2018 Ford Focus Driver assistance Problems

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and then accelerated to the desired cruise control setting. The failure had occurred several times. Approximately 2 weeks later, while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the hazard lights were activated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the repair was not covered under warranty or recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11731483

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

Mileage

150,000 mi

I was on my way to a 7-Eleven to get gas once I filled it up. Those engine started sputtering and it did that for a minute until it finally started. I got to my school and then once I needed to go to school to school, my car was not going above 11 mph and when I was trying to reverse, it would not accelerate while reversing.

NHTSA ID

11682125

Incident

Aug 21, 2025

My vehicle was inspected in order to determine why my vehicle is stalling, jerking, not going into reverse and giving a warning message that the car is overheating. My spouse and I were told the transmission control module needs to be replaced. Upon reading about my car's maje and midel, I learned this is a problem with 2018 Ford cars. It stalls and almost cuts off in traffic which is very dangerous

NHTSA ID

11663139

Incident

May 1, 2025

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 ID

11658591

Incident

May 2, 2025

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 ID

11654809

Incident

Jul 18, 2024

Car shuddered horribly on interstate. RPMs revving up like crazy. Transmission struggling. This caused the car to slow down drastically in the middle of traffic, nearly causing myself a fatal accident amongst others around me. No warning indications, just Transmission Fault Service Now as soon as it happened. In the past this vehicle has had transmission issues fixed and replaced by Ford themselves, due to the same shuddering and stalling as listed above. All those times, no check engine light or warning lights. Care would accelerate/jerk/shudder badly. Making it unpredictable to drive.

NHTSA ID

11610557

Incident

Aug 23, 2024

With out warning my car lost power and went from 65 mph to 40 in an instant, I was able to avoid hitting the side wall of the freeway and with Gods help avoided hitting any other vehicles. The oil light came on then the engine light soon after, I was able to take the first exit off the freeway and pulled over in a gas station parking lot. Tow truck took it to the dealership, this car has a recall and the recall description matches exactly what happed. The dealership told me it will take them 6-8 weeks before they can even diagnosis the car for that recall. I am stuck without a car, and I am lucky no one was injured. People with this type of Ford ecoboost need to be made aware they are driving a vehicle at any moment can have total engine failure putting lives in danger. When I received the original recall letter, I called Five Star Ford in April to set the appointment, and they told me they are not taking those recall repairs right now and to call back at another time. I called back in May and was told they are still not taking repairs for that recall, to call back 3rd quarter of 2024. You can see that Ford has put lives in danger if others who called for the repaired was turned away as well.

NHTSA ID

11606631

Incident

Aug 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the infotainment system had failed to turn on intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that the rearview camera was intermittently inoperable while reversing. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000. The contact stated she had to replace the whole unit at the cost $1500.00 in repairs.

NHTSA ID

11588957

Incident

May 15, 2024

Mileage

121,000 mi

I have had several Ford Focuses and I’m not sure why I keep buying them. The transmission shudders or slips. Makes awful noises like grinding or something hitting the fan blade. I currently have 7 codes stored in the car but no check engine light. My garage thinks maybe it needs a new ABS control module. The display screen goes black all the time and doesn’t come back on. Ford is aware of these issues in the 2018 models and continues to do nothing. I’ve been a loyal Ford buyer for years and I’m never buying “American made” again. They cut corners and produce trash vehicles that the consumer has to pay out of pocket for repairs. Current codes are P219A and C. U0121, U0140, U0256, U0452 and U2101. The car always makes a strange beeping noise. It sounds like a warning chime but no lights come on or anything. The car has AWFUL fuel mileage currently. I live 15 mins from work with only 1 traffic light and it used half a tank for 4 days of just traveling 30 mins a day. You pay a decent amount for these cars and can’t rely on them. SHAMEFUL! The transmission issues have been happening since I bought the car in 2022. The codes, beeping and fuel mileage have been a recent issue within the last few months. It shakes. The vehicle is a safety concern not only for myself driving it, but others on the road.

NHTSA ID

11581420

Incident

Feb 4, 2024

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 ID

11572279

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

Mileage

51,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the center display was not functioning, preventing the use of the backup camera, and compromising the backover prevention system. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the APIM module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 54,000.

NHTSA ID

11571700

Incident

Feb 13, 2024

Mileage

54,000 mi

The engine died while I was driving with my fiance, and the steering gave out. There was a loss of power to both the engine and brakes. The timing of shifting was inconsistent and I couldn't keep up with speed of traffic. Ford has confirmed that there is a problem with my vehicle and that the engine could explode. This is from their recall live on their site: "The engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm to fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt material may degrade and lose teeth, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure. 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." My car has been inspected by the local Ford dealership. There was a warning lamp that showed on the dashboard the day I had planned to get an oil change done by the Tuttle-Click Ford. They completed my oil change and did not acknowledge that I had an engine warning light. I had to call them back the same day to ask why the light was still on and if they fixed it, and they said to bring it back in. Once I did, they said they would have to take apart my engine. After bringing it to two other mechanics (the failure getting progressively worse), one of them was kind enough to let me know my car was recalled. Information that Ford never led out with once I brought my car in.

NHTSA ID

11570422

Incident

Jan 3, 2024

The brake got stuck and made it very difficult to start the car. Considering it’s a push start. The car then started misfiring and had trouble accelerating. Took it to Ford Auto Nation a few weeks later as it had not advanced, they informed me that the clutch and petal had to be replaced along with a few other parts.

NHTSA ID

11557295

Incident

Oct 28, 2023

I was driving normal speed on a highway and all of a sudden my speed slowed to 0 and I had to hurry and pull over fast. I was so scared and it was so dangerous. I took it to a shop and they said I need a new transmission. The car never indicated there was an issue prior to this incident.

NHTSA ID

11531479

Incident

Jun 5, 2023

Initially the check engine light came on; took it to service center and the fuel sensor was replaced. Check engine light comes on the next day which revealed an evap code error. Suggestion was take it to dealer for recall check. Safety became an issue when the vehicle sputtered and stalled on the highway. I visually inspected the fuel tank which appeared "sunken" which suggested a vacuum pressure problem which the dealer also confirmed. All this is part of a recall which "should" include my VIN, make, model and year.

NHTSA ID

11514534

Incident

Mar 13, 2023

Hesitation, stuttering, and lack of power have plagued me since purchasing 2022. When I put my foot on the accelerator the car should go. My car decides to take a coffee break, then smoke break, then bathroom, another smoke break then decides to go.

NHTSA ID

11510311

Incident

Feb 27, 2023

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 ID

11486944

Incident

Aug 8, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated she had experienced a failure with the rear-view camera since she purchased the vehicle. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle was shifted into reverse(R), the rear-view camera appeared blurry. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ID

11482498

Incident

Nov 11, 2019

Mileage

25,000 mi

WHEN MY CAR IS RUNNING AND SITTING IDLE AT AN INTERSECTION, IT STUTTERS ANS HESITATES TO ACCELERATE. WHEN I AM DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I BEED TO SLIW DOWN OR SPEED UP; MY CAR STUTTERS AND HESITATES.

NHTSA ID

11403396

Incident

Aug 6, 2019

Mileage

10,000 mi

CAR KEEPS IDLING UP AT A STOP OR WHEN I SLOW DOWN SKIPS AND ACTS LIKE ITS GONE CUT OFF WHEN IT DOES IDLE DOWN

NHTSA ID

11399124

Incident

Feb 1, 2021

SOMETIMES WHEN I RUN THE CAR EARLY OFF IN THE MORNING I USUALLY LET IT WARM UP. BUT EVEN THOUGH I DO THAT IT SEEMS LIKE IT KIND OF LIKE STRUGGLES IF I ACCELERATE SLOWLY, AND I'M DOING SO IT KIND OF LIKE JERKS THE VEHICLE FORWARD A COUPLE TIMES UNTIL IT JUST CLICKS. THAT'S FOR THE,FOR THE SPEED CONTROL I THINK I PUT IT UNDER. AS FOR THE OTHER ISSUE I WILL TAKE IT TO AUTOZONE AND I NEEDED TO GET CODES BECAUSE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. AND NOW I'M WONDERING IF IT'S UNDER RECALL, BECAUSE THE CODE P0456, EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS SYSTEM AND IT SAYS THERE'S SMALL LEAK OR IT'S CONSIDERED A SMALL LEAK SO I'M JUST WONDERING BUT IF YOU GUYS CAN PLEASE TELL WHAT IT COULD BE THAT WOULD BE AWESOME

NHTSA ID

11390797

Incident

Jan 30, 2021

Mileage

1 mi

MY CAR HAS BEEN HAVING A ISSUE STAYING ON, IT CONSTANTLY HAS TO GET JUMPED AFTER I PUMPED GAS, WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING THE CAR CUT COMPLETELY OFF. I'M HAVING A PROBLEM ALSO REVERSING AND ACCELERATION, MY CAR IS NOT GOING PAST 10 MILES. I ONLY HAVE 85000 MILES

NHTSA ID

11386214

Incident

Dec 25, 2020

I GOT THE VEHICLE ON 4/30/2019, ONE MONTH LATER, THE VEHICLE BEGAN WITH ISSUES. AFTER YOU COME TO A FULL STOP AND THEN YOU LET YOU FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND PRESS THE ACCELERATOR TO GO FORWARD, THE CAR SHAKES / VIBRATES. I HAVE ALREADY TAKEN MY VEHICLE 3 TIMES TO THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, THE ISSUE DOES GET FIX BUT AFTER A MONTH, THE SAME ISSUE BEGINS AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL HAPPEN EVERY MONTH, I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT IT BEFORE I BOUGHT/FINANCE THE VEHICLE. ALSO MY VEHICLE IS NOT GETTING THE PROPER FULL MILEAGE IT SHOULD BE GETTING

NHTSA ID

11378604

Incident

Sep 6, 2019

AFTER YOU COME TO A FULL STOP AND THEN YOU LET YOU FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND PRESS THE ACCELERATOR TO GO FORWARD, THE CAR SHAKES/TREMBLES. IT HAPPENS VERY OFTEN. DIDN'T PAY TOO MUCH MIND TO IT AT FIRST, BUT IT KEEPS HAPPENING.

NHTSA ID

11377889

Incident

Dec 1, 2020

Mileage

52,500 mi

WHEN DRIVING MY CAR THE ENGINE STALLS TRYING TO GET IT UP TO SPEED AND WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO STEP INTO IT MY CAR STALLS TO WHERE IT FEELS LIKE YOUR FOOT IS AT THE FLOOR MY DEALERSHIP CLAIMS IT'S JUST THE STYLE OF THE CAR IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO THAT

NHTSA ID

11350473

Incident

Aug 4, 2020

Mileage

48,858 mi