2002 Ford Focus: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1198 complaints
1198
Total Complaints
47,700mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
Top Issue
107
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

20,678 25th Percentile
47,700 Median Mileage
82,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
124
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
76
TIRES
52
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
51
SUSPENSION
45
AIR BAGS
37
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
34
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
31
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
29
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
29

Severity Assessment

107
Crashes
23
Fires
112
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"REAR END VERY UNSTABLE IS SNOW-MORE THAN NORMAL. DEALER SAID HE HAS HAD 3 OTHER COMPLAINTS - DEALER SAYS DOES NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. *AK"
"WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH RIGHT REAR TIRE SUDDENLY EXPLODED. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK"
"WHILE DRIVING, IT BECOMES VERY UNSTABLE WHEN MOVING OVER BUMPY ROADS, MANHOLES. IT ALSO BECOMES VERY ERRATIC WHEN ROADS ARE WET. TOOK TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. NLM VEHICLE STARTS AND THEN STALLS IN AM. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE CUSTOMER CONCERN. *TT"

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