Most common 2015 Ford Focus problems
Share of the 1,022 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Focus complaints by model year
Best Focus years: 2011, 2006, 2009. Years to avoid: 2012, 2014, 2013, 2016, 2017. Compare all years →
2015 Ford Focus recalls (9)
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Evaporative emissions › Canister
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Power train › Manual transmission
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were October 16, 2026.
Equipment › Electrical › Engine block heater
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Evaporative emissions › Canister
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed.
Power train › Manual transmission
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Fusion vehicles equipped with a 1.6L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission and 2015-2016 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Focus vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge.
Show 3 more recalls
Latches/locks/linkages › Hatchback/liftgate › Lock
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Ford Focus hatchback vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 26, 2016 and equipped with a manual transmission. The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began February 10, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Electrical system › Ignition
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 1, 2014, to June 12, 2015, Ford Focus vehicles manufactured June 17, 2014, to June 12, 2015, and Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured April 22, 2014, to June 12, 2015.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2015 Ford Focus:
Loss of Motive Power
On September 15, 2023, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) after receiving 98 consumer complaints alleging loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles. The RQ focused on the effectiveness of the remedies of Recall 18V-735 and 19V-515.
Door Latch Failures
In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ.
Timing Belt Failure
On December 18, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford), equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles).
Door Latch Failure
In January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion.One consumer…
Timing Belt Failure
On December 18, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford), equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles).
What 2015 Ford Focus owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 559 →
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. Additionally, while shifting the gear shifter, there was a delay before the shifter would move to the desired position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The clutch was replaced. After having the vehicle repaired, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine revved; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and failed to exceed 2 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission failure was confirmed. …
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact had to continually depress the accelerator pedal to continue driving. The failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was included in a recall related to the failure and the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under the recall; however, the failure recurred 6 months later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, without a warning light being illuminated the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that stalling failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse and was returned to the dealer and was diagnosed with PCM and transmission failure. …
Engine & cooling all 180 →
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. Additionally, while shifting the gear shifter, there was a delay before the shifter would move to the desired position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The clutch was replaced. After having the vehicle repaired, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine revved; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and failed to exceed 2 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission failure was confirmed. …
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact had to continually depress the accelerator pedal to continue driving. The failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was included in a recall related to the failure and the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under the recall; however, the failure recurred 6 months later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, without a warning light being illuminated the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that stalling failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse and was returned to the dealer and was diagnosed with PCM and transmission failure. …
Fuel & propulsion system all 172 →
The contact's daughter owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while the transmission was in reverse(R), and the vehicle rolled backwards downhill while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle came to a stop once the vehicle was steered over into the grass, and the vehicle rolled into bushes and stopped. During the failure, the contact's nephew exited the vehicle in a panic and sustained a scrape to the left hip. No medical attention was sought. The contact's daughter experienced severe mental anguish, and the one-year-old child was also inside the vehicle. No Police report was filed. The vehicle was not towed. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V369000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). …
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually resumed normal operation and was driven to the residence. The contact informed the dealer of the failure by phone and informed the dealer that NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) recall repair had not been performed. The dealer researched and confirmed that the recall repair was not completed. The dealer stated the vehicle was only inspected. The dealer advised the contact to contact the manufacturer for approval to reopen the recall on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. …
2015 Ford Focus engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | Single-speed | FWD | 110 / 99 / 105 MPGe | 76 mi |
| 1.0L 3-cyl turbo | 6-speed manual | FWD | 30 / 41 / 34 | — |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 6-speed dual-clutch | FWD | 27 / 38 / 31 | — |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 26 / 37 / 30 | — |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 26 / 35 / 29 | — |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 6-speed manual | FWD | 23 / 31 / 26 | — |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2015 Ford Focus a good car?
Based on 1,022 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2015 Focus rates use caution: 1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Focus at the same age. It is one of the Focus years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2015 Ford Focus?
The transmission & drivetrain — 559 complaints, 55% of all complaints for this model year, most often about clutch assembly. Next are the engine & cooling (180) and fuel & propulsion system (172).
How many recalls does the 2015 Ford Focus have?
There are 9 recalls for the 2015 Ford Focus, the most recent from June 9, 2026 (canister). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Focus?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2006 and 2009. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2012, 2014, 2013, 2016 and 2017. See the full Ford Focus years comparison.
At what mileage do 2015 Ford Focus problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 60,000 miles; 40% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.