IllustrationGOT INTO THE CAR PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND IT WOULD NOT TURN. A LOCKSMITH HIT IT WITH A HAMMER AND IT TURNED, NOW TO GET IT STARTED I HAVE TO HIT THE KEY WITH A HAMMER BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT WILL LAST. *TR
2004 Ford Focus
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
620–25K
7725–50K
5050–75K
5575–100K
33100–150K
16150K+
293 reports with mileage · 94 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 183 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
34 crash reports13 fire reports24 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
183 reports2004 FORD FOCUS - LOCKED IGNITION SWITCH-LOW MILES. UNABLE TO DRIVE OR UNLOCK STEERING WHEEL. HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITUATION. CLASS ACTION FILED IN CA. *TR
THE KEY WILL NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION. THIS IT TURNS OUT IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR THE FORD FOCUS YET SO FAR FORD HAS NOT RECALLED THE FAULTY IGNITION. *TR
MY 2004 FORD FOCUS'S IGNITION HAS FAILED. IT JUST STOPPED WORKING ONE DAY LEAVING ME STRANDED AT WORK FOR 2 HOURS. *TR
MY IGNITION HAS LOCKED MULTIPLE TIMES LEAVING MY 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MYSELF STRANDED WHERE I HAD TO CALL SOMEONE TO COME AND HELP START MY CAR AS THE KEY WOULDN'T TURN IN THE IGNITION. TONIGHT THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL AND I HAD TO ABANDON IT. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS ZTS. THE CAR IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND THE LOCKING CYLINDER WON'T TURN ANYMORE WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE IGNITION. THIS CAR IS FAR TOO NEW TO BE HAVING A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. *TR
I'M A MANAGER OF A FLEET OF VEHICLES FOR THE AMERICAN RED CROSS. I HAVE HAD THREE (3) 2004 FORD FOCUS IGNITION LOCK UP TO WERE I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I HAD TO GET THEM TOWED AND NEW IGNITIONS PUT IN. THIS HAS COST ME CLOSE TO 700.00 PER VEHICLE. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS. INTERMITTENTLY I HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. I PLACE THE KEY IN THE IGNITION BUT THE IGNITION DOES NOT MOVE. GENERALLY IF I WAIT AND TRY AGAIN SEVERAL MINUTE LATER THE KEY WILL TURN. TONIGHT I LEFT WORK AND ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR. THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN. I CALLED HOME A…
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I HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS. INTERMITTENTLY I HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. I PLACE THE KEY IN THE IGNITION BUT THE IGNITION DOES NOT MOVE. GENERALLY IF I WAIT AND TRY AGAIN SEVERAL MINUTE LATER THE KEY WILL TURN. TONIGHT I LEFT WORK AND ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR. THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN. I CALLED HOME AND ATTEMPTED WITH SPARE KEY WITH SIMILAR RESULTS. I LEFT CAR IN PARKING LOT UNTIL ABLE TO CALL SERVICE IN MORNING. FORTUNATELY IT WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTACT FAMILY TO OBTAIN ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION. *TR
OCCASIONAL ERRATIC INSTRUMENT DISPLAY OPERATION WITH PERIODS OF INSTRUMENT PANEL OUTAGE. *TR
I GOT IN MY CAR AFTER LUNCH ON DAY TO RETURN TO WORK AND WHEN I PUT MY KEY IN THE IGNITION, IT WOULD NOT TURN. I KEPT TRYING FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AND COULD NOT GET IT TO TURN. THIS IS THE SECOND FORD FOCUS I HAVE OWNED AND THE 2ND TIME THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED. I HAD TO PAY $473.20 TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED, THE IGNITION L…
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I GOT IN MY CAR AFTER LUNCH ON DAY TO RETURN TO WORK AND WHEN I PUT MY KEY IN THE IGNITION, IT WOULD NOT TURN. I KEPT TRYING FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AND COULD NOT GET IT TO TURN. THIS IS THE SECOND FORD FOCUS I HAVE OWNED AND THE 2ND TIME THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED. I HAD TO PAY $473.20 TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED, THE IGNITION LOCK REPLACED, AND A NEW KEY FITTED FOR THE CAR. THE LADY AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP INFORMED US BEFORE WE TOOK THE CAR IN THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF THE PART BEING RECALLED SINCE THIS HAPPENS OFTEN. WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR IN AND THEY BEGAN WORK ON IT WE DISCOVERED THIS WAS NOT TRUE. I AM JUST THANKFUL I WAS NOT COMING BACK FROM COURT OR IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED ON THE ROAD. *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.