7 recalls covering model years 2018. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
Ford is recalling certain Focus and Fusion vehicles because two earlier repairs for this problem did not fully fix it. The clutch inside the transmission may crack or break, which can damage the transmission and cause a fluid leak. If that leaked fluid reaches a hot part of the engine or exhaust, it could ignite. Ford has sent owners an interim letter about this fire risk while it finishes developing the full repair for this problem.
Ford is recalling certain Focus vehicles because an earlier repair for this same defect did not fully correct it. A valve in the fuel system, called the canister purge valve, may malfunction and cause the engine to stall unexpectedly while you are driving. This is the same underlying issue that a previous recall was supposed to fix, but that repair did not resolve the problem completely, so affected vehicles still have the risk of an unexpected engine stall while on the road.
The engine block heater in some Ford Escape and Focus vehicles can crack over time and leak coolant. If coolant leaks while the heater is plugged in, it can cause an electrical short circuit inside the heater. This short circuit raises the chance that a fire could start in the vehicle.
The engine block heater in some Ford Explorer and Focus vehicles can crack over time and leak coolant. If coolant leaks while the heater is plugged in, it can cause an electrical short circuit inside the heater. This short circuit raises the chance that a fire could start in the vehicle.
The belt that drives the oil pump, or the part that keeps it tight, may fail. This can cause the engine to lose oil pressure.
This recall covers certain 2016 to 2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 1.0-liter engine and 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may crack. A cracked clutch can damage the transmission and cause a transmission fluid leak. If that leak happens near hot engine or exhaust parts, which can act as an ignition source, it raises the chance of a fire starting in the vehicle.
Ford says the Canister Purge Valve on some Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or GTDI engine may malfunction, causing too much vacuum to build up in the fuel vapor system. This may cause the engine to stall while driving, without warning, and the vehicle may not be able to restart. Until the vehicle is serviced, Ford advises owners to keep the fuel tank at least half full.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Ford Focus. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 832 | 15 | 3 | 11 |
NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls covering the 2018 Ford Focus. 7 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Ford Focus/Fusion Clutch Failure May Cause Fire" (NHTSA campaign 26V376000), reported Jun 9, 2026.
No. None of the 7 Ford Focus recalls on file carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Ford dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: