"How reliable is the 2013 Ford Focus?"

"Based on 2903 NHTSA complaints, the 2013 Ford Focus has a median complaint mileage of 52141 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN."

"What are common problems with the 2013 Ford Focus?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Ford Focus is POWER TRAIN, accounting for a significant portion of the 2903 total complaints filed."

2013 Ford Focus: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 2903 complaints

2903

Total Complaints

52,141mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

15,337 25th Percentile

52,141 Median Mileage

86,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN

1048

ENGINE

339

STEERING

268

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

264

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

204

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

191

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

110

STRUCTURE:BODY

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES ARE HARD TO READ ON A SUNNY DAY. THE VISION OF THE SPEEDOMETER, WHILE DRIVING ON A SUNNY DAY IS VERY HARD TO READ. IT IS A DISTRACTION TO STARE AT THE SPEEDOMETER, TO SEE THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS ARE SET AT THE BRIGHTEST SETTING. TH..."

"AT APPROXIMATELY 7:15 AM, ROADWAY WAS WET (PREVIOUSLY RAINED), TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH IN LANE 3 OF 3 AND CHANGING LANE INTO LANE 2 OF 3 WHILE MILDLY ACCELERATING AND THEN LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR LIGHTLY AS CHANGING LANE (APPROACHING REAR OF VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME). AS I TRIED TO ACCELERA..."

"I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE. THE TRANSMISSION HUNTED FOR A GEAR BUT SEEMED TO GET STUCK BETWEEN GEARS AND ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE RPMS STAYED UP SINCE I HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS. I LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ENGINE RPMS DIDN'T DROP, BUT KIND OF JUMPE..."

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