2001 FORD FOCUS Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LAMINATION ON ALL FOUR GLASS WINDOWS EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANT SEPARATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT EACH WINDOW WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

THE EVENTS LEADING UP WERE INTERMITTENTLY SPACED THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM A PRIVATE OWNER IN 2004. WHEN I WOULD PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION THE WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN AND FEEL LOCKED I WOULD SIT FOR 10-20 MINUTES AND WORK ON IT BY PUSHING THE KEY IN HARD AND TURNING THE WHEEL AS HARD IT WOULD COME LOOSE AND THE IGNITION WOULD TURN. THIS IMPACTED MY LIFE AS A NUISANCE. RECENTLY IN DEC OF 2010 THE OCCURRENCES BECAME MORE FREQUENT TWO TO FOUR TIMES A WEEK CONSTANTLY BEING STRANDED UNTIL I COULD GET THE IGNITION AND WHEEL TO TURN. HAPPENING FREQUENTLY WHILE AT THE STORE, WORK OR SOMEWHERE AWAY FROM HOME AND AGAIN CAUSING A GREAT NUISANCE AND FRUSTRATION AS IT HAS MADE ME LATE FOR WORK SEVERAL TIMES, ALLOWED ME TO BE VULNERABLE IN SITUATIONS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED WITH PROPER RECALL. THEN AROUND DEC 20TH 2010 THE IGNITION STOPPED WORKING. I WAS AT WORK LEAVING FOR THE DAY AND I SAT THERE FOR OVER AN HOUR, NOT KNOWING ANY OF THIS WAS A NORMAL RECURRENCE WITH OTHER FORD FOCUS OWNERS. AFTER WORKING ON THIS MYSELF I HAD TO CONTACT MY SPOUSE TO COME AND TRY AND HE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AS WELL. I HAVE KEPT UP THE MAINTENANCE ON MY FOCUS AND IT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION FOR THE YEAR. CURRENTLY IT HAS NOT BEEN FIXED ONLY TOWED TO MY HOME RESIDENCE. THE COST IS SO HIGH FOR THE IGNITION REPLACED I HAVE BEEN GIVEN ESTIMATES OF $500 PLUS EXTRA FOR TOWING. THIS COST COMES AFTER MONTHS PREVIOUS I HAD REPLACED THE RADIATOR TANK AT A $400 COST. THIS CAR SEEMS TO HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF RECALLS AND SERVICE BULLETINS AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THE MAIN POWER TO THE CAR, THE IGNITION, IS NOT SEEN AS A HAZARD TO THE PUBLIC WHO PURCHASED THESE VEHICLES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY STALL INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER MADE THREE ATTEMPTS TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE BEGAN FIVE MONTHS AGO AND THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,622 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,739. UPDATED 5/2/11 *CN UPDATED 05/16/11

AFTER PURCHASING CAR WITH 62K MILES ON IT, I DISCOVERED A COOLANT LEAK THE NEXT DAY. THIS LEAK HAS GOTTEN WORSE OVER THE LAST WEEK. A SEARCH OF DIFFERENT INTERNET SITES FOUND AT LEAST 15 REPORTS OF THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING COMING LOOSE/BREAKING LOOSE FROM ITS POSITION AGAINST THE ENGINE BLOCK. THIS IS WHERE THE LEAK IS COMING FROM ON MY CAR, AND THE DESCRIPTION IN AT LEAST ONE OTHER CASE APPEARS TO BE IDENTICAL TO MY OWN LEAK. THE DESCRIPTIONS FOUND ONLINE RANGE FROM NEARLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE TO APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AFTER PURCHASE. THIS LEAK IS SEVERE ENOUGH TO GENERATE A 2FT WIDE BY 4FT LONG PUDDLE OF COOLANT IN APPROXIMATELY 12HOURS. CONTINUOUS LEAK EVEN AFTER CAR HAS SAT FOR GREATER THAN 12 HOURS RULES OUT A FAILURE ONLY WHILE UNDER PRESSURE. *TR

THE IGNITION ON THIS CAR HAS BEEN REPLACED ALREADY BY THE FIRST OWNER. WELL, THE KEY CANNOT NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. NOW THE KEY HAS BROKEN OFF IN THE IGNITION. THE KEY STUB CAN BE REMOVED AND THE ENGINE WILL STILL RUN. THIS MORNING I MOVED THE 01 FOCUS AND I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND TOOK THE KEY OUT BUT THE SHIFTER WAS STILL IN DRIVE. I LOCKED THE DOOR, WALKED BEHIND THE CAR AND IT ROLLED BACKWARDS INTO ME. LUCKY MY NEIGHBOR WAS THERE TO HELP ME STOP THE CAR. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER FOCUS OWNERS REGARDING THE FAILURE OF THE IGNITION SWITCHES AND FORD WILL NOT RECALL THE CAR AND FIX THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THANKS FOR ANY HELP IN THIS MATTER.

INTERIOR DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT, ALSO NOTICED EXTRIOR REAR LIGHTS WENT OUT. REPLACED FUSES, BLEW NEW FUSES IMMEDIATELY SO SOME SORT OF SHORT IN THE ELECTRICS. WIRING ON HATCH LID APPEARS TO BE FRAYED. WE HAVE FOUND A RECALL FOR THIS FOR THE 2000 VERSION OF THIS CAR BUT NOT THE 2001.

HI, I RECENTLY WENT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP TO GET AN OIL CHANGE ON MY 2001 FORD FOCUS, SO WHEN THEY LIFTED MY CAR UP TO CHANGE THE OIL THEY NOTICED SOMETHING THAT WAS A MAJOR PROBLEM, MY FRONT SUBFRAME HAD ABOUT A HALF A FOOT DIAMETER HOLE IN IT BECAUSE IT HAD COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT, IT WAS ALL CORRODED AND THEY SAID THAT IF I HAD HIT A POT HOLE IN THE ROAD THAT IT COULD HAVE BROKEN IN HALF AND THE FRONT END WOULD FALL STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND BECAUSE THE FRONT SUBFRAME HOLDS UP THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE CAR. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL BECAUSE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY RISK TO ALL DRIVERS OF SOME FORD FOCUS BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THIS UNLESS THEY HAD TOLD ME AT THE DEALERSHIP. I CAN SEND SOME PICTURES OF THE SUBFRAME IF YOU LIKE. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE NO ONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED BECAUSE OF THIS FRONT SUBFRAME RUSTING AWAY, I WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THE FRONT SUBFRAME SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR, BUT APPARENTLY THAT WASN'T THE CASE FOR MINE. I AM GETTING IT REPAIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY RISK IT CAN CAUSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME READING THIS. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY OUR CHILDREN ROLLED DOWN THE BACK POWER WINDOWS AND THEY WOULD NOT GO BACK UP - SWERVED INTO OTHER LANE TRYING TO CONTAIN THE SITUATION BECAUSE OF THE NOISE FROM THE TRAFFIC HAS TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY IMMEDIATELY TO NOTE THAT THE WINDOWS WOULD NO LONGER GO UP - HAD TO MANUALLY PUSH THEM UP TO KEEP THEM UP - ALTHOUGH WHILE DRIVING THEY WILL GO BACK DOWN - WHICH CAUSE A JUMP IN REFLEXES. TO TEMPORARILY FIX THE PROBLEM WE HAVE APPLIED DUCT TAPE. ALSO WHEN IT RAINS THERE IS NOW WATER ACCUMULATING ON THE PASSENGER FLOOR BOARD AND SPREADS TO THE BACK SEAT FLOOR BOARD - HAS DOOR SEALS CHECKED AND WILL REPLACE ALTHOUGH THIS IS A REAL HEALTH CONCERN BECAUSE OF RUST AND MOLD. *TR

I HAVE HAD MY FOCUS NOW FOR ONLY ABOUT 3 YEARS, & HAVE HAD MORE PROBLEMS THAN I HAVE HAD WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED BEFORE, COMBINED. FORD FOCUSES FROM THE YEARS 2000-2003 HAVE AN APPARENT IGNITION PROBLEM, AND I AM ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATE OWNERS TO BE LEFT STRANDED BY THIS ISSUE. I AM COMPLETELY ASTONISHED THAT PRACTICALLY EVERY SINGLE FOCUS OWNER HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM & YET THE IGNITION HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED! I HAVE HAD 2 OTHER RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE, BOTH VERY STUPID TRIVIAL ITEMS WHICH HAS NEVER AFFECTED ME IN THE SLIGHTEST. I AM VERY CLOSE TO JUST SCRAPPING THIS VEHICLE, & I AM POSITIVE I WILL NEVER BE PURCHASING ANOTHER FORD EVER AGAIN. IT DISGUSTS ME THAT SOMETHING THAT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS MADE TO BREAK... SOMETHING THAT LEFT ME STRANDED & WITHOUT A CAR FOR OVER 2 WEEKS NOW... IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT EVERY OTHER FOCUS OWNER HAS HAD TO REPLACE OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET. HOW HAS THIS ISSUE NOT BEEN RESOLVED BY FORD YET?!?!? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES FOR A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND POSSIBLE REPAIRS. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE PCV HOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED YET THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V482000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 56,500.