Every Focus model year from 2004 to 2018, scored on reported failures weighted against how many were sold — and ranked against every other Compact Passenger Car of the same year.
Across 15 scored model years the Focus needs fixing more often than its class, and costs more than average when it does. The spread between years is what matters: 2006 is its strongest, 2014 its weakest.
Longer bar is better. Rank is against every Compact Passenger Car sold that same model year.
| Year | Relative standing | Class rank | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #15 /29 | 50th | ||
| 2005 | #15 /31 | 53th | ||
| 2006 | #4 /31 | 90th | Best year | |
| 2007 | #10 /33 | 72th | ||
| 2008 | #6 /36 | 86th | ||
| 2009 | #9 /32 | 74th | ||
| 2010 | #15 /30 | 52th | ||
| 2011 | #3 /32 | 94th | ||
| 2012 | #39 /41 | 5th | ||
| 2013 | #36 /43 | 17th | ||
| 2014 | #39 /41 | 5th | Avoid | |
| 2015 | #35 /39 | 11th | ||
| 2016 | #35 /38 | 8th | ||
| 2017 | #38 /41 | 7th | ||
| 2018 | #34 /35 | 3th |
The line has moved around across 15 model years, with its weakest stretch in 2013–2018. This 2018 car falls in a weak stretch.
All 12 systems, measured against the class average for each model year.
Every Focus model year is scored across 12 separate systems — engine, transmission, brakes, electrical, steering and suspension, structure, interior, and five more. Each system is compared against how often that same system fails on the average Compact Passenger Car of the same year, so a common failure is judged against how common it is everywhere else.
Across the last three model years (2016–2018), the trouble concentrates in one place: powertrain. That system draws issue reports more often than the same system on the average Compact Passenger Car of its year — which changes what you should be inspecting before you buy.
All 35 Compact Passenger Cars from 2018, plotted by how often they need fixes and what those fixes cost.
2006 is the strongest Focus model year on record, ranking #4 of 31 Compact Passenger Cars that year.
2014 is the weakest year in the model's history, ranking #39 of 41.
The 2018 Focus ranks #34 of 35 Compact Passenger Cars — the lower half of its class.
Failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes so a high-volume model is not penalised for selling well, then benchmarked within segment and model year.
All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and a downloadable Full Model Report for any year — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.
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