FORD FOCUS · model year

2010 FORD FOCUS

408 NHTSA complaints, 28 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2010FORDFOCUS carries 408 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 28 crashes, 5 fires, 27 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2010 FOCUS is vehicle speed control with 50 filings, followed by electrical system (42) and engine (42). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2010 FOCUS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

408
Complaints
28
Crashes
5
Fires
27
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

408 filings

Crashes Reported

28 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL50
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM42
ENGINE42
POWER TRAIN37
UNKNOWN OR OTHER26
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES26
SUSPENSION17
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM17
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE15
WHEELS15
STRUCTURE:BODY14
STEERING13
AIR BAGS12
TIRES11
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR9

Recent Complaints

20250128SUSPENSION

Multiple mechanics working at and including but not limited to: Firestone, discount tires, Midas, Walmart, independent mechanics have informed me the rear wheels can not be realigned with the front wheels due to how it was designed. This has caused my rear wheels to become more and more out of alignment with no way to repair the misalignment. So all steering components have been more and more hard to control and are being destroyed at a faster rate. Including but not limited to: car sound deadening stuff. Bolts, nuts, screws, undercarriage, tire wear, the front alignment etc. It has not been inspected by anyone but mechanics.

20250128STRUCTURE:BODY

Multiple mechanics working at and including but not limited to: Firestone, discount tires, Midas, Walmart, independent mechanics have informed me the rear wheels can not be realigned with the front wheels due to how it was designed. This has caused my rear wheels to become more and more out of alignment with no way to repair the misalignment. So all steering components have been more and more hard to control and are being destroyed at a faster rate. Including but not limited to: car sound deadening stuff. Bolts, nuts, screws, undercarriage, tire wear, the front alignment etc. It has not been inspected by anyone but mechanics.

20250128STEERING

Multiple mechanics working at and including but not limited to: Firestone, discount tires, Midas, Walmart, independent mechanics have informed me the rear wheels can not be realigned with the front wheels due to how it was designed. This has caused my rear wheels to become more and more out of alignment with no way to repair the misalignment. So all steering components have been more and more hard to control and are being destroyed at a faster rate. Including but not limited to: car sound deadening stuff. Bolts, nuts, screws, undercarriage, tire wear, the front alignment etc. It has not been inspected by anyone but mechanics.

20240701CrashSERVICE BRAKES

On June 22 myself and my wife were pulling out of the Food Lion Parking Lot. As we proceeded out to the main Road the gas pedal stuck. The car kept accelerating and know matter what I did I could free the gas pedal. Because of that we hit 3 cars in the intersection. Our car literally exploded putting Myself and my wife in the hospital .My wife has had 3 surgeries for a broken pelvis.She is still in serious condition.Myself I suffered 3 broken ribs and a lacerated liver. Ford should be held accountable for our terrible pain and suffering.?

20240701CrashENGINE

On June 22 myself and my wife were pulling out of the Food Lion Parking Lot. As we proceeded out to the main Road the gas pedal stuck. The car kept accelerating and know matter what I did I could free the gas pedal. Because of that we hit 3 cars in the intersection. Our car literally exploded putting Myself and my wife in the hospital .My wife has had 3 surgeries for a broken pelvis.She is still in serious condition.Myself I suffered 3 broken ribs and a lacerated liver. Ford should be held accountable for our terrible pain and suffering.?

20240614CrashENGINE

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RMP increased and revved causing the vehicle to crash into an unoccupied vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated there was a minor scratch on the front of her vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened, and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

Mileage: 14,000

20240411AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag was flopping around. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no assistance was provided. The contact called the local dealer, where it was determined that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Mileage: 90,000

20230213POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that intermittently, after starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds, the clutch pedal was depressed to the floorboard and the vehicle was unable to shift gear as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact was made aware that the clutch assembly had previously been replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 179,000.

Mileage: 179,000

20220804POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after he shifted the gear shifter to Park(P), the vehicle lunged and rolled backward as he was exiting the vehicle. The contact's right leg was stuck inside of the vehicle, causing him to fall to the ground while the driver's side front tire ran over his right arm. A bystander jumped into the vehicle and was able to park vehicle. The contact later received medical attention for injuries to his legs, right arm, and back, and was diagnosed with a blood infection. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred while the contact was parking the vehicle and he applied the parking brake to stop the vehicle from rolling. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Mileage: 125,000

20220525WHEELS

Today, I took my Ford Focus in for service(05/25/2022). I had the oil changed and my vehicle tires rotated.While the service was being performed,I was informed my tire lug nuts were loose and defective in most cases.My advisor told me I should replaced all the lug nuts for safety as she knew of a Ford recall involving the lug nuts. I discovered there was no recall,but there was a class- action lawsuit that was dismissed in 2019.I looked at the old lugs and decided to not keep them on the vehicle and had new ones installed.I have the old lugs nuts for inspection if needed.I do not want to take a chance on my vehicle safety,so that is why I had them replaced.

20220215CrashPOWER TRAIN

The contacts mother owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her mother attempted to park, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle violently accelerated on its own without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into a satellite pole. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries reported. A police report was not filed. The driver was able to reverse the vehicle and park into the parking spot, however the contact stated the failure reoccurred sporadically several times after the crash. The driver took the vehicle to a local dealer to have the vehicle inspected, however the dealer was not able to duplicate the failure. A few months later and the failure reoccurred again and the driver took the vehicle back to the dealer where the dealer repaired and replaced the throttle body control module on the vehicle, but the failure persisted after the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

20210828TIRES:SIDEWALL

Three out of four 215/45/r17 Douglas tires bought at Walmart in Piqua oho ended up with bubbles on the sidewall a week after the year from the day they were bought. one right after the other. When i went to have them replaced at a discounted price, i could not because i had to put a spare tire on (it is considerably smaller) causing the tread on one tire to be slightly uneven from the others. so this voided the warranty. Now tell me how passenger side and driver side front tires both end up with sidewall bubbles and one blows out within a week apart? Nothing changed in my driving routine. Bought two nearly new tires to maintain my ability to get around, and a third tire develops a bubble and had to be replaced. The last tire is slowly leaking!? i drive to work and back. I live less than 2 mins from my place of employment. i do still have my paperwork from buying the tires. btw the warranty was never registered correctly because when i tried to call about it they had no idea where to fi

20210708LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Both rear doors will not stay closed as the latches do not work. The doors will swing open when driving if not secured with a strap, making it unsafe to have passengers in the back seat. Other models and different years of the same model have had recalls issued for the same issue. I haven't taken it to be inspected as I cannot afford to pay $140 at the dealership for the diagnosis. I did not own the vehicle when the issue first occurred so I don't know if there were any warning signals prior to the issue appearing.

20210512ENGINE

ALOT OF VIBRATION WHEN IDLE, IDLES UP AND DOWN WHEN IN PARK.

Mileage: 186,000

20210509ENGINE

VIBRATION WHEN CAR IS IN PARK. OR JUST SITTING STILL AND RPM GOES UP AND DOWN WHEN CAR IS RUNNING IN PARK.

Mileage: 185,050

20210503STRUCTURE:BODY

SAFETY ISSUE 3 OF DOORS WILL NOT OPEN FROM OUTSIDE IN A ACCIDENT IF THE DRIVER SIDE DAMAGED THERE WILL NO WAY TO OPEN DOORS FROM OUTSIDE THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR A RECALL

20210127CrashAIR BAGS

I WAS SEVERELY INJURED WHEN A VEHICLE TURNED IN FRONT OF ME WHILE GOING 40 MPH I SLAMMED ONTO THE BRAKE SO HARD I BROKE MY TOE AS I T BONED THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ALL OF HER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED MINE DID NOT MY FACE SLAMMED THE STEERING WHEEL SO HARD MY HEAD SLAMMED INTO THE HEAD REST BEHIND ME. MY INJURIES SO FAR ARE A CONCUSSION, FRACTURES BENT NOSE, A JAW STRAIN AND POSSIBLE FRACTURED MY TWO FRONT TEETH, NECK INJURY AND WHIPLASH, AND A MUSCULAR ISSUE WITH MY RIGHT SHOULDER. AT THIS POINT I CAN NOT WORK BECAUSE OF MY INJURIES.*DT

Mileage: 47,000

20210122UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CAR STALLS WHEN NO FUEL IS GIVEN, IE: AT RED LIGHT, STOP SIGN, EVEN JUST SLOWING DOWN WHILE MAKING A TURN. OCCURS ON CITY STREET AND HIGHWAY DURING STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. BROUGHT CAR INTO MECHANIC - DID DIAGNOSTIC, ETC. COULD FIND NOTHING TO CAUSE ENGINE TO DIE SUDDENLY. HAVE HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT FORD DEALER.

Mileage: 25,500

20210101ENGINE

ENGINE STALLS WHILE DRIVING AND WILL NOT RESTART. I SUSPECT THAT IT IS RELATED TO SIMILAR ISSUES DRIVERS ARE HAVING WITH THE EVAP CANISTER PURGE VALVE IN OTHER MODEL YEARS: "THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE MAY MALFUNCTION AND CREATE EXCESSIVE VACUUM IN THE FUEL VAPOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH CAN RESULT IN THE ENGINE STALLING WITHOUT RESTARTING. DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE AND REPLACE THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE AS NEEDED. IF THE VALVE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT AND REPLACE THE CARBON CANISTER, FUEL TANK AND FUEL DELIVERY MODULE AS DETERMINED TO BE NEEDED. ALL REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE TO RESOLVE THE CONCERN."

Mileage: 58,000

20210101FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ENGINE STALLS WHILE DRIVING AND WILL NOT RESTART. I SUSPECT THAT IT IS RELATED TO SIMILAR ISSUES DRIVERS ARE HAVING WITH THE EVAP CANISTER PURGE VALVE IN OTHER MODEL YEARS: "THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE MAY MALFUNCTION AND CREATE EXCESSIVE VACUUM IN THE FUEL VAPOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH CAN RESULT IN THE ENGINE STALLING WITHOUT RESTARTING. DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE AND REPLACE THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE AS NEEDED. IF THE VALVE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT AND REPLACE THE CARBON CANISTER, FUEL TANK AND FUEL DELIVERY MODULE AS DETERMINED TO BE NEEDED. ALL REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE TO RESOLVE THE CONCERN."

Mileage: 58,000

Compare 2010FORDFOCUS to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2010 FORD FOCUS have?
The 2010 FORD FOCUS has 408 NHTSA complaints, 28 crashes, 5 fires, 27 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 FORD FOCUS?
The most-complained component for the 2010 FORD FOCUS is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 50 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ENGINE.
Is the 2010 FORD FOCUS safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.