2018 Ford Focus Problems

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving uphill, the vehicle lost power, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Engine Fault" was displayed. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the check valve on the vacuum pump had separated. The check valve was replaced every 1,000 miles. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power and the oil warning light flashed. The vehicle was taken to the residence and parked. The contact inspected the vehicle and checked the dipstick, noticing bits of rubber inside the oil. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

My Ford vehicle has experienced repeated and significant engine problems that have never been successfully resolved despite numerous repair attempts at multiple Ford dealerships. The engine has been repaired/rebuilt multiple times, yet the underlying issue has continued and the engine has now seized. Most concerning, the vehicle unexpectedly shut off. Fortunately, it started again yesterday, but I do not consider it safe to drive because I am concerned it could shut off again while being driven, causing a sudden loss of power and creating a serious safety risk. Ford is declining further assistance because the vehicle odometer is approximately 105,000 miles. However, the engine has been rebuilt multiple times and has substantially fewer miles since its most recent rebuild. This is not simply an engine that failed for the first time at 105,000 miles; it is an ongoing problem that Ford dealerships have repeatedly attempted and failed to correct. Ford has advised that its assistance for this known issue is a "program," not a warranty. If Ford is aware of an engine condition that can result in repeated failures, engine seizure, or an unexpected shutdown/loss of power, I believe the safety implications should be investigated. I am asking NHTSA to determine whether this is part of a broader safety defect affecting this Ford model/engine and whether a safety recall or other action is warranted. I have extensive dealership repair records and Ford correspondence documenting the history.

My car had been driving fine. Until one day I leave my house and crank my car up and it does not go into reverse. It loses engine power and stalled into traffic. This is an on going issue as you can see stories from other people with the same make and model as my car with the same issue. No warning signs, hasn’t been checked out but I have contacted Ford and they only cover models with this issue 2012-2016. I think it should cover 2018 as well.

I had the engine on 2018 (61000 mileage) focus replaced 1 and 1/2 year ago because of the oil pan wet belt recall. Now my transmission locked up because of clutch failure. I was lucky that I was coming to a stop while parking in my driveway. Now im told by mechanic that i need a new transmission. Why was ford allowed to continue selling cars with substandard engines.

There was supposedly a recall of 2012-2018 Ford focuses such as mine, which is a 2018, but somehow my car is not included in this recall even though it seems to be affected by the same problem. I believe it to have a faulty purge valve (forgive me if I am not precise in my terminology) as it stalls after I get gas and try to start it up. I have to rev the engine to get it to stay on. I cannot stop after I get it started because it roughly idles and seems like it will shut back off if I do, which makes this a little dangerous as well as damaging for my car. I am distressed that my car is not included in this recall because I desperately need to repair it before I ruin my engine but I cannot because I don't have any money.

Car doesn't start after putting in gas, has to revved to start. Leaking fluid on right front driver side. Car doesn't start in intervals throughout the day.

Battery randomly died. When battery was replaced at the mechanic, it caused a glitch or broke something in or connected to the transmission. Car couldn’t reverse nor go faster than 1st gear. Had to drive 11 mph all the way to the Ford Dealership. Both Meineke AND Ford Service Manager said this is a KNOWN problem with Ford Focus’ and confirmed it is a common problem. I am now being quoted $10,000 to replace the transmission.

I’ve had this car since 2021 and it’s been worked on 3 times for the same issues. My clutch and a couple other things for the transmission. I just recently had it worked on for transmission problems and paid $1100 for a belt replacement that didn’t even fix the issue. I told them it was clutch A like the code readers pulled (multiple times might I add) and they did a test and charged me for that test and said it was just the harness belt. Today my check engine light came on, and I had a code pulled and it was clutch A like I told them (P0902). I’ve had the actuator replaced at least twice and the power module has also been replaced. My cars engine light is on and it’s shifting hard and is taking a while to even shift. I have the invoices to show that each time it’s been worked on it’s been an issue with the transmission. My VIN number needs to be recalled before something worse happens. Each time it’s been worked on it costed me too much money especially to keep having the same problems. I’ve also done research that proves this particular issue is an issue with a lot of ford focus cars.

"My 2018 Ford Focus was traveling uphill at highway speed. I fully depressed the accelerator because the vehicle was losing speed. The vehicle did not respond with additional acceleration and subsequently continued to lose speed despite the accelerator remaining fully depressed. The dealership inspected the vehicle and told me that the engine is not powerful enough for sustained uphill driving and that the vehicle performed as designed. I am reporting this because I am concerned about the loss of ability to maintain speed despite full accelerator input and whether this constitutes a safety defect."

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.

I was waiting to pull out of the parking lot after work making a left turn. When it was clear I accelerated but the car felt like it didn't want to turn, it just went straight, the wheel felt like it had locked up, it was super stiff. I almost hit parked cars and almost was hit by the oncoming traffic. I was able to stop before hitting the parked cars, put my emergency lights on, put the car in reverse and had to go incredible hulk mode on the steering wheel to turn it any kind of amount.. I managed to steer the car towards the curb and park. I was stuck on the side of the road for a bit looking up what it could be and I found that it was most likely the electronic power steering system going out. I also found that there was a recall on the 2018 Ford Focus already for that same issue NHTSA#15S18/15V340. I took it to the dealer and explained what happened, they looked at it and said it is the power steering and needs to be replaced but that it's not showing up as under recall for my VIN. I called Ford but they say my VIN is not effected as well. I don't understand how since the description in the recall is exactly what happened to me and the dealer is saying that is also the problem. The car is a 2018 and has 22k miles on it, used just for work commutes. It should not be having these issues. I have 3 payments left on this car and they now want $5k plus for repairs..

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was idling roughly, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle needed to be shifted into neutral in to be started. Upon shifting into reverse, the vehicle shut off, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the TCM was inoperable and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,451,

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, and the transmission was not shifting properly while accelerating. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a clutch failure, and a clutch replacement was suggested at 27,000 miles. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The contact stated that the shuddering persisted, and the purge valves were replaced after the clutch repair at 69,000 miles. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and almost stalled. The vehicle was pulled over into a parking lot. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a second clutch failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.

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

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.

During their recall repair work on my cpv/ecm recall Rowe Auburn Ford allowed my car to leave their custody with the airbag light on and have refused to take responsibility or offer resolution to fix this issue without costing me more money.

WHEN COMING FROM A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT UPON PRESSING THE GAS TO PUT YHE VEHICLE IN MOTION AGAIN , IT STALLS BEFORE TAKING OFF. THE AIRBAG UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL DEPLOYED WHEN MY KNEE BUMPED IT. WHEN PUTTING GAS IN THE CAR THE CAR WILL NOT START BACK UP , IT STARTS N TURNS OFF ON ITS OWN.

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.

My Vehicle has been with me since I’ve had It since 32,000 miles it’s up to 87,000 miles now The first thing I had to replace the starter at 32,000 the alternator and CV axle on the passenger side and the clutch is second and third clutch And the inside dome lights an the dash lights shorted out all went out the day after I got it now since then at 84,000 the The front clip just fell off going down the road it never dragged the ground an it was never broken but going down the interstate at 70 the speed limit it fell down an ripped out from under the car an hit the car behind me costing me a lot of money but now currently at 87,000 The cv axel on the passenger side has started knocking again bye far one of the worst cars I’ve ever bought

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the passenger’s side headlight was inoperable. The headlamp failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that there was condensation in the headlight housing. The contact was informed that the headlight housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 75,366.

The transmission is going out, they’ve replaced it and it’s still a bad transmission. Having a bad transmission could cause the car to shut off in the middle of the road causing an accident. My engine is constantly overheating, my car gives me warnings to stop the car because of overheating. I can’t even drive on the expressway because i’m scared my car is going to blow up or something. The electrical inside the car does not work, i can’t unlock the doors on the driver side but on the passenger side i can. The sunshade blocking thing you pull down lights don’t come on, nothing about the car really works. The car jerks when driving like it’s about to shut off in the middle of the road, that’s a safety defect or whatever you wanna call it. The car makes a ticking noise when you start it up and OH the idle, let me tell you about the idling of this car. I could be driving 25-35 MPH and the car idles up to 5! literally, it’s unsafe! I have to use my flash light at night when getting things out my car, getting my baby brother out of the car. it don’t make sense.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shuddering, jerking, and hesitating to accelerate as needed. The vehicle then stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V011000 (Equipment); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

JUST CAME FROM DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME i NEEDED NEW LUG NUTS BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN THEY SWELL AND CANNOT BE TAKEN OF EASILY AND MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $150

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. While the contact’s spouse was driving approximately 15 MPH, the rear passenger’s side door was unable to close properly. The instrument panel displayed a message that the door was ajar. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the locking mechanism had failed. The driver pulled to the side of the road and became aware that the door was not properly lining up with the locking mechanism, causing the door to fail to close or lock properly. The contact was informed that the locking mechanism within the door needed to be replaced. The failure was linked to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V643000 (Latches/Linkages/Linkages) and 16V698000 (Latches/Linkages/Linkages, Structure) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 32,800.

ONE OF THE 2 REAR BOLTS THAT BOLT THE REAR OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO CAR FLOOR IS MISSING. I NOTICED THIS WHEN I WAS VACUUMING THE CAR OUT. THE SEAT IS ONLY BOLTED A 3 POINTS AND IS A MAJOR SECURITY ISSUE. *TR

VEHICLE IS SLOW ACCELERATING ON THE HIGHWAY GETTING ON AND OFF RAMPS. IT JERKS AND LAGS WHEN PROCEEDING AFTER A STOP. THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING PROBLEM SINCE PURCHASE. SERVICED MULTIPLE TIMES. PROBLEM ADDRESSED FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND THE JERKING ALWAYS RETURNS.

CAR BEEN DEFECTIVE SINCE PURCHASED SEPTEMBER 2019. HAVEN'T DID CAR FAX ON VEHICLE SINCE THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

First my wind shield wipers were coming on by themselves and not cutting off when I flicked the switch. Now my car is jerking when I press the gas to drive and sometimes moving in reverse after I press the gas to drive. Jerking and barely accelerating, then it decides to driver in between gaps. My safety is put at risk because sometimes it slows down or barely accelerates in oncoming traffic and moves backwards when cars are behind me at a light or stop sign. Manufacture by others which is a neighborhood auto shop. Just the check engine light came on.

The purge valve has been an ongoing continuous problem since we bought the vehicle. I have fixed it multiple times. It’s caused the vehicle to stall after putting gas in the tank, and just recently stalled while driving, causing me to hit a curb leading to the passenger front tire popping, the rim being dented, the tire rod bent, alignment out of wack, and the valance ripped off. It also caused a dashboard light to pop up saying Hill Start is Not Available. I was in the car thankfully alone and not with my children. The windshield wipers are a fairly newer issue, they come on whenever they want with the switch being touch. But won’t come on when I try to do it myself. I had my mom take a photo of the steering wheel/road while I was driving to show the severity of the alignment needed, it’s causing extra wear and tear EXTREMELY fast on tires. Rainy season has begun and this is absolutely unsafe and not my responsibility.

I HAVE TESTED THIS MANY TIMES, AND YIELDED THE SAME RESULT. WHEN THE DRIVERS SEATBELT IS UNBUCKLED WHILST IN MOTION, THERE IS NO LIGHT OR AUDIBLE ALARM UNTIL YOU COME TO A FULL AND COMPLETE STOP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER WAS LEAKING INTO THE TRUNK AND ONTO THE FLOOR IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE REAR SEAT BELT BOLTS DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MIDDLETOWN FORD (1750 NORTH VERITY PARKWAY, MIDDLETOWN, OH 45042) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WELL TO THE FRAME WAS MISSING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE DEALER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE SEAT BELT FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,930.

ALL FOUR ORIGINAL TIRES REPLACED, BALANCED AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT COMPLETED 11/23/20 AT PEP BOYS. THE NEW PASSENGER FRONT AND REAR TIRES DEVELOPED SIDEWALL 2 INCH "BUBBLES" OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AND I HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER AT MY EXPENSE. THE REAR PASSENGER (SHOWN IN THE PHOTO) HAS YET TO BE REPLACED. THE FRONT SIDEWALL BUBBLE POSSIBLY WAS DUE TO SLIGHT ABRASION BUT SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURED.