2018 Ford Focus reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2018 Ford Focus has 834 complaints with NHTSA after 9 years, or 45 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Focus years here — under the median of the other years, which is 131. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Manual transmission, Evaporative emissions canister, and Engine block heater.

2013 Ford Focus SE hatchback — Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

834

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (318 of 834), then Engine (231) and Fuel and propulsion system (131). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 56,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 34,750 and 80,000 miles. Those filings include 15 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 9 that report an injury.

Next to 2017

The 2017 Focus has 903 complaints, 59 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Ford Focus. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (7)

Recall powertrain, manual transmission 2026-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 26V376000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Remedy Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.

Vehicles affected 5,252

Recall Evaporative emissions canister 2026-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 26V369000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.

Remedy Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.

Vehicles affected 257,868

Recall equipment, electrical, engine block heater 2026-01-15 · NHTSA campaign 26V012000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Remedy Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in October 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.

Vehicles affected 2,403

Recall equipment, electrical, engine block heater 2026-01-15 · NHTSA campaign 26V011000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Remedy Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.

Vehicles affected 116,672

Recall engine and cooling, engine, oil and lubrication, pump 2023-12-22 · NHTSA campaign 23V905000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.

Remedy Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.

Vehicles affected 139,730

Recall powertrain, manual transmission 2018-11-28 · NHTSA campaign 18V845000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V-169.

Vehicles affected 2,828

Recall gasoline fuel system, storage 2018-10-22 · NHTSA campaign 18V735000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.

Vehicles affected 1,282,596

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (834 total)

Powertrain

318

Engine

231

Fuel and propulsion system

131

Engine and engine cooling

124

Fuel system, gasoline

Electrical system

Steering

Speed control

Service brakes

Air bags

Structure

Back-over prevention

Exterior lighting

Wheels

Seats

Suspension

Visibility and wipers

Hydraulic brakes

Seat belts

Equipment

Forward collision avoidance

Latches, locks, and linkages

Tires

Show 15 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 423 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 56,000 miles. The middle half fall between 34,750 and 80,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

""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…"
Speed control · filed 2026-09-17
"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.…"
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-09-15
"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…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-14
"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.…"
Unknown or other, Engine, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-09-10
"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…"
Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-03

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Ford Focus 4 DR FWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Ford Focus 5 HB FWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Ford Focus Bev 5 HB FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	5 stars
2018 Ford Focus RS 5 HB AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Focus Electric	—	Automatic (1-speed)	Front-wheel drive	118	96	107 MPG / 115 mi range	$700
Focus front-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	24	34	28 MPG	$2300
Focus front-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	26	38	31 MPG	$2100
Focus front-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Manual 5-speed	Front-wheel drive	25	34	28 MPG	$2300
Focus front-wheel drive	1L, 3-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	30	40	34 MPG	$1900
Focus front-wheel drive	1L, 3-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	27	38	31 MPG	$2100
Focus RS all-wheel drive	2.3L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	All-wheel drive	19	26	22 MPG	$3650
Focus ST front-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	22	30	25 MPG	$2600

Specs and fitment

3rd generation, 2012–2018

Body styles Sedan, Hatchback

Oil 5W-20 (2.0L, most trims); 5W-30 (ST) , 4.5 qt capacity

Tire size 195/65R15 (S) to 235/40R18 (ST); RS 235/35R19

Known issues for this generation

Focus models from 2012-2016 built with the optional PowerShift dual-clutch automatic transmission (DPS6) developed a well-documented pattern of rough shifting and repeat repairs to the clutch and clutch seals, the same underlying defect covered in the nationwide Vargas v. Ford Motor Co. class action settlement (final approval March 2020) that also covers 2011-2016 Fiesta owners. NHTSA found no evidence that the transmission is a safety risk and did not order a recall; in August 2019 Ford extended the clutch warranty to seven years or 100,000 miles on roughly 560,000 affected Focus and Fiesta cars. Only PowerShift-equipped cars are covered by the settlement.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Ford Focus See every Ford Focus model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Ford Focus reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Ford Focus?

Is the 2018 Ford Focus more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Focus has 903 complaints, 59 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2018 Ford Focus been recalled?

The 2018 Ford Focus has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Ford Focus?

Owners have filed 834 complaints about the 2018 Ford Focus with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Ford Focus get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Ford Focus is 38.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2015 Ford Focus?

3rd generation (2012-2018), the last Focus generation sold in the US.

Does the Ford Focus have PowerShift transmission problems?

2012-2016 automatic Focus models with the optional DPS6 dual-clutch transmission were covered by a 2020 class-action settlement and a 2019 clutch warranty extension; NHTSA did not order a recall.