Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have a 2002 Ford Focus se w/ 5 speed manual transmission and cruise control plus other options. On date listed, I was traveling at 65 MPH on a 4 lane hwy approaching a traffic light. The car was in 5th gear w/ the cruise control on. Upon touching the brake pedal to turn off the cruise control and begin braking, neither event happened. I tried 3x to get the cruise control to turn off by pressing the brake pedal hard. It failed all three times. By then, I was rapidly approaching a group of cars in both northbound lanes of ga hwy 365 completely standing still waiting for the light to change. In response to a runaway car, I attempted to drive off the right shoulder of the road; however, the car immediately in front of me did the same. I struck her car on the right side with the left side of my 2002 Ford Focus se. My passenger reached over & turned the ignition switch to off. …
I am writing this for two incidents happened within a two week time frame. 1. The engine had to be replaced since one piston pin had broken due to which the whole piston had broken inside the engine. The whole engine had to be replaced as per mechanics suggestion. I have the invoice from the mechanic shop and the mechanic would gladly provide more details if needed. 2. This was scary ! While driving at 70 miles an hour on cruise,the car would not come out of cruise control and constantly accelerated even after trying to use brakes. (ideally when you first touch the brakes, the car should come out of cruise) once the car reached at a speed of 80 miles and I could not do anything. When the car was shut down abnormally, and restarted the issue continued and even when it was in neutral, it constantly raved up. …
Dt: the contact stated when starting the vehicle the engine will rev without warning. This problem only occurs on morning starts and in cold temperatures. He immediately turns off the ignition and restarts the vehicle. This procedure remedies the problem. He plans to take the vehicle to a dealer for further inspection of the problem. The replaced the throttle position sensor. Updated 12/27/05.
While driving my 2002 Ford Focus about 45 MPH vehicle suddenly accelerated up to 85 MPH. I tried to reduce speed by stepping on the brakes still would not come to a complete stop I had to pull the emergence brake , steam was coming out of vehicle and turn the engine off but when I started it back up the engine is still revving up.
While driving the vehicle, the cruise control would not work properly. The dealer was not notified. When the consumer disengaged the transmission, the engine began racing uncontrollably. The consumer felt that this was caused by omission in the logic design of the cruise control system.
While driving 65 MPH with cruise control on the vehicle stalled. The vehicle would not restart. Consumer managed to pull over, and left vehicle over night. The vehicle started up the next day with no problem. Dealership was notified but the problem was not resolved.
Dt*: the contact stated while slowing down at ten MPH and putting the vehicle in neutral the RPM's drop to 500. This causes the vehicle to stall or sputter intermittently. The dealer can not duplicate the problem and no repairs have been made.
Dt: the contact stated the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed the dealership and it was determined the fuel pump failed. The fuel pump and iac valve were replaced. There were no warning indicators prior to the failures.
On several separate occasions vehicle commenced to accelerate and lurch forward without warning. No incident occurred at this time. Vehicle has been to the dealer and they were unable to duplicate the problem.
The speedometer on my 2002 Ford Focus suddenly drops to zero. It often takes several minutes to reset and often does this repeatedly. It has been happening with increasing frequency this started after the warranty expired but it is a safety issue that Ford knows about and will not correct. They claim that I must replace the entire expensive instrument cluster.
Acceleration complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2002 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2002 Ford Focus, 2% of the model year's 939 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Focus acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2002 Ford Focus, though it has 1 recall 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 2002 Ford Focus acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 13,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.