2003 Ford Focus

CAR STARTS BUT WHEN PUT IN GEAR, STALLS OUT. ENGINE WILL RUN WITH FOOT ON GAS PEDAL BUT STALLS OUR WHEN PLACED IN GEAR. **HAPPENS ONLY IN VERY HOT WEATHER TEMPERATURES. SEARCH WEB FOR FORD FOCUS STALLING OUT IN HOT WEATHER. HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS ARE REPORTING THIS PROBLEM BUT NO SOLUTIONS FROM ANYONE INCLUDING FORD. VERY DANGEROUS TO HAVE CAR QUIT RUNNING AT STOP SIGNS, INTERSECTIONS ETC. NO ANSWER FROM FORD IN SPITE OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB. MUST USE TWO FEET WITH ONE ON GAS PEDAL AND ONE ON THE BRAKE. FORD HAS NO BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM THAT EFFECTS SO MANY FORD FOCUS OWNERS.

MY CAR LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER, BUT WAS STILL RUNNING THEN FINALLY IT DIED. I LOST ALL LIGHTS AND ELECTRIC BATTERY WAS DEAD SO I BOUGHT NEW BATTERY THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN, SO I BOUGHT NEW ALTERNATOR BECAUSE OLD ALTERNATOR WAS BAD, THEN NEW ALTERNATOR DIED WITHIN A MONTH. SAME PROBLEM, THEN I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND A FORUM ABOUT THE HATCH BACK FOCUS AND ITS WIRING PROBLEM INSIDE THE PROTECTIVE SLEEVE. SO I PEELED BACK PROTECTIVE SLEEVE AND SURE ENOUGH THERE WERE EXPOSED WIRES JUST LIKE THE THOUSANDS OF POSTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE, THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL MY CAR OFF THE ROAD BEFORE IT DIED, BUT WITH SEVERITY OF THIS PROBLEM THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.

THE CAR STALLS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING. ALL POWER IS LOST FOR STEERING AND BRAKES. HIGHLY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR. HAPPENS IN ALL CONDITIONS AND UNEXPECTEDLY. CAR WILL RESTART. APPEARS TO BE A CURRENT "RECALL" OF FORD CARS FOR THE SAME ISSUES. DEALER HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO FIX AND CLAIMS TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS APPEARS TO BE A NEVER ENDING PROBLEM WITH FORDS BASED ON THE INFORMATION I SEE ONLINE. HAVE ALREADY REPLACED AIR HOSE, SPARK PLUGS, VALVE COVER GASKET, WIRES. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY OTHERS ONLINE TO CLEAN THE MAF SENSOR AND THROTTLE BODY, BUT THE DEALER DOESN'T REALLY KNOW IF THAT IS THE PROBLEM OR WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. TO THEM THERE IS NO PROBLEM. I CAN SEE FROM INFORMATION POSTED BY OTHERS ALONG WITH THE RECENT RECALL THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM FOR FORD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT AND HAVE ALMOST HIT OTHERS WHEN THE CAR STALLS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR MORE THAN 1 YEAR. RECENTLY STALLED 2 TIMES IN A WEEK WHILE DRIVING.

THE PISTON SHATTERED AT 109,000 MILES. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND MANY MORE COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME THING. COME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE ENGINE WHEN IT COMES TO THE VALVE SEAT. THIS HAPPENED IN THE #3 CYLINDER. THE WALLS OF THE CYLINDER WALL IS SO SCORED FROM THE DAMAGE THAT IT WILL REQUIRE A NEW ENGINE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I WAS IN A PARKING LOT AFTER SHOPPING. I TURNED THE KEY AND IT WOULD NOT START. IT ALSO MADE A TERRIBLE NOISE. BEFORE THAT, IT WAS RUNNING FINE. I HAD NO TROUBLE WITH MY CAR EXCEPT HAVING TO CHANGE AN ALTERNATOR. THAT'S IT. I CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3,000 MILES. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AT 90,000 MILES. IT WAS FROM A FRIEND WHO IS OBSESSED ABOUT KEEPING CARS MAINTAINED. HE WOULD GET A TUNE UP, SERVICED, AND CHANGE THE OIL WHEN IT WAS TIME. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED BY HIM. I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE ENGINE. BUT YET, THERE IS NO RECALL TO FIX THE FLAW. AND WHEN CALLING FORD, THEY SAY THAT THERE IS NO RECALL AND HAS NO INTENT AT OPENING ONE FOR THE FAULTY ENGINE.

CAR COMES TO A TRAFFIC STOP AND DIES. HAD BEEN SHAKING PRIOR AND HAD A DIAGNOSTIC DONE ONLY TO SPEND $150 TO HAVE IT NO BETTER . TOOK IT TO A BETTER MECHANIC WHO SAID THE VALVE SEAT DROPPED. I OWE 2K ON THIS CAR AND IT IS WORTHLESS NOT TO MENTION I AM A STUDENT WHO HAS TO GO TO WORK AND CLASSES WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RECOURSE HERE. HOW DO I KEEP MY JOB OR MY STATUS IN COLLEGE SHAME ON FORD YOU STARTED ME OUT WITH A REALLY BIG PROBLEM AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR A CAR THAT WONT GO ANYWHERE AND WILL NOT RUN ON A 2K DEBT. AND NO TRANSPORTATION SHAME ON FORD.. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VALVE SEAT FRACTURED WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE BLOCK TO CRACK. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.

WHILE WAITING IN A PARKING AISLE FOR A CAR TO EXIT A PARKING PLACE THE ENGINE ACCELERATED TO VERY HIGH RPM. AS MY CAR WAS STATIONARY AND MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND IN DRIVE THE CAR DID NOT SEEM TO MOVE. PLACING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL OR PARK MADE NO DIFFERENCE. SHUT OFF ENGINE AND RESTARTED WITH SAME RESULT. AFTER WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES WHILE RESPONDING TO AN INTERESTED PERSON I TRIED AGAIN AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. DROVE THE CAR HOME AND LEFT IT PARKED. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED . *TR

WHILE DRIVING, AN ODD ODOR COULD BE SMELLED, BUT WENT AWAY AFTER A MINUTE. CAME BACK ONCE BRIEFLY. 20 MINUTES LATER, AS I WAS ABOUT TO TURN INTO MY WORK'S PARKING LOT, MY CAR TURNED ITSELF OFF. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON, IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER AND ALL THE GAUGES WENT HAYWIRE. AFTER I STOPPED TRYING TO START IT, I TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND THE CAR ATTEMPTED TO START ITSELF. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS, THE INSIDE OF THE CAR FILLED UP WITH SMOKE. THE FIRE ORIGINATED NEAR THE BATTERY. AN OFFICER SHOWED UP LESS THAN 2 MINUTES AFTER THIS ALL OCCURRED, AND HE SAT THERE AND WATCHED MY CAR BURN. HE PULLED OUT A FIRE EXTINGUISHER 10 MINUTES LATER SO MY CAR WOULDN'T CREATE VISIBILITY ISSUES FOR THE CARS DRIVING PAST (IT DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOUR LANE ROAD). THEY TOLD ME IT WAS MOST LIKELY AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, I HAD MY ALTERNATOR REPLACED. THE NEW ALTERNATOR WAS A FORD MANUFACTURED PART. *TR