Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2000 Ford Focus, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system1,343
- Engine and engine cooling474
- Service brakes, hydraulic406
- Suspension390
- Fuel system, gasoline366
- Power train225
- Latches/locks/linkages201
- Air bags191
- Vehicle speed control170
- Steering168
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 155 injuries and 9 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 15 2000 Focus vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 11 people died inside them, and 2 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2000 Ford Focus failed the safety check 2.69% of the time — 45% more often than the average 2000 passenger car (1.86%). Median odometer at inspection: 106,491 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2000 Ford Focus cars on Dutch roads are the 1.6 petrol (74 kW, 99 hp), 1.4 petrol (55 kW, 74 hp) and 1.8 petrol (85 kW, 114 hp), out of 5 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 petrol | 74 kW 99 hp | 924 |
| 1.4 petrol | 55 kW 74 hp | 170 |
| 1.8 petrol | 85 kW 114 hp | 103 |
| 1.8 diesel | 66 kW 89 hp | 39 |
| 2.0 petrol | 96 kW 129 hp | 26 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
1,267 first registered in 2000 are on Dutch roads; 3% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €19,275.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde684
- Band onvoldoende profiel517
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen354
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld348
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm345
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt239
- Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)214
- Slijtage/beschadiging wiellager hoorbaar of voelbaar195
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,415 cars built in 2000 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 5,773 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 3,333 of these cars first registered in 2000 took their annual MOT test. 52% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2000 the figure was 61%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2000 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 23.3% | 14.3% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 21.8% | 17.7% |
| Brakes | 16.8% | 12.8% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Visibility | 8.2% | 7.4% |
| Tyres | 7.4% | 4.9% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
700 of these cars first registered in 2000 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 242,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
272 2000 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 9.4–9.6 L/100 km (about 25 mpg US), CO₂ 216–221 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus Sedan · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.8 | 7.8 | 9.4 |
| Focus Wagon · Station wagon: Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.9 | 7.6 | 9.4 |
| Focus Wagon · Station wagon: Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.6 | 8.1 | 9.5 |
| Focus Sedan · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.8 | 8.2 | 9.6 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
10 Transport Canada recalls for the 2000 Ford Focus.
| 2005025 14 Feb 2005 | Other Certain four door (sedan and wagon) and five door vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward … |
| 2002213 15 Nov 2002 | Electrical On certain vehicles equipped with a Zetec engine, the battery cable insulation could be damaged due to loose or broken attachments and/or misrouted battery cabl… |
| 2002214 15 Nov 2002 | Suspension On certain vehicles, insufficient clamp load at the attachment of the lower control arm ball joint to the steering knuckle may result in separation of the joint… |
| 2001204 13 Aug 2001 | Other Certain passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case coul… |
| 2000302 29 Dec 2000 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the decklid wiring harness may fatigue and develop broken wires in the bend area of the wire harness in the grommet on the decklid. This m… |
| 2000305 20 Dec 2000 | Seats And Restraints Certain station wagons and 3 door vehicles come equipped with a folding 60/40 second seat that becomes a load floor in the folded position. When the 60% portion… |
| 2000246 26 Oct 2000 | Engine Certain vehicles have a speed control cable that may have a core wire that is long enough to catch on the sleeve at the throttle body end of the cable during wi… |
| 2000245 25 Oct 2000 | Suspension Certain vehicles may have rear wheel hubs that could loosen and allow the left rear wheel and brake drum assembly to separate from the vehicle. Separation of a… |
| 2000096 14 Apr 2000 | Emissions Certain vehicles do not comply with the requirements of CMVSS 1101 - Emission Device. The Injector Pressure Sensor (IPS), located on the end of the fuel rail, … |
| 1999231 16 Dec 1999 | Engine On certain vehicles, the speed control cable end fitting may allow water to enter the speed control servo assembly. If this occurs, corrosion in the servo asse… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CONTAMINATION OF THE FILTER IN THE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM) CAN REDUCE, AND EVENTUALLY BLOCK, THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ZETEC ENGINES, LOOSE OR BROKEN ATTACHMENTS AND MISROUTED BATTERY CABLES COULD LEAD TO CABLE INSULATION DAMAGE.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE LOOSE PINCH BOLTS THAT SECURE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM TO THE STEERING KNUCKLE HAVE BEEN REPORTED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER CARS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND LIGHT AND MEDIUM DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS. A SWITCH LOCATED IN THE PLASTIC COVER OF THE WIPER MOTOR GEAR CASE COULD MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN LOSS OF INTERMITTENT WIPER FUNCTION, LOSS OF WIPER PARK FUNCTION, COMPLETE LOSS OF WIPER FUNCTION, OR IGNITION OF THE PLASTIC COVER MATERIAL. SWITCH MALFUNCTION IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR WHEN THE INTERMITTENT SETTING OF THE WIPERS IS BEING USED, OR WHEN SNOW OR ICE OBSTRUCTS THE BLADES FROM RETURNING TO THE "PARKED" POSITION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT AT THE FOLLOWING ASSEMBLY PLANTS: ATLANTA PLANT FROM 2/11/00 THROUGH 7/31/00; CHICAGO PLANT FROM 2/14/00 THROUGH 8/4/00; KANSAS CITY PLANT FROM 2/26/00 TO 9/4/00; KENTUCKY TRUCK PLANT FROM 2/18/00 TO 8/31/00; MICHIGAN TRUCK PLANT FROM 2/23/00 THROUGH 8/3/00; NORFOLK PLANT FROM 2/21/00 THROUGH 7/27/00; WAYNE STAMPING AND ASSEMBLY PLANT FROM 2/25/00 THROUGH 8/15/00; AND WIXOM PLANT FROM 2/15/00 THROUGH 8/8/00.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: STATION WAGONS AND 3-DOOR VEHICLES. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE A FOLDING 60/40 SECOND SEAT THAT BECOMES A LOAD FLOOR IN THE FOLDED POSITION. WHEN THE 60% PORTION OF THE SEAT IS FOLDED DOWN AND A LOAD IS APPLIED TO THE FRONT EDGE OF THE LOAD FLOOR, THE OUTBOARD HINGE PIVOT COULD DISENGAGE FROM THE HINGE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A DECKLID WIRE HARNESS CAN FATIGUE AND DEVELOP BROKEN WIRES IN THE BEND AREA OF THE WIRE HARNESS.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE REAR WHEEL HUB RETAINING NUTS CAN LOOSEN AND ALLOW THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AND BRAKE DRUM ASSEMBLY TO SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. A SPEED CONTROL CABLE COULD HAVE A CORE WIRE THAT IS LONG ENOUGH TO CATCH ON THE SLEEVE AT THE THROTTLE BODY END OF THE CABLE DURING WIDE-OPEN THROTTLE ACCELERATION.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." THE RESULTANT HIC(D) VALUE AT ONE TARGET LOCATION AP1, LOCATED ON THE TRIM PANEL AT THE JUNCTURE OF THE A-PILLAR AND ROOF SIDE RAIL, MAY BE GREATER THAN DESIGN INTENT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL. THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE END FITTING CAN ALLOW WATER TO ENTER THE SPEED CONTROL SERVO ASSEMBLY. IF THIS OCCURS, CORROSION IN THE SERVO ASSEMBLY COULD DEVELOP AND CAUSE INTERMITTENT SPEED CONTROL OPERATION OR PREVENT THE THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO IDLE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2000 Ford Focus: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637815 | CONCERNS WITH FRONT SUSPENSION CREAK, CRUNCH NOISE WHILE TURNING AT SLOW SPEEDS. *TT |
| 637777 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT FRONT BRAKE PAD LININGS THAT EXHIBIT AN UNACCEPTABLE RATE OF WEAR. *TT |
| 637615 | ROUGH IDLE, LOW POWER AND / OR STALL AT IDLE, A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0300 THROUGH P0304 STORED IN MEMORY. *TT |
| 637571 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE B1213, B1342, B1601, B2431. *TT |
| 637554 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 15 INCH FIRESTONE TIRES MAY EXHIBIT SIGNS OF DIAGNONAL WEAR OR CUPPING ON THE REAR TIRES. *TT |
| 636410 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 15 INCH FIRESTONE TIRES MAY EXHIBIT SIGNS OF DIAGONAL WEAR OR CUPPING OF THE REAR TIRES. *TT |
| 636373 | EXHIBITING INOPERATIVE POWER DOOR LOCKS DUE TO FUSE 63 FAILURE. *TT |
| 636352 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A LOCKED REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTOR AFTER MOVING THE REAR SEAT FROM THE FOLD DOWN POSITION TO THE SEATING POSITION. *TT |
| 636348 | INFORMATION ON VEHICLES WITH PROGRAMMABLE MODULES. *TT |
| 636241 | SOME VEHICLES WITH 15 INCH FIRESTONE TIRES MAY EXHIBIT SIGNS OF DIAGONAL WEAR OR CUPPING ON THE REAR TIRES. *TT |
| 636224 | INFORMATION ON NORTH AMERICAN BUILT VEHICLES WHICH WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH A PERIMETER / ACTIVE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SYSTEM. *TT |
| 636173 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE AND 2.0L ZETEC ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATED WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0122, THROTTLE POSITION CIRCUIT LOW INPUT. *TT |
| 636114 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A VERTICAL CRACK IN THE OUTSIDE MIRROR GLASS WITH NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF IMPACT, ESPECIALLY DURING COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. *TT |
| 636104 | SOME WAGONS MAY EXHIBIT THE LIFTGATE NOT STAYING IN THE FULLY UPRIGHT POSITION IN COLD CLIMATES. *TT |
| 636089 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L SPI ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) P0300 THROUGH P0304 STORED. *TT |
| 636065 | INFORMATION REGARDING DISCHARGED BATTERY CHARGING SERVICE TIPS AND GUIDELINES. *TT |
| 636052 | INOPERATIVE OR INACURRATE SPEEDOMETER, 4X4 LAMP ILLUMINATD, AND / OR DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1635 OR P1639. *TT |
| 630716 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK. *TT |
| 630687 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT ENGINE VIBRATION AT IDLE IN DRIVE, NEUTRAL AND REVERSE. *TT |
| 630546 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 01B85 REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS WHICH MAY EXPERIENCE SURFACE CORROSION. *TT |
| 630534 | CONCERNS WITH DELAYED SHIFTS AFTER FINAL DRIVE GEARSET RATIO CHANGE OR TRANSAXLE REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 630515 | ENGINE OIL SYSTEM PRIMING PROCEDURES, SERVICE TIPS FOR REPORTS OF PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE. *TT |
| 630467 | FRONT BRAKE NOISE WHICH MAY BE DUE TO PREMATURE FRONT BRAKE WEAR. *TT |
| 630440 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A DIFFICULT TO TURN, UNABLE TO REMOVE, OR STICKING IGNITION KEY. *TT |
| 630436 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN ENGINE VIBRATION AT IDLE, MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN ENGAGED IN REVERSE. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
REAR DOOR LATCH FAILURE
REAR DOOR LATCH FAILURE
FRONT SUSP COLLAPSE/WHEEL SEPARATION
ENGINE STALLING
BURN INJURIES DUE TO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER CONTROL ARM
ENGINE STALLING
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
AIR BAG BURN INJURIES/VEHICLE FIRES
REAR WHEEL BEARING
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation