2002 Ford Focus

THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW BY GRANDMA. SHE SOLD IT TO HER GRANDSON THIS YEAR. IT IS "LIKE NEW" AND WAS ALWAYS KEPT IN AN ENCLOSED GARAGE. IT HAS HAD DEALER SERVICING. THE LAST 10,000 MILES IT HAS INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO MAINTAIN AN IDLE. WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE CAR WILL OFTEN DIE. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TWICE AND AN INDEPENDENT SHOP ONCE - EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS THE FUELING/EMISSION SYSTEM BUT THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE BUT BECAUSE IT ONLY HAPPENED ON OCCASION. THEN THE OVERDRIVE SOLENOID FAILED AND GAVE AN ERROR CODE. BY REPLACING THE SOLENOID THE IDLE PROBLEMS STOPPED. MY MECHANIC HAS A THEORY - THE OVERDRIVE SOLENOID WILL START TO FAIL WITHOUT GIVING AN ERROR CODE, DURING THIS PERIOD THE TORQUE CONVERTER WILL OCCASIONALLY STAY LOCKED-UP IN OVERDRIVE, THUS THE CAR WHEN JUST IDLING CAN'T OVERCOME THE TRANSMISSION RESISTANCE AND NOT IDLE PROPERLY OR STOP RUNNING, WHICH OURS DID. MANY DOLLARS WERE WASTED ON FUEL SYSTEM CHECKS AND CLEANINGS.BEFORE WE FOUND THE ANSWER - IT WAS ALSO VERY DANGEROUS. THIS PART IS VERY SMALL AND APPEARS TO BE POORLY MADE. FORD FORUMS SHOW IT WILL FAIL AGAIN AND AGAIN. *TR

I DROVE MY FORD FOCUS ABOUT 6 MILES TO A STOP LIGHT. WHEN IT TURNED GREEN, I PRESSED THE GAS. THE CAR STALLED LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS, REGAINED PARTIAL POWER, AND DISPLAYED THE AIRBAG LIGHT. IT MADE IT TO THE NEXT STOPLIGHT, AND I PULLED IT OVER TO THE SIDE AND TURNED IT OFF AND REMOVED THE KEY. AT THAT POINT A PLUME OF WHITE SMOKE SHOT OUT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE HOOD. I TOLD MY SON TO GET OUT BECAUSE I KNEW THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. WE WALKED AWAY, AND AS WE DID, THE AMOUNT OF SMOKE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. WITHIN MINUTES, THE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERED AND MELTED, THE HOOD WAS CHARRED AND BLACK, THE PLASTIC PARTS OF THE FENDERS AND BUMPERS MELTED AWAY, AND PART OF THE BODY METAL BURNED AWAY ON THE HOOD AND THE FENDERS. EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS MELTED, DISTORTED, OR OTHERWISE DESTROYED. I KEPT THE CAR VERY WELL MAINTAINED, MAKING SURE TO FIX EVERYTHING THAT WAS EVER WRONG WITH IT IMMEDIATELY UPON DISCOVERY. I KEPT UP ON ALL OIL CHANGES. IT IS PERPLEXING THAT A CAR WHICH IS SO WELL KEPT WOULD SPONTANEOUSLY SELF-IGNITE, HOWEVER THERE HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTS OF FIRES IN THE FORD FOCUS SINCE 2000, AND MANY SINCE. NOW I HAVE ADDED ONE MORE. THE CAR, OBVIOUSLY, IS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

THE FRONT SUB FRAME ON MY 2002 FORD FOCUS ZTS WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND UNABLE TO SUPPORT THE FRONT SUSPENSION. I ALSO HAD MY CAR INSPECTED BY A FORD DEALER WHO PASSED IT AND TOLD ME NOTHING ABOUT HOW DESTROYED MY SUB FRAME WAS. WHEN I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC THEY TOLD ME IT WAS SO BAD I SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE BOLTS WHERE EVEN RUSTED OUT OF THE SUB FRAME. ITS BELIEVED THAT THIS ALSO CAUSED MY MOTOR MOUNTS TO HAVE TO BE REPLACED. CAUSE SUCH BAD VIBRATION THAT IT RUINED ALL MY SHOCKS, STRUTS, AND ALL 4 OF MY TIRES. THE TIRES WHERE ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD AND ARE DESTROYED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT DROVE OVER A SPEED BUMP AND HEARD A POPPING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRINGS WERE FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE COIL AND STRUT ASSEMBLY WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,800.

KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER. IGNITION KEY COULD BE INSERTED ALL THE WAY INTO THE LOCK CYLINDER, BUT KEY WOULD NOT TURN FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS TO EITHER ENGAGE THE STARTER OR TURN ON ACCESSORIES. TRIED MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL TO FREE UP THE CYLINDER AND MADE SURE THE CAR WAS IN PARK TO TRY AND TURN THE CYLINDER. NOTHING. WAS TOLD BY THE AAA MECHANIC THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH EARLY MODEL YEAR FORD FOCUSES. THE ISSUE, PER THE AAA TOW TRUCK OPERATOR COULD BE TEMPORARILY RESOLVED BY USING SOME WD40 ON THE KEY AND A COUPLE OF QUICK TAPS TO THE KEY WHILE IN THE LOCK CYLINDER. THIS FIX DID NOT WORK AT THIS TIME. HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER SINCE THIS WAS NOT A FIX I COULD MAKE ON MY OWN (I COULD REPLACE THE CYLINDER MYSELF, BUT THE CAR'S PASSIVE ALARM WOULD NEED TO BE RE-SET BY THE DEALER). RESULTING CHARGE WAS $378.50 FOR A PART I COULD HAVE FIXED FOR $60-70. MY LOCK CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE RE-KEYED BY THE LOCAL FORD DEALER. SAFETY ISSUE: COULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED. CAR FAILURE OCCURRED ON VERY COLD DAY. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A POPPING NOISE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER COMING TO A STOP THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE RECALL HAD ALREADY EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,900.