2002 Ford Focus

LEFT REAR WHEEL TIPPING IN AT TOP SO MUCH THAT YOU COULD SEE IT BEFORE 3500 MILES. THIS CAUSES THE REAR END TO BE MUCH "LOOSER" THAN IS NORMAL OR ACEPTABLE. FORD PROVIDES NO ADJUSTMENT FOR CAMBER IN REAR AND THIS CAUSED LEFT REAR TIRE TO HAVE A CUPPING PATTERN ON THE INSIDE EDGE. APPARENTLY IF THE CAMBER ISN'T CORRECT TO BEGIN IT WILL THROW OFF THE WHOLE ALIGNMENT. ONE DEALER CHECKED AND SAID IT WAS IN SPEC. AT 15,000 MI. FOUND DEALER WHO UNDERSTOOD THE PROBLEM AND INSTALLED A JUST RELEASED SHIM KIT. FORD REFUSING TO COVER KIT, ALIGNMENT, OR TIRE UNDER " BUMPER-TO-BUMPER" WARRANTY (TRYING TO CLAIM IT IS A NORMAL WEAR ITEM, OR A TIRE PROBLEM, OTHER TIRES ARE FINE!). HAD TO PAY $142 + TIRE SO THAT THE REAR END DOESN'T COME AROUND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.*AK

I HAVE DRIVEN MY FORD FOCUS SE WAGON NOW FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. IT IS A COMPANY CAR FOR WHICH I DRIVE APPROXIMATELY 50,000MILES PER YEAR. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRES THREE TIMES SINCE RECEIVING THE VEHICLE DECEMBER 2001. EVERY 20,000 MILES THE REAR ALIGNMENT GETS LOOSE AND ESPECIALLY IN WINTER DRIVING ON WET PAVEMENT, I FEAR FOR MY LIFE BECAUSE WHEN I CANNOT TRAVEL AT THE SPEEDS OF SURROUNDING TRAFFIC FLOW. THERE IS A VIBRATION IN THE REAR TIRES CAUSED POSSIBLY TO A BENT FRAME OR POOR DESIGN. I HAVE NEVER REPLACED THE FRONT TIRES OR EVEN ROTATED THEM SINCE NEW! THEY ARE STILL PLENTY ADEQUATE FOR TRACTION. THE REAR ALIGNMENT PROBLEM SEVERELY HAMPERS THE FUEL ECONOMY OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT FEELS AS THOUGH I AM DRAGGING THE REAR END AROUND EVERYWHERE I GO. I AM TURNING THE VEHICLE IN THIS NEXT MONTH FOR A REPLACEMENT AND I HAVE DECIDED I WILL NEVER PURCHASE A FORD VEHICLE AGAIN DUE TO THE HISTORY OF BAD LUCK I HAVE HAD WITH FORDS IN THE PAST.

GOT IN ACCIDENT, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. GOT FIXED??? FORD LET ME GO BACK OUT ON THE ROAD WITH A BRAND NEW SAFETY DEVICE AND IT WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE TIME BETWEEN THE ACCIDENT AND THE TIME I GOT IT FIXED FORD WAS VERY UNCONCERNED AND DID NOT ANSWER ANY OF MY CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS. MY SAFETY WAS AT RISK AND THEY DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.*AK

IT ALL STARTED ON CHRISTMAS DAY OF 2002. MY CAR WAS ONLY 6 MONTHS OLD AND THE STARTER WENT OUT. ABOUT FOUR MONTHS LATER I BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTOMATIC LOCKS. SOMETIMES THE DOORS WOULD LOCK ALL BY THEMSELVES AND AT OTHER TIMES THEY WOULD NOT LOCK AT ALL. I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE REP INFORMED ME THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT UNLESS IT WAS ACTING UP AT THE TIME I BROUGHT IT IN. WELL, BY THE TIME I WOULD GET TO THE DEALERSHIP EVERYTHING WAS OK AGAIN. ON THE 7TH OF JULY I TOOK MY CAR TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED. WHEN I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP ALL THE GAUGES ON MY DASH WERE FLIPPING ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT AND COMING BACK AGAIN. AND MY BATTERY LIGHT WAS ON. I WENT RIGHT BACK TO SERVICE DEPT. THEY DROVE THE CAR AND (SURPRISE!) IT WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN. THEY SAID THEY MAY HAVE SPILLED SOME COOLANT ON THE BELT AND IT WAS JUST LOSING VOLTAGE. AS SOON AS THE COOLANT WORE OFF IT SHOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN. ON JULY17 I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND I LOOKED AT MY GAGES AND NONE OF THEM WERE WORKING. IT WAS JUST LIKE THE CAR WAS NOT EVEN STARTED. I MADE A U-TURN AND WENT TO THE SERVICE DEPT. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IN THE NEXT DAY AND THEY WOULD GIVE ME A RENTAL CAR UNTIL THEY COULD FIND THE PROBLEM. THE SAME AFTERNOON THEY CALL ME AND TELL MY CAR IS READY. I ASK IF THEY HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM AND THE REP INFORMS ME THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR (AFTER ONLY ONE DAY WITH IT!). WELL THEY MUST THINK I'M SOME KIND OF HYPOCHONDRIAC FOR MY CAR! I TOLD HER THAT I WAS NOT COMING TO GET THAT CAR UNTIL THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM AND FIXED IT. I CAN NOT TELL HOW FAST I AM GOING AND I'M SURE THEY WOULDN'T LIKE TO PAY FOR ANY SPEEDING TICKETS.*AK

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW, TOOK DELIVERY 9/28/02. A FEW MONTHS LATER, I NOTICED THE MATERIAL COVERING THE STEERING WHEEL HAD DEVELOPED SOME ROUGH SPOTS IN THE SURFACE. I COULD NOT REMEMBER DOING ANYTHING THAT WOULD HAVE SCRAPED OR ROUGHENED THE SURFACE. THE MATERIAL COVERING THE STEERING WHEEL HAS CONTINUED TO CRUMBLE OFF UNTIL NOW, LARGE CHUNKS ARE MISSING OFF ABOUT 6" OF IT, WITH THE METAL OF THE UNDERLYING STEERING WHEEL SHOWING IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS. ANOTHER SEVERAL INCHES ARE STARTING TO DISINIGRATE. THE WHEEL DOES NOT RUB AGAINST ME WHILE I AM DRIVING, BUT IS OCCURRING ALONG THE LOWER 1/3 OF THE WHEEL. TODAY, 7/16/03, I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY EVENTUALLY AGREED TO DO SO, BUT NOT BEFORE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TRIED TO INTIMIDATE ME OUT OF REPLACING IT BY INSISTING THAT I HAD DAMAGED IT MYSELF. I HAD TO ARGUE WITH BOTH THE TECHNICIAN AND THE SERVICE MANAGER BEFORE THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE WHEEL UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, FOR HAD THEY BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN INTIMIDATING ME, OR OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, A FAULTY STEERING WHEEL UNSAFE TO HOLD IS WHAT THE OWNER WOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT WITH. I HAVE FILED THIS COMPLAINT FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES AND FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION PURPOSES.*AK

PURCHASED 2002 FORD FOCUS 4 DR SEDAN, TOOK DELIVERY 9/28/02. ABOUT 1-2 WKS LATER, TRIED TO START CAR, IGNITION KEY WOULD NOT TURN OVER. CALLED FORD ASSISTANCE TOLL-FREE #, THEY ADVISED WIGGLING THE WHEEL WHILE TURNING THE KEY. THEY SAY IGNITION KEY SOMETIMES WILL NOT TURN WHEN WHEELS ARE TURNED OR PARKED UP NEXT TO A CURB. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES SINCE, NOT ALL UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES. TODAY, 7/16/03, WITH JUST OVER 19,000 MILES ON IT, I BROUGHT IT INTO DON HIND'S FORD DEALERSHIP IN FISHERS, IN, WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. THEY HAVE PUT A NEW CYLINDER LOCK IN THERE, PER KIP JACOBS OF DON HINDS FORD. MR. JACOBS DID TRY TO GET ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG ALL CARS. I INFORMED HIM I'VE BEEN DRIVING 33 YEARS, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR DO THIS. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. I RARELY LOAN MY CAR, NOR IS IT DRIVEN BY ANYONE ELSE. NEVERTHELESS, SHOULD I DO SO, AND FORGET TO WARN THEM OF THIS PECULIARITY IN ADVANCE, THEY MAY HAVE AN URGENT NEED TO START THE CAR, AND BE UNABLE TO DO SO. (LIKE, "MY BABY CAN'T BREATH! LET'S GET HER TO THE HOSPITAL FAST!") OR IF I SELL IT TO SOMEONE ELSE, IF THEY AREN'T AWARE OF THIS IDIOSYNCRASY, AND DON'T KNOW THE FORD TOLL-FREE ASSISTANCE #, THEY MAY BE STRANDED UNTIL THEY CAN FIND A WAY TO GET HELP. I WANTED TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES AND FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION PURPOSES.*AK