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. The contact stated that on one occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled nearby train tracks. The contact waited for 10 minutes, restarted the vehicle, and drove the vehicle to safety. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where a handheld diagnostic test indicated that the PCV valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that an ignition coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred approximately a month later. The vehicle was taken to the same independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel relay fuse needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred approximately three weeks later. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,010.
The worst 2004 Ford Focus problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical183
- Brakes40
- Engine35
- Steering29
- Locks28
- Airbags24
- Transmission20
- Acceleration18
- Suspension17
- Body14
- Fuel system13
- Visibility11
- Lights8
- Seats8
- Tires7
- Seat belts5
- Wheels4
- Driver assistance1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Ford Focus
Stalling 28Won't start 16No deployment 15Grinding brakes 15Fire or smoke 10Brake failure 9Check engine light 9Hesitation 8Wipers 8Door locks 7Steering lock-up 7Headlights 5Jerking 5Sudden acceleration 5
Recalls 1
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- 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.
- 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.
Recall number 05V030000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2004 Ford Focus
Defect investigations
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, the federal safety agency'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.
AQ10001
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Ford Focus 60
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic...
- For 2000-2005 Focus vehicles built on or before 1/26/2005 Safety Recall 05S27 has been issued for vehicles...
- Ford: rear door latches are experiencing corrosion in pawl pivot area that prevent proper engagement of...
- Ford: due to high corrosion areas, where vehicles are operated for extended periods, lower control arm...
- Ford: on some vehicles, operating for an extended time in high corrosion area, a safety recall 05S27 was...
- Possible engine damage - install special service tools prior to removing crankshaft pulley bolt. kb
- Neutral tow capability -- service kit requirements. tt
- DTC P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303 and/or P0304 - service tip. tt
- Replace timing belt idler pulley during 2.0L zetec engine cylinder head replacement - service tip. tt
- Mirfire diagnostic trouble codes P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, or P0304 - service tip. tt
2004 Ford Focus fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 18-24 | 26-32 | 21-27 |
| 2.3L 4‑cyl | FWD | 21-22 | 28-30 | 24-25 |
What 2004 Ford Focus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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.
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 could pull over to safety. Now, on occasion, it wont start. Locks in park. After a while, I can get it out of park and start it. I do not drive it on highways since I am fearful of it shutting off. I have been to three garages for service and they cannot figure it out. I even wrote to the corporate office to ask them to let me know what the problem is. On line many people with 2004 ford focus have the same problem. It isnt just my car. Corporate office answered my letter requesting the vin number on which I gave them. After that, I did not hear from them again. I would think that they would have followed through on this since I told them that it has happened to others with the same vehicle. It stalled again a few days ago as I drove in my driveway. Everytime I try to start it, I hear the clicking sound. I go out once in a while to see if it will start. Sometimes, while in park, it wont start. Another time checking it our, it will start. But, I am not driving it anywhere. I am having it towed to another garage to see if they can figure it out. This car has less than 60,000 miles on it and everything else is good. I have spent a lot of money trying to get this resolved. It has been on diagnostic machines and it doesnt show anything. All I wanted from the corporate office was an engineer to let me know how to fix it. They must have heard the complaints since there are many. A recall wont do me any good since I will be having it looked at again this week. I am doing this for others who have the same problem. However, I would like to know exactly what has caused this.
I was coming home one night, in my 2004 Ford focus, when another driver comes speeding up behind me. He then proceeds to pass me during a corner, cutting me off. I hit the brakes and lost control. Ended up rolling my vehicle with my 8 month old daughter and i. Back window exploded, and not a single air bags had deployed when I got into my accident.
rear passenger door wont latch shut.Door flies open when making turns
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 as if the breaks were not working correctly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. While driving various speeds, a loud noise was detected from the front of the vehicle and the check engine indicator illuminated. The contact also mentioned that the key overheated in the ignition switch and the vehicle hesitated to drive when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact further mentioned that the vehicle's fuel consumption was higher than normal. The contact also mentioned that both passenger doors were inoperable. The contact mentioned that the driver's side door needed extra strength to open and the rear passenger door was stuck and would not open. The vehicle was taken to multiple unknown dealers where the contact was informed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced and the engine valve was stuck. The cause of the other failures was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
My battery light seems to flash when the car is off. Car has stalled several times while driving try to accelerate over 50 miles an hour car will shut off. Back hatch on wagon seems to release itself while driving well unlock automatically. Have replaced three thermostat and thermostat housing due to overheating car will not tell me is overheating it will boil in the overflow return tank pressurize and shoot the cap off?...
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failures listed in the federal safety agency campaign number: 06e056000 (fuel system, gasoline) and the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v030000 (latches/locks/linkages). She stated that due to poor design, the quick connectors would not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector was fully attached. The contact also stated that she was unable to open the front driver's side and both rear doors. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
Recently my vehicle stereo has been messing up. It sometimes smell a little burnt. It is the passenger door speaker. It sounds as if it's a shortage inside of it. Sometimes the radio dash fades out. The car has hesitates sometimes to start. Once the AC is on the car starts running really rough and you hear a kind of click is hard to explain but I know it's not normal. At sometimes I am unable to run the AC my whole trip. My engine light has recently came on I did replace the coil packs. Engine light is still on.
Compare the 2004 Ford Focus
Focus vs Honda CivicFocus vs Toyota CorollaFocus vs Volkswagen JettaFocus vs Hyundai ElantraFocus vs Nissan SentraFocus vs Chevrolet CruzeFocus vs Mazda MAZDA3Focus vs Subaru Impreza
Other model years
19992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
Questions about the 2004 Ford Focus
Is the 2004 Ford Focus reliable?
Owners have filed 387 complaints about the 2004 Ford Focus, fewer than a typical Focus model year.
What is the 2004 Ford Focus year score?
The 2004 Ford Focus scores 82 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford Focus: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Ford Focus?
Electrical system, with 183 complaints, typically around 53,000 miles. Next is brakes (40).
How many recalls does the 2004 Ford Focus have?
1 recall, covering latches/locks/linkages.
What gas mileage does the 2004 Ford Focus get?
Official estimates for the 2004 Ford Focus range from 21 to 27 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 18-24 city and 26-32 highway.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Ford Focus?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history