KnownCarProblems2004 Ford Focus Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 387 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Ford Focus, most often about the electrical (47% of complaints, typically around 53,000 miles). It is 14th of 19 Focus model years by number of complaints and has 1 recall.
Most common 2004 Ford Focus problems
Electrical
183 complaints · 47%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery, wiring, horn.
We own a 2004 Ford Focus zx3. It has around 50,000 miles on it. The car is primary used for commuting, 150 miles round trip each day. Last week when going to leave work my husband inserted the key in the ignition but the lock would not turn. He had to slam on the key to finally get the key to turn so he could come…
I was stranded over the weekend at a gas station in the middle of nowhere because my key wouldn't turn, it seemed locked in my ignition. I really needed my car to start to get out of there but couldn't and was approached by a mentally insane man asking me for a ride. Nothing has been done to fix my car because they…
Brakes
40 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc, antilock.
Rotors gone bad hansel Ford said at 9200 miles the squeaking was normal, then at 13000 I called they still said it was normal but now the warranty was up, then at 20000 miles they check it because it was doing it more, now the rotors have groves beyond repair, yet the brake pads still had between 65% and 90% left to…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the brakes began to squeak. The mechanic diagnosed the failure as needing new front rotors and made the repair. One month later, the brakes began squeaking again. A piece of the front rotor fell off while the vehicle was in motion. A local mechanic replaced…
Engine
35 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
While driving vehicle stalled . Driver was able to restart the vehicle fifteen minutes later, and drove it to the dealer. However, mechanic could not duplicate the problem. Driver informed the mechanic that this problem has happened more than once, and has not been resolved. Ford mrfg stated that this type of stalling…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact noticed that the failure recurred intermittently whenever a bump or a pothole was hit on the…
Steering
29 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 54,000 miles. Parts named most often: linkages, column, steering wheel/handle bar, electric power assist system.
I had parked my car and when I tried to start it again, the wheel locked and would not become unlocked. Myself and several people tried many times to get it unlocked and it would not.
The ignition switch on my 2004 Ford Focus (manual trans) locked up the steering column. Luckily the car was not running and parked it still required the call of four tow trucks to get it into the dealer. Because the front wheels were locked in a slanted position when I parked the first flatbed truck wasn't able to…
Doors and locks
28 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: doors, hood, tailgate, trunk lid.
The deck lid wiring harness breaks due to fatigue from opening and closing the hatch. In my case, 6 wires in the harness had been completely severed. Because of this, my tail light was out, the door ajar light was on and the brake lights were always on when the car was in drive. Besides the danger of being rear ended…
Key will not turn on ignition will not go into gear nor will the steering wheel turn at all!!!, completely locked ignition car is only five years old and not driven very much w/ only 68k miles on it!, 2004 Ford Focus zx3.
Air bags
24 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 53,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Front end collision, air bag put out powder and light indicates deployment, however no deployment of airbag occurred. My daughter was injured and the state trooper stated that the air bag should have deployed. This appears to be an obvious defect and it was noted that there are several other complaints on NHTSA…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a head-on collision but the air bags did not deploy. Four people sustained minor injuries (burn rashes, etc). The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current and failure…
Transmission
20 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 34,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, axle assembly, clutch assembly.
Gentlemen my problem is two fold, first I am really disappointed that the NHTSA is not provding all the information on all the complaints, recalls, and safety investigations that it use to. Now I am hoping that a rep will either write me or call me and tell me this is the way its always been. This is b.s..... Mr NHTSA…
Steering and suspension/ center support bearing/part# y542-3b436-a failed... Believe car sold out of allignment. Rear-end, believed cause all wear on front suspension components, uneven wear on all tires also, and wobbly unstable rear end. Car was repaired 6-3-2005 also, the throttle body linkage had to be replaced…
Speed control
18 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 41,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control, cables.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Focus zts. The contact stated that the brakes worked intermittently. The vehicle failed to come to a complete stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The dealer changed the brake pads. Upon leaving the dealer the failure recurred. Also, the contact stated that the accelerator pedal became…
1) accelerator sticking upon pushing on the pedal 2) pushing hard on the pedal, it eventually releases, sometimes squealing the tires and launches the vehicle forward which has almost made me hit people or unable to get out of the way of traffic where others have almost hit me. 3) dealer cleaned throttle cable but…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Ford Focus recalls
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Fleet vehicle recall completion audit
Summary
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
Questions about the 2004 Ford Focus
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford Focus?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (183 complaints, typically around 53,000 miles); brakes (40 complaints, typically around 20,000 miles); engine (35 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Ford Focus have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 1, 2005 (doors and locks). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Ford Focus?
- It is 14th of 19 Focus model years by number of complaints, with 387 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.