Most common 2000 Ford Focus problems
Share of the 3,686 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Focus complaints by model year
Best Focus years: 2011, 2006, 2009. Years to avoid: 2012, 2014, 2013, 2016, 2017. Compare all years →
2000 Ford Focus recalls (11)
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Certain passenger vehicles with four or five doors and originally sold in or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the…
Remedy: Dealers will have a lower rocker seal added to the door and have the rear door latches evaluated free of charge. A latch that passes the evaluation will be lubricated to prevent future corrosion.
Fuel system, gasoline
On certain passenger vehicles, contamination of the filter in the fuel delivery module (fdm) can reduce, and eventually block, the flow of fuel to the engine.
Remedy: This action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act. All owners will be notified of the problem, and dealers will replace the fdm with a new design at no charge if the…
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery › Cables
Certain passenger vehicles equipped with zetec engines, loose or broken attachments and misrouted battery cables could lead to cable insulation damage.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the battery cables for the condition of the cable insulation and proper tightening of the terminal ends.
Steering › Linkages
Certain passenger vehicles have loose pinch bolts that secure the lower control arm to the steering knuckle have been reported.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the steering knuckle pinch bolt for tightness and correct as necessary. Owner notification began February 10, 2003.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began August 20, 2001.
Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Vehicle description: station wagons and 3-door vehicles. The subject vehicles have a folding 60/40 second seat that becomes a load floor in the folded position. When the 60% portion of the seat is folded down and a load is applied to the front edge of the load floor, the outboard hinge pivot could disengage from the hinge.
Remedy: Dealers will install a revised seat back hinge pivot.
Show 5 more recalls
Electrical system › Wiring
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A decklid wire harness can fatigue and develop broken wires in the bend area of the wire harness.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the decklid wire harness.
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The rear wheel hub retaining nuts can loosen and allow the left rear wheel and brake drum assembly to separate from the vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear wheel bearings and install a rear wheel retention cap to prevent left rear wheel separation. Owner notification began October 12, 2000.
Vehicle speed control › Cables
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with speed control and automatic transmission. A speed control cable could have a core wire that is long enough to catch on the sleeve at the throttle body end of the cable during wide-open throttle acceleration.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and, if necessary, replace the speed control cable. Owner notification began October 12, 2000.
Structure › Frame and members
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Certain vehicles fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 201, "occupant protection in interior impact." the resultant hic(d) value at one target location ap1, located on the trim panel at the juncture of the a-pillar and roof side rail, May be greater than design intent.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the left and right side b-pillar and a-pillar trim panels, revise the headliner edge near the tops of the a-pillars to accept the new a-pillar trim panels with their energy absorbing tubes, and…
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with speed control. The speed control cable end fitting can allow water to enter the speed control servo assembly. If this occurs, corrosion in the servo assembly could develop and cause intermittent speed control operation or prevent the throttle from returning to idle.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the speed control cable (with a new cable that incorporates a glass-filled end cap) and inspect the assembly for internal corrosion. Servos with evidence of corrosion will also be replaced.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 13 possible defects involving the 2000 Ford Focus:
Rear door latch failure
This investigation was opened on April 8, 2004, based on 17 reports that one or both rear door latches did not function properly.the complainants alleged that the doors were difficult to closeand that the door latches would not remain latched while the vehicles were being driven, resulting in a door coming open.several of the complainants reported that corrosion of the door latch mechanism caused binding of the…
Front suspension lower control arm
There is no summary currently available
Engine stalling
The primary concern of this pe is loss of engine power.stalling May occur at low speed or high speed.at the time of occurrence the average vehicle mileage is 30,000 miles.because these vehicles stall and/or hesitate unpredictably, an increased risk is inherent to these vehicles.if a driver expecting this vehicle to perform as designed, is trying to cross an intersection or merge into traffic when the vehicle stalls…
Engine compartment fires
Inappropriate air bag deployment
There is no summary currently available
Air bag burn injuries/vehicle fires
Information disclosed during this pe shows allegations of burn injuries resulting from abrasion and/or termal causes.allegations of chemical burns also exist.several incidents allege vehicles fires resulting from deployment of the air bags.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea) to facilitate a thorough review of the complex issues in this matter.
Rear wheel bearing
There is no summary currently available
Rear door latch failure
This investigation was opened on April 8, 2004 as pe04-033 and upgraded on August 18, 2004 to ea04-023.the complainants alleged that the rear door latches failed to keep the doors in a closed position, resulting in rear doors coming open while the vehicles were being driven.some complainants reported that at timesa rear door, or doors, could be difficult to close.others reported that corrosion of the door latch…
Front susp collapse/wheel separation
See attached report.
Engine stalling
Clogging of the fuel delivery module (fdm) filters in the subject vehicles can lead to stalling and other related symptoms.these symptoms become increasingly obvious to the driver as the clogging gradually increases over extended periods of driving.stalling in these vehicles is most likely to occur when accelerating through a right hand turn such as merging into freeway traffic when the fuel level in the fuel tank…
Burn injuries due to air bag deployment
All of the consumer complaints allege an incident in which deployment of the driver frontal air bag caused some type of burn injury.most of these injuries are due to contact and/or abrasion with the air bag and are of relatively minor to moderate severity.it is possible that some drivers May have sustained burn injuries to the skin as a result of hot gases exhausting from the vents of the air bags in the subject…
Engine compartment fires
There is no summary currently available
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three…
What 2000 Ford Focus owners say
Electrical system all 1,343 →
Dt:the consumer received a recall on the deck lid wire harness, the recall repair was performed at a Ford dealership in 2001. This recall repair did not repair the problem, the brake lights and license plate light failed afterwards. The consumer returned to the dealer, there were some repairs, but the consumer did not know what repairs were exactly made at that time. Several months later, the brake lights went out because the consumer was pulled over by authorities for not having brake lights. The consumer returned to the dealership and paid for the repairs out of pocket. The next occurrence resulted in the consumer smelling smoke for which she could not determine the cause. She pulled over for a moment, and began to pull out to drive to the dealer, and a passerby honked the horn. The consumer noticed smoke coming form the trunk compartment. …
I purchased a Ford Focus 2003, the car had 18,000 miles. I paid pacific coast Ford seven thousand dollars cash for the car, two day later I brought it back because the car just shut down while I was driving it. They ran tests told me nothing was wrong with the car. A couple of days later it was back for the same reason. Ultimately I had to bring it to lakewood transmission where after two attempts it was finally fixed it. I've had to get my ignition done two times and is ready for a third. Mallionn Ford fixed that for me. Now three weeks ago I roll into a lady doing 5-10 miles an hour. The police are called but since there is no injuries or damage to either parties the police say they won't come. No police report. Im driving home and my air bags deploy smashing out my windshield . A little ate you think. I cut one air bag out and continue to drive home. …
Engine & cooling all 490 →
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. After restarting, the contact noticed there was an abnormal burning odor and smoke came from the side of the engine where the battery was connected. Afterwards the vehicle ignited into flames. Prior to the failure, the vehicle had its battery replaced. The fire department had to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed totaled. The fire investigator informed the contact that the fire started from the battery cable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. There were no injuries reported. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Focus. While driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle caught fire and heavy smoke appeared. The contact stopped the vehicle and jumped out. There were flames under the bottom of the vehicle near the engine. A police report was filed and the fire department extinguished the fire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Brakes all 424 →
I've been experiencing an electrical issue. I have lost power to my break lights completely. There was no warning lights or signs at all. I was pulled over and made aware by a police officer that my break light were out. I proceeded to try to replace the light itself which did not work, it only continues to blow the dust when I try. I had a mechanic inspect it and he told me there seems to be a short or possible broken wire somewhere in the wiring harness.
Consumer complained about brake failure. While driving on the freeway consumer put foot on the brakes to slow down, but the vehicle did not stop. Consumer lifted foot, then touched the brakes again, and vehicle did not stop. After being able to stop consumer got off the freeway and traveled on a main street, and vehicle was doing the same thing. While on the way to the dealer consumer attempted to stop at a traffic light, but could not stop, vehicle kept going and went through a red light, resulting in a broad side collision. There were no injuries. Consumer received information from insurance saying that there was recall in regards to the power failure of vehicle. Consumer called Ford motor company to check vehicle but they refused.
2000 Ford Focus engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 24 / 32 / 27 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 23 / 30 / 26 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Ford Focus a good car?
Based on 3,686 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2000 Focus rates avoid: 6.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Focus at the same age. It is one of the Focus years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 Ford Focus?
The electrical system — 1,343 complaints, 36% of all complaints for this model year, most often about ignition. Next are the engine & cooling (490) and brakes (424).
How many recalls does the 2000 Ford Focus have?
There are 11 recalls for the 2000 Ford Focus, the most recent from February 1, 2005 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Focus?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2006 and 2009. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2012, 2014, 2013, 2016 and 2017. See the full Ford Focus years comparison.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Focus problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 61,000 miles; 35% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.