Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2006 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop and as a result, the contact rear-ended another vehicle. The contact mentioned that when he would depress the brake pedal the faster the vehicle increased in speed. The air bag failed to deploy. The contact's face was covered in blood, shoulder and hip injuries. The contact received medical attention via ambulance to the hospital. The other driver did not sustain any known injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was not available
Had a car stop suddenly in front of me and I had to apply the brakes hard. The ABS system made a strange sound and the pedal went to the floor. I missed the car in front of me, but now my brakes aren't working properly and there is fluid all over the ABS module assembly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Focus. When the brake pedal was depressed at 30 MPH, the vehicle continued to accelerate without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. After the failure occurred, the driver side air bag warning indicator illuminated. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000. Updated 05/30/17 updated 7/9/18
Car in motion, while braking and making a turn would lose brake pedal pressure if going over rough road. On 9/24/14, this situation resulted in an accident, collision with another vehicle due to inability to stop. Insurance repaired the car cosmetically, but did not address or repair the braking issue. First time to dealer after the accident, they tried bleeding the brakes. This did not fix the problem. I continued to drive car until large amount of brake fluid appeared in driveway. Second dealer repaired by replacing the ABS hydraulic control unit at a cost of over $2000. Brake pedal pressure problem was finally resolved. Today, 8/29/2017, while driving off an exit ramp, braking and turning onto a road that was being resurfaced (rough road transition), I lost brake pedal pressure. Pedal went nearly to floor. Pedal was soft through the next few miles. …
I was passing a car and just completed the pass (approx. Speed was 60 MPH), when the back right tire locked up. This caused me to go into on coming traffic. I then went off the road and flipped end over end once and barrell rolled three times. The car was totaled. I had minor injuries. Witnesses stopped and told police and fire personnel, that after I had passed them, the right rear tire locked up and spun me out of control. The car landed on its driver side. During the spin as I applied the brakes to regain control of the vehicle it felt as if the vehicle was trying to accelerate. The airbags never deployed. My concerns are the braking system, tires, air bags, and wheel bearings. This crash should not have happened, this is an obvious problem for Ford.
On an icy road I braked and the ABS system engaged slowing the vehicle. After that, the brake pedal travels much farther before braking occurs during normal everyday driving. If I pump the pedal a couple of times the brake pedals engages the brakes like it used to. A local automotive repair business could not find anything wrong with the brake system. I did an online search and found my exact symptoms listed in Ford recall 19s54. I also watched a youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r46_unyyk8 describing why my brake pedal is acting differently after the ABS event. My Ford dealer told me there are no recalls active for my vehicle and that I would have to pay for any repairs.
Was driving in good weather conditions and 2007 Ford Focus began to veer to the left and right out of control - I had no control over the steering or brakes is was as if the car went on auto pilot and started driving itself. After about twenty seconds of rocking left and right in the road the car made a sharp right and left the highway hit and flipped twice with my daughter and myself inside - fortunately we are both still alive the 2007 Ford Focus is totaled.
November 19th, attempted to brake, brakes went to floor, I hit a pickup. Requested dealer check brake system, they did a test drive said brakes are fine. November 30th, driving on highway, went to stop noticed brakes were mushy, not same tension as usual but car did brake. December 5th, making right hand turn to get on freeway, tapped brakes, brakes did not work, tapped again they worked.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floor before the vehicle stopped. The failure recurred several times without warning. The vehicle was taken to dealer who stated that there was nothing wrong with the brakes. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Had brake failure, resulted in accident, hit a pickup truck and approximately 35 MPH, airbag failed to deploy. However, the light came on and it did require a switch to be replaced which cost me a couple hundred dollars.
Brake complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2007 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the brakes of the 2007 Ford Focus, 5% of the model year's 391 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Ford Focus brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2007 Ford Focus. 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 2007 Ford Focus brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries to brakes 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.