Ford Focus Fuel/propulsion System Problems
Owners have filed 1,440 complaints with NHTSA about fuel/propulsion system problems on the Ford Focus across 19 model years. The 2014 model year has the most (299). The words owners use most often: “purge valve” (17% of reports).
- 1,440fuel/propulsion system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 27mention a crash
- 10mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,800typical repair cost reported by owners
- 36%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Purge valve: mentioned in 246 of 1,440 complaints (17%)
- Fuel tank: mentioned in 243 of 1,440 complaints (17%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical fuel/propulsion system repair on the Ford Focus at $1,800, and half of them between $1,050 and $2,550.
Based on 47 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2025), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do fuel/propulsion system problems happen?
Based on 908 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 1,440 complaints, 27 mention a crash, 10 a fire, 10 an injury.
Ford Focus fuel/propulsion system complaints by model year
| Model year | Fuel/propulsion System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Focus | 132 | 16% | 49,000 |
| 2017 Focus | 116 | 13% | 49,450 |
| 2016 Focus | 167 | 14% | 56,223 |
| 2015 Focus | 138 | 14% | 64,000 |
| 2014 Focus | 299 | 11% | 61,339 |
| 2013 Focus | 209 | 10% | 75,000 |
| 2012 Focus | 284 | 8% | 80,375 |
| 2011 Focus | 2 | 2% | 44,000 |
| 2010 Focus | 17 | 6% | 43,250 |
| 2009 Focus | 13 | 6% | 87,500 |
| 2008 Focus | 3 | 1% | 37,000 |
| 2007 Focus | 9 | 2% | 75,000 |
| 2006 Focus | 11 | 5% | 52,000 |
| 2005 Focus | 6 | 1% | 84,500 |
| 2004 Focus | 3 | 1% | 175,000 |
| 2003 Focus | 3 | 0% | 170,000 |
| 2002 Focus | 4 | 0% | 73,000 |
| 2001 Focus | 21 | 1% | 135,000 |
| 2000 Focus | 3 | 0% | 96,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists fuel/propulsion system for the Ford Focus. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The vehicle is subject to NHTSA Safety Recall Campaign 18V-735 (Ford Recall 18S32) regarding a defective Canister Purge Valve (CPV) that causes fuel vapor saturation, excessive fuel tank vacuum, fuel tank deformation, and engine stalling.The vehicle presented with an active check engine light for…
My Car purge valve canister is bad and i reported the situation to a ford dealership near me for over 2 weeks now and nothing has been done.They claim they are expecting parts but nothing yet up until now.
when the vehicle accelerates too quickly or up a very gradual hill, barely any slope, it will slow to a stop. this is in line with the current recalls with other Ford focus 2018s likely caused by the Canister Purge Valve. it has the exact same symptoms, poor fuel economy, rough idling so much so…
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic failure of the canister purge valve (CPV), causing an excessive vacuum that violently deformed and collapsed the plastic fuel tank. The deformation was so severe that it breached the fuel system, causing raw gasoline to pour directly out of the filler area and…
The vehicle has a recurring fuel-level/distance-to-empty (DTE) malfunction that has caused it to run completely out of fuel and lose motive power while the instrument cluster indicates substantial remaining range. This has occurred four times. On the first three occasions, the vehicle ran out of…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Focuss have fuel/propulsion system problems?
No. NHTSA has 1,440 owner complaints about fuel/propulsion system for the Ford Focus. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Focus fuel/propulsion system?
No recall currently lists fuel/propulsion system for this vehicle.
How much does it cost to fix fuel/propulsion system problems on the Ford Focus?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,800 (half paid between $1,050 and $2,550), from 47 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about fuel/propulsion system problems on the Ford Focus?
The most frequent phrase is “purge valve”, in 246 of 1,440 complaints, followed by “fuel tank” (243).
Other Ford Focus problems
- Power Train problems (6,802)
- Electrical System problems (4,342)
- Engine problems (2,318)
- Steering problems (2,099)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (1,281)
- Fuel System, Gasoline problems (1,158)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (1,076)
- Structure problems (999)
See all Ford Focus problems.