Other electrical problem on the 2008 Ford Focus
When other electrical problem gets reported
Owners of the 2008 Ford Focus report other electrical problem at a median of 75,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 55,000 miles and a quarter after 120,000 miles, from 23 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 85,000 miles. It is the 2nd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 35,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 130,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 93,354 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
13% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37,000 miles | 53,299 miles | 74,100 miles | 120,528 miles | 130,354 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $250–$2,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 19 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2017, at a median of 20,000 miles, and latest on the 2008 at 75,000 miles.
By volume the 2000 carries the most reports, with 847; the 2008 has 32. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
On numerous occasions, usually at speeds around 67 MPH, the engine looses power and goes to idle. It will not accelerate, but idles at 1100 rpms. The fix it light turns on. Once pulled over, I turn off the engine, then restart. It runs roughly for a moment the appears to run normally and the fix it light goes out. I have taken it to the dealer, but they will not drive it long enough to duplicate the event - usually happens every few hundred miles. The most recent event was may 30th 2010 in heavy traffic on the 405 freeway, los angeles. *tr
The door lock, locks and you cant open them to get in or out of the car if you wont in or out you have to crawl through the windows. The front end of the car will not stay aligned eats up tires. Head lights. We have had this car in the dealers many times they tell me that its normal. This car has been a lemon since the day I drove it off the lot but they would never fix the problems. *tr
I purchased a '08 ford focus- 4dr sdn se in march '08 from mark martin ford in batesville, ar. July '08, doors locked & wouldn't open. Since the original delivery of the vehicle, it's been returned to dealership 14+ times. Vehicle has been out of service for repairs for a total of 209 calendar days (just from may 14,'10-dec. 31,'10). It is documented that the car started having problems before 12,000 mi. Have been in contact with the ar atty. Gen's off, ford motor company, ford credit, mark martin ford. Started lemon law proceedings & had an arbitration meeting set in jan. '11. Ford customer care was working on a buyback/replacement. Ford wanted a second opinion. I took it to another dealership. Ford made many attempts to repair the vehicle. I sent a demand letter to ford. They didn't attempt to do a final fix. Instead they repossessed the car. I was only 2 mos behind & made arrangements w/ford credit to make a payment in dec. '10. I did. I have a letter from mark martin ford stating,"they have done all they know to do." I have a letter from ford stating, "although they admit to no wrong doing on their part, they want me to be a…
Also reported on the 2008 Ford Focus
Other body or interior problem
Other wheel or tire problem
Other powertrain problem
Door latch or handle failure
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure
Other suspension problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 32 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other electrical problem happen on the 2008 Ford Focus?
Across 23 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 75,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 55,000 miles and a quarter after 120,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other electrical problem on the 2008 Ford Focus?
32 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 2,667 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed