2003 Ford Focus

OUR 2003 FORD FOCUS HAS HAD TO HAVE THE IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED TWICE. PARKED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE CAR, CAME BACK TO START LATER AND THE IGNITION SWITH WOULD OT TURN. FIRST SWITCH WAS REPLACED IN JULY 2004 AND THE SECOND ONE IN MARCH 2005. TODAY WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON A CITY STREET THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME SO LOOSE IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND WILL HAVE TO BE TOWED FOR THE THIRD TIME TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE FIRST IGNITION SWITH WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE SECOND SWITCH. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON THE FORD FOCUS AND I BELIEVE A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE. OF MAJOR CONCERN IS THIS IS THE THIRD FAILURE ON A STEERING COLUMN IN A NEW VEHICLE.

IN JULY OF 2004 OPENED REAR PASSENGER DOOR AND IT WOULD NOT CLOSE. ONE MONTH LATER RIGHT SIDE PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE AFTER BEING OPENED. BOTH DOORS HAD TO BE TIED TOGETHER WITH A ROPE TO KEEP THEM SHUT. AS OF JULY 14, 2005 BOTH THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS WILL NOT OPEN. BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR IN FRONT STICK AND OCCASIONALLY WILL NOT CLOSE. THIS WAS REPORTED TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE IN MARCH OF 2005 BY PHONE. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON 2003 FORD FOCUS BUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON 2000-2002. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER AND PAY TO HAVE IT FIXED MYSELF. THE COST IS $250.00 PER DOOR. THE CAR WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD WHEN THIS PROBLEM STARTED. IT WAS ALSO OUT OF WARRANTY. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE EACH LATCH REPACED. I ALSO WILL NOT CARRY ANY PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICHLE FOR FEAR THE DOORS WILL FLY OPEN.

DT: THE CONSUMER STATES HE TOOK HIS VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW WINDOW REGULATOR. WHEN HE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THAT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER AND WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL AUGUST 15. THE POWER WINDOWS ON HIS VEHICLE WAS RISING SIDEWAYS. IF THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPEN, THE MECHANIC STATED IT WOULD EVENTUALLY BREAK. *JB

DT: CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE REAR DOOR ON THE WAGON DID NOT CLOSE PROPERLY AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DID NOT GO ALL THE WAY DOWN WHEN TURNING THEM OFF. DEALER WAS WORKING ON THE TRANSMISSION. ALSO, DEALER WILL TAKE CARE OF THE DOOR AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN THE SHOP FOR TRANSMISSION. *AK

TODAY, JUNE 24/05 MY 2003 FORD FOCUS WITH 22000 MILES ON IT, HAD A PROBLEM. I WENT TO START THE CAR, AND THE IGNITION WAS TOTALLY LOCKED UP. I HAPPENED TO HAVE STOPPED AT A GAS STATION, AND THE GARAGE MAN GAVE IT A TRY AND COULDNT' DO ANYTHING SO I CALLED FORD ROADSIDE. LA'S ALL CITY TOW, STOPPED VERY SHORTLY, AND TOLD ME THAT THEY KNEW VERY WELL THAT ALL THE FOCUS' DID THIS AND HE WAS ABLE TO SLAM ON THE KEYS JUST SO TO FORCE THE FAULTY IGNITION LOCK PIN TO TURN AND THE CAR STARTED SO I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE DEALER. THE HEAD OF SERVICE AT HOLLYWOOD FORD ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY ALL KNEW ABOUT THE ISSUE AND REPAIRED IT. HOWEVER BY THAT TIME I HAD MISSED WORK. I JUST SHUDDER TO THINK ABOUT SOME POOR PERSON SOMEWHERE STOPPING IN THE WRONG NEIGBORHOOD AND UNABLE SUDDENLY TO START THIER CAR, PARTICULARLY IF THEY HAVE A CHILD WITH THEM. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE REP ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE HAD BEEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND CONFIRMED THAT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED.

NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHERE THE BATTERY LIGHT WOULD FLICKER AND FLASH AND THE CAR WOULD STALL. FORD ISSUED A TSB WHICH "CURES" THIS BUT IT DID NOT WORK WITH ME OR MANY OTHER FOCUS OWNERS (JUST SEARCH WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM OR WWW.FOCALJET.COM). FORD SAYS THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL IT DOES THIS WITH THEM, BUT IT IS SO RANDOM THERE IS NEVER A SET OCCASION WHEN IT WILL DO THIS. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES BEFORE ME FOR THE SAME SITUATION. THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR HAVE BEEN CHANGED AND THE PCM "FLASH" HAS BEEN DONE OVER 2 TIMES. EVEN THE SERVICE REP AT THE SELLING DEALERSHIP SAID "THIS CAR REALLY LIKES TO BE HERE FOR THAT PROBLEM". THOSE WERE HIS OWN WORDS. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT HAS STALLED ON MY WHEN I WAS IN AN OFF-RAMP AND I ALMOST COLLIDED WITH THE BARRICADE AN AT AN INTERSECTION.

CAR STALLS OUT IN COLD WEATHER ONLY. CAR WAS PURCHASED ON OCT. '03 FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN JAN. OF '04. WENT THROUGH THE DISPUTE BOARD AND THEY WOULD NOT GRANT NEW VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP AND FORD ENGINEER CANNOT FIND PROBLEM. CAR WAS BROUGHT IN ON 6/6/05 WITH THE FORD FIELD ENGINEER PRESENT WHO WANTED TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE SINCE IT WAS NOT COLD OUTSIDE. PROBLEM STILL UNRESOLVED!