2002 Ford Focus

I OWN A 2002 FORD FOCUS WITH APPROXIMATELY 44,000 MILES. I RECENTLY HAD TO REPLACE THE EVAPORATOR CORE WHICH COST ME $900.00, I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF $1,100.00 THROUGH THE FORD DEALER. I WOULD EXPECT THAT A MAJOR PART LIKE THIS WOULD HAVE A LONGER LIFE THAN THIS. THE FORD DEALER REFUSED TO SELL THE PART TO AN OUTSIDE SOURCE AND STATED THEY WERE SAVING THE 11 THEY HAD ON HAND FOR THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS, AS THIS PART HAS BEEN A PROBLEM IN THE FOCUSES. WE HAD TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $50.00 TO SPECIAL ORDER. IF THIS IS THE CASE THAN WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS PART. I FEEL I SHOULD NOT BE REPLACING MAJOR PARTS ON A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 44,000 MILES ON AND ANOTHER 3 YEARS OF PAYMENTS.*JB

THE DAY WAS VERY HOT, 90+ DEGREES. I HAD THE AIR CONDITIONING ON WHILE DRIVING AND HAD TO TAKE MY HUSBAND TO A DENTIST APPOINTMENT. I LEFT THE CAR RUNNING WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING ON FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, THEN SHUT THE CAR OFF. AFTER ANOTHER 5 MINUTES, I RESTARTED THE CAR, WITH AIR CONDITONING ON AND WAITED FOR MY HUSBAND TO RETURN. THE CAR WAS RUNNING FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT 25 MINTUES WHILE PARKED. MY HUSBAND RETURNED AND WE PROCEDED TO GO OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN TO GET SOME DINNER. IT WAS 4:30 PM AT THIS TIME. ON OUR WAY, THE CAR STARTED TO 'JERK' FORWARD AND BACKWARD AND I HAD NO ACCELERATION AT ALL. I STEPPED ON THE GAS AND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENED. I MANAGED TO GET OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHEN THE ENGINE JUST DIED. I TRIED TO START IT SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. WE WAITED SEVERAL MINUTES AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR. WE DROVE ON, WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ON FOR ABOUT 6 MORE MILES WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I MANAGED TO GET OFF THE ROAD, BUT NOT BEFORE THE ENGINE DIED. MY HUSBAND CALLED A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WE WERE TOLD IT SOUNDED LIKE THE FUEL PUMP MIGHT NEED REPLACING. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, NOT THE ONE WE HAD CALLED, AND WERE TOLD THEY WOULD GET TO IT THAT NIGHT YET. THEY CALLED US AT 8:30 PM AND HAD NOT GOTTEN AROUND TO DOING THE DIAGNOSTICS AS YET. THEY CALLED BACK WITHIN 30 MINUTES AND TOLD US THAT THE FUEL PUMP WILL PROBABLY NEED REPLACING, BUT THEY WILL CALL US AS SOON AS THEY KNEW FOR SURE. AT 11:30 PM, THEY CALLED TO SAY THAT THE DIAGNOSTICS HAD SHOWN NOTHING AND THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE CAUSE MAY HAVE BEEN AND WERE SHOCKED THAT SUCH A THING COULD EVEN HAPPEN TO SUCH A NEW CAR. THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. WE PICKED THE CAR UP THIS MORNING AND ARE PRAYING TO GOD THAT WE CAN GET HOME THIS EVENING WITHOUT THE PROBLEM HAPPENING AGAIN.

FOCUS 2002 STARTED TO RUN ROUGH AROUND 40,000 MILES. HAD A MAJOR TUNE UP 2 X'S IN 6 MONTHS. CHANGED ALL THE PLUGS, WIRES, OIL & FLUIDS, STILL HANDLED ROUGH LIKE IT NEEDED TO BE TIMED. FOCUS'S HAVE NO TIMING BELT. I TOOK IT IN & WAS TOLD THE PLUG WIRE RAN OVER THE BLOCK WAS THE CAUSING THE ROUGH IDL, DUE TO THE CABLE MELTING ON THE BLOCK. I REPLACED THE CABLE & AGAIN THE IDLE WAS STILL ROUGH, BUT NOW STARTED TO SURGE & MISS ALSO. DRIVING @ VARIOUS SPEEDS, CONDITIONS & ROADS & STILL IT WOULD SURGE & MISS FIRE & THEN DRIVE ON. TOOK IT IN & TOLD WITH NO LIGHT SHOWING & UNLESS IT COULD REPEAT THE SURGE/MISS NOTHING IT COULD BE DONE. LESS THAN A MONTH LATER THE BATTER DIED ON A TRIP OUT OF TOWN. CHECKED THE BATTERY & FULL OF CORRIOSION. BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY & CHECKED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TOLD NOTHING WRONG AGAIN. AFTER A YEAR OF SURGING/MISSING (AT LEAST 1 A WEEK) THE CAR DIED AGAIN & WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY. THE BATTERY TESTED & WAS TOLD IT IS THE ALTERATOR, BOUGHT A NEW ONE. WE THEN DID AN OIL CHANGE. WE TOOK IT IN & ASK THEM AGIAN ABOUT THE SURGING & MISS & ASKED IF IT COULD BE CHECKED WHEN THEY DID THE OIL. WAS ADVISED THAT IT COULD BE THE FUEL INJECTORS BUT WITH OUT THE CHECK ENGINE OR OIL LIGHT ON THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE. TWO DAYS LATER WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY & ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH LIGHT UP, FELT LIKE THERE WAS NO POWER WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED, AT THAT POINT EXITED THE FREEWAY, ALMOST GOT TO THE EXIT & THE WHOLE CAR STALLED OUT, WALK HOME ABOUT 4-5 MILES. BACK OVER TO JUMPED IT, IT STARTED UP WITH A NEW CLACKETY CLACK IN THE MOTOR, DID NOT DRIVE AT ALL, I TOWED IT BACK TO THE MECHANICS WHO DID THE OIL & TESTED IT. I WAS TOLD ON FRIDAY 5/27 THAT THEY THINK IT MIGHT BE A VUALVE OR A ENGINE TAP. PLEASE HELP

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE BATTERY CABLE MELTED AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS BAD AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. A WEEK PRIOR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND SMOKE HAD COME FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FOURTH GEAR WENT OUT BECAUSE IT'S WIRE CONNECTION MELTED. THE CONSUMER FELT THE FAILURES WERE DUE TO THE ENGINE MISPLACED CABLE PROBLEM AS STATED IN RECALL 02V288000. *AK *SC *JB

I DRIVE A 2002 FORD FOCUS LX. I HAS APPOXIMATLEY 56,000 MILES. I HAD BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE BODY WORK DONE ON THE FENDER. I WAS TOLD THE THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETE, AND I LEFT WITH MY CAR. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, GOING FIFTY FIVE MPH, WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE JUST STOPED. AFTER WE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER, WE PUSH-STARED THE CAR AND DROVE DIRECTLY BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO TOLD ME THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND FUEL INJECTOR LINES WERE BROKEN. THIS OCCURS IMMEDIATLEY AFTER I HAD BODY WORK DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. IN FACT, IT WAS THE SAME HOUR OF THE SAME DAY I LEFT !! *AK

THIS IS A COMPLAINT MADE TO THE FORD COMPANY ON 11-18-2004. DEAR [XXX], [XXX] HAS FORWARDED TO MY HOME BOTH YOUR LETTERS THAT WERE DATED OCTOBER 12, 2004 AND NOVEMBER 3, 2004. YOUR LETTERS WERE WRITTEN IN ADDRESSING MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT (FILE NO.: [XXX], VIN#: [XXXX]) REGARDING THE SAFETY FEATURE OF THE 2002 FORD FOCUS VEHICLE MY DAUGHTER PURCHASED FROM THE JACOB TWIN FORD DEALERSHIP, LOCATED AT 6750 W. GRAND AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL UNITED STATES 60707, PHONE (866) 276-4943. I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY THAT I AM NOT ONLY COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ?LEAK? AND RUST? PROBLEM, BUT I ALSO DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT, WHICH I DISCOVERED AFTER I CAME BACK HOME FROM CHICAGO IN SEPTEMBER 2004, THAT THERE IS NO WEATHER STRIP AT ALL UNDER THE HOOD. BECAUSE OF THIS LACKING OF A WEATHER STRIP, THE SALTY VAPORS MAY HAVE BEEN SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DURING THE WINTER SEASONS IN CHICAGO CAUSING RUSTING PROBLEM. I HAVE REQUESTED THAT FORD MUST INVESTIGATE THIS POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD AND MAKE UP RECALLS TO INSTALL A WEATHER STRIP TO FIX THIS "SAFETY"-RELATED PROBLEM.*AK UPDATED 07/24/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)