Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Steering began to wobble and vehicle pulling hard to the right. Took car to Tires Plus for alignment and inspection. Technician advised the drivers side front tire has advanced tread separation and the front passenger side tire is beginning to separate and is cupping. My daughter drives this car. 205/50R/16 87H, passenger tire is dot [redacted], drivers side is [redacted] . Tires rated for 65k, they only have 34k miles of wear on them.
I was driving nw on sr626 about 45 MPH when a white car pulled from stop sign striking my car in the pass side, hitting rear tire and body just in front of tire as I was swerving left to miss car. At impact my car spun 180 degrees sliding backwards into a deep ditch, on right side of road, rolling onto drivers side then back onto all four wheels. The airbags never deployed as I was tossed around inside car hitting my head, neck and left shoulder area causing injury. I did have my lap and shoulder belt on and in the correct position.
My. 2008 Ford, Focus has factory installed sunshine shield on all windows. It has become impossible to see through the back windshield, especially at night, the installed shade had become foggy! My car eats tires which have to be replaced approximately every 2.5years. The heater/air-conditioner fan has shorted out 3 times, thankfully, no fire has been started! All of these complaints occur on stationary or moving vehicle. The only complaint that has been taken to the shop is the tire complaint. No problem was identified.
Going through rear tires. Causing it to act like rear wheel drive vehicle on wet pavement. Had an alignment dine about 1 month ago and had good tires on it, they are now bald. Also back end slides when hitting even small bumps. First time was about 2 years ago, got it aligned and new tires was fine tile about 2 months ago. Got decent tires and an alignment its already doing itvagain.
I went and got new tires and alignment in sep.2009 and within 10000 miles on 03-06-10 my tires were chopped on the inside the dealer were I had got my car from had told me that it was caused by the alignment so I went back were I got the tires done they had told me it was my struts they went ahead an put new tires on and I went to Ford garage in creston not were I got the car they had check my struts they said they were OK I had them redone the alignment two days after the new tires were put on and so I paid for two alignment and after 5000 miles my tires were chopped on the inside the dealer in creston got a hold of Ford motors to see what the deal was and inspect everything and had to set my alignment at different setting and then my car started making squeaking noises they ending up changing my back struts and then my tires got worse and my car is still making the noises and I told …
I have replaced the tires on this vehicle 5 times in 6 years. The car was purchased in 2010, only 2 years old, and the first set of tires was replaced in 2011. Each time the tires are replaced it's because there is abnormal wear on the inside of the tires; so much damage, the steel radial from tires is sticking out. I was told I needed new sway bar links; replaced those as well, but have since put another new set of tires on this car. When I replaced these tires, I also had to replace 3 lug nuts which were broken as well. I have researched this problem; many others are experiencing this same issue. Two mechanics have tried to figure out what is causing the tires to wear prematurely and unevenly, and I still have no answer. My tires which are supposed to be good for 45,000 miles or more, depending on what I buy, and no matter what brand I buy, none have lasted 20,000 miles. …
I just hit the 100,000 mile mark on my 2008 Focus, I bought the car new, after a little over a year at 20,000 miles I had to replace my tires, my car was shaking really bad and making alot of road noise. Then at 84,000 miles I had to put on my 4th set of tires. My miles are all highway miles, I rotate every 6000 miles, they always tell me the alignment is within factory settings. Then at 98000 miles my car started doing it again, they said my rear tires are bad, they blamed it on a bad trailing arm and they had to reset my chanber toes in the rear end, again, they said my alignment is fine. All of this was done at the Ford dealership that I originally purchased the car. So now at 100,000 miles, I am getting ready to put on my 5th set of tires. This is insane. I'm afraid at some point somebody is going to have a tire blowout or something and somebody is going to get hurt. …
I bought this car for my daughter at loving Lincoln Mercury in lufkin texas. While test driving the car I noticed 1) that the brakes were making a light grinding noise while coming to a stop. 2) the low tire pressure indicator light was on. The salesman assured me they would take care of the problem before I bought it. When we picked it up they said they looked at all the brakes and they were OK. Also, the tire pressure light was no longer on, so I went ahead and bought the car. Now, just a few days after taking possession of the car the low tire pressure light is on again. The tires were made in china. The brand name of the tires is "goodride". I have read online that the chinese valve stems were recalled during certain years. I will have the dealer alerted and get a tire store to check the tires and valve stems.
On 4/9/09 I was driving to work and I noticed slight vibration coming from the left rear pirelli p6 tire on my 2008 Ford Focus. I checked the tire and did not notice any visible sign of damage. On the way home the vibration got more severe. On arriving home I checked the tire and found one spot that was completely bald. From when I checked the tire at work to when I arrived at home I had driven a total of less than 90 miles for the tire to go completely bald in that spot. Both pirelli and 2 Ford dealers claim there were no problems with the tire, that the damage was due to a improper use of the emergency brake, improper alignment of the rear end of the vehicle, the tire not being balanced or failure to rotate the tires. I had the tires replaced by a local mechanic.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Focus equipped with hankook 395 tires, size p195/60/r15, dot bjcfpdfh3207. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer since he noticed excessive wear on the tires. The dealer informed the contact that the inside of the tires were wearing excessively but they were unable to diagnose the failure. The dealer advised the contact to purchase a tire that should last up to 80,000 miles; however, informed him that the tires would only last 40,000 miles and need to be replaced. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileage was 32,000. Updated 08/24/11 the consumer stated the tire failure happened on the driver side front and rear. Updated 11/28/11
NHTSA investigations
Tire valve cracking
On October 14, 2008, odi opened pe08-060 to investigate allegations of cracked and leaking snap-in tire valves in model year (my) 2007 vehicles manufactured by Ford motor company.the valves were supplied to Ford by topseal auto-parts, a subsidiary of the shanghai baolong automotive corporation in china.valves made by topseal for aftermarket sale were the subject of two recent safety recalls by tech international…
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2008 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2008 Ford Focus, 12% of the model year's 250 complaints. The component named most often is pressure monitoring and regulating systems (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Ford Focus wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2008 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 2008 Ford Focus wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to wheels & tires 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.