Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
The car stalls randomly while driving. All power is lost for steering and brakes. Highly dangerous situation and I don't feel safe driving the car. Happens in all conditions and unexpectedly. Car will restart. Appears to be a current "recall" of Ford cars for the same issues. Dealer has no idea what to fix and claims to have no knowledge of the problem. However, this appears to be a never ending problem with fords based on the information I see online. Have already replaced air hose, spark plugs, valve cover gasket, wires. It has been suggested by others online to clean the maf sensor and throttle body, but the dealer doesn't really know if that is the problem or will fix the problem. To them there is no problem. I can see from information posted by others along with the recent recall that this is not a new problem for Ford. …
Tl* the contact owns 2003 Ford Focus. The vehicle slid on an ice patch , which caused her to loose vehicle control. The vehicle spun around several times and then collided on an embankment. None of the air bags deployed. She received injuries to her neck, feet, and ribs, the passenger received injuries to the spine. The insurance company concluded that the vehicle was completely destroyed. Also the ignition switch had to be replaced at an expense of $450.00. She also paid $300.00 to repair the door locks. The transmission needs to be replaced. The sheriff report number was 09004117. The failure and current mileages were 94,000.
My daughter drives a 2003 Ford Focus svt. On February 28, 2007 she was returning to easton, pa from state college, pa when the transmission destroyed itself resulting in a catastrophic failure of the gearbox, flywheel,bell housing and pressure plate. This took place on I-80 . I feel you should be informed due to the amount of damage and severity of the explosion. A fire did result from the failure/explosion. I have contacted Ford (state college Ford) and their ESP representative has claimed the do not cover pressure plate failure past 12,000 miles and have declined to admit this is a serious situation.
I have a 2003 Ford Focus that I bought brand new and drove off the lot with 60 miles on it. Not long after we purchased the car, it started to act as though the transmission was slipping when changing gears. We have always kept up on the recommended maintenance and no one has ever been able to find a problem with the car. About 3 weeks ago we were driving around the neighborhood, not on a busy street thank goodness, when the car shifted very hard as we slowed down for a stop sign. When we attempted to begin driving again, the car would not shift out of first gear. We promptly took it to a transmission shop where they have been working on it for nearly 3 weeks. They have pulled the transmission out to rebuild it twice and have still not found what is causing the problem. The mechanics have even taken it over to the local Ford dealership and they cannot figure it out. …
My calipers have failed twice on my 2003 Ford Focus sedan. I bought it new in 2004 as a end of model year and have lots of brake and acceleration issues. My brake light comes on all the time when I am driving. The car won't accelerate and makes a loud revving noise. I have about 27K miles on it and the calipers failed at 10K and the second time at 22K. It was covered under warranty but the Ford mechanics said they didn't know why it has happened. So the reason it fails has never been repaired but they replace the calipers. How they have failed to repair the brake lights from coming on was to replace the parking brake (but didn't fix the problems). The brakes make a squealing metallic noise and I was told that was 'normal' by the mechanics. After bringing it to the dealership over 10 times I was told by the mechanic to bring my problem to Ford co. …
Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the starter failed. There were no warning signals for the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the flywheel and the starter had to be replaced. After the first incident, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer thirty times for the following failures: brakes rotors were replaced four times; battery and alternator had to be replaced; the transmission had to be replaced after the second attempt to repair it. The electrical wiring under the dashboard had to be rewired. The air conditioning was repaired three times with the replacement of defective valves; the rear door latches were repaired according to recall # 05V300000. The dealership had not corrected the noises from the steering column. The manufacturer was contacted and refused to cooperated in finding a suitable resolution. …
On Saturday morning I bought the car - a brand new 2003 Ford Focus se wagon. On Sunday morning, I was traveling about 50mph when I applied the brake due to the traffic conditions of the moment. Instantly, the back end of the car swerved to the right in a jack-knife manner. The car spun around and threw itself onto the shoulder of the road. The front end wound up pointed in the direction of the oncoming traffic. Fortunately the car landed in a sandy spot with no damage to the vehicle or to me. It was as if I had hit black ice, except that driving conditions that day were perfect - 50 degrees, sunny and dry with good road surface. In my opinion, this incident May be the result of poor design: that is the rear end of the Focus se wagon is too light to hold the road when the brakes are applied at highway speeds, or the brakes failed, causing the car to spin. …
The transmission was slipping,hard shifting, and not going into 4th. The car had less than 70 thousand miles. Took it to repair shop and was told that it was a solenoid. Also was told that it was a common occurrence in my type of vehicle. It May or May not fix the problem completely. When I questioned why he said that many of the Focus transmissions have solenoid problems until they need to be replaced. I went online and did some searching and found that there are many people who have had the same problems with the same year and make of my car. When I contacted Ford they said that they did not see these problems very often. When I approached them with the discussion boards that I had read and the comments from my trusted mechanic they had no comment. My car does work now after the solenoid was replaced, but it still slips and shifts hard from 1st to 2nd. …
I purchased my car a year ago. It has 26,452 miles on it. I was on the interstate when a warning light came on. I pulled over, turned the car off and back on again and the light was out. I continued on. A day later the same thing happened. I took it to the garage and they pulled the codes that said the gear ratio was incorrect in 2nd and 3rd. I took it to the dealer and was told the transmission needed to be replaced....after 26,000 miles??? My powertrain warranty had expired about a month prior. I called Ford. They refused to help me in any way and even went so far as to say my driving had caused the failure. They also flat out lied and told me the warranty was for only 3/36,000 when I have a news release from Ford stating it is for 5/100,000. I did get the transmission replaced at the cost of $3600. …
Vehicle, a 2003 Ford Focus w/ 20,000 miles, became disabled due to complete failure of clutch to reengage when I shifted - rolled to stop in evening rush hour traffic on interstate 66 in fairfax, virgiinia. Car had prevous intermittent problem with clutch not engaging and was returned from dealer two days earlier, February 2, saying the clutch was "performing OK at this time npf." I could not maneuver from the travel lane and called 911. A virgina state polcie car was dispatched and pulled up behind me to prevent a rear end collosion until the tow truck arrived. Dealer then pronounced that the entire clutch assembly "wore out" and charged $1,840 for a complete repalcement of the pressure plate, clutch plates and fly wheel. They did not retain parts (as I had requested) and denied any warranty coverage.
Transmission complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2003 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2003 Ford Focus, 5% of the model year's 977 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Focus transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 19,000 miles, and 56% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.