IllustrationSAFETY ISSUE WITH POTENTIAL TO CAUSE INJURY. WHEN THE HEATER IS ON, IT GET EXTREMELY HOT. *BF WHEN THE HEATER WAS DIRECTED TO THE FLOOR ONLY, THE BACK OF THE STORAGE TRAY BENEATH THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEATING AND AIR CONDITION SYSTEMS BECAME HOT. *JB
2005 Ford Focus
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2005 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
740–25K
6725–50K
7350–75K
5175–100K
50100–150K
29150K+
344 reports with mileage · 97 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 113 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
43 crash reports9 fire reports32 injury reports
What owners actually said
441 reportsENGINE ACCELERATED WHEN I WAS AT A STOP. THE ENGINE BEGAN RACING. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, AND THEN ON AGAIN AND IT STILL RACED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. AT NO TIME WAS MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE ENGINE WAS RACINGBY ITSELF. I MADE A COPY OF THE NHTSA THAT HAVE BEEN OCCURING WITH THE FORDS BUT THE DEALER FOUND NOTHING WRO…
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ENGINE ACCELERATED WHEN I WAS AT A STOP. THE ENGINE BEGAN RACING. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, AND THEN ON AGAIN AND IT STILL RACED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. AT NO TIME WAS MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE ENGINE WAS RACINGBY ITSELF. I MADE A COPY OF THE NHTSA THAT HAVE BEEN OCCURING WITH THE FORDS BUT THE DEALER FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. MY SON HAS A FORD ESCAPE AND HE JUST RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM THE NHTSA ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. THE ACCELERATOR CABLE HAS TO BE RELACED. I HAVE A FORD FOCUS. SINCERELY, MIKE PAGLIA. *JB
THE STORAGE TRAYS BECAME EXTREMELY HOT WHEN DRIVING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME WITH THE HEATER ON, ESPECIALLY WHEN DIRECTED TO THE FLOOR ONLY. *NM IN THE OWNER'S GUIDE BOOK THERE WAS AN ERROR THAT STATED; AM/FM STEREO WITH SINGLE CD/MP3 PREMIUM SHOULD BE FOR A 6 CD UNIT AS NOTED BY THE CD 6 ABOVE THE CD SLOT. *SC *J…
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THE STORAGE TRAYS BECAME EXTREMELY HOT WHEN DRIVING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME WITH THE HEATER ON, ESPECIALLY WHEN DIRECTED TO THE FLOOR ONLY. *NM IN THE OWNER'S GUIDE BOOK THERE WAS AN ERROR THAT STATED; AM/FM STEREO WITH SINGLE CD/MP3 PREMIUM SHOULD BE FOR A 6 CD UNIT AS NOTED BY THE CD 6 ABOVE THE CD SLOT. *SC *JB
WHILE BRAKING AT ANY SPEED CONSUMER HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT/REAR BRAKES. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE WAS IN A COLLISION. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE DRIVER HIT A DEER. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER WERE UNAVAILABLE. OWNER SAYS THAT WHEN USING THE SEAT BELTS IN THE FRONT SEATS THE BELT WILL NOT RETRACT AUTOMATICALLY. CO…
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VEHICLE WAS IN A COLLISION. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE DRIVER HIT A DEER. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER WERE UNAVAILABLE. OWNER SAYS THAT WHEN USING THE SEAT BELTS IN THE FRONT SEATS THE BELT WILL NOT RETRACT AUTOMATICALLY. CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THERE MAY BE TWO OR THREE MONTHS BEFORE PARTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE. *AK
2005 FORD FOCUS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COMPLAINTS.*MR THE TRANSMISSION WHINED AT LOW SPEEDS (40-50 MPH). FORD REFUSED TO SEND A FACTORY REP. *NM
COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL. PROBLEM CONCERNED ANNOYING LOW SPEED TRANSMISSION AT 40-50 MPH. FORD REFUSES TO SEND A FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATED. DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT PROBLEM PERTAINED TO WHEEL ALIGNMENT. EVOQ FILED BY ABIGIL LIVINGSTON 478-788-1497. *AK
OWNER SAYS THAT THE SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE OWNER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY PUT IT ON THE LIFT TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY ROCKS OR STONES THAT MAY HAVE ACTIVATED THE AIR BAG SENSOR, BUT NOTHING WAS FOUND. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB CONSUMER INJURED BY AIRBAG. *TC
TRANSMISSION SLIPS & ERRATIC SHIFTS. *NM
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.