2009 Ford Focus

Typical pattern

6.5% of complaints about the 2009 Ford Focus came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 4.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (47 complaints), typically at 6.9 yr or about 85,000 miles.

Complaints: 322
Median age at failure: 4.8 yr
Median mileage: 46,900 n=272
Crash / fire / tow: 12.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

47 reports · 85,000 mi

6.9 yr

Power train

39 reports · 58,282 mi

4.8 yr

Speed control

33 reports · 59,000 mi

4.7 yr

12.1%

Suspension

25 reports · 25,000 mi

2.8 yr

12%

Air bags

22 reports · 44,576 mi

5.1 yr

59.1%

Wheels

22 reports · 33,000 mi

4.3 yr

22.7%

Latches / locks

18 reports · 42,150 mi

3.0 yr

Tires

17 reports · 26,000 mi

2.8 yr

5.9%

Engine

16 reports · 54,000 mi

4.9 yr

Other

16 reports · 88,000 mi

8.3 yr

12.5%

In owners’ own words

Air bags 17,300 mi 1.4 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END CRASH THIS AM INVOLVING 3 DEER. THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF MY CAR IS SMASHED. HOWEVER THE AIR BAGS DID NOT ACTIVATE. THIS IS DISTURBING TO ME, AND I WILL NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN. MY CAR IS A 2009 FORD FOCUS SEL. *TR

Air bags 658 mi 11 mo in service crash / fire / tow

WAS HIT IN FRONT END DOING 8,000.00 WORTH OF DAMAGE. AIRBAGS NEVER WENT OFF. TOOK TO BOB THIBODEAU AND QUESTIONED AIR BAGS AS TO WHY AND THEY EXPLAINED TO ME, BLACK BOX WOULD EXPLAIN. LEFT AT BOB THIBODEAU FOR REPAIRS TO BODY AND TWO WEEKS LATER, I CALLED TO SEE WHAT THE HOLD UP WAS, THEY EXPLAINED TO ME MY CAR CAUGHT FIRE WHILE BEING WELDED ON. BOB THIBODEAU SETTLED ONLY FOR THE COST OF MY LOAN, WITH NO EXPLANATION ABOUT AIRBAGS. FURTHERMORE, NUMEROUS CONTACTS WERE MADE WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND NO RESPONSE FROM THEM REGARDING THESE TACTICS. *TR

Air bags 22,050 mi 2.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH I WAS REAR ENDED BY A VEHICLE TRAVELING 45 MPH WHICH IN TURN CAUSED ME TO SLAM INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT, THE DRIVERS SEAT I WAS SITTING ON WAS BENT AND MOVED BACK. THE AIR BAG DEVICE UNDER THE SEAT WAS DETACHED AND DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE ACCIDENT WAS SEVERE ENOUGH IT SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED WHEN I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I QUESTIONED THE DEALERSHIP THEY STATED IT IS NORMAL FOR THIS TO HAPPEN TO THE SEAT AND FOR AIRBAGS NOT TO DEPLOY. *TR

Wheels 2,300 mi 10 mo in service crash / fire / tow

DRIVING AT NORMAL HWY SPEED, THE RENTAL CAR (2009 FORD FOCUS) WANDERED AS IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG IN THE WHEELS OR STEERING WHEEL AND THEN FLIPPED OVER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. MY ENTIRE FAMILY ALMOST PERISHED THAT DAY. *TR

Other Focus model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.