2002 Ford Focus

MY 2002 FORD FOCUS HAS A PLASTIC GROMMET THAT HOLDS THE BASE OF THE HOOD PROP IN PLACE. THIS IS A ENGINEERING DEFECT, BECAUSE OUR GROMMET BROKE AND THE HOOD FELL ON MY HUSBAND AND I. I ORDERED THE PART FROM THE PARTS DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALER AND WAS SURPRISED IT WAS A $5.00 PART THAT I AM SURE WILL BREAK AGAIN OVER TIME. IN FACT ALL NEW FOCUSES HAVE THIS CHEAP $5.00 PART. I HOPE NO CHILD IS EVER NEAR THE HOOD WHEN IT BREAKS. MOST CARS HAVE METAL BASES FOR THE HOOD PROP THAT SWIVEL AND LAST A LIFETIME. I PLEAD WITH SOMEBODY OUT THERE TO GET FORD TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. I TRIED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE REAR DOOR LATCH MALFUNCTIONED AND THE DOOR WOULD NOT LATCH. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE TAPE IN ORDER FOR THE DOOR TO REMAIN CLOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO ADVISED HER THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000. UPDATED 06/24/11 *BF UPDATED 06/30/11. *JB

ON MARCH 17, 2011, MY 2002 FORD FOCUS SUDDENLY STALLED OUT AS I WAS ACCELERATING UPHILL, TURNING RIGHT ON A RAMP TO ENTER A BUSY HIGHWAY. FUEL TANK WAS ABOUT . I RESTARTED THE ENGINE A COUPLE TIMES, BUT IT STALLED OUT AGAIN AFTER A FEW SECONDS. IT WAS POTENTIALLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION, BUT LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO ROLL THE CAR BACK DOWNHILL TO A SAFER LOCATION. (LATER I LEARNED THAT AN IDENTICAL SCENARIO IS DESCRIBED IN FORD DEALER LETTER 03N01, IN WHICH FORD AGREES TO REPLACE FUEL DELIVERY MODULES FOR 2000 AND 2001 MODELS, BUT NOT 2002.) I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALER, BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO LOOK AT IT TILL THE NEXT MORNING, AT WHICH TIME THE CAR STARTED FINE. FORD RAN MANY TESTS, INCLUDING ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL, TOOK IT OUT FOR 3 ' 4 TEST DRIVES AND COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. THEY CHARGED $150 FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC LABOR. THIS CAR HAS DONE THIS EVERY YEAR NOW FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS. SIMILAR, BUT NOT IDENTICAL, STALLS OCCURRED ON MARCH 16, 2009, MARCH 10, 2010 AND MARCH 17, 2010. EACH TIME, I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. LOCATIONS WERE DIFFERENT, SO IT WAS ALWAYS A DIFFERENT SHOP. NONE OF THEM WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT RIGHT AWAY, AND BY THE TIME THEY LOOKED AT IT THE NEXT DAY, THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, EACH ONE CHARGED ABOUT $150 LABOR. THOSE 3 INCIDENTS ALSO REQUIRED A NEW 15 AMP FUSE FOR THE FUEL PUMP, PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THE REPEATED UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER IT STALLED. THIS YEAR, I STOPPED TRYING TO RESTART AFTER 4 UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. THE FUSE DID NOT BLOW THIS YEAR. IN BETWEEN THESE STALLOUTS, USUALLY EXACTLY ONE YEAR APART, THE ENGINE HAS STARTED AND RUN SMOOTHLY, WITH NO INDICATION OF PROBLEMS. EACH TIME A STALL HAS HAPPENED, THE CAR HAS WORKED FINE THE NEXT DAY, WITHOUT ANY ADDITION OF FUEL. THIS INDICATES THAT IT IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE QUALITY OR QUANTITY OF FUEL IN THE TANK. THE ONLY EXPLANATION THAT I CAN SEE FOR THESE UNPREDICTABLE FAILURES IS A DEFECT IN THE FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM. *TR

TWO NIGHTS AGO I DROVE MY 2002 FORD FOCUS ZX3 TO A NEARBY BANK TO USE THE WALK-UP ATM. SINCE IT WAS AFTER BUSINESS HOURS, I PARKED ALONG A CURB, BUT NOT IN A PARKING SPACE. I USED THE ATM AND UPON RETURNING TO THE CAR, MY KEY REFUSED TO TURN IN THE IGNITION CYLINDER. IT WAS AS IF ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY KEY WAS THE WRONG KEY FOR THE VEHICLE. SINCE I WAS NOT IN A PARKING SPOT, I PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND RAN A HALF MILE TO MY HOME TO RETREIVE MY SPARE KEY. UPON RETURNING, I FOUND THAT IT DID NOT WORK EITHER. NO MATTER WHAT I TRIED, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION CYLINDER. I WANTED TO GET THE CAR TO A PARKING SPACE SO I PUT THE CAR (A MANUAL TRANSMISSION) INTO NEUTRAL AND BEGAN PUSHING IT FORWARD. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED, AND BECAUSE I COULD NOT MOVE THE KEY, I HAD TWO OPTIONS - MOVE THE CAR STRAIGHT FORWARD, OR MOVE THE CAR STRAIGHT BACK. I MOVED THE CAR FORWARD TO A SLIGHTLY BETTER SPOT, BUT COULD NOT MANEUVER IT INTO A TRUE PARKING SPOT. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK SINCE THE CAR WOULD SURELY BE TOWED AT THE START OF BUSINESS HOURS THE NEXT DAY. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR ARRIVED HE TOLD ME HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE IN FORDS, AND SAID THAT I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, OTHERWISE HE WOULD LIKELY NOT BE ABLE TO TOW IT (IT WAS A FLATBED TOW TRUCK). I HAD HIM TOW THE CAR TO A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. THAT NIGHT I LOOKED UP INFORMATION ONLINE AND FOUND THAT MANY FORDS 2000-2003 HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM - SOME PEOPLE EVEN SAID THE KEY WOULD GET STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THE NEXT DAY THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE KEY CYLINDER ISSUE, BUT THAT THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM FOR $501.56. I SAW NO ALTERNATIVE AND HAD THEM PUT IN A NEW IGNITION CYLINDER AND ISSUE 2 NEW KEYS. THE DEALER KEPT THE OLD PARTS (OLD IGNITION CYLINDER AND KEYS). THE NEW IGNITION CYLINDER APPEARS TO BE WORKING FINE (BUT KEEP IN MIND THE OLD ONE APPEARED TO BE WORKING FINE AS WELL BEFORE MALFUNCTIONING). *TR

I HAVE A 2002 FORD FOCUS ZX5. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR IS SEIZED IN THE LOCKED POSITION. THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO OPEN THIS DOOR. THIS RESULTS IN A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF THE PASSENGER IS NOT ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY. THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE THIS HAPPENED AND APPEARS TO BE PERMANENT. THE ACTUATOR MUST BE REMOVED AND REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $400.00. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL BANGING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR WHEN DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TRAILING ARM WAS FRACTURED AND STRIKING AGAINST THE BRAKE LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000. UPDATED 04/05/11*LJ UPDATED 04/05/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS LS. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STEER AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE AND INSPECTING THE PROBLEM, HE NOTICED THE LEFT STRUT SPRING COLLAPSED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE BUT THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN WITHIN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE. THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

WHILE DRIVING, THE SPARK PLUGS EJECT FROM THE BLOCK. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE AN ENGINE FIRE. THIS PROBLEM HAS APPARENTLY BEEN REPORTED TO FORD, BUT THEY CLAIM NOTHING CAN BE DONE UNTIL THEY RECEIVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE SPARK PLUGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES ALONG WITH THE COIL. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND INCONVENIENT AND FORD NEEDS TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE EVERYONE IS HAVING WITH THEIR VEHICLES. *TR