Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was leaving a parking lot doing no more than 5 MPH when the car made a sudden jerking motion. Had the car towed to a garage. The damages were severe rust, sub frame rotted, right front axle broken, right front control arm broken, sway bar bent. The tow driver said the wheels could have fallen off my car and I could have been seriously injured or killed because of the thing that went wrong. I put myself and my family in danger with this death trap. Supposedly this car was inspected February 2018. With everything that went wrong with it and the damages, I dont see how it could have been. I believe there to be fraud involved and believe this matter should be investigated further for putting lives in danger. I paid $3,000 for this car in the middle of feb. 2018. It is now August and it had incurred $3,000 in damages. I sold the car for salvage at $125
Ford Focus 2003 loud crackling noise was heard when driving... Next car dropped and bared to the right..off road tried to get vehicle under control, as a result the car veered to the left towards on coming traffic..vehicle and car, in oncoming traffic collided.. Sending vehicle back to the right and into a guard rail..... Complaint: the axle broke landing car on fender, while driving, newly purchased car on September 24, accident occurred on October 3, 2004.. Attorney contacted said they need proof of the axle braking before accident... The damage to the car clearly indicates what happened...the front passenger tire that came off still has the axle attached to it with little damage to the tire it was picked up off the side of the road after accident...I received a ticket for failure to maintain lane..which really was no fault of my own..
1) prior to incident, car had been returned to dealer with clunking noise complaint, sounding like from left front. Dealer referenced TSB 03-20-02, replaced sway bar end links (twice), tightened loose strut mount body bolts. Owner still heard popping noise. 2) day of failure, driver had just exited curve to left and driving in straight section. Car lurched to left, across centerline. Driver (over)corrected, veering off road to right, striking tree with left rear. Driver side front wheel askew due to broken lower control arm and broken sway bar link, which resulted in disconnected cv shaft. Damage patterns indicate failure preceeded off-road excursion. 3) car probable total loss.
The vehicle hit a pot hole with the passenger side tire , causing the air bags to deploy on its own. The owner informed the manufacturer that the vehicle was involved in a side impact accident a year prior to this incident, and the air bags did not deploy. Another issue was that the left rear rotor had broken while the vehicle was in motion and the rear sensor assembly/ABS was replaced. The root of this problem stemmed from the left rear wheel bearing which had fallen apart and damaged the rotor and the wheel sensor. The left rear knuckle was replaced along with the left rear rotor.
The sub frame broke while driving the car. Entire sub frame had to be replaced. Almost caused an accident. Struts had to be replaced. Caliper and rotor had to be replaced. Control arm had to be replaced. Just replaced the ignition switch tumblers after the switch locked up and refused to work. There are no recalls listed for this car. Service manager said that Focus are notorious for these problems. Car has 34,000 miles on it. The brake line running from the front of the car to the rear rusted out causing a lose of brakes. The car is dangerous.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. While driving 65 MPH, the contact drove over a bridge expansion joint and the vehicle fishtailed. The contact stated that the vehicle became almost uncontrollable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rear shocks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.
While driving at 75 MPH abruptly vehicle started swerving from side to side. This caused loss of control, vehicle spun around, and impacted a guard rail. As a result, driver sustained back and head injuries.
Dt: the contact states she owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The rear tires kept going bald on the outside of the tire only. The vehicle is a front wheel drive. This happened four times. Vehicle has 61,000 miles on it. The dealer had to replace the back frame two kits, one on each side due to an engineering notice put out on the tires. This did not fix the problem. The contact had to have the springs, struts, and shocks replaced recently with approximately 55,000 miles on the car, and the problem recurred. Car bounced, and when she hit a bump the car picked up, and the rear end moved to the right or to the left. She had to have the car realigned at least six or seven times. Sometimes the contact would have to go back the very next day to have it aligned again, and the dealer would not charge them for the service.. …
At about 13,000 miles my 2003 Ford Focus began to vibrate in the front (steering wheel and gear shift). I took it to my local dealership and they told me that I had a tire out of balance. I then took my car to my local tire center and had the tires balanced. I then went on vacation in my car. The car continued to vibrate through the trip. When I returned I took my car to a second dealership. I was then told that my Goodyear integrity tires have premature wear causing the vibration. My tires also have scalloping, but the dealership stated that the aligment was within Ford specifications. I now have a car less than a year old and just over 16,000 miles in need of new tires. I am concerned about the rapid wear of the tires and that this May cause accidents with other drivers of the 2003 Ford Focus. …
I was driving my 2003 Ford Focus on the road when this incident happened. Suddenly I heard a crash sound in the right front side of my vehicle. I felt there was a force on the right front side tire. Then I noticed black smokes behind my car and then I stopped. I called aaa to have roadside assistant. The aaa guy came and checked my car and told me the coil spring was broken and the broken part damaged my tire too. I found there was a recall for the coil spring on 2000-2003 Focus then I called a local Ford dealer to get it fixed. However, the local Ford dealer told me my Focus was not eligible for the recall. Clearly this is the fault of Ford. The aaa guy told me if this happened on the freeway, I would probably be killed. I urged the NHTSA to contact Ford about this issue before this actually killed lots of people. …
Suspension complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2003 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the suspension of the 2003 Ford Focus, 5% of the model year's 977 complaints. The component named most often is front (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Focus suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2003 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 2003 Ford Focus suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 41,000 miles, and 38% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to suspension 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.