Ford Focus fire or smoke problems

Filed Oct 2, 2026 · Airbags, Driver assistance · CA · crash

Blind sides reflectors cause accidents has fuel system problems over heat makes car catch on fire

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Electrical · FL · fire

The vehicle was serviced at Bartow Ford in Bartow, Florida, where approximately $1,100 was paid for the installation of a Body Control Module (BCM). Less than two weeks after this repair, the vehicle was returned to the same dealership due to issues involving the windshield wipers. According to the dealership’s own written statement, their technician began diagnosing the issue by replacing a blown fuse and tracing the wiring harness. While inspecting the wiring harness near the heater hose area, the technician observed coolant dripping onto the harness. When the technician touched the harness, it immediately caught fire. The shop foreman then had to disconnect the battery to prevent further damage. This fire occurred while the vehicle was in the possession and control of the dealership and during active diagnosis by their technician. Despite this, the dealership is now attempting to charge approximately $3,700 to repair the wiring harness and related components. We find this unacceptable. It is unreasonable to expect the customer to pay for repairs to damage that occurred during dealership service and inspection. This situation raises serious concerns, particularly because the dealership had recently performed electrical work on the vehicle involving the BCM only two weeks earlier.

Filed Mar 17, 2026 · Engine · MI

Ford refuses to respond to emails nor return calls...... Cracked cylinder head caused from a known issue Ford failed to recall. The 2.0L Ecoboost uses an aluminum cylinder head with relatively thin casting areas between the combustion chamber and coolant passages. Coolant passages run very close to the exhaust valve seats. The turbocharged exhaust temperatures are EXTREMELY high. Thin aluminum sections are repeatedly exposed to rapid heating and cooling cycles. Over time this creates micro-fractures int he heat casting, which eventually grow into a crack between the combustion chamber and coolant jacket. This defect tends to occur between 60k - 100k miles. Safety: Car was smoking so bad that it could have caught fire. The car has been inspected by a Ford dealership and declared this to be the problem. The fix is a new engine that costs $12k. There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure. Car is still deemed inoperable as Ford refuses to help with the fix.

Filed Oct 5, 2025 · Engine · VA

My wife was driving her car home from work when her car suddenly overheated in light traffic. She pulled over and called me. I came by and we saw that the coolant level was low, so we filled it up to the normal level and she drove it another 20 minutes back to our home. She said it was shuddering the whole way back. I started it in the driveway later that evening and a large amount of white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe and the engine still seemed to be misfiring. I tried starting it again the next day and it would crank but not start. It seems to be an issue with the engine, my guess is a ruptured head gasket. The shuddering caused by the misfires made the car unstable to drive especially if it died while she was at speed with other cars around. The car was towed to a dealer over 30 days ago and they said that it may be related to the open recall, but they won't know until they tear it down. Which they still haven't done. There were no engine codes or prior lamp indications until the overheating event.

Filed May 5, 2025 · Engine · 141,000 miles · MS

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders, causing damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 141,000.

Filed Apr 17, 2025 · Engine · MO

The contact's niece owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact's niece received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that after his niece started the vehicle, the engine was misfiring significantly. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe, and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to the recall. The dealer had not provided any diagnostic information and informed the contact that the part had been ordered for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Mar 10, 2025 · Transmission · 53,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission was blown due to the leaking of the transmission clutch fluid. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the clutch canister was previously replaced while the vehicle was owned by the previous owner. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

Filed Jan 21, 2025 · Engine · 96,000 miles · AR

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test showed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 96,000.

Filed Jul 19, 2024 · Engine · 126,000 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering with smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the engine was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the cause of the failure could not be duplicated. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Jun 18, 2024 · Engine · 65,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was replaced. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the turbo charger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the same assessment was made. Additionally, the dealer determined that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.