IllustrationPRE MATURE TIRE WEAR, RIGHT REAR TIRE WORE OUT AT 25,000 MI. WORE OUT IN 3 AREAS DIAGONALLY ACROSS TIRE FACE. EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED 3 DIFFERENT TIMES. NEW TIRES REBALANCED TWICE. 45,000 MI. ON VEHICLE NOW. *TR
2009 Ford Focus
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Ford Focus are lower than 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
460–25K
5325–50K
3150–75K
3175–100K
23100–150K
5150K+
189 reports with mileage · 40 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 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports2 fire reports13 injury reports
Suspension complaints
25 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED. HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER YET THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WERE NO FAILURES WITHIN THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED. HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER YET THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WERE NO FAILURES WITHIN THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD INTERMITTENTLY PULL TO THE RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,555 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 18,150. UPDATED 11/12/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THREE ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE BRAKES NOT FAILING. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE APPLIED BRAKES THE VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT A CONCRETE STORM DRAIN PIPE. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE ALIGNED AND IT PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT AT SPEEDS ABOVE 45 MPH. UPDATED 11/24/10
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR TIRES WERE WEARING PREMATURELY AND WERE REPLACED AT 29,000 MILES. IN ADDITION, WHEN DRIVING AT A SPEED OF AT LEAST 50 MPH, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY BOUNCE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE REAR TRANS AXLE WAS SLIGHTLY OFF YET WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. TH…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR TIRES WERE WEARING PREMATURELY AND WERE REPLACED AT 29,000 MILES. IN ADDITION, WHEN DRIVING AT A SPEED OF AT LEAST 50 MPH, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY BOUNCE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE REAR TRANS AXLE WAS SLIGHTLY OFF YET WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE WHEN THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT BOTH TIRES ON THE DRIVER' SIDE WERE WEARING DUE TO AN UNKNOWN SUSPENSION PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HER SHE WOULD NEED FOUR NEW TIRES, STRUTS, AN…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE WHEN THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT BOTH TIRES ON THE DRIVER' SIDE WERE WEARING DUE TO AN UNKNOWN SUSPENSION PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HER SHE WOULD NEED FOUR NEW TIRES, STRUTS, AND OTHER UNKNOWN REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,638 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,000.
NEAR MISS. I BOUGHT A NEW 2009 FORD FOCUS 7 MONTHS AGO; IT HAD 25 MILES ON IT. I HAVE PUT 18,000 MILES ON IT SO FAR, MOSTLY IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. THE BACK STARTS THUMPING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ABOUT 1000 MILES AGO SO TODAY I TAKE IT IN TO BILL KNIGHT FORD, WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR (74133) , AND THEY TELL ME I NEED A REAR END ALIGNM…
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NEAR MISS. I BOUGHT A NEW 2009 FORD FOCUS 7 MONTHS AGO; IT HAD 25 MILES ON IT. I HAVE PUT 18,000 MILES ON IT SO FAR, MOSTLY IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. THE BACK STARTS THUMPING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ABOUT 1000 MILES AGO SO TODAY I TAKE IT IN TO BILL KNIGHT FORD, WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR (74133) , AND THEY TELL ME I NEED A REAR END ALIGNMENT AND 2 NEW TIRES. AMAZING ENOUGH, THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIRES IN STOCK- I'M GUESSING CAUSE EVERYONE THAT TRADED IN THE CLUNKERS 7 MONTHS AGO (TO BUY A FOCUS), ALREADY BEAT ME TO THE DEALER SHIP. IS IT JUST ME OR DOES THE $17,000 CAR HAVE PROBLEMS? *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.