IllustrationFUEL GAUGE STICKS. THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES THAT THE TANK IS HALF FULL AND THEN WILL DROP IMMEDIATELY TO EMPTY AND THE EMERGENCY FUEL LOW INDICATOR TURNS ON. *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
What owners actually said
441 reportsFORD 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
STOPPING CAR AND PLACING CAR IN PARK SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT GO ALL THE WAY IN PARK AND THE KEYS WILL NOT RELEASE FROM IGNITION. WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED THE BUTTON FOR THE AUTOMATIC SHIFTER WILL SHIFT OUT OF PARK WITHOUT PRESSING DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL. *TR
O/D LIGHT CAME ON. AUTOMOTIVE SHOP RAN A TEST AND RETRIEVED CODE P0767. SHOP REPLACED THE SOLENOID AND CAR WOULD STILL NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR. SHOP WANTED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION BUT I DECLINED AS THE CAR ONLY HAD 52,000 MILES. TOOK THE CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO 2ND OR 4TH GEAR. DEALERSHIP SAI…
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O/D LIGHT CAME ON. AUTOMOTIVE SHOP RAN A TEST AND RETRIEVED CODE P0767. SHOP REPLACED THE SOLENOID AND CAR WOULD STILL NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR. SHOP WANTED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION BUT I DECLINED AS THE CAR ONLY HAD 52,000 MILES. TOOK THE CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO 2ND OR 4TH GEAR. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS A POSSIBLE BROKEN BAND OR FAILED BAND APPLY PISTON. THEY REMOVED THE PAN AND VERIFIED BROKEN BAND. THEY REPLACED THE 2-4 BAND AND INSTALLED NEW BAND APPLY PISTON AT A COST OF $931.22 PLUS THE COST OF A RENTAL CAR AT $101.16. NO CAR SHOULD HAVE A TRANSMISSION FAIL AT 50,000 MILES. I FEEL THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE PARTS USED IN THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT INSTALLING A NEW TRANSMISSION, I WAS CONCERNED THAT THEY WOULD INSTALL THE SAME TRANSMISSION THAT FAILED IN MY CAR. THE SHOP SAID NOT TO WORRY BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION HAS ALL UPDATED PARTS! THE RESPONSE LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE PARTS IN MY TRANSMISSION WERE DEFECTIVE AND I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED THE COST OF MY REPAIRS. I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND SINCE THERE WAS NOT A RECALL THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. AGAIN, NO CAR SHOULD HAVE A TRANSMISSION FAIL AT 50,000 MILES. *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
I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HESITATING WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS REPEATEDLY HAPPENED. I HAVE A LITTLE OVER 90,300 MILES ON THE CAR. IT REALLY SCARES ME WHEN I'M GOING AT LEAST 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND PRESS THE GAS TO ACCELERATE AND THEN GET THE HESITATION OR PULLBACK AS IF IT IS GOING TO CUT OFF. I'M AFRAID IT IS GOING TO…
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I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HESITATING WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS REPEATEDLY HAPPENED. I HAVE A LITTLE OVER 90,300 MILES ON THE CAR. IT REALLY SCARES ME WHEN I'M GOING AT LEAST 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND PRESS THE GAS TO ACCELERATE AND THEN GET THE HESITATION OR PULLBACK AS IF IT IS GOING TO CUT OFF. I'M AFRAID IT IS GOING TO CUT OFF WHILE I AM DRIVING IT. IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN I'M DRIVING 35 MPH. WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND I CUT THE CAR AND START IT BACK UP, THE CLOCK RESETS TO 12:00 AND THE RADIO COMES ON BLASTING. MY LIGHTS FLICKER WHEN IT HAPPENS AT NIGHT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP MODULE. THIS HAS NOT HELPED ONE BIT AND I AM OUT $462. THEY HAVE QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $1500 IF THE FUEL PUMP MODULE REPLACEMENT DID NOT WORK. THEY TELL ME IT WILL PROBABLY BE THE PCM THAT NEEDS REPLACING. *TR
I AM THE OWNER OF A FORD FOCUS 2005 AUTOMATIC. THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF THE IGNITION KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION SINCE JANUARY 2010. AN AUTO LOCKSMITH WAS CONTACTED KEY REMOVED AND IGNITION LINE REPLACED. LOCKSMITH REVEALED THAT IT IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE IN THE FORD FOCUS IGNITION UNIT. JULY 2010 CAR LOSS POWER AN…
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I AM THE OWNER OF A FORD FOCUS 2005 AUTOMATIC. THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF THE IGNITION KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION SINCE JANUARY 2010. AN AUTO LOCKSMITH WAS CONTACTED KEY REMOVED AND IGNITION LINE REPLACED. LOCKSMITH REVEALED THAT IT IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE IN THE FORD FOCUS IGNITION UNIT. JULY 2010 CAR LOSS POWER AND CARBURETOR REPLACED. JULY 2010: IGNITION KEY STUCK AGAIN; DIFFICULTY IN ENGINE TURNING OVER. IGNITION KEY WAS ABLE TO BE REMOVE ONE WEEK LATER. PRESENTLY, IGNITION KEY IS ONCE AGAIN STUCK UNABLE TO BE REMOVED AND THE ENGINE SOUNDS SLUGGISH. *TR
DRIVER'S SIDE PASSENGER DOOR WILL NOT LOCK WITH REMOTE OR MANUALLY WITH ROCKER SWITCH. *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.