RecallRepo

2018 Ford Focus Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2018 Ford Focus has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,804,885 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,106 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

POWER TRAIN 26V376000 2026-06-09 5,252 affected
Defect

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.

Consequence

A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on…

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 26V369000 2026-06-09 255,404 affected
Defect

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.

Consequence

An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will…

EQUIPMENT 26V012000 2026-01-15 2,403 affected
Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Consequence

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

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. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters,…

EQUIPMENT 26V011000 2026-01-15 116,672 affected
Defect

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.

Consequence

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

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. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying…

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 23V905000 2023-12-22 139,730 affected
Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.

Consequence

A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final…

POWER TRAIN 18V845000 2018-11-28 2,828 affected
Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Consequence

A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This…

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 18V735000 2018-10-22 1,282,596 affected
Defect

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.

Consequence

The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

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. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. …

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN
290
ENGINE
226
4crashes3fires4injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
129
3crashes2fires2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
118
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
76
1crashes1injuries
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
51
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
44
1fires
STEERING
30
3crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
25
SERVICE BRAKES
19
2crashes
Total complaints1,106

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“I am adding a major update to my safety recall complaint because this dealership just tried to pull an illegal financial ambush on me.after my 2019 focus started stalling out on the highway right after they did recall 18v735, I brought it back. I explicitly told them in writing on our text thread:…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-24

“I am adding a major update to my safety recall complaint because this dealership just tried to pull an illegal financial ambush on me.after my 2019 focus started stalling out on the highway right after they did recall 18v735, I brought it back. I explicitly told them in writing on our text thread:…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-24

“The contact owns a 2018 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, and the transmission was not shifting properly while accelerating. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with…”

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS · reported 2026-06-21

“Purge valve sensor and canister is malfunctioning causing my car to stall out”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-20

“Purge valve sensor and canister is malfunctioning causing my car to stall out”

ENGINE · reported 2026-06-20

“The vehicle was serviced for nhtsa recall 18v735 (canister purge valve/fuel tank stalling hazard). Immediately upon pickup from the dealership, the vehicle began severely stumbling and stalling while driving on the highway. It died while driving on the street. The dealership's diagnostic paperwork…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-11

“The vehicle was serviced for nhtsa recall 18v735 (canister purge valve/fuel tank stalling hazard). Immediately upon pickup from the dealership, the vehicle began severely stumbling and stalling while driving on the highway. It died while driving on the street. The dealership's diagnostic paperwork…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-11

“The plastic gas tank was warped by heat and a faulty purge solenoid. The warped gas tank is a known issue for the 2018 ford focus and other versions of the car are covered by the recall, but my vin apparently was not despite experiencing the same issue at less than 50,000 miles. The warped gas…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-03

Defect investigations

Investigation DP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07

Pedestrian alert sounds

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…

Investigation PE23015 Opened 2023-09-20 · closed 2024-02-14

Oil Pump Failure

On September 20, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-015 to investigate instances of engine failure due to loss of oil pressure in model year (MY) 2018-2021 Ford EcoSport vehicles. Some consumers reported a low engine oil pressure warning lamp immediately preceding a complete loss or reduction…

Investigation PE25020 Opened 2025-12-18 · open

Timing Belt Failure

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 44 complaints alleging loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. These vehicles are equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission. Some consumers report a low…

Investigation PE25020 Opened 2025-12-18 · open

Timing Belt Failure

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 44 complaints alleging loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. These vehicles are equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission. Some consumers report a low…

Investigation RQ23006 Opened 2023-09-15 · closed 2024-12-20

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. In October 2018, Ford…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Ford Focus as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.