2005 FORD FOCUS Complaints

AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. AFTER SHTTING CAR OFF AND RESTARTING, THE LIGHT CAME ON AND WENT OUT AS IT SHOULD. YESTERDAY THE LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON AND WILL NOT RESET. WILL TAKE CAR TO DEALER AT FIRST OPPORTUNITY

FRONT BRAKES WERE UNEVEN BADLY IN SHOP AT BARTOW FORD NUMBER OF TIMES NEVER FIX WORK ON IT TILL THE WARRANTY WAS UP NOW MY FAMILY IS STUCK WITH PAYMENTS ON A UNSAFE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE WEAR BAR WAS EXPOSED ON EACH TIRE. THE MILEAGE WAS 44,244 WHEN THE NEW TIRES WERE PURCHASED. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER AND BRAND WERE TOYO TIRES, THE DOT#CX3V862205 , AND THE SIZE WAS 205/15VR16. THE TIRES WERE 40,000 MILE TIRES, WHICH CAUSED TIRE FAILURE AT 19,415 MILES EARLIER. THE TIRE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND RECENT FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 63,659. *AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT EVERY 5,000 MILES THE WERE ROTATED TWICE BY FORD MOTOR CO AND TWICE BY HER HUSBAND. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATES SHE HAS A 90,000 MILE WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER STATES SHE WANTS TO REIMBURSED FOR A PORTION OF THE COST OF THE NEW TIRES. UPDATED 05/13/07 *TR

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2005 FOCUS WAS DIFFICULT TO SHIFT INTO 1ST GEAR. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY DURING 7 - 16 MARCH 2007. WHILE DOING THE WORK THEY NICKED THE BRAKE LINE JUST ENOUGH TO CREATE A SLOW LEAK. THE LOCATION OF THE LEAK WAS NEAR THE FRONT LEFT TIRE. AFTER ONE DAY OF DRIVING, ALL THE FLUID LEAKED OUT AND THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING IT. THE DEALERSHIP ARRANGED TO PICK UP THE FOCUS WITH A TOW TRUCK. THEY REPAIRED THE BRAKES (19-23 MAR). ON 23 MAR, MY WIFE PICKED UP THE FOCUS. APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE SHE WAS TURNING LEFT. THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT PUSHED HER LEFT ARM DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT, PULLING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT, CAUSING HER TO HIT THE CURB. NO OTHER VEHICLE WAS NEARBY OR INVOLVED. SHE WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE FOCUS INTO THE PARKING LOT OF A MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITY, WHERE SHE WAS TREATED FOR CERVICAL INJURY. THE DEALERSHIP PICKED UP THE FOCUS WITH A TOW TRUCK. AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY PUT THE FOCUS UP ON A LIFT AND I INSPECTED THE UNDERCARRIAGE ALONG WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND MECHANIC. THE BRAKE ROTOR WAS COMPLETE SEPARATED FROM THE WHEEL AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARM WAS BENT AT ABOUT A 20 DEGREE ANGLE FROM NORMAL. THE WHEEL WAS NOTICEABLY SCRATCHED AND THE TIRE WAS CUT. THE SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT MY WIFE HIT THE CURB CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. MY WIFE IS ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED CAUSING HER TO HIT THE CURB.*AK

ON 2/24/07, I MADE A PURCHASE AT A DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT. I LEANED ACROSS THE CENTER CONSOLE TO PLACE THE ORDER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR. WHILE DOING SO, I BUMPED THE GEAR SHIFT AND IT MOVED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE LOCK BUTTON ON THE SIDE OF THE GEAR SHIFT HANDLE. UPON ARRIVING HOME, I TESTED THE GEAR SHIFT HANDLE, AND FOUND I COULD MOVE IT FROM REVERSE TO NEUTRAL TO DRIVE, AND FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL, ALL WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE GEAR SHIFT RELEASE BUTTON. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT UNINTENDED SHIFTING WHILE DRIVING COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS INCIDENT, AND I BELIEVE THE SHIFT RELEASE BUTTON IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THAT. ON THIS VEHICLE, THIS IS A PROBLEM. *JB

I RECENTLY HAD A TIRE FAILURE. I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO CALL IT AS THE ENTIRE MIDDLE SECTION OF RUBBER CAME COMPLETELY OFF. THERE WAS ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT (IF ANY) SIDEWALL LEFT (I HAVE PHOTOS). I TOOK IT TO A GOODYEAR DEALER WHO REPLACED IT AT A "PRORATED" RATE ALTHOUGH MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE WARRANTY WAS THAT IT WOULD BE COMPLETELY COVERED. I HAD IT REPLACED AND PAID THE $80.00. I ALSO CONTACTED GOODYEAR TO MAKE SURE THIS WAS THEIR POLICY AND THAT MY TRANSACTION WAS HANDLED CORRECTLY, I INCLUDED A PHOTO WITH MY CORRESPONDENCE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS THEIR POLICY AND THE DEALER HAD CONTACTED THEM ABOUT MY INCIDENT. THEY ALSO ASSURED ME THAT A TIRE SHOULD NOT DO THAT AND THEY ARE SORRY ABOUT IT. I AM FEELING THAT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS POSSIBILITY, IF IT HAD BEEN A FRONT TIRE I WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED THE INCIDENT AS I WOULD HAVE LOST TOTAL CONTROL (GOODYEAR TIRE). *NM

I WAS RECENTLY IN AN ACCIDENT. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE OTHER THREE CARS INVOLVED ALL HAD AIRBAGS AND THEIRS DID DEPLOY. MY CAR HAS BEEN DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. I WOULD THINK THAT IN AN ACCIDENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE THAT THE AIRBAGS WOULD HAVE FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT THE EXTENT OF MY BACK INJURY WOULD HAVE BEEN LESSENED BY THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING, I JUST WANTED TO REPORT THE FAILURE IN THE CASE OF A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH OTHER CONSUMERS. *NM

WE HAVE A 2005 FORD FOCUS WAGON WITH APPROXIMATELY 37,000 MILES. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH DUE TO AN IDLING PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER CANNOT REMEDY. THE THROTTLE SOMETIMES STICKS AND THE CAR ACCELERATES UNCONTROLLABLY ON ITS OWN. AT OTHER TIMES THE CAR DIES AT IDLE. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND THE ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IN SEVERAL INTERNET CHAT ROOMS INDICATES THAT OUR CAR IS NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS SITUATION. APPARENTLY, FORD CONTINUES TO DENY THERE'S A PROBLEM, BUT IGNORING IT ONLY PUTS LIVES IN DANGER. *NM

TL* - ON DECEMBER 23, 2006 THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE IGNITION WHILE SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK. AFTER SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE WITH THE BRAKES STILL APPLIED THE RPMS BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AS THOUGH THE THE ACCELORATER PEDAL HAD BEEN DEPRESSED. A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, BUT SHE DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO COMPLAIN AT THAT TIME. *AK

I WAS WESTBOUND ON 5TH ST. IN OLIVEHURST, CA, AND HEADED TO OLIVEHURST DRIVE. THE CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND COOL, AND THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 25 MPH. I HAD NOT YET COME UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT (BELOW 10 MPH) WHEN MY FRONT END BEGAN TO SHAKE. SECONDS LATER, MY PASSENGER AND I HEARD A LOUD BANG, AND THE FRONT END SWERVED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. I TRIED TO CORRECT TO THE LEFT, AND ENDED UP CLIPPING A POLE (ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD) INSTEAD OF HITTING IT HEAD ON. MY PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BLOW TO HIS KNEE. NO OTHER INJURIES OCCURRED, AND WE DID NOT FEEL IT NECESSARY TO CALL AN AMBULANCE. AS THERE WAS MINIMAL SCRAPES ON THE POWER POLE, AND MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED FOR COLLISION DAMAGE, I DID NOT NOTIFY THE AUTHORITIES. MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS BENT INWARD, AND THE TIRE WAS BLOWN DOWN THE CENTER OF THE TREAD. UPON REPLACING THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE, WE FOUND THAT THE A ARM HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ROTOR, AND THE RIGHT CV AXLE HAD PULLED AWAY FROM THE TRANSMISSION, EFFECTIVELY DISABLING MY CAR. THE TIRE IN QUESTION IS A GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A P195/60R15; THE ORIGINAL TIRE FROM THE PURCHASE DATE OF 9/13/05, AND WITH LESS THAN 27,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE TIRES WERE CLOSE TO BALD PRIOR TO THE BLOWOUT, AND I HAD BEEN CONSIDERING TAKING THEM IN FOR A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT DUE TO THEIR SHORT LIFESPAN. I HAVE HAD PRIOR TIRE ROTATIONS DONE AT LARRY GEWEKE FORD IN YUBA CITY, AND THEY HAD NOT INFORMED ME OF ANY TREAD WEAR PROBLEMS AT THE TIME FOR THIS PARTICULAR TIRE. THIS TYPE OF DEFECT COULD HAVE EASILY KILLED MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER IF IT HAD OCCURRED AT HIGHER SPEEDS. *NM