Ford Focus

7,503 complaints across 9 scored model years and 24 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Ford Focus Full report

Grade 2010–2018

2012 vs model median 4.0×

Model median3× median

Drivetrain 664

Body & Interior 349

Steering 257

Avoid

2012 · 2014

Best

2010 · 2011

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Ford Focus
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.39×	208	A
2011	0.15×	76	A
2012	3.98×	2,197	F
2013	2.80×	1,497	F
2014	3.02×	1,556	F
2015	1.00×	544	C
2016	1.19×	600	D
2017	0.82×	450	C
2018	0.74×	375	C

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	31
City / Highway	26.5 / 38
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,000

Recalls

24 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
20V331000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2012–2015	2,147,323
16V643000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2012–2015	2,046,297
18V735000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE	2012–2018	1,282,596
15V436000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION	2015	374,781
26V369000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS:CANISTER	2012–2018	257,868
12V149000	VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING	2012	140,310
23V905000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP	2016–2018	139,730
14V495000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING	2013, 2014	133,227

+ 16 further campaigns

Others in Compact Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura ILX	20142016	C
Audi A3	20152017	C
BMW 1 Series	none flagged	C
BMW I3	none flagged	C
Buick Verano	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Bolt EV	2017	C
Chevrolet Cobalt	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Cruze	20112012	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2012 Focus

Complaints in window: 2,197
Severity-weighted: 3,267.5
Model median (weighted): 820
vs model median: 3.98×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 8
Open investigations: 0

Score 10 F