Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. While driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk and the contact smelled smoke. The battery warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was stopped on the side of the road and the ignition was turned to the off position as the contact exited the vehicle. The contact observed flames under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle restarted without being prompted and started rolling forward. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 02V288000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
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,
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 Ford Focus. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the salvage yard. The cause of the failure was unknown. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
Sunday 05 jan 2014 I had recently parked my car, turned it off, and was outside of my vehicle (2001 Ford Focus) when I began to notice smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. I was confused at first, as the car was completely off for a few minutes before any problems began. Within a matter of two minutes the smoke had increased, thickened, and began to smell. My friend was nearby and had noticed that something was not right. He came over and we both took a couple steps toward the front of the car to figure out what was going on. Immediately flames burst up from the hood. At this point we instantly ran from the vehicle, dialing 911. The flames got worse as we waited from a distance for the fire department to arrive. At this point I was unsure as to whether the car would completely blow up or not, as the flames became worse with every minute. …
After a 2~ hour drive, engine was turned off and restarted 5min later. An intake valve seat dropped and it instantly smacked the piston on the first turn of the engine, it hit hard enuf to blow the piston apart and the connecting rod put a hole thru the piston liner. Putting coolant in to the crank case, as it was no longer connected to the piston any more. Needless to say it was not able to drive. I repaired the auto with a aftermarket head from http://cificinc.net/ and a short block out of a parts car. After doing some research im not the only person to have this failure, there are Focus all over the net that have had this failure. I seem to be lucky as its much more common for it to happen around 110/140K then 206K the escort also has the same engine or one of the same spi sohc 1.9/2.0 engine family and can also have this failure. . . …
Our daughters 2001 Ford Focus caught on fire from the engine, burned into the cabin. The car was off and parked in a lot. We purchased the car from a Ford dealership when it was 3 years old, and have never been told of this problem. The car has been totaled. We are so fortunate that our daughter was not injured, nor that anyone else or property was damaged. She had only been out of the car for about 4-6 minutes before it erupted in flames. Prior to that the car appeared to drive fine. No smells, no warning lights. Very scary. I felt that I need to tell someone, as the insurance company, appears to want to just settle the claim, with no investigation. How are we to make cars safer, if the insurance companies, the last line of defense, don't notify anyone?
Dt: the contact stated while driving 35 - 40 MPH, the check engine light and battery light illuminated. While pulling the vehicle into a parking lot all the dashboard lights darkened and the vehicle hesitated as if it was going to stall. It was parked for about 3 minutes and the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was observed by an independent mechanic who determined that a barren came out of one of the pulleys however that would not cause the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was left at the scene of the incident. Two days later the contact returned to the vehicle and the vehicle was burned. The insurance investigator observed a security video which identified the vehicle smoking and a window had fallen.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 25 MPH and approaching a traffic light, the battery light illuminated. The contact noticed smoke coming from the hood and then flames appeared. She stopped and exited the vehicle when it became completely engulfed in flames. The police and fire departments arrived and a report was filed. The VIN, engine size, and powertrain were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 52,899. Updated 04/11/08 the dealer stated consumer had vehicle in a pinch bolt torqued and a zetec engine cable routing. The dealer also replaced both front coil springs. Updated 04/11/08
On 7/27/2012, the car caught on fire while being driven. The smoke started coming into the interior through the vents. When attempting to pull over,there was no brake (my guess is that the brake line had melted.). My husband used the e brake and park to stop and someone yelled...get out of the car.my husband and son jumped out and the car became engulfed. There is nothing left. He told me that just before that it started hesitating some,like it was going to cut off, but didn't. For a more detailed statement please contact him. I am so thankful that they got out... Thank you,
My car is 2001. I started to have problems when turning on. I thiught it was starter. But mines thats still good. I thought alternator or bttery but they are new. So they checked with camera and valve pistns not working. I looked up reviews about car make and year. Many comments read valve bent. Pistons gone bad. Now im another owner with same problem. This car in reviews is considered a lemon. Good thing it didnt want to turn on when it was parked already at home. I read others occurred in motion.
NHTSA investigations
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 complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2001 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 275 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2001 Ford Focus, 16% of the model year's 1,761 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline (74 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Focus engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2001 Ford Focus, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Focus engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 11 fires and 7 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.