RecallRepo

2003 Ford Focus Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2003 Ford Focus has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 589,932 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,224 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 05V030000 2005-02-01 589,932 affected
Defect

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,…

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…

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
263
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
136
3crashes2fires5injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
98
STEERING
50
4crashes1fires7injuries
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
49
1fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
28
3crashes3injuries
SUSPENSION
26
3crashes
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
25
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
24
1crashes3fires
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
24
Total complaints1,224

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Wiring harness fused together”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2023-05-14

“Vehicle has a recall for rear door latches. I have attempted to take the vehicle to 2 different cloninger ford in hickory and cloninger ford in valdese. Both dealerships claim they can not do the recall due to parts. I would like to know what steps do I need to take to get my vehicle repaired for…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2022-11-23

“Ignition issues. The key will not turn in the ignition. Cannot start my vehicle or turn the steering wheel. My car only has just over 56,000 miles. I am seeing that this is a common complaint and could be a safety issue. I am elderly and disabled and it could be a serious issue to my health if I…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2020-10-26

“Drivers side rear door will not latch just flies open. *tr”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2020-05-22

“Tl* the contact owned a 2003 ford focus. While the contact's husband was driving 60 mph on the freeway, the vehicle began to hydroplane, crashed into a guardrail, and spun around. The vehicle came to a stop in the middle of a highway. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's husband sustained…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2019-11-30

“2003 ford focus. Consumer writes in regards to inadequate structural steel. *ld the consumer stated the steel on the control arms were poorly manufactured. While driving the vehicle, it suddenly dead stopped, turned right, making a cracking noise. The control arm had snapped and dug into the tar,…”

STRUCTURE · reported 2019-10-29

“2003 ford focus. Consumer writes in regards to inadequate structural steel. *ld the consumer stated the steel on the control arms were poorly manufactured. While driving the vehicle, it suddenly dead stopped, turned right, making a cracking noise. The control arm had snapped and dug into the tar,…”

SUSPENSION · reported 2019-10-29

“Replaced the crank censor and it won't start”

ENGINE · reported 2019-03-19

Defect investigations

Investigation AQ10001 Opened 2010-11-18 · closed 2015-12-28

Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

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…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Ford Focus as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.