2003 Ford Focus

2003 FORD FOCUS IGNITION LOCKED SO THE KEY WOULDN'T TURN. WE HAD TO HAVE A LOCKSMITH COME OUT TO REMOVE THE IGNITION LOCK PINS, WHICH HE REPORTED COMMONLY MALFUNCTION IN THIS WAY. THIS IS A COMMONLY REPORTED PROBLEM ON 2000-2005 YEAR FORD FOCUS VEHICLES, BUT FORD WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT CAN RESULT IN DRIVERS BEING STRANDED, UNABLE TO START THEIR VEHICLES. *TR

MY 2003 FORD FOCUS WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY ONE PERSON, MY OWN SUNDAY DRIVER GRANDMOTHER AND IS CURRENTLY ONLY DRIVEN BY MYSELF AND MY MOTHER. IT HAD ONLY 47,800 MILES ON IT WHEN THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION LEAVING MY MOTHER STRANDED AT ONE PLACE AND ME STRANDED ACROSS TOWN WAITING FOR A RIDE. THE FAULTY IGNITION CYLINDER LOCKED UP RANDOMLY POTENTIALLY MAKING THE CAR A ROADSIDE AND/OR TRAFFIC HAZARD. *TR

KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. AFTER SOME REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO START, EVENTUALLY THE KEY WOULD WORK. THIS TIME, IT HAS REFUSED TO BUDGE. SEEMS TO BE CONNECTED TO THE STEERING WHEEL BEING TURNED BUT THAT LOCKS UP TOO, SO IT CAN'T RESOLVE ITSELF. RESEARCH ON INTERNET SUCH AS CONSUMER'S REPORT SHOWS THIS TO BE A FREQUENT COMPLAINT WITH THIS MODEL. DEFECTIVE IGNITION! THE OTHER DAY IT LEFT ME STRANDED WITH TWO SMALL CHILDREN. I WOULD CLASSIFY THAT AS A SAFETY CONCERN! *TR

WITH NO WARNING AND 1000K OUT OF THE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN OR START THE CAR. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, A NEW IGNITION CYLINDER COST $258.44 PLUS TOW. CONSUMERS DO NOT EXPECT A CAR WITH 37K TO FAIL ON THEM LIKE THIS. I COULD HAVE BEEN ON A FAMILY OUTING WITH MY SON WHO IS A DIABETIC. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY REPORTED YET FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. DEPENDABILITY OR LACK THERE OF, IS IMPERATIVE TO THE SAFETY OF A VEHICLE. *TR

I HAD A CRACK IN THE COOLANT RESERVOIR THAT I TOOK TO GET REPAIRED. I DROVE MY CAR THERE, TURNED THE CAR OFF WHILE WAITING FOR THE CUSTOMER IN FRONT OF ME TO PULL UP. I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND PULLED IT UP TO WHERE THE SERVICEMAN WAS WAITING. I TURNED THE CAR OFF. I GAVE THEM MY INFORMATION. THE SERVICEMAN THEN TOOK MY CAR, STARTED IT, AND DROVE IT INTO THE SERVICE BAY. THEY DID THE WORK ON THE CAR AND THEN WITHOUT WARNING THE IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN OVER. THEY TRIED AND TRIED. IT WOULDN'T TURN. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING OR ANYTHING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I WENT TO THE FORD DEALER AND ASKED THEM HOW THIS HAPPENS, IF IT HAPPENED OVER TIME, OR WHAT. THE GUY TOLD ME THAT IT COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME AND THEN IT WOULD COST $400 TO GET REPAIRED. JUST OUT OF THE BLUE WITHOUT WARNING HE SAID THAT THE IGNITION COULD GO OUT! I TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND HE ONLY HAD TO REPAIR THE IGNITION SWITCH AT VIRTUALLY HALF THE PRICE USING FORD DEALER PARTS! IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE THAT SOMETHING AS VITAL AS THE IGNITION CAN JUST STOP AT ANY TIME! *TR

WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED, WHEELS TURNED, STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, THE IGNITION CYLINDER WILL NOT TURN I.E. THE KEY WON'T TURN THE IGNITION. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MORNING. WHEN PUSHING IN ON THE KEY, THE KEY WAS ABLE TO TURN THE IGNITION. IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED THE KEY WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN IN IGNITION. I TALKED TO TWO DEALERSHIPS AND THEY WERE BOTH AWARE WITH THE PROBLEM AND THE TEMPORARY SOLUTION. I TALKED TO THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER AND HE SAID HE AS SEE THIS HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES. HE TOLD ME THAT FORD STOP USING THIS TYPE OF IGNITION SYSTEM HOWEVER, CHEVROLET STARTED USING THIS SYSTEM AND HE HAS SEEN THE SAME PROBLEMS OCCUR WITH NEW CHEVROLETS. *TR