2014 Ford Focus
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 2,657 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 19 Focus model years with reports.
Of the 2014 reports, 69 involved a crash and 10 involved a fire. 47 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, evaporative emissions, canisterJun 9, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.
Campaign 26V369000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, doors, latchJun 8, 2020
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Campaign 20V331000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storageJul 5, 2019
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 and 2017 Focus vehicles equipped with 2.0L GDI gasoline engines and 2013-2014 Focus ST vehicles equipped with 2.0L GTDI engines, previously recalled under 18V-735. The affected vehicles did not have the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) updated as intended. Therefore, the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system.
The excessive vacuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began July 29, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S22.
Campaign 19V515000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storageOct 22, 2018
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.
Campaign 18V735000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hatchback/liftgate, lockSep 28, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Ford Focus hatchback vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 26, 2016 and equipped with a manual transmission. The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
With only a single press needed, the driver may accidently unlatch the hatchback, increasing the risk of injury to any unsecured passengers in the back.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began February 10, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C13.
Campaign 16V698000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, doors, latchSep 6, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Campaign 16V643000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringDec 2, 2015
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured January 11, 2012, to April 1, 2013, and 2013-2014 Focus ST vehicles manufactured May 03, 2012, to October 14, 2013. Insufficient compression in the engine wiring harness splices to the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor may provide incorrect signals to the powertrain control module (PCM).
The incorrect signals could cause the vehicle to hesitate or the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S17-S1.
Campaign 15V813000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpJan 9, 2015
Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on January 8, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, to May 8, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured April 21, 2014, to May 15, 2014. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 45,505 vehicles, including certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured November 11, 2013, to August 29, 2014, 2014-2015 Ford Fiesta vehicles manufactured April 10, 2014, to June 17, 2014 and 2014 Ford Edge vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 21, 2014. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing.
If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S30.
Campaign 15V005000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, deliverySep 2, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured May 1, 2014, to May 24, 2014, 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured on June 6, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured June 4, 2014, to July 7, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) may crack between the filter body and the filter cap, possibly resulting in low fuel pressure.
A reduction in fuel pressure may result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S20.
Campaign 14V525000 on NHTSA.gov
SteeringDo not drive until repairedAug 22, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Focus and C-Max vehicles manufactured August 8, 2014, to August 15, 2014. The affected vehicles may have steering gears that were incorrectly assembled.
The incorrectly manufactured steering gears may cause impaired steering, including the loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gears, free of charge. The recall began on November 11, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S18.
Campaign 14V514000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringAug 11, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to April 1, 2013, and equipped with 2.0 liter engines and Focus ST vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to October 14, 2013, and equipped with 2.0 liter engines. Insufficient compression in the engine wiring harness splices to the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor may provide incorrect signals to the powertrain control module (PCM).
The incorrect signals could cause the vehicle to hesitate or the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S17.
Campaign 14V495000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: steering
227 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes, Apr 5, 2023
POWER STEERING ASSIST, FAILURE: ENGINE FAILURE TO START: POWER BRAKE ASSIST, FAILURE: TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, FAILURE: CLUTCH FAILURE AND SHIFT ROUGHNESS:. CAR UNUSEABLE FOR THREE YEARS WITHOUT BECAUSE OF PARTS INAVAILABILITY: This type even happened mutiple times because of the transmission control module failure. The first sign of problems was shuddring and rough shifting beginning with about 30,000 miles on the vehicle Multiple trips to the Ford Dealerships resulted in Unsatisfactory action by Ford Motor company to repair the problem The result was safety problems like stalling and losing power steering and brake assist in traffic. It displayed multiple system failure warnings when it failed, Steering asist, Brake assist, ABS, transmission position light was in park while driving. We tried to get repairs done but they just kicked it down the road till we fought with the car to get 160,000 miles out of it because there was no other choice and they denied there was a problem. It was completely unserviceable beginning on the shown date because the clutch control and transmission control module have been faulty, It has started a few times but will not shift properly and the clutch is faulty because of the control module being bad. We paid to have the control module replaced when it became available, but the vehicle is not servicable because the clutch and flywheel are damaged from the module being faulty. This should have been a safety recall as soon as the problem was discovered, but it was hidden and the owners of these vehicles have had to deal with it over the last 10 years. Any of these cars on the road are just as dangerous as this one It.is still at the shop 4 months after they tried to patch it awaiting the determination of whether a clutch recall will fix it or not. These owners of these cars are driving time bombs if they are not able to react to the problems listed in traffic.
Steering, Feb 6, 2023
The steering assist went out at approximately 27000 miles without any warning. I was heading out to work and the steering locked up and I had to manually turn the wheel but I needed a lot of strength to get it to turn. The vehicle went to a mechanic to be diagnosed, and I was told the steering rack and pinion had failed and needs replacing.
Steering, Jan 2, 2023
Driving down road car said power steering loss pulled over and restarted car and then said steering loss lost full steering going down highway at 70
Steering, Power train, Other or unspecified, Dec 29, 2022
When trying to accelerate, it hesitates. Not sure if it’s a transmission problem.
Steering, Sep 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed and became inoperable and felt loose. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 41,004.
Steering, Aug 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became slightly difficult to turn. The following day after starting the vehicle the steering fault message was displayed and the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure stated in the recall. The failure mileage was 76,000.
Steering, Aug 13, 2022
The steering gear assembly fails making a grinding noise. Is an internal issue and is not covered by recall 14S18. Arms are intact but steering assembly failed internally. Can feel gritty vibration from concerned part as I turn wheel
Steering, Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the steering wheel was loose. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. The VIN was not available.
Steering, Jun 11, 2022
May 7th, my car a 2014 ford focus se lost all function of power steering. something else may have happened to the steering as well, because the steering wheel will not turn at all, not even one inch. I've driven cars without power steering and u can still drive them, its just hard to do so. the car was dinging while i was driving, when i looked down at the instrument panel "power steering warning service soon" that went away and this one replaced it "steering warning, service NOW!!!! after stopping the car and turning it off, the car could not be driven again. it had to towed from its spot. this malfunction is not in the recalls for my car. there was also a clicking noise in the front drivers side wheel area when i would turn a corner. luckily i was in a parking lot and no one was injured. thankfully there was a parking stall straight head because the power steering had locked up and i was unable to turn the wheel. had i been out on the open road, there could've been an extreme tragedy for my family and children and maybe others as well. i would like for y'all to include my car for the ball barring/steering recall, as well as all 2014 ford focuses. when the made and model are typed in to this website and immediate warning pops up saying to stop driving this vehicle due to the steering.
Steering, May 31, 2022
I was driving from Missouri to Michigan when my power steering failed. I was unable to operate my vehicle and 95 miles from my destination. My car was towed to Preferred Ford in Grand Haven, MI. The problem was diagnosed as a power steering module failure which is unable to be replaced in this model and requires replacement of the entire steering rack. My car gave no indications of any problems and is serviced regularly. My car also has less than 25,000 miles on it.
Steering, Power train, May 15, 2022
At 153,000 Miles my car began to slip gears in the third and 5th and the transmission and a week after that started happening I lost complete steering all steering went out the ball joint had sounded rough for a couple of days and then and just went out the car was stuck at the hospital then I was at luckily I wasn't on the main road when it happened I was in a parking lot otherwise that could have been very very bad however my car doesn't fit in your little spectrum of August 8th to whatever it was August 15th of 2014 for manufacturer date for the steering and obviously my car is over $150,000 for the powertrain either thing could cost a collision and the steering thing I could have been majorly hurt but the recall doesn't include my car
Steering, Apr 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
Steering, Feb 16, 2022
Control Arm bushings are bad.
Steering, Power train, Feb 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 10 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal and pulled into the parking lot of her apartment. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed however, the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact to take the vehicle to a transmission specialist as they did not have a transmission mechanic or parts. The contact contacted other unknown dealers who advised as the first dealer. The vehicle was towed to a transmission specialist where the transmission was taken apart and the transmission assembly was replaced. The transmission specialist drove the vehicle to the contact's residence and informed her that the steering rack might have failed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was making abnormal grinding sounds while driving. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle did not qualify for the lemon law. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.
Steering, Feb 2, 2022
I was on the highway on my way home from work when the steering wheel got really stiff and i could not move it. I dont even know how i was able to pull over im lucky im alive!
Steering, Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, she made a sharp turn to the right into a parking space and the power steering was still functional. The contact stated that when she went to restart the vehicle to leave the parking lot, she saw that the "steering assist fault service required" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had loss power steering functionality. The contact contacted a dealer but did not have the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The contact then had an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle but did not repair the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to her home state and then contacted the local dealer. The local dealer informed her that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was driven back to the residence. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Steering, Suspension, Power train, Dec 7, 2021, crash
Transmission is overheated, burning smell, the car lost control, start zigzagging on the high way , and got into an accident, I was injured, and lost my job. The CarMax dealership, refused to take care of a car, or even take it back, because of the safety issues. Then, second time, the transmission slips on acceleration at starts and on highways. It feels like it's the transmission is in neutral. For the third time, the car was jerking and going forward and backward , that the transmission would slip badly, even totally disengage. I was getting on a very busy road and accelerated and suddenly the car decelerated; the car behind me almost rear ended me, honked his horn, but there was nothing I could do. As you can see, the problem been reproduced and confirmed by an independent service center as a non-safe to drive. But CarMax dealership ignoring the issues regardless.
Steering, Dec 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that a year ago the clutch fell inside the transmission. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The transmission was replaced with an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. There was no further assistance provided. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign number 14V514000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.
Steering, Nov 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a near gas station. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the master control for the electronic system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V514000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.
Steering, Nov 14, 2021
Power steering went completely out while driving. No accidents occurred but I almost drove off the road due to not being able to control steering wheel. Warning screen on dash notified me after power steering went out.. Took vehicle to my local Ford dealership for diagnosis; code U3000. Steering gear assembly was bad. Vehicle had 64,352 miles on it at the time.
Steering, Oct 16, 2021
After turning the car on a warning stating Fault with power steering. Now I cannot move the wheel hardly.
Steering, Sep 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The driver continued to drive the vehicle manually without power steering functionality back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,003.
Steering, Jun 7, 2021
While operating the vehicle I lost all power steering. This nearly caused an accident as I was driving in city traffic at the time. Upon taking it to a dealership I was informed it was a $1500 repair caused by the electrical system. My vehicle was purchased new and has less than 54,000 miles
Steering, Apr 29, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED PULLING TO THE LEFT. THE CONTACT MANUALLY PULLED THE STEERING TO THE CENTER TO CORRECT THE ISSUE AND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE SLOWLY IN MANUAL STEERING MODE TO HIS GIRLFRIEND'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RACK AND PINION UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.
Steering, Apr 14, 2021
I HAD JUST LEFT MY HOUSE DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD . I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL SO I STOPPED GOT OUT AND MY BOYFRIEND WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TURNED AROUND AND DROVE IT BACK THE SHORT DISTANCE TO MY HOME WHERE IT HAS BEEN PARKED SINCE THAT DAY. I WROTE A LETTER TO FORD ASKING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN GETTING THE CAR REPAIRED ARE REPURCHASE IT FROM ME THEY REPLIED STATING THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD BUT COULD NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE.