1999 Ford Focus — Known Issues & Recalls

Your engine overheated and failed completely without warning after the water pump impeller broke. Smoke came from the engine and it stopped running, requiring a tow to the dealer. The engine is now beyond repair, and the dealer estimates that even a rebuilt engine would cost more than the car's value. Your temperature gauge did not warn you of the overheating, likely because it shares the same faulty instrument panel as your speedometer. Fixing this would require replacing the water pump and impeller, and possibly rebuilding or replacing the entire engine.

Your engine overheated due to a cracked cylinder head and a broken motor mount. The cracked head allowed coolant to leak, preventing proper cooling, while the broken motor mount may have caused excessive vibration or misalignment. Fixing this will require replacing the cylinder head and motor mount, and possibly related gaskets and seals.

Your car's engine suddenly stops while you're driving on the highway. This is a stalling issue that your dealer has already looked into. Getting the engine back to running properly should resolve this dangerous problem.

Your 1999 Focus may have emission problems. The owner is requesting recall information to address this issue. A repair or replacement of emission control components may be needed to bring the vehicle into compliance.

When you press the brake pedal, it sinks all the way to the floor without stopping the car, forcing you to use the emergency brake to stop. Additionally, your engine stalled while driving uphill; the dealer replaced the fuel filter to address this issue.

While driving, your car suddenly lost power steering, making the steering wheel much harder to turn. The dealer found the problem was with the rack and pinion assembly, and the tie rods needed to be replaced to restore steering function.

Your car was involved in a crash at 25 mph with a pole that bent the frame, but the airbags didn't deploy when they should have. The driver was injured in the accident. A dealer or body shop would need to inspect the airbag system, wiring, and crash sensors to determine why the airbags failed to activate.

Your car stalled without warning while driving on the highway at 45 mph and stalled again when restarted. Diagnostic testing revealed multiple sensor failures: the fuel level sensor, vehicle speed sensor, oxygen sensor, and transmission control switch were all out of range or malfunctioning. Fixing this will likely require replacing the faulty sensors and transmission control switch to restore proper engine operation.

Your car's head impact tubes (safety tubes in the headliner) may have been installed by hand instead of using proper automated equipment during manufacturing. These tubes are supposed to meet federal safety standards and be installed with a fixed fixture, but the manufacturer may not have adequate tooling to verify they were installed correctly. This could affect the safety protection these tubes are designed to provide in a crash.

Your car won't start when you turn the key in the ignition. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty solenoid switch and replaced it to restore normal starting operation.

Your brakes squeal whenever you press the brake pedal. The dealer says this is normal and won't fix it. While brake noise isn't always a safety issue, squealing can sometimes indicate that brake pads are wearing down and may need replacement soon.