RecallRepo

2004 Ford Focus Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2004 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 499 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
74
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
62
4fires1injuries1deaths
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
34
1crashes1injuries
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
20
STEERING
20
1crashes2injuries
AIR BAGS
16
14crashes14injuries
ENGINE
13
2fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
12
2crashes1fires1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
11
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
1crashes1fires
Total complaints499

What owners report

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

“The contact owns a 2004 ford focus. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. There were three clicks before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after approximately 10 minutes.…”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV) · reported 2025-10-31

“As I was stopped at red light it stalled as I drove thru. So I pulled over. Got out to open hood. It was smoking.struggled to open hood. Ran around to get towel to smother the fire. But it was too far gone. Man told me just leave it. It was total loss.”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2023-03-31

“As I was stopped at red light it stalled as I drove thru. So I pulled over. Got out to open hood. It was smoking.struggled to open hood. Ran around to get towel to smother the fire. But it was too far gone. Man told me just leave it. It was total loss.”

ENGINE · reported 2023-03-31

“As I was stopped at red light it stalled as I drove thru. So I pulled over. Got out to open hood. It was smoking.struggled to open hood. Ran around to get towel to smother the fire. But it was too far gone. Man told me just leave it. It was total loss.”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2023-03-31

“2004 ford focus started bucking a few years ago, on occasions only. For months there was no problem and than it would buck. If I shut off the engine and waited a few minutes and started it, it would drive without bucking. Recently, it stalled while driving. Fortunately, I was on a country road and…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2022-10-07

“Rear passenger door wont latch shut.door flies open when making turns”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2021-04-14

“In january, I was involved in a traffic crash. I applied the breaks to my vehicle (giving plenty of time to come to a stop and only traveling 20 mph ) but the vehicle did not come to a complete stop. As a result, I hit a vehicle in front of me. I do not know what the vehicle would not stop. It was…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2020-01-04

“In january, I was involved in a traffic crash. I applied the breaks to my vehicle (giving plenty of time to come to a stop and only traveling 20 mph ) but the vehicle did not come to a complete stop. As a result, I hit a vehicle in front of me. I do not know what the vehicle would not stop. It was…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2020-01-04

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 2004 Ford Focus as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.