Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and then accelerated to the desired cruise control setting. The failure had occurred several times. Approximately 2 weeks later, while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the hazard lights were activated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the repair was not covered under warranty or recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The engine died while I was driving with my fiance, and the steering gave out. There was a loss of power to both the engine and brakes. The timing of shifting was inconsistent and I couldn't keep up with speed of traffic. Ford has confirmed that there is a problem with my vehicle and that the engine could explode. This is from their recall live on their site: "The engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm to fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt material may degrade and lose teeth, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure. A loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine damage and/or seizure, which can result in a loss of motive power and a loss of the mechanical vacuum pump required to provide power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash." My car has been inspected by the local Ford dealership. …
With out warning my car lost power and went from 65 mph to 40 in an instant, I was able to avoid hitting the side wall of the freeway and with Gods help avoided hitting any other vehicles. The oil light came on then the engine light soon after, I was able to take the first exit off the freeway and pulled over in a gas station parking lot. Tow truck took it to the dealership, this car has a recall and the recall description matches exactly what happed. The dealership told me it will take them 6-8 weeks before they can even diagnosis the car for that recall. I am stuck without a car, and I am lucky no one was injured. People with this type of Ford ecoboost need to be made aware they are driving a vehicle at any moment can have total engine failure putting lives in danger. …
My 2018 Ford Focus (DPS6 dual-clutch automatic transmission) suffers from severe hesitation and shuddering when accelerating from a stop, especially under 10 mph. More concerning, the car has stalled multiple times while merging into traffic and during right turns at intersections. We can no longer safely take free right turns due to the risk of the car dying mid-merge. This poses an immediate safety hazard and mirrors known failure patterns in earlier Focus and Fiesta models. Ford previously extended warranty coverage for the same TCM defect in 2011-2016 models, but my 2018 - which uses the same DPS6 system - has been excluded without explanation. The dealership acknowledged the TCM failure but refused to cover the repair. …
when the vehicle accelerates too quickly or up a very gradual hill, barely any slope, it will slow to a stop. this is in line with the current recalls with other Ford focus 2018s likely caused by the Canister Purge Valve. it has the exact same symptoms, poor fuel economy, rough idling so much so the entire vehicle shakes, and the dangerous part- stalling. I have now stalled 4 times and have been in and out of multiple mechanics for this issue and no one can seem to identify the root and it's getting costly. now they are saying it might be the canister purge valve but if it is I think it should be covered despite my vin not being perfectly aligned because it's ultimately the same issue with the same vehicle, make and model.
"My 2018 Ford Focus was traveling uphill at highway speed. I fully depressed the accelerator because the vehicle was losing speed. The vehicle did not respond with additional acceleration and subsequently continued to lose speed despite the accelerator remaining fully depressed. The dealership inspected the vehicle and told me that the engine is not powerful enough for sustained uphill driving and that the vehicle performed as designed. I am reporting this because I am concerned about the loss of ability to maintain speed despite full accelerator input and whether this constitutes a safety defect."
Car shuddered horribly on interstate. RPMs revving up like crazy. Transmission struggling. This caused the car to slow down drastically in the middle of traffic, nearly causing myself a fatal accident amongst others around me. No warning indications, just Transmission Fault Service Now as soon as it happened. In the past this vehicle has had transmission issues fixed and replaced by Ford themselves, due to the same shuddering and stalling as listed above. All those times, no check engine light or warning lights. Care would accelerate/jerk/shudder badly. Making it unpredictable to drive.
Initially the check engine light came on; took it to service center and the fuel sensor was replaced. Check engine light comes on the next day which revealed an evap code error. Suggestion was take it to dealer for recall check. Safety became an issue when the vehicle sputtered and stalled on the highway. I visually inspected the fuel tank which appeared "sunken" which suggested a vacuum pressure problem which the dealer also confirmed. All this is part of a recall which "should" include my VIN, make, model and year.
My vehicle was inspected in order to determine why my vehicle is stalling, jerking, not going into reverse and giving a warning message that the car is overheating. My spouse and I were told the transmission control module needs to be replaced. Upon reading about my car's maje and midel, I learned this is a problem with 2018 Ford cars. It stalls and almost cuts off in traffic which is very dangerous
I was on my way to a 7-Eleven to get gas once I filled it up. Those engine started sputtering and it did that for a minute until it finally started. I got to my school and then once I needed to go to school to school, my car was not going above 11 mph and when I was trying to reverse, it would not accelerate while reversing.
Acceleration complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2018 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2018 Ford Focus, 3% of the model year's 837 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2018 Ford Focus acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2018 Ford Focus, though it has 7 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 2018 Ford Focus acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles, and 64% before 25,000 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.