2008 Ford Focus: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 250 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (20% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · latest recall Aug 2008
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 250 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The brakes went to the floor and the whole car locked up. When I pressed the brakes to slow down it felt like something on the brakes just fell apart. I was in a car accident because of this I hit another car no no”Owner report · Service Brakes · Sep 2025
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and a corroded subframe. The contact was informed that the subframe was significantly thin due to corrosion and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,625. The VIN was unavailable.”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2024
“Steering began to wobble and vehicle pulling hard to the right. Took car to Tires Plus for alignment and inspection. Technician advised the drivers side front tire has advanced tread separation and the front passenger side tire is beginning to separate and is cupping. My daughter drives this car. 205/50R/16 87H, passenger tire is dot [XXX], drivers side is [XXX] . Tires rated for 65k, they only have 34k miles of wear on them. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Tires · Oct 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“The trunk when pulled open will drop down. I pulled my trunk door all they way up went to get something inside the trunk it came down and hit me on the head. This has happened before I was able to catch it before it hit me. This time it hit me on the top of the head hard and my left hand when I tried to catch it. It comes down fast and forcefully. Something is wrong and seriously injure someone. I had a cut on my hand and couldn't see my head for laceration. But I was afraid I could have been knocked out or had a concussion. Please look into this.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2023
“Airbag light came on. The vehicle has 123,000 on it. It just recently came on the dash while driving. I see there is no recall for airbag light indicator.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2021
“I purchased a 2008 Ford Focus from my father (now deceased). The airbag warning light has been on. When I had the OBD read, it came back with code # B2294 indicating a fault in a control module. My research makes me believe this vehicle should be included in NHTSA# 07V541000 (Ford # 07C19); however, both NHTSA and Ford say it isn't. I would like to find out why this particular vehicle was excluded and is there something I can do at this point to have it included.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2021
“My ignition switch is getting stuck and it is not allowing me to turn on the car. It is hard to turn on my vehicle. The catalytic converter is marking on my check engine light, it isn't allowing my vehicles motor to vent out.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2020
“The gas pedal goes with gas and decelerates on its own. Brake booster does not function correctly. The motor shakes and looses horsepower.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2020
“The driver side door handle no longer works from the outside. It feels like the door handle isn't latching on to the mechanism inside the door to open it. I can open my door from the inside though. I have found online that it is a common problem and am confused to why no recalls have been issued out for the faulty door handle brackets.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Oct 2020
“While driving down the road my throttle control/transmission light just pops on an I lose a great amount of power and acceleration. I've owned the car for about a month now an had the sensor on the throttle body which seemed to help for about 2 days then the light popped back on. It does this a lot will drive fine for about 25-30 minus at about 50-55 mph the light pops on with about 30mph worth of power.I pull over turn the car off and on it turns the light out an all power is restored. I've looked online and everyone seems to point to the throttle body going bad. The car is in perfect shape and has a fresh all around tune up.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 21 of these complaints and injuries in 20 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE DRIVER AIR BAG MODULE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY ASSEMBLED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE YOUR DRIVER AIR BAG MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 20, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Remedy: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Focus by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Ford Focus reliable?
NHTSA has 250 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 Ford Focus. The most complained-about area is electrical system (20% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 Ford Focus problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 64,000 miles or less.
Does the 2008 Ford Focus have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.