IllustrationI HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS THAT IS HAVING MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE IGNITION. THE KEY WILL NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION IN ORDER TO START THE CAR, AND HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. *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
What owners actually said
387 reportsI HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS. I PARKED MY VEHICLE AT CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND WHEN I CAME OUT - I PUT MY KEY IN THE IGNITION TO START MY CAR AND IT WAS LOCKED UP. NO MATTER WHAT I TRIED I COULDN'T TURN THE KEY OR START MY CAR. I CALLED MY BROTHER-IN-LAW TO COME HELP ME. HE TRIED TO AND NOTHING WORKED. HE HAD THE SUGGESTION TO LOOK …
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I HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS. I PARKED MY VEHICLE AT CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND WHEN I CAME OUT - I PUT MY KEY IN THE IGNITION TO START MY CAR AND IT WAS LOCKED UP. NO MATTER WHAT I TRIED I COULDN'T TURN THE KEY OR START MY CAR. I CALLED MY BROTHER-IN-LAW TO COME HELP ME. HE TRIED TO AND NOTHING WORKED. HE HAD THE SUGGESTION TO LOOK ON THE INTERNET - TO LOOK UP FORD FOCUS AND KEY WON'T TURN ON GOOGLE. I DID JUST THAT - AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THIS HAPPENING TO PEOPLE THAT HAD FORD FOCUS'S. A SUGGESTION ON THERE - WAS TO GET A SMALL HAMMER OR THE END OF A SCREW DRIVER AND WHILE YOU PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION - PUSH IT REAL HARD AND HIT THE KEY WITH A HAMMER. IT WORKED! MY KEY MOVED TO THE START POSITION AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR HOME. THE WEBSITE THAT TOLD US TO TRY THAT SAID - IT WOULD WORK TO GET THE CAR TO WHERE YOU WANTED IT TO GO - BUT THAT YOU WOULD NEED A NEW PART FOR THE IGNITION AND IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WOULD COST QUITE A LOT. I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR THIS - SO I JUST LEAVE MY KEY IN THE IGNITION AT ALL TIMES - AND USE MY SPARE KEY TO UNLOCK THE CAR. I FEEL THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL FOR THIS - AS MANY, MANY PEOPLE ONLINE HAVE COMPLAINED - IT SAID FORD FOCUS FROM YEARS 200-2004 (MINE IS A 2004). A PERSON CAN BECOME STRANDED AS THIS CAN HAPPEN TO SOMEONE ANYWHERE THEY PARK THEIR CAR. THIS WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY - HOWEVER, MY WARRANTY HAS LONG PASSED. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS - SINCE EVERYONE IS HAVING PROBLEMS - I BELIEVE IT DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP ON THIS MATTER. TRICIA WALTER
FORD FOCUS KEY WILL NOT TURN IN IGNITION. I WAS STRANDED AT NIGHT WITH 2 CHILDREN FOR OVER AN HOUR DUE TO THIS PROBLEM! THIS HAS OCCURRED MORE THAN A HANDFUL OF TIMES IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE. THIS DEFECTIVE PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED IMMEDIATELY!! *TR
MY 2004 FORD FOCUS ZTS WITH 79,000 MILES ON IT IGNITION FROZE AND LEFT ME STRANDED AT WORK FOR 1 HOUR IN 90 DEGREE HEAT. I CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I'M LUCKY THAT I HAVE NOT REPLACED MY IGNITION AT LEAST THREE TIMES WITH 79,000 MILES. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE IGNITIONS FALL APART AND THERE IS NO WARRANTY TO P…
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MY 2004 FORD FOCUS ZTS WITH 79,000 MILES ON IT IGNITION FROZE AND LEFT ME STRANDED AT WORK FOR 1 HOUR IN 90 DEGREE HEAT. I CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I'M LUCKY THAT I HAVE NOT REPLACED MY IGNITION AT LEAST THREE TIMES WITH 79,000 MILES. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE IGNITIONS FALL APART AND THERE IS NO WARRANTY TO PROTECT ME AGAINST THE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I ALSO GOOGLED FORD FOCUS IGNITIONS AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM LUCKY I HAVE ONLY EXPERIENCED THIS ONCE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FOCUS. WHEN THE CONTACT INSERTED THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION, HE WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. HE WAS ALSO UNABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS RELATED TO IGNITION FAILURE FOR THE FORD FOCUS. DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FOCUS. WHEN THE CONTACT INSERTED THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION, HE WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. HE WAS ALSO UNABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS RELATED TO IGNITION FAILURE FOR THE FORD FOCUS. DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE FAILURE, THE REPAIR COULD COST BETWEEN $300-$600. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED OTHER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE FORD FOCUS AND IGNITION FAILURES. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 49,000.
KEY STUCK IN IGNITION SWITCH. CANNOT TURN. CANNOT BE REMOVED. *TR
IGNITION SWITCH FROZEN, THE COST TO REPAIR/REPLACE QUOTED BY FORD DEALERSHIP WAS $361.00, THE COST BY A LOCKSMITH IS $300-$350. 2004 FORD FOCUS Z3. *TR
HAD TO HAVE THE IGNITION LOCK ON A 2004 FORD FOCUS REPLACED. CONSUMER STATES THAT HE WAS INFORMED THAT IT IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM. *NJ
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK. THE CONTACT HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WORKED PROPERLY. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.
KEY WILL NOT TURN IN IGNITION LEAVING ME STRANDED AT NIGHT. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR(FORD FOCUS) ACCORDING TO INTERNET QUERIES. *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.