2009 Ford Focus

Showing the 2009 Focus SES. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 2.0 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

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

Fuel economy
27–28 mpgcombined; city 24, highway 33–35; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$11,600–$12,030U.S. average; Ohio $10,370–$10,750 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
229filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2009 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 229 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 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 system45000
Power train39000
Vehicle speed control33403
Suspension25210
Air bags2213111
Wheels22507
Latches/locks/linkages18000
Tires17100
Engine16000
Unknown or other16200
Fuel/propulsion system13100
Structure12100
10 more parts
Steering9506
Engine and engine cooling7000
Service brakes, hydraulic5200
Visibility5000
Fuel system, gasoline4000
Seat belts4000
Service brakes4202
Seats2102
Exterior lighting1000
Visibility/wiper1000

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 2009 Focus. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 18 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2009 Focus, the latest on Feb 24, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (5), equipment (5), power train (3), service brakes (3), engine and engine cooling (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 2009 Focus.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2009 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 Gasoline24 / 35 / 28
Focus
Front-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline24 / 33 / 27

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