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2011 Ford Focus Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Focus, most often about the electrical (22% of complaints, typically around 48,000 miles). It is 19th of 19 Focus model years by number of complaints.

Complaints113
Recalls0
Crashes reported8
Fires reported0
Injuries reported10

Most common 2011 Ford Focus problems

  1. Electrical

    25 complaints · 22%

    Half of these problems showed up before 48,000 miles.

    Right front & rear doors will not always unlock from inside or out. Cannot unlock rear door by pulling up on the door lock as it will not move. Lock issues are difficult to diagnose because it is sporadic. Radio speakers on left side come one & off. Hesitates when accelerating.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 48,000 miles
    The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the interior lighting and the parking lights illuminated independently. The driver door ajar indicator illuminated without the door open. In addition, the contact was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 50,000 miles

  2. Transmission

    20 complaints · 18%

    Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.

    Takata recall I was coming up to a stop light ready to push the clutch in to slow down. I tried to push in the clutch and it was stuck. I let my foot off and tried agian. The clutch went down. I thought that was odd and dangerous. I was glad my wife wasn't driving. I wanted to pull over and see what was going on. I…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2016, at 57,000 miles
    With less that 70000 miles on the car my transmission started to go out on me. I have since had the transmission replaced as it is under warranty, and less than a week after getting it fixed it was already started to go on me and has gotten progressively worse over the six months.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2018, at 65,000 miles

  3. Doors and locks

    17 complaints · 15%

    Half of these problems showed up before 48,500 miles. Parts named most often: doors.

    The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the driver side door latch failed and the door ajar warning sensor illuminated. The failure prevented any of the doors from locking and the contact could not see the fuel gauge or mileage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2017, at 46,889 miles
    The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the two rear doors were locked and could not be unlocked. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 50,000.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2013, at 50,000 miles

  4. Body and structure

    14 complaints · 12%

    Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.

    The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. While the vehicle was parked, the rear doors failed to unlock until after several attempts. The contact continued to lock and unlock the doors until one of the doors unlocked. The failure recurred on several occasions with all four doors. The contact mentioned that the window was…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 82,000 miles
    The contact owns a 2011 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle and closing the driver side door, the door ajar warning light remained illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the door latch failed and needed to be…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2016, at 82,423 miles

  5. Other or unspecified

    12 complaints · 11%

    Half of these problems showed up before 51,500 miles.

    Excessive tire wear. Went to rotate tires and found wear bands showing. Less than 19,000 miles on 60,000 mile tires. Original tires wore out fast, and thought it to be previous owner or cheap tires. Was able to replace on tire warranty, but failure was imminent was down to steel bands on inside of wheel. Per issues on…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2016, at 51,604 miles
    The driver side door will not latch and not lock. I have to drive the car holding the door with one hand and holding the other hand on steering
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2016, at 34,000 miles

  6. Steering

    10 complaints · 9%

    Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles.

    Upon entering a school zone and decelerating to 35 MPH, while entering into a left curve the power steering locked up preventing the turn into the curve. This resulted in the vehicle running off the road and hitting a road sign causing damage to the passenger mirror and right rear door and quarter panel.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 40,000 miles
    The car has poor steering, poor suspension control over bumps, an acknowledged but unrepaired transmission mount, severe alignment issue, tires are feathered and cupped per dealer and dealer is not willing to fix it. The care is unsafe to drive but the dealer states if we do not purchase new tires, pay for an…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2012, at 30,300 miles

  7. Wheels and tires

    9 complaints · 8%

    Half of these problems showed up before 38,500 miles. Parts named most often: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs.

    Ford Focus tires 2011 Ford Focus problems with tires/suspension and warranties purchased 2011 Ford Focus new 20 months ago (with kumho tires, evidently installed at factory) and it has had regular dealer(s) maintenance. Took to purchasing dealer - (luther) north country, coon rapids mn for regular maintenance on…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2012, at 35,366 miles
    Letter from senator grassley on behalf of constituent regarding his recent experience with his 2011 Ford Focus and his concern that the tires are defective by design; please reply to the attention of sherry kuntz. The consumer stated at 42,000 miles the left tire began wobbling. It was discovered, the tire was out of…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2013, at 42,000 miles

  8. Speed control

    9 complaints · 8%

    Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.

    I was driving from houston to the woodlands going home from work. Noticed the RPM kept revving up and I couldn't control the speed. The wrench light came on. I have taken good care of this car. Have had problems with the RPM meter and my engine before. Ron carter in alvin said it was a computer issue and "fixed" it…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2014, at 47,000 miles
    When the car is idling whether in park or drive, it will lose power and I notice the RPM needle bounces all over the place. I have had the car completely die on me 3 different times as I have started to accelerate. Luckily all 3 times were when I was leaving a drive-thru and wasn't in heavy traffic. It will lurch and…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2017, at 47,000 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2011 Ford Focus recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.

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.

Questions about the 2011 Ford Focus

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Ford Focus?
By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (25 complaints, typically around 48,000 miles); transmission (20 complaints, typically around 61,000 miles); doors and locks (17 complaints, typically around 48,500 miles).
How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Focus have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Ford Focus. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
Is the 2011 a bad year for the Ford Focus?
It is 19th of 19 Focus model years by number of complaints, with 113 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.

Other Ford Focus years

Ford Focus problems by year