2004 Ford Focus recalls and problems

The 2004 Ford Focus has 1 recall and 387 owner complaints on file with NHTSA; the most reported problem area is electrical system.

2004 Ford Focus
Photo: 2004 Ford Focus by OSX, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
How the 2004 compares
Fewest complaintsMost complaints

Low complaint count among 19 Focus model years — 14th most.

1recalls
387complaints
34crashes
13fires
34injuries
53,000median miles

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not verified and not adjusted for sales. Ranking compares this model's own years only.

Does your car have an open recall?
Recalls apply to specific vehicles. Only a VIN lookup on NHTSA's official site shows whether yours is affected and still unrepaired.
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1 recall

Latches/locks/linkages

Feb 1, 2005 · NHTSA campaign 05V030000 · 589,932 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Original NHTSA wording

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.

Risk: 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.

Original NHTSA wording

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 & notes

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.

Ford recall no. 05S27.customers May also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

What owners complain about

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA; one complaint can name several areas. Not verified by NHTSA.

Complaints by year filed

2004: 49 complaints20042005: 45 complaints2006: 42 complaints20062007: 40 complaints2008: 53 complaints2008532009: 44 complaints2010: 29 complaints20102011: 17 complaints2012: 5 complaints20122013: 7 complaints2014: 13 complaints20142015: 9 complaints2016: 11 complaints20162017: 7 complaints2018: 3 complaints20182019: 7 complaints2020: 1 complaints20202022: 3 complaints2023: 1 complaints20232026: 1 complaints20261

NHTSA investigations

Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

AQ10001 · opened Nov 18, 2010 · closed Dec 28, 2015
Summary

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 futu…

2004 vs. other Ford Focus years

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2004. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2004 Ford Focus have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign covering the 2004 Ford Focus, the latest from Feb 1, 2005 (latches/locks/linkages). A recall applies to specific vehicles: enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours is affected and still open.

What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford Focus?

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA most often mention electrical system (183), service brakes (40), engine (35). Complaints are consumer reports and are not verified by NHTSA.