2001 Ford Focus Airbag Problems

Which parts fail

• Frontal
  83
• Side/window
  12
• Frontal › Sensor/control module
  4

Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  714%
• 25k–50k
  1325%
• 50k–75k
  1325%
• 75k–100k
  714%
• 100k–150k
  612%
• 150k+
  510%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The front dashboard and steering wheel airbags went off. if I was moving this could've ended even worse but luckily I was stopped. My hearing was affected. I was parked at a red light and my airbags went off. I did not hit anything nor was my car moving. Witnesses at a restaurant and auto repair shop say the same. My car had passed that years inspection and there was no signs of this happening. No lights, sounds, anything. It was very sudden.

On 5/2/15 during a collision where my client stuck another driver that failed to yield and ran a stop sign, the airbag inside my client's 2001 Ford Focus deployed. During its deployment it burned the right volar (inside) forearm of my client, causing a full thickness burn. She had to undergo surgical tangential excision of the burn and skin grafting, where they harvested the skin from her right thigh to her right volar forearm. The airbag is dangerous as it caused full thickness burn to her skin, for which she is still recovering.

Takata airbag deployed after the car had come to a stop. Ali stopped to avoid hitting a car that had suddenly braked in front of her. There was no damage to the car in front her as ali was able to stop in time, but there was major damage to her car. When the Takata airbag deployed it burnt her left forearm/hand and incurred $107.00 in medical expenses. Caliber collision says that to repair the car it would cost ali $7,639.37.

Driving Ford Focus slowly in snow,a Jeep spun out of control hit the drivers side front of car spun around and hit us again from the rear.airbag deployed and it my passenger full in face. Damaged her face with chemical burns and created a coroidital tear in her eye that is permanent and permanent vision loss in one eye. The impact of the airbag jarred her brain and she now has a brain injury called chiari malformation,

I have had nothing but trouble with this car since I have had it. The rear end makes loud noise, I have brought it back to the dealership numerous times, and they always tell me nothing is wrong. It makes a roaring noise in the rear end, and something is scrapping on the tire on the rear driver side. In July, I was traveling on the highway with my 3 kids, and the tire on the rear driver's side just went to pieces. We were in a terrible accident. We went off the highway into the woods where the trees stopped our acceleration. The airbags did not come out. I was so thankful to be alive, and my kids also. We sustained about 8000 dollars worth of damage. The car was repaired, and now the same tire that blew out, and was replaced by the repairman is worn again. I am afraid everytime I drive. …

Since the crash just happened yesterday (12/22/02), I do not have an estimated repair cost yet, but my feeling is that either the bill will be very high or the car will be totaled. My 16 year old daughter was driving. She was doing about 30 MPH on the dirt road near our house. A dog ran out in front of her. She tried to stop quickly; the car spun out of control and she hit an embankment/ditch. The airbags deployed, and she received 2nd degree burns on her left arm from the airbag, as well as a burn on her chest from the seatbelt. She also received a bloody nose from the impact of the airbag. We were able to bring her home from the emergency room, so we are grateful, but we are very concerned about how she could have been burned more seriously.

I was driving in stop-and-go traffic on the highway and the car in front of me braked hard. I saw it too late and hit my brakes, locking them up. I hit the car and the air bags deployed, burning my left arm (though not severely) and breaking the wind shield. The car I hit sustain virtually no damage, except two marks on its rear bumper from the bolts that hold my license plate. My car sustained minimal front end damage. It is likely I was traveling under 10 MPH when my car impacted the other car. Overall, it is my opinion that the air bag deployment was completely unnecessary. It burnt my arm and caused thousands of dollars of unnecessary damage: both air bag replacements, dash, windshield, seat belts and towing costs.

I was sitting at a red light. When the light turned green, the driver in front of me moved and I moved behind him I must have slightly tapped his bumper. I am saying must have because the other driver kept on going as nothing had happened. Both air bags deployed and the passenger bag cracked the windshield. The driver's air bag gave me 2nd and 3rd degrees burns on my left arm. I called Ford trying to get them to fix it for free because I feel that the switch that enables the air bags is defective and because the car only has 40,000 miles and their warranty is 36,000. Ford told me to get my insurance to pay for it. My car has no damage with the exception of the air bags and windshield.

My daughter was driving 2001 Ford Focus se wagon approximately 45mph when she described steering locked up in turn then she heard tires squealing and vehicle jerked hard left causing her to go off the road, hit a rock wall and flipped the car end over end. The air bags did not deploy. She landed upside down but was able to exit vehicle through broken window. She received cuts and bruises and was taken to emergency room for x-rays where they said she had no serious injuries and was released. On scene investigation by police and tow truck operated suggested ball joint failure or other steering/suspension failure. Car was totaled.

In July of 2010 I was driving my 2001 Ford Focus in stop and go traffic. The lady infront of me stopped, I had turned for a second, when I turned back I saw the airbags blow in my face. I was traveling a maximum of 10mph there was no damage to the other vehicle or mine (from the accident). The driver airbag burned my arm, the passenger shattered the windshield, gun powder covered the roof lining. The parts manager at the local dealership said that the airbags where rated 25-30mph. I contacted Ford in August of 2010, in January of 2011 they finally replied by saying that "all equipment functioned properly."

NHTSA investigations

Airbag complaints in other Focus years