IllustrationJUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS. 'MY KEY BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND WAS STRANDED HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM HOME" HOW THOUGHTFUL OF FORD TO ONLY CHARGE ME FOUR- HUNDRED DOLLARS! *TR
2005 Ford Focus
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Ford Focus do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 864.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Focus years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
740–25K
6725–50K
7350–75K
5175–100K
50100–150K
29150K+
344 reports with mileage · 97 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 113 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
43 crash reports9 fire reports32 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
113 reports2005 FORD FOCUS WILL NOT START WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS COLD OR WILL START BUT FOR NO APPARENT RESIN JUST STOPS RUNNING NO FUEL PRESSURE AND FUEL PUMP DOES NOT RUN WHEN THE PROBLEM ARISES WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS WORM THE CAR STARTS AND RUNS FINE DOES NOT DISPLAY ANY ENGINE FAULT COEDS. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THIS SEEMS TO BE A FORD …
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2005 FORD FOCUS WILL NOT START WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS COLD OR WILL START BUT FOR NO APPARENT RESIN JUST STOPS RUNNING NO FUEL PRESSURE AND FUEL PUMP DOES NOT RUN WHEN THE PROBLEM ARISES WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS WORM THE CAR STARTS AND RUNS FINE DOES NOT DISPLAY ANY ENGINE FAULT COEDS. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THIS SEEMS TO BE A FORD PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T WON'T TO EXCEPT. *TR
INTERMITTENTLY KEYS GET STUCK IN IGNITION, AFTER A FEW DAYS THEY USUALLY COME OUT MAY BE WEEKS OR MONTHS BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN, WHILE DRIVING I HEAR A CLICKING NOISE, LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD AND ALL THE GAUGE LIGHTS START FLICKERING, IF YOU SHUT OFF THE CAR IT WILL NOT START AGAIN AND LOSE ALL POWER, NO LIGHTS, LOCKS ANYTHING…
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INTERMITTENTLY KEYS GET STUCK IN IGNITION, AFTER A FEW DAYS THEY USUALLY COME OUT MAY BE WEEKS OR MONTHS BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN, WHILE DRIVING I HEAR A CLICKING NOISE, LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD AND ALL THE GAUGE LIGHTS START FLICKERING, IF YOU SHUT OFF THE CAR IT WILL NOT START AGAIN AND LOSE ALL POWER, NO LIGHTS, LOCKS ANYTHING POWER SHUTS DOWN, I HAVE BEEN STRANDED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. HAVE ALREADY HAD SOME WIRES REPLACED, PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES ..WHEN IT HAPPENS THE CAR STARTS TO HESITATE, VERY DANGEROUS IF ON AN INTERSTATE OR GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION..CAR IS BACK IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR THIS ISSUE, ONLY 54000 MILES ON THE CAR...EVEN WHEN I GET IT BACK FROM SHOP THIS TIME AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR, I WAS TOLD IT WAS FIXED LAST TIME, WHO IS TO SAY THAT IT IS TRULY FIXED THIS TIME, DON'T WANT TO BE STRANDED OR IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR
THE IGNITION IN THE FORD FOCUS FALLS APART AND YOU ARE STRANDED!!!. I HAD MY HANDICAPPED DAUGHTER WITH ME AND IT WAS NIGHT. I CAN IMAGINE A YOUNG WOMAN BY HERSELF WITH THIS PROBLEM. YOU CANNOT BE JUMPED OR A MECHANIC CANNOT LOOK AT IT. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO BE TOWED, WHICH FOR US WAS 49 MILES AWAY. VERY UNSAFE FOR MY DAUG…
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THE IGNITION IN THE FORD FOCUS FALLS APART AND YOU ARE STRANDED!!!. I HAD MY HANDICAPPED DAUGHTER WITH ME AND IT WAS NIGHT. I CAN IMAGINE A YOUNG WOMAN BY HERSELF WITH THIS PROBLEM. YOU CANNOT BE JUMPED OR A MECHANIC CANNOT LOOK AT IT. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO BE TOWED, WHICH FOR US WAS 49 MILES AWAY. VERY UNSAFE FOR MY DAUGHTER AND ME. WE HAD TO LEAVE HER WALKER BEHIND AND SHE WAS WITHOUT IT (IMMOBILE) UNTIL I COULD RETRIEVE IT. THIS CAR HAD LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT AND HAD ALL CHECKUPS AND EVERYTHING UP TO DATE. *TR
HAVING PROBLEM WITH ALTERNATOR AND KEYS STUCK IN THE IGNITION FOR 2ND TIME IN TWO YEARS. KEY WILL NOT RELEASE BUT WILL TURN. *TR
DRIVING AT 50KM/H, ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON, SHORTLY AFTER ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN, INCLUDING POWER STEERING, FRONT LIGHTS, GAUGES...EVERYTHING. ENGINES CONTINUES TO RUN, WHEN THE VEHICLE SLOW TO ALMOST IDLE, ENGINES STOPS. UNABLE TO RESTART, NO IGNITION NO SIGN OF LIFE WHATSOEVER. WAITED 20MIN, WAS ABLE TO START EN…
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DRIVING AT 50KM/H, ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON, SHORTLY AFTER ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN, INCLUDING POWER STEERING, FRONT LIGHTS, GAUGES...EVERYTHING. ENGINES CONTINUES TO RUN, WHEN THE VEHICLE SLOW TO ALMOST IDLE, ENGINES STOPS. UNABLE TO RESTART, NO IGNITION NO SIGN OF LIFE WHATSOEVER. WAITED 20MIN, WAS ABLE TO START ENGINE, ELECTRICAL CAME BACK AND DROVE FOR 5MIN BEFORE SAME THING HAPPENED. DEALER IDENTIFIED A FAULTY ALTERNATOR, CAR HAS 135000KM. *TR
FORD FOCUS 2005 WAGON. NOTICED THAT ELECTRIC LOCK WILL NOT OPEN HATCH BACK, BUT TOOK NO ACTION TO CORRECT. INCIDENT: COULD NOT MOVE SHIFT LEVER OUT OF PARK LEAVING MOTORIST STRANDED. FOUND THAT SHARED BRAKE LIGHT FUSE WAS BLOWN. REPLACED FUSE, BUT WONDERED ABOUT ROOT CAUSE SO TESTED BRAKE LIGHTS. IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT BR…
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FORD FOCUS 2005 WAGON. NOTICED THAT ELECTRIC LOCK WILL NOT OPEN HATCH BACK, BUT TOOK NO ACTION TO CORRECT. INCIDENT: COULD NOT MOVE SHIFT LEVER OUT OF PARK LEAVING MOTORIST STRANDED. FOUND THAT SHARED BRAKE LIGHT FUSE WAS BLOWN. REPLACED FUSE, BUT WONDERED ABOUT ROOT CAUSE SO TESTED BRAKE LIGHTS. IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ON WHEN BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT PRESSED OR PRESSED. REALIZED THAT THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN, AS OTHER DRIVERS WILL NOT BE AWARE WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. AFTER WEB SEARCH, I OBSERVED MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF DAMAGED WIRING HARNESS; I OPENED THE HATCH AND REMOVED THE RUBBER BOOT COVERING THE WIRING HARNESS. IMMEDIATELY OBSERVED THAT SEVERAL WIRES WERE SEVERED AND OTHERS DAMAGED. *TR
THIS IS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR KEY BEING STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, AND I DISCOVERED THAT IF THE FLOOR SHIFTER IS NOT LOCKED THE KEY WON'T COME OUT. MAKE SURE THE FLOOR SHIFTER IS LOCKED IN PARK AND THE KEY SHOULD COME RIGHT OUT...IF IT DOESN'T WORK THEN YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE OTHER ISSUES…
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THIS IS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR KEY BEING STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, AND I DISCOVERED THAT IF THE FLOOR SHIFTER IS NOT LOCKED THE KEY WON'T COME OUT. MAKE SURE THE FLOOR SHIFTER IS LOCKED IN PARK AND THE KEY SHOULD COME RIGHT OUT...IF IT DOESN'T WORK THEN YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE OTHER ISSUES WITH THE PROBLEM. *TR
INTERMITTENTLY CAR WILL SEEM TO SHORT OUT FOR SPLIT SECONDS. IF I LET IT IDLE ALL IS OK BUT AS I APPLY THE GAS THE SPLIT SECOND SHORT COMES BACK. THIS CAN HAPPEN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND SOMETIMES IF I GO OVER SOME BUMPS ALL BECOMES OK. FRIEND WITH A MADZA3 HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM HAT WAS FIXED BY CHANGING THE SOLENOID. *TR
KEY GOT STUCK IN IGNITION AND WON'T COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. HAD TO LOCK KEY IN CAR AND USE REMOTE TO LOCK CAR. SECOND INCIDENCE OF THIS ON HERE SO LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE A RECALL IN THE FUTURE FOR THE 2005 FORD FOCUS. *TR
Official recalls
105V030000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Feb 1, 2005
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES WITH FOUR OR FIVE DOORS AND ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A BUILD-UP OF CORROSION AT THE PAWL PIVOT AREA OF THE REAR DOOR LATCH CAN CAUSE A BINDING CONDITION OF THE PAWL THAT MAY AFFECT PROPER ENGAGEMENT OF THE PAWL INTO THE CATCH. THE OCCUPANT MAY EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY OPENING OR CLOSING A REAR DOOR, AND EVENTUALLY THE REAR DOOR MAY NOT LATCH PROPERLY.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF NOT LATCHED PROPERLY, THE DOOR MAY OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. IF AN OCCUPANT FELL OUT OF THE VEHICLE, PERSONAL INJURIES COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL HAVE A LOWER ROCKER SEAL ADDED TO THE DOOR AND HAVE THE REAR DOOR LATCHES EVALUATED FREE OF CHARGE. A LATCH THAT PASSES THE EVALUATION WILL BE LUBRICATED TO PREVENT FUTURE CORROSION. A LATCH THAT DOES NOT PASS THE EVALUATION WILL BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, A STICKER WILL BE AFFIXED TO THE REAR DOORS ADVISING THE OWNERS TO USE THE RECOMMENDED LUBRICANT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1AQ10001 · Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
Opened Nov 18, 2010 · Closed Dec 28, 2015
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Unknown Or Other
On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.