"How reliable is the 2001 Ford Focus?"

"Based on 2359 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Ford Focus has a median complaint mileage of 57000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Ford Focus?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Ford Focus is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION, accounting for a significant portion of the 2359 total complaints filed."

2001 Ford Focus: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 2359 complaints

2359

Total Complaints

57,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

Top Issue

227

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

34,500 25th Percentile

57,000 Median Mileage

98,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

194

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

140

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

129

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TIRES

Severity Assessment

227

Crashes

Fires

176

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DASH LIGHTS FLASHED ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES THEN QUIT"

"BACK WINDOW APPARENTLY SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED WHILE PARKED IN THE SUN.*AK"

"INTOLERABLE WIND NOISE BEGINNING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH (WINDOWS ARE CLOSED). *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28