIONARY TRYING TO EXIT MY CAR AT MY APARTMENT

NHTSA ID

11220764

Incident

Jun 13, 2019

IGNITION MODULE...IGNITION SWITCH. CAR WON'T START WITH KEY, UNLESS PUSHED IN HARD, AND EVEN THEN IT TAKES SEVERAL TIMES FOR IT TO START.

NHTSA ID

11218119

Incident

Mar 1, 2018

Mileage

135,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK AND THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. ED MULLINAX FORD (8000 LEAVITT RD, AMHERST, OH 440011, 440-296-3021) STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS CONTACTED AND QUOTED A REPAIR COST THAT WAS LESS THAN THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

NHTSA ID

11181517

Incident

Dec 1, 2018

Mileage

101,000 mi

I HAD JUST GOT IN MY CAR TO GO GROCERY AND I STARTED UP MY ENGINE AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. HOWEVER, I WAS GOING UP TO 5000 RPMS JUST TO GO 30MPH AND IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT WHEN I WAS DRIVING, SO I PULLED OVER AND STOPPED THE CAR. WHEN I DID THIS, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS ONLY FUNCTIONAL IN DRIVE. I WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO REVERSE AND THE WHEELS WERE LOCKED IN NEUTRAL. SO, I CALLED FOR MY PARENTS FOR HELP. WE KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION, SO WE USED A CODE READER TO SEE IF THE CAR WAS GIVING AN ERROR MESSAGE BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE ONE AND PUT IN NEW TRANSMISSION FLUID. AFTER LOOKING ONLINE, WE NOTICED THAT THE FORD FOCUSES FROM 2010-2015 WERE ALSO HAVE TRANSMISSION ISSUES. SO WE HAD IT TOWED TO A FORD DEALER AND SERVICE CENTER LOCATION. WE TOLD THEM THE ISSUES WE WERE HAVE AND PAID FOR DIAGNOSTICS BUT THEY DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE HAD DONE. I WAS TOLD MY YEAR WAS NOT ONE OF THE RECALLED ONES, SO I WOULD HAVE TO PAY ABOUT 5,00 TO REPLACE IT. HOWEVER, I TOLD THEM THAT IT HAD LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AND A TRANSMISSION SHOULD AT LEAST BE ABLE TO LAST UNTIL 50,000 BUT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE.

NHTSA ID

11173692

Incident

Dec 31, 2018

Mileage

43,165 mi

I HAVE HAD THE MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION MOUNTS REPLACED TWICE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS ON THIS VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD TO REPORT IT AS THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN.

NHTSA ID

11172017

Incident

Jan 24, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT WOULD NOT LOCK AND REMAIN SECURE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 187,000.

NHTSA ID

11169882

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

Mileage

187,000 mi

IGNITION NOT WORKING PROPERLY.KEY HAS TO BE TURNED SEVERAL TIMES TO START CAR WHEN PARKED.

NHTSA ID

11142604

Incident

May 20, 2018

LEFT REAR HUB CAME OFF CAR ON FREEWAY, CROSSED OVER TO OTHER SIDE, AND KILLED ANOTHER DRIVER IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND HE HAD HIS 12 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER NEXT TO HIM. I GUESS THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH THE 2001 FORD FOCUS, FORD KNEW ABOUT IT, BUT YET FAILED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, RESULTING IN THIS MANS DEATH. I FEEL THEY SHOULD BE HELD CRIMINALY RESPONSIBLE.

NHTSA ID

11132798

Incident

Apr 26, 2016

Mileage

120,000 mi

THE IGNITION IS GOING OUT..REALLY HAVE TO JAM KEY INTO THE COLUM TO GET IT TO START

NHTSA ID

11123464

Incident

May 3, 2018