44 complaints reported

2018 Ford Focus Fuel System

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
44
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling and driving a short distance, the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that later while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to immediately start. Additionally, on several occasions after refueling, the vehicle failed to immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the canister purge valve, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 111,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2025
Apr 2025

Vehicle fails to start after refueling with gasoline. Research has revealed a faulty, purge valve as the problem.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2025
Nov 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and idled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with purge valve failure. The contact was informed that the purge valve needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened and the contact was referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2024
Oct 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after the vehicle was refueled, the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had started a year ago; however, the failure had since become persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with canister purge valve failure. The contact was informed that the canister purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2023
Oct 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle failed to start-up immediately. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local Auto Zone and diagnosed with a faulty purge valve. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2024
Jul 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence where a relative diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved DTC code: P1416. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure with an unknown sensor valve. The contact related the failure with the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the vehicle was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2024
Jul 2024

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 35-40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle jerked and hesitated to respond. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Randy Redinger and Sons Auto Service, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved DTC codes: P0456 and P144A and determined that the canister purge valve was stuck open, which caused excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system and caused the fuel tank to become deformed. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Jun 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the engine would shut off or idle roughly immediately after starting up. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed; the contact was later referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
May 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle would shut off or idle roughly immediately after starting. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened and the contact was referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2024
May 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle restarted after 2-3 attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the canister purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2024
Feb 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle stalled and failed to immediately restart. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the canister purge valve had failed causing the fuel tank to collapse. The contact was informed that the purge valve, fuel tank, and fuel tank module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 78,283.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2024
Nov 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, and later at any speed, the vehicle would begin to idle roughly and then shake and lose forward momentum. The contact stated that the check engine warning was illuminated. The contact stated that she drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who used a handheld scanner and stated that a vacuum purge valve code was showing on his scanner. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Aug 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light, the low oil pressure warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart even though the fuel gauge indicated that there was a quarter gallon of fuel remaining in the fuel tank. The contact stated that after his friend added fuel to the vehicle, the vehicle restarted and operated as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while at a complete stop at a traffic light. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the nearest gas station, where the vehicle completely lost power. The contact refueled the vehicle and the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the canister purge valve was stuck and needed to be replaced. The failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,820.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the EVAP canister and purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, he attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the fuel tank pressure sensor and the fuel tank vacuum had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated she was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle also stalled at slower speeds, and there were times when the vehicle failed to restart. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there was a manufacturer’s recall associated with the failure; NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact was referred to a dealer by the mechanic to have the vehicle repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Apr 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on numerous occasions upon acceleration, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact then stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. Additionally, the contact stated that after the vehicle stalled, she was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred, and another vehicle provided a jumpstart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the caliper and fuel tank needed to be replaced. The contact was then informed that her vehicle was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and she advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for the repair. The undisclosed dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2023
Mar 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the battery and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over into a parking lot. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the canister purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who replaced the canister purge valve. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2023
Mar 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was pushed into the driveway after stalling on the street. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a leak in the evaporative emission control and EVAP purge valve. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle, but the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 76,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly while at a complete stop. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk, would shudder, and would hesitate to respond when accelerating from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with the fuel line and the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however the VIN was not included. The local dealer and other unknown dealers were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Aug 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle would not start immediately. The contact stated that after several attempts the vehicle started and operated normally. On another occasion, the vehicle failed to start-up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the purge valve needed to be replaced. The contact explained to the dealer that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2022
Aug 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate and shutter upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. As the failure persisted, the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective canister purge valve. The contact stated that an unknown part was repaired to correct the failure; however, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic who then linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000( Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was then notified about the recall and informed her that her vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Aug 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while stopped at a stop sign the vehicle shut down completely. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle drove rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the canister purge valve was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was 53,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2022
Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and climbing a steep grade, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stated that at the crest of the grade, the vehicle regained motive power. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure could be associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The independent mechanic recommended that the vehicle be taken to a dealer. The dealer confirmed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and that the fuel tank was damaged and the purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the VIN should be included in the recall. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2022

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Quick Summary

The 2018 Ford Focus has 44 Fuel System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.