2003 Ford Focus

I OWN A 2003 FORD FOCUS. WE CANNOT GET THE KEY TO TURN IN THE IGNITION AND HAS LEFT ME STRANDED NUMEROUS TIMES. I HAVE READ THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY FORD FOCUS OWNERS. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A YEAR ON AND OFF. I FIND THIS TO BE OFFENSIVE THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED AS A RECALL WHEN I SEE THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM. CLEARLY IT IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE IGNITION. *TR

2003 FORD FOCUS. WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR GOT IN PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND IT WON'T TURN. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED. 3/4/10, THE FIRST TIME, IT "FINALLY", AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES TURNED AFTER PUTTING THE KEY IN AND OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE SECOND TIME ON 3/5/10, IT JUST WOULDN'T TURN. THE CAR IS SITTING, WILL HAVE TO CALL A LOCK SMITH TO GET IT FIXED. *TR

2003 FORD FOCUS ZX5--KEY WON'T TURN IN THE IGNITION, SO CAN'T START CAR. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND NO AMOUNT OF CRANKING, JIGGLING, ETC., WOULD ALLOW ME TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND START THE CAR. WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS, THEN TONIGHT I COULDN'T GET THE CAR STARTED AT ALL; NEITHER COULD A KIND STRANGER; NEITHER COULD MY HUSBAND. SNOWING AND COLD. I HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT OVERNIGHT AND HOPE IT WILL BE UNHARMED IN THE MORNING. WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE: TWO WEEKS AGO I WAS 120 MILES FROM HOME FOR THREE DAYS AND WOULD HAVE BEEN TERRIBLY STRANDED. I UNDERSTAND THAT FORD WILL REPLACE THIS DEFECTIVE PART (IGNITION SWITCH) WITH THE SAME SWITCH, WHICH WILL ALSO BE DEFECTIVE, AND THAT I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING STRANDED AGAIN WHEN THE KEY WILL NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AGAIN. COST WILL BE BETWEEN $350 AND $400, PLUS TIME AWAY FROM TEACHING SCHOOL (NOT A GOOD IDEA AND FROWNED UPON BY ADMINISTRATION). THE $350-$400 WILL ONLY BUY ME ANOTHER FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. THIS IS POTENTIALLY A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION. OTHERS HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN FREEZING, SNOWY WEATHER NOWHERE NEAR A REPAIR SHOP, IN EXTREME HEAT WITH SMALL CHILDREN IN THE CAR, IN UNSAFE NEIGHBORHOODS AT NIGHT (SEE HTTP://WWW.FORDPROBLEMS.COM/FOCUS/KEY-WONT-TURN-IN-THE-IGNITION.SHTML COMPLAINTS). FORD SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM AT NO COST THROUGH A RECALL AND INSTALLATION OF A RELIABLE IGNITION SWITCH. *TR

I AM A WOMAN WHO WAS LEFT SITTING WHEN MY IGNITION LOCKED UP AND THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN MY 2003 FORD FOCUS. I CALLED TRIPLE A AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS AT A COST OF $278.00 I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT APPARENTLY HAS NOT BEEN FIXED BY FORD AND COULD EASILY HAPPEN AGAIN. OF COURSE, THIS WOULD RESULT IN ANOTHER LARGE AMOUNT OF OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE FOR A NEGLECTING ACT OF FORD. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON EXPENSIVE PROBLEM THAT SHOULD HAVE A RECALL. IT'S A DANGEROUS THING FOR ANYONE TO BE LEFT SITTING WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING VEHICLE, LET ALONE A WOMAN BY HERSELF. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE IGNITION. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SECURITY SYSTEM; PASS SECURITY SWITCH. THE REPAIR PART WAS ORDERED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF THE PART. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERN OF THE SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 132,000.

I HAVE A 2003 FORD FOCUS SEDAN AND THE IGNITION LOCKED UP ONE DAY AND WOULDN'T START. IT WASN'T THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKING AND I HAD TO CALL AAA THINKING I'D NEED TO GET TOWED. THE AAA GUY ACTUALLY TOLD ME THIS WAS A VERY COMMON FORD PROBLEM AND THAT I WAS LUCKY I WASN'T STRANDED TOO FAR. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO START THE CAR BY HITTING THE KEY WITH A SMALL TOOL TO "UNLOCK" THE IGNITION. I'VE TRIED LEAVING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM HAPPENING AGAIN, WHICH MAKES ME FEEL UNSAFE, BUT THE PROBLEM OCCURS EVERY TIME I TAKE THE KEY OUT AND MADE ME WORRIED ABOUT BEING STRANDED OR PAYING TOWING COSTS. I FINALLY TOOK THE CAR TO THE FORD DEALER AND IT IS GOING TO COST ME ALMOST $500 TO GET THE IGNITION REPLACED. *TR

I'M UNABLE TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, WHICH LEFT ME STRANDED AT WORK AFTER 5:00PM AT NIGHT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR BECOMES INOPERABLE UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE. THIS DID HAPPEN TO ME ONCE BEFORE AROUND 09/2009. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A LOCKSMITH AND THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX IT. THEY TOLD ME THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MY CAR. I LOOKED THIS ISSUE UP ONLINE AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE FORD FOCUS. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE RECTIFIED BY FORD THROUGH A RECALL. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY SAID ALL WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT IS LOG YOUR CALL. BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE I'VE BEEN STRANDED TWICE IN THE PM. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE RECTIFIED BY FORD. *TR