Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RMP increased and revved causing the vehicle to crash into an unoccupied vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated there was a minor scratch on the front of her vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened, and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
On June 22 myself and my wife were pulling out of the Food Lion Parking Lot. As we proceeded out to the main Road the gas pedal stuck. The car kept accelerating and know matter what I did I could free the gas pedal. Because of that we hit 3 cars in the intersection. Our car literally exploded putting Myself and my wife in the hospital .My wife has had 3 surgeries for a broken pelvis.She is still in serious condition.Myself I suffered 3 broken ribs and a lacerated liver. Ford should be held accountable for our terrible pain and suffering.?
Vehicle stalled. Tried to restart it, would not fire up. It then caught on fire on the side of the highway (I-87n, exit 17/moreau) vehicle was in good working order, no check engine light or other indication of trouble, temperature gauge never showed any problem. Not sure if this is related to other Ford engine fires (due to overheating/loss of coolant) or what exactly caused it. Insurance did not do an inspection (I owned the car outright and only had liability coverage) and Ford totally blew me off. Have pictures, but they look like any other car with an engine fire.
I took the vehicle in for its 60K service at approx 62K. All was OK. About 2 days later I noticed a funny smell in the cabin. I put it down to whatever chemicals they used on the 60K service. About 3 days later the smell was getting worse, but also the ac wasn't cooling like it used to and my then 9 year old daughter passed out in the car because of the smell. I took it to Ford as the incident happened straight after the service and they said nothing they did would have caused it, but it looked like the ac core and the smell was pag oil. I took the car to another garage and they said there was no freon in the ac system. They recharged the system after checking for leaks and not finding any. A week later (two weeks after the initial service) the ac was not cooling again. It must have been something Ford did...again there was no freon in the system. …
My yellow wench check engine light came on,I was stopped at a 4 way city intersection and when I stepped on the gas pedal the car would not pick up any speed. I was stuck with traffic behind me. I had to go through the intersection at idle speed pull off the road, turn the car off and wait a few seconds then restart it. I was then able to drive it and the yellow check engine light was no longer on.the yellow light check engine light has come on before and I had Goodyear and auto zone check it on their computer and it came up with code p2135 throttle sensor. The guy at auto zone told me to enter that code on utube and see what other people did to fix the issue. There are many stories on youtube etc regarding this issue. It seems to be a widely know issue and on another Ford car they had a recall for it. …
The incident occurred on 9/1/2011 at about 3:00 pm. Traffic was light and weather was dry and sunny. We had been driving about 3 to 4 hours when the problem began. While driving the posted speed limit in ohio on I-75 southbound just south of mile marker 99 the car started behaving like I was out of gas even though I had at least a half tank left. It started to stall as I pulled it to the shoulder of the road. As I got it stopped I noticed smoke/steam coming from under the hood. I attempted to open the hood latch inside the car but was unable to. My wife and I exited the car and went to the front where she noticed it was on fire. We immediately called 911 for help. The fire department and ohio state troopers arrived and attempted to put the fire out. The car was totally destroyed as the fire completely engulfed the car. …
Engine stalls while driving and will not restart. I suspect that it is related to similar issues drivers are having with the EVAP canister purge valve in other model years: "the canister purge valve May malfunction and create excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system, which can result in the engine stalling without restarting. Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module and replace the canister purge valve as needed. If the valve needs to be replaced, dealers will also inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as determined to be needed. All repairs will be performed free of charge to resolve the concern."
Whenever I start my car, the RPM's are between 2-3 and it takes a couple minutes to reach the normal idling RPM rate. The engine also makes clicking noises and is louder than usual and just does not sound right. And previously, my car has randomly stalled and just turned off while the battery stayed running while making a right turn or just idling at a stop light. Mostly, my cars engine just turns off while running it in the driveway in the morning while the battery stays on. It has not stalled in awhile but there is still something wrong with the engine and the rpms. Also sometimes, a wrench light appears on the dashboard when I am experiencing the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. While driving various speeds, the engine stalled while the throttle body control and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body control failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer system failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
I turned on the engine in the morning and the car seem to start fine, but when I put the gear selector in reverse and pressed the gas pedal suddenly the check engine came on and the car started shaking violently, I instantly turned off the car after a few seconds I tried turning the car back on, the check engine light went away, and it seem to work fine after that, but this now happens on a daily bases at random times of the day, I checked the car with an obd2 scan tool and it had codes p2111 and p2135 this keeps happening even after replacing the gas pedal and the throttle body
Engine complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Ford Focus, 18% of the model year's 287 complaints. The component named most often is engine (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Ford Focus engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 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 2010 Ford Focus engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 49,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 3 fires and 3 injuries to engine & cooling 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.