IllustrationINTERMITTENT STALLING ISSUES WITH MY 2005 FORD FOCUS WAGON. IT WILL STALL WITHOUT WARNING BOTH GOING OVER 50 MPH AND IDLING IN TRAFFIC. IT HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER 4 TIMES WITH NO RESOLUTION AND IS GOING BACK IN 2 DAYS. *NM
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
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
18 reportsDT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS NOT DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE STALLS; HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WILL RESTART. THE DEALERSHIP HAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.
I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW AND IT GETS THE WORSE GAS MILEAGE I HAVE EVER SEEN. I NEVER GET BETTER THAN 25 MPG HIGHWAY. I BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH THE FORD DEALER TELLING HOW GREAT IT WAS ON GAS. THAT I WOULD AVERAGE 32 MPG. I COMPLAINED TO MY DEALER WHEN I BOUGHT IT AND THEY SAID I WAS AVERAGING 31.7 MPG ACCORDING TO THERE COMPUTER…
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I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW AND IT GETS THE WORSE GAS MILEAGE I HAVE EVER SEEN. I NEVER GET BETTER THAN 25 MPG HIGHWAY. I BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH THE FORD DEALER TELLING HOW GREAT IT WAS ON GAS. THAT I WOULD AVERAGE 32 MPG. I COMPLAINED TO MY DEALER WHEN I BOUGHT IT AND THEY SAID I WAS AVERAGING 31.7 MPG ACCORDING TO THERE COMPUTER. THAT IS NOT TRUE! THEN THEY SAID IT NEEDS A BREAK IN TIME OF 5000 MILES. I HAVE 15000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY EVERY DAY. MANY OTHER FOCUS OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED BUT FORD IGNORES US. *NM
WHEN MY VEHICLE SHIFTER IS IN NEUTRAL (I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANS) AND THE BRAKE IS PRESSED CLUSTERS ON THE DASH ILLUMINATE (OIL LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, BATTERY LIGHT.) THE ENGINE STALLS AND I LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES MAKING THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STOP AND STEER ESPECIALLY IF I AM ON THE FREEWAY DOING …
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WHEN MY VEHICLE SHIFTER IS IN NEUTRAL (I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANS) AND THE BRAKE IS PRESSED CLUSTERS ON THE DASH ILLUMINATE (OIL LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, BATTERY LIGHT.) THE ENGINE STALLS AND I LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES MAKING THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STOP AND STEER ESPECIALLY IF I AM ON THE FREEWAY DOING 65!. IT SEEMS TO DO IT MOST OFTEN WHEN I AM ON THE FREEWAY GOING DOWN A HILL IN NEUTRAL AND THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. *JB
AS VEHICLE WARMS UP, THERE IS A WHINING NOISE THAT COMES FROM THE RPMS BEING HIGHER. IT ALMOST FEELS AS IF IT'S BELT OR POWER STEERING RELATED, BUT THERE IS NO LOSS OF STEERING POWER. ALSO, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO LOSS OF POWER ANYWHERE ELSE. WHEN PARKING THE VEHICLE WHERE A TURN IS INVOLVED, AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, THE NOISE IS "FEELI…
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AS VEHICLE WARMS UP, THERE IS A WHINING NOISE THAT COMES FROM THE RPMS BEING HIGHER. IT ALMOST FEELS AS IF IT'S BELT OR POWER STEERING RELATED, BUT THERE IS NO LOSS OF STEERING POWER. ALSO, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO LOSS OF POWER ANYWHERE ELSE. WHEN PARKING THE VEHICLE WHERE A TURN IS INVOLVED, AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, THE NOISE IS "FEELING" IN THE WHEEL IS A BIT EXAGGERATED. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO JEROME DUNCAN FORD (IN STERLING HEIGHTS, MI) FOR SERVICE YESTERDAY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE NOISE IS "NORMAL OPERATING" NOISE. I DON'T BUY IT AND TOLD THEM I'D DEFINITELY BE BACK IF SOMETHING WENT WRONG.
CAR REV'S UP WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND ALSO WILL KEEP REPEATING THAT FOR ABOUT 2-3 MINS. SO FAR I HAVE ALMOST DROVE THRU 3 INTERSECTIONS AND RAN INTO MULTIPLE CARS AND WHEN I TAKE IT TO THE DEALERS ALL THEY HAVE TO SAY IS THEY CANT FIND ANYTHING WRONG
WHILE DRIVING THE OIL FILTER WAS DAMAGED FROM DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE FILTER. FORD SERVICE CENTER TOLD THE CONSUMER THEY WERE TO BUSY TO ASSIST HER, AND FOR HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A QUICK LUBE TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE. QUICK LUBE CHANGED THE OIL, AND GAVE TH…
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WHILE DRIVING THE OIL FILTER WAS DAMAGED FROM DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE FILTER. FORD SERVICE CENTER TOLD THE CONSUMER THEY WERE TO BUSY TO ASSIST HER, AND FOR HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A QUICK LUBE TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE. QUICK LUBE CHANGED THE OIL, AND GAVE THE VEHICLE BACK. SOMEHOW, THIS CAUSED THE STEERING TO LOCK UP, AND FORD WILL DO NOTHING TO ASSIST THE CONSUMER.*AK
I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE IN EARLY NOVEMBER 2004. AS THE WEATHER BEGAN GETTING COLDER AND DAMPER, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START PROPERLY. THE ENGINE WOULD STUMBLE AND CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I WOULD HAVE TO TRY 3-4 TIMES BEFORE THE CAR WOULD ACTUALLY START. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE IN DECEMBER 2004 AND TSB 04-23-4 WAS…
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I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE IN EARLY NOVEMBER 2004. AS THE WEATHER BEGAN GETTING COLDER AND DAMPER, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START PROPERLY. THE ENGINE WOULD STUMBLE AND CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I WOULD HAVE TO TRY 3-4 TIMES BEFORE THE CAR WOULD ACTUALLY START. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE IN DECEMBER 2004 AND TSB 04-23-4 WAS PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE CORRECTLY STARTED FOR A WHILE AFTER THAT, BUT IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN NOW.
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.