Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
- Faulty windshield washer pump pushing liquid into the Body Control Module and harness - Damaged electrical communications communications controlled by the Body Control Module including: 1) functionality of the wipers resulting in obscuring the windshield from clear visibility of the road 2) vehicle will not reliably shut off after removing the key. It continues to run. 3) vehicle will not reliably shift into different gears due to the disruption of the electronic transmission signaling. 4) electrical system drains the battery after a few hours of sitting idle. - The problem has been identified by a dealership - A dealer has inspected the problem. - Washer pumps would intermittently function and then randomly would not.
Purchased 2014 Focus on 6/7/14, clutch asy replaced 11/30/15,clutch asy replaced 9/12/16, install new etb 9/14/16 (throttle body), replace battery 12/20/16, given extended warranty w/$100 deductable 11/11/16 - warranty expired 6/7/19, replaced clutch asy 6/9/19 - 7/3/19. Three clutch assemby's in 5 years - very unsafe. Also 6/9/19-7/3/19 replaced side door latch (safety recall) and fuel tank deformation - replaced tube asy - fue. With this many clutch repairs Ford new they had an issue. Even though Ford gave me an extended warranty in 2016 due to the issues with my car, they backdated the warranty to the date the car was purchased. This also seems deceptive. Numerous times I was traveling on instertate roads, when I pulled out to pass a semi, the car would cut out. When accellerating in the city or on instertates, there would be no acceleration when pushing the accelator. …
The 2014 Ford Focus only has one door lock/unlock button which is located on the front middle panel near the radio controls. There are no manual lock/unlock mechanisms on any of the doors - if a crash occured, how would anyone in the back seat be able to get out if the driver is unable to push the button for them? That seems like an unsafe decision for a vehicle made for multiple passengers. Second, occasionally while driving in rainy weather, I have switched the wipers on to find that they hesitate for a few seconds before finally wiping the windshield. This does not happen every time, but I expect them to move when I turn them on, not a few seconds later. In the rain, a few seconds of non-visibility can be dangerous- even more so if it happens at night the next time. Are these electrical issues? Could the unlock feature be an electrical if for any reason the battery goes or hits water?
I took delivery of my new Ford Focus EV on 7/16/14 very shortly thereafter I noticed a waffle type pattern appearing in the rear hatch window. I brought it to the attention of palm springs motors and they told me that it's nothing. I noticed the pattern becoming more visible and distracting as time went on and I again brought it to the attention of the service dept. All they will say is that other cars have it too so that makes it normal and they refuse to do anything about it. I contacted Ford customer service and they sent me a letter merely saying that they had done everything they can in this matter. In fact they have done nothing except to ignore me. This abnormality in the window is extremely distracting when looking in the rear view mirror and is getting worse but I cannot get anyone to listen to me or take me seriously. I am desperate for help from someone.
Often when driving in the rain, and I have the wipers are on "low" or "high", after some time (not particularly consistent, sometimes within a minute, sometimes after several minutes) they will start working intermittently instead. That is, the wiper will be on, and then they will start pausing while at the bottom between wiper cycles, just as though it was set to intermittent, even though the wiper setting hasn't been changed. When this happens, I can switch the wiper setting to another setting and then back, and then it will start working again for a while. That is, if it's on "low" and this starts happening, I can switch the wipers to "intermittent" and back to "low", or to "high" and back to "low", and it will go back to normal "low" operation for a while (until the problem repeats). This has been happening for several years now.
This is in regards to my 2014 Ford Focus. When parking the vehicle the engine will not shut off, even with the key out of the ignition! Faulty washer fluid pump leaks into electrical connector for washer pump and washer fluid gets pushed into wiring loom past the firewall and down into the BCM( body control module) connector part c2280d. The washer fluid then runs from the connector onto the male pins of the BCM corroding the pins and shorting out the BCM. This causes the vehicle to exhibit many faults, the worst are the vehicle not starting or as in my case, the vehicle would not shut off and continues to run even with the key out of the ignition. Ford recalled 433,000 vehicles for engines that don't shut off but my vehicle was not captured in the "build date" for the recall. I believe I missed the recall by weeks or a month at most?
Entire electrical Sync system has shut down and no longer functions. While the Sync was going out, the speakers would crackle and make loud, startling pop sounds. This caused jerky driving as they would pop without any notice, even if the Sync system was turned off. Recently, the wind shield wipers turned on and were sporadically increasing/decreasing in speed and would not turn off. The car was on (not the engine) and parked when the wipers turned on. Attempted to turn the car off, reset by opening the doors, and turning the car back on. They paused and then started up again once the car was driving on city streets. The speakers popping and the radio malfunction occurs while driving, while parked, when the car is on, and when it is off. This problem has been getting worse and worse over the past year.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus se. While the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds, the windshield wipers failed to operate. While the vehicle was idling at a red light, the windshield wipers spontaneously began moving back and forth. Three months ago, while driving various high speeds on the freeway, both windshield wipers spontaneously activated. Once the contact arrived at his destination, the contact turned off the vehicle and the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure occurred continuously until the fuse to the windshield wipers was removed. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
Vehicle's windshield wipers come on spontaneously without turning them on at the switch. Wipers will not turn off when this happens. Wipers continue to stay on even when vehicle engine is powered off. The only way to keep this from happening is to remove the wiper fuse, which is not safe in case wipers are needed. Vehicle is at dealership now. Diagnoses: negative monitoring sensor needs replaced. Again, the dealership is not covering this under the extended warranty, so costs for repair will come out of pocket. Regardless of cost this is a huge safety issue since the wipers running when not needed can cause distractions and damage to the wiper blades when they are running on a non-wet surface.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated the while the windshield wipers were activated on the high setting, there was a 5 or 6 second delay. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to al packer's white marsh Ford (9801 pulaski hwy, middle river, md 21220, [phone]) and the contact was informed that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2014 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2014 Ford Focus, 1% of the model year's 2,604 complaints. The component named most often is power window devices and controls (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Ford Focus window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2014 Ford Focus, though it has 12 recalls 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 2014 Ford Focus window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 43,000 miles, and 28% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to windows, wipers & sunroof 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.