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. THE CONTACT STATED THE BATTERY WARNING LIGHT AND THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD LIGHTING BEGAN TO ABNORMALLY FLICKER ON AND OFF. THE ALTERNATOR WARNING LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THERE TO BE A SHORT IN THE SYSTEM BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 66,939.

I OWN A 2002 FORD FOCUS SE AND FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS WE'VE BEEN FORCED TO "ENTICE" OUR KEY INTO THE IGNITION AND TO TURN IN THE IGNITION TO START THE CAR. FINALLY, TODAY, 07/25/2010, WE HAD TO LEAVE IT WHILE VISITING A FRIEND BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT START, NO MATTER WHAT WE DID. WE WILL BE TOWING IT AND FIXING THE PROBLEM AND, THROUGH RESEARCH, WE HAVE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT WOULD COST $300+ TO DO SO. *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.

THE IGNITION ON MY 2002 FORD FOCUS WILL NOT WORK AND MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO MANY PEOPLE ALSO. THIS ISSUE WILL LEAVE YOU STRANDED AND UNABLE TO LEAVE YOUR CURRENT DESTINATION. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY IT IS UNRELIABLE. I WORK FOR A FIRE AND RESCUE AGENCY WHICH REQUIRES ME TO MAKE QUICK RESPONSE AND WITH THIS DEFECT I CANNOT. IMAGINE IF A FEMALE IS IN A DOMESTIC ISSUE AND NEED TO GET AWAY OR IS OUT SHOPPING LATE AND NEED TO LEAVE THE AREA SHE IS LEFT VULNERABLE AND ALONE WITH NO WAY OF LEAVING. THIS DEFECT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED ASAP. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND THAT AFTER REPLACING THE DEFECTED PART YOU STILL WILL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE BECAUSE OF POOR DESIGN. YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *TR