I have a 2009 Ford Focus that vibrates like crazy at idle. It’s not misfiring and the engine is running normal. I think it’s these hydraulic engine mounts. Has anyone else’s noticed issues with the engine mounts on Ford Focus?
The car’s old enough to vote. On a car this age a failed motor mount isn’t uncommon.
My own car, a 2005, needed a new one this past year. It happens. It’s minor in the bigger scheme of things.
Hydraulic motor mounts are just rubber boxes filled with fluid. The rubber is subjected to constant heat and vibration. Eventually it breaks down and hemorrhages its fluid. All rubber components eventually break down. They just do. 
I agree but with something that’s not that old and low mileage I mean geez ford. I don’t like hydraulic mounts. Had to replace a lot of them
Not that old? 9 years?
Elastomers deteriorate with time. Heat and vibration accelerate the process. 9 years is old enough.
we actually don’t know the mileage, you didn’t tell us! 
I have an 09 Focus too, I think I’ve had to replace one of the mounts so far (and another one is getting close too, but I’m not fixing it until it gets warmer out 
Consider the mounts are under the hood and subjected to very large temperature swings combined with the fact that rubber gets brittle with age and looses elasticity. They’re expected to degrade overtime
2009 my friend, it’s only 9 years old!
You’re right. I goofed!
I tried to go back and fix it immediately, but the site went into its spin cycle and by the time I got back in it was too late.
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No worries! We’ve all goofed 
It’s nice to know I’m in good company.
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I guess time is getting away from me. The older you get the more it’s just a blur. 9 years is old. It’s got 98,000 miles
We’ve got over 150,000 on ours (lots of fantastic vacations in lots of states!). I’ve been pleasantly surprised how easy it’s been to take care of over the years. Haven’t had any major repairs with it.
If they’re hydraulic, it’s because they are being asked to do far more work than a traditional fixed mount. I hate these new designs. In the interest of maximizing mileage they have these VCM schemes that result in very erratic engine operation that produces excessive vibration. So they have to put in these more advanced hydraulic mounts to counteract the vibration. Anything that works harder breaks sooner. I’ve never had to replace a traditional engine mount on any car that was less than 20 years old. But my newest Honda has these mounts due to the VCM “feature” and they are a known weak point. Often failing in only a few years, depending on the usage profile.
get the ford mount on the pass side. $100 or so online. dont waste your money on a $50 non-oem mount. the driver side is cheap. $40 or so. does not seem to be fluid filled on the driver side. i got the oem mount.
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A 4 cylinder engine vibrates. It just does. Simple physics explains it, and there’s really no way to iron out the shaking. As long as people want a car with the smooth operation of a refrigerator, and high fuel efficiency is a valued asset, there will be sophisticated motor mounts. And they wear out, like everything else.
I think the sound of the parts’ name scares people. “Oh my God, the engine’s falling out of the car!” But the replacement isn’t that enormous an expense, and does not signal the death of a car.
I understand what you’re saying but there’s vibration inherent to 4 cylinder operation and then there’s VIBRATION due to wonky schemes to cut off cylinders and alter ignition timing way beyond normal amounts to maximize efficiency. I have an older 4 cylinder car with traditional mounts. You could balance a nickle on the motor…
lol, I was trying to figure out where you lived that allowed 9 year olds to vote
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In the land of the senile… 
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Front wheel drive cars are hard on motor and trans mounts especially if you have a shoe full of bricks. Turning out of a parking lot at WOT may not leave you spinning out or searching for traction but it’s really hard on mounts. Your driving style has a lot to do with how long the motor mounts in an economy (fwd) car last. Not saying its your fault but it’s pretty common for front wheel drive cars to need mounts after 10 years if you don’t drive like a grandma. If you ever have a chance put a camera and a light under your hood and go drive around, really crazy how much your engine moves.
There IS a way to iron out the vibration. Counter-rotating balance shafts. They are shafts with imbalance weights on them that offset the secondary imbalance that all inline 4’s have. They’ve been around since the late seventies.
Mitsubishi invented them as they kept growing the size of their 4 bangers above about 2 liters. Porsche offered a 3.0 liter inline 4 in their 944 that would have been a rock-crusher without them. Many of the larger 4 cylinder engines have them. And I believe the OP’s 2.3 liter Focus has balance shafts but they are low in the oil pan rather than high on the side where they would do more good.
They’ve become very common in 4-bangers. My '05 car has them.
As to the motor mounts, I wonder if failures are more common in the sunbelt? Heat can be hard on elastomers.
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That makes the most sense. it seems like I’ve gotten in other Ford Focus cars in the past and felt that same vibration. The hydraulic motor mount was busted but after replacing it it only dampened the vibration a little. The good news is the dash and center console aren’t rattling anymore
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