2003 Ford Focus

MY 2003 FORD FOCUS WITH 38,700 MILES ON IT RECENTLY NEEDED TO HAVE THE IGNITION CYLINDER REPLACED AS IT WAS CORRODED. I DO NOT DRIVE ME CAR "HARD" AND FOLLOW THE MAINTENANCE GUIDE EXACTLY. I LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE IF OTHER FOCUS OWNERS HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND FOUND DOZENS OF UNOFFICIAL COMPLAINTS BY OTHER OWNERS THAT THEIR IGNITIONS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WHEN THEIR CARS HAD VERY LOW MILEAGE AS WELL. ON TOP OF THIS, MY SISTER, WHO OWNS THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL FOCUS AS I DO, ALSO HAD TO HAVE HER IGNITION REPLACED LAST YEAR. I THINK FORD AND OTHER FOCUS OWNERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND TAKE STEPS TO CORRECT IT. IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS TO NOT BE ABLE TO START ONE'S CAR, AS HAPPENED TO ME. I WAS ONLY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT STRANDED IN AN UNSAFE AREA AT THE TIME. *NM

I OWN A 2003 FORD FOCUS ZX3 (STD) WITH 49000 MILES. THE WEEK OF ~2/1/06 TO 2/8/06 I BEGAN NOTICING THAT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION WAS GETTING STUCK AND WOULD REQUIRE SOME JIGGLING BEFORE THE KEY WOULD TURN IN THE IGNITION. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 5-10 TEN TIMES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. ON 2/8/06 I WENT OUT TO MY PARKED CAR AND THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN. I TRIED PUTTING THE CAR IN/OUT OF GEAR, TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL SHARPLY, REINSERTING THE KEY, ETC... THE CAR WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR WORK INCLUDED DRILLING OUT THE BROKEN IGNITION CYLINDER AND REPLACING THE IGNITION CYLINDER WITH A NEW ONE. THE COST TO ME WAS $370. THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR AND MECHANIC INDICATED TO ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FORD FOCUS AND THAT THEY HAVE BOTH TOWED AND REPAIRED QUITE A FEW OF FOCUSES FOR THIS PROBLEM. *JB

MY WIFE'S FORD FOCUS HAS ITS IGNITION STUCK. A FEW MONTHS BACK IT GOT STUCK BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET IT UNSTUCK AND START THE CAR. SINCE THEN THE IGNITION HASN'T SEEMED RIGHT. IT IS ALWAYS A HASSLE GETTING THE KEY TO TURN. MY WIFE WAS TRYING TO LEAVE WORK ONE DAY AND THE KEY WOULDN'T TURN. I WENT TO HELP AND THE KEY NEVER DID TURN. I NOW HAVE TO REPLACE THE TUMBLERS INSIDE THE IGNITION. IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND EVEN AFTER REPLACING THE IGNITION ONCE IT ONLY LAST A YEAR UNTIL THEY HAVE TO REPLACE IT AGAIN. IT COSTS ABOUT $300 TO REPLACE. WE ENDED UP HAVING TO TOW HER CAR TO MY HOUSE WHERE I THEN HAD TO SPEND THE MONEY TO FIX IT. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO DO THIS IF EVERYONE IS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE KEY WAS INSERTED INTO THE KEY SWITCH IT WOULD NOT TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. IT WAS DETERMINED THE KEY IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED REPLACED. ON THE FIRST OCCASION THE KEY IGNITION WAS REPLACED. THIS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. NOW THE KEY IGNITION SWITCH HAS FAILED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR PERSON AND DRIVEN TO THE CONTACTS HOME, WHERE REPAIRS ARE BEING MADE.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE IGNITION LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE IGNITION TUMBLER WAS REPLACED. THE IGNITION LOCKED UP AGAIN, AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE KEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT WORK WITH THE NEW IGNITION TUMBLER. ALSO, THE WINDSHIELD HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHEN HIT BY AN OBJECT ON THE HIGHWAY AND OVERNIGHT, WITH THE SOURCE UNKNOWN.

STARTING ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO (43,000 MILE) THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO LOCK AND THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN TO START THE CAR. AS MANY HAVE STATED ON THEIR COMPLAINTS AND ON AUTOMOTIVETALK.NET THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. I HAVE TO TAKE IT IN AND GET IT REPLACED. FROM ALL THE READING I DID IT WILL COST ME BETWEEN $250 AND $450. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL OR A LAW SUITE! *NM

2003 FORD FOCUS ZX3 IGNITION CYLINDER/SWITCH LOCKED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE MY WIFE WAS OUT ALONE AT NIGHT. I HAD TO CALL AND HAVE CAR TOWED WITH A FEE TO THE FORD DEALER. I'M SURE THIS WILL COST EVEN WITH THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER INFORMED ME THAT HE SAW A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF THESE DEFECTS. NHTSA REALLY NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT FORD'S APPARENT LACK OF CONCERN FOR THEIR CONSUMERS!! *AK