2006 Ford Focus

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
23–26 mpgcombined; city 20–23, highway 28–31; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$12,490–$14,120U.S. average; Ohio $11,160–$12,620 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
205filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2006 Focus. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 205 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Focus. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system47210
Air bags4015014
Vehicle speed control25200
Structure15302
Latches/locks/linkages14000
Power train14100
Tires12001
Unknown or other12000
Fuel/propulsion system11300
Suspension10000
Fuel system, gasoline7000
Service brakes, hydraulic7100
15 more parts
Engine and engine cooling6010
Exterior lighting6010
Service brakes6201
Seats5002
Steering5200
Visibility/wiper5000
Seat belts4200
Visibility3000
Wheels3000
Engine2100
Equipment2000
Electronic stability control (ESC)1101
Forward collision avoidance1100
Interior lighting1010
Parking brake1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2006205
  2. 2007391
  3. 2008250
  4. 2009229
  5. 2010287
  6. 2011113
  7. 20123,802
  8. 20132,181
  9. 20142,658
  10. 20151,034
  11. 20161,194
  12. 2017906
  13. 2018837

Every Focus year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2006 Focus. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 23 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2006 Focus, the latest on Sep 21, 2016. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: engine and engine cooling (6), electrical system (3), power train (3), fuel system (2), steering (2).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2006 Focus.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2006 Ford Focuss for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: compact cars. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Focus
Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cylManual 5-spdRegular Gasoline23 / 31 / 26
Focus
Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline22 / 29 / 25
Focus
Front-Wheel Drive
2.3 L, 4 cylManual 5-spdRegular Gasoline20 / 28 / 23
Focus Station
Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cylManual 5-spdRegular Gasoline23 / 31 / 26
Focus Station
Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline22 / 29 / 25

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data