"How reliable is the 2004 Ford Focus?"

"Based on 497 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Ford Focus has a median complaint mileage of 50000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Ford Focus?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Ford Focus is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION, accounting for a significant portion of the 497 total complaints filed."

2004 Ford Focus: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 497 complaints

497

Total Complaints

50,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

27,050 25th Percentile

50,000 Median Mileage

85,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

STEERING

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

AIR BAGS

ENGINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THEN, VEHICLE STALLED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVING ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THEN VEHICLE STALLED. *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