The Ford Focus is one of the world’s most recognizable hatchbacks as it was first introduced for the 1998 model year and has since spawned four different generations. The Mk4 Focus was introduced for the 2018/2019 model year and is the most popular version of the Focus on the 2nd hand market because it is modern and very well-equipped with all the latest gadgetry and tech.
However, it’s not perfect which is why we are going to mention the most common Ford Focus Mk4 problems. This should give you a broad understanding of what you should expect when owning the Focus and how you should approach fixing some of its most common problems.
The power steering system is said to fail on some of these while the transmission can be a bit jerky and agricultural at times. Electrical issues aren’t immensely common, but you will encounter various glitches and bugs every now and then. We also need to mention problems with the wet belt which can cause the car to lose power.
All in all, the Mk4 Focus seems to be a fairly reliable car as there aren’t too many universal problems to speak of. With that being said, it is important to keep the car in its optimum condition and go for a version with not too many miles on the clock.
Power Steering System Problems
The power steering system is not something most of us think about until it breaks and we simply can’t leave without it. Throughout its lifespan, the Focus has almost 2,000 power steering problems reported on Carproblemzoo which should serve as a general idea of how troubling the story with the Focus and its steering system truly is.
If you feel your steering becoming immensely heavy to turn, or if it locks itself in place, there is a problem with the power steering system, or sometimes even the column itself. These problems are mostly due to a broken power steering motor or a power steering fluid leak which usually starts by making your steering a bit heavy until it completely bogs down.
Electrical Issues
As it was first introduced for the 2018-2019 model year, it got lots of tech most of us deem as cutting edge these days. This means that you will get all the modern safety systems to speak of including Apple CarPlay and all the other necessary phone connectivity features. However, the problem here is that all of these can cause glitches and become unresponsive.
The best thing you can do is try to restart these systems and hope that they come back properly. Sometimes you will have to update these to work, but some have said that they needed to replace various modules to get rid of these problems completely. The good thing is that these aren’t don’t affect the car’s usability, but they can be really annoying.
Wet Belt Problems
The 1.0 EcoBoost Focus engine seems to be suffering from quite a few wet belt issues which can cost a lot of money to fix. Some say that these problems are manufacturing defects that deserve to be fixed via a recall, but Ford hasn’t come out and said anything about this problem. All in all, many recommend that you should avoid this engine if possible and go for a larger engine.
Even though the system uses chains now, the wet belt is still controlling the oil pump which means that if it fails, your engine could become starved of oil which can cause a myriad of serious issues, sometimes even leading to premature engine death which requires a rebuild or even a complete engine replacement.
Transmission Problems
The Ford Focus Mk4 generation is also prone to 8F35 automatic transmission problems which can be minor and a bit annoying all the way up to catastrophic in some instances. Granted, the latter group of issues only comes around if you are really negligible about the car’s maintenance and servicing which means that it isn’t common with those who take proper care of their cars.
However, issues such as delayed and rough shifting, clutch slippage, and issues surrounding gearbox oil are all common. Many have also pointed out that some of these problems are associated with module problems which means that they sometimes aren’t even due to the transmission itself.
FAQ Section
Is Ford still making the Focus?
At the moment, Ford is making the Focus without any limitations, but Ford is on a transition wanting to stop making all non-SUV, non-truck, and non-crossovers which means that the Focus is likely to be discontinued. As such, Ford came out and said that the Focus is going to be discontinued in the year 2025.
This means that the Mk4 is likely going to be the very last Focus to come out and the facelifted Mk4 came out in late 2022. Some are saying that the Focus isn’t really going anywhere anytime soon, but it is 100% sure that it is not going to stay the same which means that it is going to become an EV, or it’s going bye-bye for good.
Which is the Best Ford Focus Model?
The Ford Focus ST is undoubtedly the best Ford Focus model you can buy as it feels really good to drive from a performance standpoint while also being adamantly comfortable and good for long-distance driving. Ever since Ford stopped making the Focus RS, the Focus ST became the top of the crop and has since gotten some upgrades from its discontinued bigger brother.
Sure, the premium needed to step to the ST is not small, but it is worth it as most people who buy the Focus ST tend to love it.
Why is the World Moving Away from Hatchbacks?
Hatchbacks used to be the most popular cars out there, and they still are really popular in Europe. However, brands such as Ford didn’t really make cars to tailor to the European market as most of their popular models are being sold in NA or Asia, certainly not Europe.
As such, it is true that the world is slowly moving away from hatchbacks in favor of SUVs and crossovers, but hatchbacks are likely going to remain for a long time to come.
