2000 FORD FOCUS Complaints

I JUST BOUGHT A 2000 FORD FOCUS AND THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THE WOMAN HAD THE TUMBLER REPLACED LAST YEAR (08/06). WILL HAVE TO TAKE TO THE DEALER AND HAVE IT FIXED. SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A PERSISTANT PROBLEM WITH 2000 FORD FOCUS CARS. *TR

CAR WOULD START STALLING AT LIGHTS OR STOP SIGN. THEN STARTED SHAKING AND JUMPING AT LIGHTS AND STOP SIGNS. WOULD HAVE TO PUT IN NEUTRAL WHICH DID NOT HELP MUCH. WHILE DRIVING WOULD RPM HIGH WOULD HAVE TO TAKE FOOT OF GAS SO IT WOULD CHANGE GEARS, AT THE SAME TIME NO POWER. AT 1/4 TANK WHILE DRIVING JUST STALLS/WAIT & START AGAIN. *JB

IGNITION ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE CAR WAS PARKED AND LEFT TO SIT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. UPON RETURN, THE KEY COULD NOT BE FULLY INSERTED INTO THE IGNITION. MY 3-YEAR-OLD SON AND I WERE STRANDED. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED ABOUT 7 MILES TO THE DEALER. DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF ABOUT $348. THE OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

2000 FORD FOCUS-AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD (FAILURE). SYMPTOMS, ROUGH IDLE, STALLING, CAUSES COMPUTER CONTROL SYSTEM TO MAKE ENGINE RUN LEAN FURTHERING THE PROBLEM. ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN AIR INTAKE CONTROL VALVE. THE MATERIAL DISINTEGRATES OVER TIME WHICH ALLOWS EXCESSIVE AIR INTO THE AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD, CAUSING THE OXYGEN SENSOR TO DETECT TO MUCH OXYGEN AND SENDING THE COMPUTER A SIGNAL TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL. THE ENGINE SPEED AT IDLE DECREASES TO AROUND 500 RPM AND STALLS. AT HIGHER SPEEDS, THE ENGINE RUNS ROUGH AND HAS SUBSTANTIAL LACK OF POWER AND MISFIRING. DEALER EXAMINED VEHICLE AND TRIED TO DEFRAUD ME BY ENCOURAGING ME TO REPLACE NUMEROUS ITEMS AT THE SAME TIME. INSPECTION COST WAS EXCESSIVE, SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME AND RAISED THE HOOD TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER. AN AIR SUCKING SOUND WAS HEARD AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THIS AIR STOP OR VALVE HAD DISINTEGRATED. THE WAY IT WAS DISCOVERED WAS BY FOLLOWING THE SOUND TO THE PART AND TOUCHING IT TO CONFIRM A VACUUM INTO THE ENGINE. WHEN TOUCHED THE PART DISINTEGRATED INTO MY HAND. I PROCEEDED TO TEMPORARILY SEAL THE LEAK WITH DUCT TAPE AND THE IDLE INCREASED TO NORMAL SPEED AND THE VEHICLE QUIT STALLING. THEREAFTER, I WENT TO MY LOCAL KRAGEN AUTO SUPPLY AND PICKED UP A RUBBER HOSE CAP ABOUT 3/8 INCH DIAMETER INTERNALLY. THEN I TOOK THE DUCT TAPE OFF AND FORCED THE RUBBER HOSE CAP OVER THE AIR VALVE WHICH SEALED THE LEAK. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEM. THE DEALER RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD HAVE COST ME AROUND $1,000.00 IN REPAIRS. THE ACTUAL REPAIR COST ME AROUND 0.35 CENTS. FORDS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PART SHOULD BE ON RECALL BECAUSE IT SHOULD NOT DISINTEGRATE. I CAN UNDERSTAND WEAR AND TEAR AND MECHANICAL FAILURE, HOWEVER I CAN NOT AND WILL NOT ACCEPT PRODUCT DISINTEGRATION AS ACCEPTABLE IN CURRENT AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY, AND NEITHER SHOULD OUR GOVERNMENTS NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. *JB

FAILED IGNITION CYLINDER LOCK. UPON ENTRY INTO VEHICLE I PROCEEDED TO ATTEMPT TO START VEHICLE. KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN IGNITION. TRIED MOVING STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY WHICH SOMETIMES ALLOWS IGNITION TO TURN. HOWEVER THIS TIME, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND KEY WOULD STILL NOT TURN. SPENT ABOUT 30 MINUTES TRYING TO GET KEY TO TURN. STRANDED, HAD TO CALL FOR TRANSPORTATION AND TOWING. CYLINDER LOCK REPLACED BY DEALER. EXPENSIVE REPAIR. NO DISCOUNT. KNOWN ISSUE WITH FOCUS VEHICLES WIDELY REPORTED WITHIN THE INTERNET COMMUNITY. *JB

AFTER RAIN, WATER PUDDLED ON PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR. CONTACTED FORD DEALER WHO SAID THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THEY REFERRED US TO A REPAIR MAN WHO SAID HE FIXED SEVERAL HUNDRED CARS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THERE WAS 4 INCHES OF WATER IN CAR AND THERE IS A FOUL MOLDY SMELL IN CAR. APPARENTLY THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM AS I HAVE NOTICED THE SMELL IN CAR PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *TR

OUR 2000 FORD FOCUS STATION WAGON IGNITION LOCK "FROZE" SO THAT WE COULDN'T DRIVE THE CAR. WHEN I SPOKE WITH A LOCKSMITH AND SAID THE WORDS "2000 FORD FOCUS" HE SAID "DON'T TELL ME, THE IGNITION LOCK WON'T TURN, WILL IT." HE INDICATED THAT HE ALONE IS CALLED OUT ON ONE OR TWO FORD FOCUS IGNITION LOCK FAILURES EVERY WEEK. WHILE THIS WAS AN INCIDENT IN WHICH NOBODY WAS INJURED AND NO PROPERTY DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE LOCK HAVING TO BE DESTROYED AS PART OF THE REPAIR BY BEING DRILLED OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THE LOCKSMITH CHARGE FOR THE SERVICE CALL AND REPAIR WAS $186.81. WE SPENT TWO AND A HALF HOURS STUCK IN A SHOPPING CENTER MALL WAITING FOR THE REPAIR. IN MY OPINION SINCE MANY OF THESE IGNITION LOCKS HAVE FAILED BASED ON A NUMBER OF INTERNET SITES CARRYING REPORTS OF FAILURES SIMILAR TO OURS, IT IS MY OPINION THAT FORD SHOULD ORDER A RECALL IN ORDER TO REPLACE SUB-STANDARD IGNITION LOCKS, AND SHOULD REIMBURSE OWNERS SUCH AS US FOR EXPENSE WE'VE UNDERGONE HAVING THEIR DUB-STANDARD LOCKS REPAIRED OR REPLACED. *TR

IGNITION IS LOCKED AND WILL NOT TURN TO THE START POSITION ,I TRIED TO WIGGLE THE STEERING WHEEL TO MAKE SURE THE STEERING WASN'T LOCKED AND ITS LOCKED TOO. *TR

PERTAINING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V482000 AND FORD CAMPAIGN NUMBER 03N01. *JB

RE: NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 00V-418 - - IN JULY 2007 WE BOUGHT A 2000 FORD FOCUS WAGON AS A 2ND CAR. UPON LOWERING THE BACK SEAT TO LOAD ITEMS, THE SEAT SEPARATED FROM THE HINGE. RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET I LEARNED OF THE ABOVE NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN AND CONTACTED FORD. THEY STATE THAT NO RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR MY VEHICLE AND REFUSE ANY FURTHER COMMENT, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFECT IN MY CAR IS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE. I EVEN REFERRED THEIR "CUSTOMER RELATIONS" OFFICE TO YOUR WEBSITE AS AN "FYI" BUT THEY ADAMANTLY REFUSE TO REPLY WITH ANY MEANINGFUL RESPONSE. ALTHOUGH I INTEND TO HAVE THE DEFICIENCY REPAIRED AT MY OWN EXPENSE, I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH FORDS "STONEWALL" TACTIC AND DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES I REFER THIS MATTER TO YOUR AGENCY IN THE EVENT THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CONFIRM WHETHER, OR NOT, MY VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A RECALL FOR THE PARTICULAR ITEM CITED IN CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 00V-418 AND/OR IF FORD IS IN VIOLATION OF THE RECALLS MANDATE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *TR