Ford
Ford Focus years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014.
The 2014 Ford Focus draws the most owner complaints for its age: 2,452, or 189 for each year on the road, against a median of 93 a year across the 5 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is transmission shudder (847 reports).
- 6,384complaints
- 20recall campaigns
- 5model years with a page
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: transmission shudder (847 reports, median 43,000 miles) and stalling (565 reports, median 61,000 miles).
Best years
- No year since 2016 is clearly better than the rest.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 alone holds 2,452 of the 6,384 complaints across the 5 model years with a page here (38%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem changes over time: transmission shudder from 2014 to 2017; stalling in 2018. Pooled across the years, half of the 1,427 owners who gave a mileage for transmission shudder were under about 50,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 3% of Ford Focus complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2015, 35 of its 1,019 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 4 of the 5 model years where owners report transmission shudder have a recall on the same system. The 2014 has none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2019 at 1,156 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 465. So far in 2026, 199 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Third generation
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 avoid | 2,452 | 189 | 12 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (847) | 55,000 |
| 2015 | 1,019 | 85 | 9 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (295) | 63,000 |
| 2016 | 1,181 | 107 | 10 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (352) | 62,500 |
| 2017 | 897 | 90 | 10 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (232) | 57,000 |
| 2018 | 835 | 93 | 7 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (208) | 57,000 |
Year by year
2018 Ford Focus
835 owner complaints, 93 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (208 reports, median 61,000 miles), misfire (178 reports, median 63,000 miles) and transmission shudder (132 reports, median 57,547 miles). 15 reports involved a crash and 11 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 26V-369 on the fuel system and 26V-376 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2017 Ford Focus
897 owner complaints, 90 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (232 reports, median 45,000 miles), stalling (207 reports, median 60,000 miles) and misfire (144 reports, median 66,533 miles). 18 reports involved a crash and 16 people were hurt. 10 recalls, including 26V-376 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-845 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2016 Ford Focus
1,181 owner complaints, 107 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (352 reports, median 62,500 miles), stalling (286 reports, median 65,000 miles) and misfire (140 reports, median 70,000 miles). 27 reports involved a crash and 24 people were hurt. 10 recalls, including 26V-376 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-845 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2015 Ford Focus
1,019 owner complaints, 85 for each year on the road (0.9 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (295 reports, median 61,000 miles), stalling (221 reports, median 69,536 miles) and misfire (96 reports, median 70,000 miles). 31 reports involved a crash and 28 people were hurt. 9 recalls, including 26V-376 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-169 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2014 Ford Focus avoid
2,452 owner complaints, 189 for each year on the road (2.0 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (847 reports, median 43,000 miles), stalling (565 reports, median 61,000 miles) and misfire (156 reports, median 85,000 miles). 61 reports involved a crash and 44 people were hurt. 12 recalls, including 14V-514 on the steering system (do not drive) and 26V-369 on the fuel system.
Recalls that cover several model years
The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button.
The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Questions
What Ford Focus years should you avoid?
The 2014 Ford Focus draws the most owner complaints for its age: 2,452, or 189 for each year on the road, against a median of 93 a year across the 5 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is transmission shudder (847 reports).
What are the best years for the Ford Focus?
No Ford Focus model year since 2016 draws clearly fewer complaints for its age than the rest. Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Ford Focus?
Transmission shudder, with 1,858 reports across the 5 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
How many recalls does the Ford Focus have?
20 recall campaigns cover the Ford Focus model years 2014 to 2018 on this site. The widest, 18V-735 on the fuel system, covers 5 model years.
How many Ford Focus complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
3% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2015 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for transmission shudder on the Ford Focus?
On 4 of the 5 model years where owners report it: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.