2002 Ford Focus

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED SHE WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY. THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE VALVE SEAT HAD FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE PISTON SKIRT TO FRACTURE ALONG WITH THE CONNECTING ROD. IN ADDITION, THE FAILURE CAUSED CYLINDER SCORING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 87,000. UPDATED 11/23/10*JB

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SUDDENLY ON MY 2002 FORD FOCUS. IMMEDIATELY, I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP. THE TECHNICIAN COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM , THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULDN'T COME ON. THEREFORE, NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY. WITHIN IN WEEK, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. THIS TIME THERE WAS A MISS IN THE ENGINE AND IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH. NOW, THE FORD DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TOLD ME MY FOCUS SE HAD A DROPPED VALVE AND IN THE #4 CYLINDER. INORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THE HEAD OF THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REMOVED TO SEE IF THE DROPPING OF THE VALVE HAD CAUSED SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. BECAUSE THE SCHEDULED REQUIRED MAINTENANCE,I.E OIL CHANGES, ACCORDING TO FORD INSTRUCTIONS FOR MY FORD FOCUS, I THOUGHT THE ENGINE WOULD LAST. AFTER THIS EVENT, I BECAME CURIOUS ABOUT FORD FOCUS' ENGINES. WAS THIS AN ISOLATED MECHANICAL FLAW? OR WAS IT AN ENGINE DEFECT? FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS TYPE ENGINE FAILURE APPEARS TO BE FROM A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE 2.0 LITER EFI SPI TYPE OF ENGINES. FOR YEARS, I THOUGHT THE FORD FOCUS WAS A GREAT PRODUCT TO HAVE BECAUSE OF ITS RELIABILITY, IF YOU COMPLIED WITH SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE OF THE VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT I WAS WRONG. THE COST OF REPAIR FOR A WELL-MAINTAIN FOCUS ENGINE $6000.00. THERE IS A PATTERN TO THESE ENGINE FAILURES. SHOULD THE 2002 FOCUS BE RECALLED FOR ENGINE DEFECTS? ALL I KNOW IS THAT QUALITY WELL-MAINTAIN ENGINES SHOULDN'T HAVE DROPPED VALVES FOR NO APPARENT REASON. SO, IT MUST BE SOME TYPE OF ENGINES DESIGN DEFECT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 5 TO 10 MPH, SHE HEARD A LOUD BANGING NOISE. SHE DROVE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT AXLE LOOKED AS IF IT WAS GOING TO BREAK. SHE SAFELY DROVE THE VEHICLE TO HER RESIDENCE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR AND IT WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER AGAIN. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT BOTH FRONT AXLES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE DEALER ADVISED HER ON THE THIRD VISIT THAT THE FRONT AXLES THAT WERE REPLACED WERE DEFECTIVE AND THAT THE WHEEL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD AN EXHAUST LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 123,000.

2002 FORD FOCUS SE STATION WAGON. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. ENGINE HAS STRONG NOISE. THE CONSUMER STATED IT TOOK THREE TIMES TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION. THE WINDOW REGULATORS WERE REPLACED FOUR TIMES, THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING FAILED TWICE WHICH CAUSED COOLANT LEAK. ALSO, THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM AND THE COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. *JB

DETAILS: THE CAR'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STARTED STALLING, HAD IT CHECKED AND WAS TOLD IT NEEDED A TIMING BELT AND TUNE UP. AFTER $1400 LATER AND STILL THE SAME PROBLEM THAT THE CAR WAS ONLY RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS AND WAS RECOMMENDED TO PUT AN ADDITIVE IN THE ENGINE TO TRY TO LOOSEN UP STUCK VALVES... STILL SAME PROBLEM . THEN TEARING THE ENGINE APART FOUND DAMAGE DONE TO # 4 CYLINDER . *TR

ON 3/12/09, WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 FORD FOCUS SE WAGON ON MAIN STREET (RI-3) IN ASHAWAY, RHODE ISLAND, AT ABOUT 35 MPH, HIT A SMALL BUMP WITH THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. A LOUD SCRAPING NOISE IMMEDIATELY ENSUED. WAS ABLE TO STOP WITHIN A FEW FEET. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT BOTH MOUNTING STUDS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE ENGINE MOUNT FOR THE TRANSVERSELY MOUNTED ENGINE HAD BROKEN OFF ALLOWING THE ENGINE TO DROP DOWN ONTO THE PASSENGER SIDE DRIVE AXLE. THE CAR WAS FLATBED TOWED 5 MILES TO MY MECHANIC. HIS INSPECTION SHOWED THAT ONE OF THE STUDS HAD BEEN BROKEN FOR SOME TIME, WHILE THE SECOND SHOWED A FRESH BREAK. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF CORROSION, OR THAT THE STUDS HAD EVER BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED. I DON'T KNOW HOW OFTEN THIS FAILURE OCCURS, BUT THE TOW OPERATOR AND BOTH MECHANICS AT THE SHOP HAD NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT THE CAR BECOMES INOPERABLE WITHOUT CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE. THE RESULT AT HIGHWAY SPEED COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. THE FAILURE WAS CORRECTED BY REPLACING THE BROKEN STUDS WITH NEW FACTORY PARTS. I HAVE THE TWO BROKEN STUDS IN MY POSSESSION. *TR

I HAD TO REPLACE THE MOTOR MOUNTS TWICE IN APPROXIMATELY A 4 MONTH PERIOD DUE TO CRACKING AND COMPLETE BREAKING, A PARTIAL BREAK IN ONE AND GENERAL OVERALL WEAKENING. MY MECHANIC ONLY CHARGED ME THE FIRST TIME FOR THE MOUNTS AND INSTALLATION (THE SECOND TIME WAS A FREE REPLACEMENT--AS THE MOUNTS FAILED, AND AS IT CAME ONLY A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST REPLACEMENT). MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE FORD FOCUS VEHICLES DUE TO THE LACK OF STABILITY IN THE MOTOR MOUNT AREA. BASICALLY, HE SAID THAT THERE ISN'T MUCH STRUCTURAL SUPPORT FOR THE ENGINE AND THE MOTOR MOUNTS GET STRESSED AS A RESULT OF THE VIBRATIONS AND CONSTANT TENSION ON THEM. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN AT SOME POINT. I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SOME TYPE OF JURY RIG DEVICE TO REINFORCE THE STABILITY OF THE AREA. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? *TR

ON MY 2002 FORD FOCUS, THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING BEGAN LEAKING COOLANT WHEN THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING GASKET AGAINST THE ENGINE BLOCK FAILED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON VARIOUS YEARS OF THE FOCUS AS VERIFIED BY THE COMMENTS OF THE FORD MOTOR CO. PARTS SALES PEOPLE IN SAYING THAT THEY SELL MANY OF THE THERMOSTAT HOUSINGS, AND ALSO BY BLOGS ON INTERNET CHAT LINES. THE RUBBER GASKET SWELLS WHEN IT COMES IN CONTACT WITH OIL AND BREAKS OFF THE INNER GASKET-SUPPORT RING, ALLOWING THE LEAK TO HAPPEN. IT IS A POOR DESIGN THAT CAN LEAD TO MAJOR PROBLEMS SUCH AS ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND ENGINE FAILURE. I WOULD BE GLAD TO MAIL THE AFFECTED PART TO YOU FOR YOUR EXAMINATION. IT IS AMAZING HOW COMPLETELY THE SUPPORT RING FAILED, AND THE CONDITION OF THE GASKET THAT IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH OIL WHICH LEAKS FROM THE VALVE COVER ABOVE. THE PART COULD EASILY BE REDESIGNED TO USE A STANDARD O-RING FOR THE SEAL, WHICH IS RESISTANT TO OIL, AND SEALS BETTER. THE CURRENT GASKET IS MORE LIKE A RUBBER BAND THAT IS HELD IN PLACE BY THE INSIDE RIM WHICH BREAKS OFF. *TR