IllustrationCONSUMER WRITES TO DISCLOSE THE CORRECT VEHICLE IN WHICH SHE OWNS. *TGW
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
Unknown Or Other complaints
18 reportsWHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE LOCALLY, MY CAR SHUT OFF AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE MAIN FLOW VALVE. I HAVE TO REPLACE IT, BUT THEN MY KEY GOT STUCK IN THE IGNITION. MY FRIEND WAS ABLE TO GET IT OUT. ON AUGUST 12, 2012, MY DRIVER SEAT MOVED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND CONTINUES TO SKIP ON A CERTAIN CLICK LATCH. INDECEM…
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WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE LOCALLY, MY CAR SHUT OFF AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE MAIN FLOW VALVE. I HAVE TO REPLACE IT, BUT THEN MY KEY GOT STUCK IN THE IGNITION. MY FRIEND WAS ABLE TO GET IT OUT. ON AUGUST 12, 2012, MY DRIVER SEAT MOVED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND CONTINUES TO SKIP ON A CERTAIN CLICK LATCH. INDECEMBER, I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC, CAUSE MY ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON, BUT WE ARE UNSURE AS TO WHY IT KEEPS DOING THAT. EVERY NOW AND THEN I CAN SMELL SMOKING WIRES/ELECTRICAL WIRES BURNING. NOW MY LIGHTER IN THE CAR IS NOT WORKING, BUT I THINK THAT RUNS IN A FUSE...NOT SURE. ON APRIL 13TH, 2013. I RETURNED HOME FROM A WEDDING AND I AM UNABLE TO YET AGAIN, GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME TO CHECK TO FIND OUT IF OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND WHAT THEY DID. THEN MY FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT THE MAJOR FORD RECALL. *TT
VEHICLE HAS INTERMITTENT DRIVEABILITY ISSUES. OCCASSIONALLY THE VEHICLE STALLS AND THE RADIO WILL COME ON BY ITSELF. ALSO, THERE IS A LOUD BANG COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM...UPDATED 07/22/13 *BF
THE REAR PASSENGER EXTERIOR DOOR LATCH HAS FAILED. THERE IS AN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 05V030000 FOR 2005 FORD FOCUS DOOR LATCH PROBLEMS. I CALLED FORD AND GAVE THEM MY VIN NUMBER AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THAT VIN. IN MY OPINION THE NHTSA DESCRIPTION OF THE FAILURE IS THE SAME AS MY PROBLEM.
OUR KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION OF OUR CAR. WE CAN"T GET IT OUT. I'M AFRAID THAT WE MAY HAVE OUR CAR STOLEN BECAUSE WE HAVE TO LEAVE THE KEY PERMANENTLY IN THE IGNITION
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 62 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE CONTACT BUMPED THE FLOOR SHIFTER AND THE GEARS SHIFTED FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. THE RPM'S BEGAN RACING UNTIL HE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD. HE ATTEMPTED THIS SCENARIO A FEW TIMES AND GOT THE SAM…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 62 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE CONTACT BUMPED THE FLOOR SHIFTER AND THE GEARS SHIFTED FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. THE RPM'S BEGAN RACING UNTIL HE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD. HE ATTEMPTED THIS SCENARIO A FEW TIMES AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 25,166 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,100. UPDATED 05/06/08. *LJ
I PURCHASED A 2005 FORD FOCUS IN OCTOBER OF 2004. AFTER A RAINSTORM IN NOVEMBER OF 2005, A MAJOR LEAK OCCURRED, LEAVING OVER 2 INCHES OF WATER ON THE FRONT, PASSENGER FLOOR. THE DEALERSHIP FIXED THE CAR. IN JULY OF 2006 I FOUND WATER IN THE SAME LOCATION. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP LOOKED AT THE CAR, THEY STATED THAT IT IS COMING F…
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I PURCHASED A 2005 FORD FOCUS IN OCTOBER OF 2004. AFTER A RAINSTORM IN NOVEMBER OF 2005, A MAJOR LEAK OCCURRED, LEAVING OVER 2 INCHES OF WATER ON THE FRONT, PASSENGER FLOOR. THE DEALERSHIP FIXED THE CAR. IN JULY OF 2006 I FOUND WATER IN THE SAME LOCATION. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP LOOKED AT THE CAR, THEY STATED THAT IT IS COMING FROM A DIFFERENT LOCATION (NOT WHERE THEY ORIGINALLY SEALED IT). THEY WENT ON TO TELL ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE MY DASHBOARD, REQUIRING EXTENSIVE LABOR, TO LOCATE THE NEW CAUSE OF THE LEAK. UNFORTUNATELY, MY WARRANTY IS UP BECAUSE I DRIVE FAR TO WORK. I HAVE ONLY GONE 700 MILES OVER MY LIMIT. AFTER SPEAKING WITH MANY AGENTS AT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY I FIND I AM OUT OF LUCK. A SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT IF THERE WERE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS THEY WOULD HAVE TO FILE A RECALL BUT HE HAS NOT HAD ANY YET. (I AM THE FIRST...I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE). I WENT ON-LINE TO SEARCH FOR OTHERS IN MY SITUATION. I FOUND NUMEROUS WEBSITES WITH COMPLAINTS OF FORD FOCUSES LEAKING ON THE PASSENGER FLOOR. PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS. HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/ HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.EE9B783/30 HTTP://WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=&POSTID=1134094#POST1134094 HTTP://WWW.TALKABOUTAUTOS.COM/GROUP/ALT.AUTOS.FORD.FOCUS/SEARCH.HTML?Q=WATER+LEAK. *JB
2005 FOCUS BLOWS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND WHEN DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENED WHEN THE WIND WAS BLOWING AT 20 TO 25 MILES PER HOUR *JB
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.