2004 Ford Focus

WE PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2004 FORD FOCUS, 3 YEARS AGO. OF COURSE THE WARRANTY JUST RAN OUT (WE'RE AT ABOUT 38,000 MILES). OVER THE PAST 2 WEEKS, WE'VE HAD PROBLEMS GETTING THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION, AND ONCE IN THE IGNITION, THE KEY WONT TURN. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT TOOK JUST A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS AND THEN IT TURNED. IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE, AND HAS TAKEN UP TO 5 MINUTES TO GET THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION AND TO TURN. EXACTLY 2 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS AFTER THE PROBLEM AROSE, I WENT TO START MY CAR AND THIS TIME IT TOOK 10 MINUTES TO GET TO KEY INTO THE IGNITION AND TO TURN. THAT SAME NIGHT I WAS ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE A FRIENDS HOUSE, AND AGAIN THE KEY HAS TROUBLE GOING INTO THE IGNITION, AND ONCE IN IT WONT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED, AND I'M STUCK. MY HUSBAND HAS ANOTHER KEY TO THE CAR, SO WE TRIED ALTERNATING THE KEYS. WE SAT IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR 30 MINUTES, TRYING BOTH KEYS ALTERNATELY, AND THE KEY JUST WOULDN'T TURN. WE HAD TO GET A RIDE HOME AND ARE WITHOUT A CAR NOW. OUR MECHANIC SAID THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO SOMEONE ELSE WITH THE SAME CAR LAST WEEK, AND IT COST THEM $420 FOR PARTS/REPAIRS. WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK WHEN WE CAN AFFORDS THE REPAIRS. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME CAR (FORD FOCUS, SEVERAL YEARS/MODELS) SOME OF THEM EVEN HAD TO REPLACE THE SAME PART MORE THAN ONE TIME. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A FAULTY PART, AND FORD SHOULD BE CONDUCTING SOME SORT OF RECALL TO FIX THE PART. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2004 SVT FOCUS 10/06. IN 12/06, THE COIL PACK WENT BAD, THEY FIXED THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. ON 3/9/07 AS I WAS LEAVING A FRIENDS HOUSE, THE SAME SYMPTOMS HAPPENED TO ME AS THIS PAST DECEMBER, THEN WENT AWAY VERY QUICKLY. I MADE THE DECISION TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE HOME AND CALL THE DEALERSHIP. I NEVER MADE IT HOME. ABOUT A 1/4 MILE FROM MY FRIENDS HOUSE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE AND SHUTTER VERY VIOLENTLY. I PULLED OVER QUICKLY AND SMOKE STARTED TO COME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I LIFTED THE HOOD AND THE COIL PACK THAT HAD BEEN REPLACED WAS GLOWING RED AND SHOOTING SPARKS AND BEGAN TO NOT ONLY CATCH ITSELF ON FIRE, BUT STARTED SETTING ALL THE CABLES AND OTHER THINGS ON FIRE.AT THE SAME TIME THE CLUTCH ALSO EXPLODED AND BLEW THROUGH THE BELLHOUSING. WHICH THERE IS A TSB ISSUED BY FORD ON. ALSO, AT THIS TIME, THE VEHICLE WAS STILL TRYING TO RUN ALL ON ITS OWN, AND THE KEYS WERE IN MY POCKET. I AM UNSURE OF THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FIRE, BUT IT WAS NOT DONE BY ANYTHING THAT I WAS DOING OR HAD DONE TO THE VEHICLE. IT CURRENTLY HAS 35,900 MILES ON IT AND IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. SIDE NOTE, AFTER THE WHOLE INCIDENT WITH THE COIL PACK BACK IN DECEMBER, I JUST RECENTLY DECIDED TO PULL UP THE HISTORY ON MY VEHICLE FROM FORD'S DATABASE. IN DECEMBER I WAS BROUGHT INTO THE OFFICE AT THE DEALERSHIP AND ALMOST BLAMED FOR ABUSE OF THE COIL BECAUSE IT WAS SO DESTROYED. YET, WHEN I LOOKED UP MY HISTORY IT SAYS THAT ALL THAT WAS REPLACED WAS A CONNECTOR ON THE COIL, NOT THE COIL ITSELF. SO, THE COIL WAS NEVER ACTUALLY REPLACED, BUT I WAS ALMOST BEING BLAMED FOR DESTROYING MY COIL. I AM STILL FIGHTING TO GET MY VEHICLE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY AND BEING TREATED VERY POORLY. I AM A MECHANIC BY TRADE AND I'M BEING TALKED TO AND TREATED LIKE A 5 YEAR OLD ANYTIME I TRY TO GET ANSWERS. THEY ARE STILL NOT TAKING RESPONSIBLITY FOR THE MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL FAILURE OF THEIR VEHICLE THAT THEY CLAIMED TO FIX. *AK

YESTERDAY I GOT INTO MY CAR (A 2004 FORD FOCUS), PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, AND THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN. TODAY I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED. THE KEY CYLINDER HAD MALFUNCTIONED. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FOCUS, BUT FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS REFUSED TO RECALL THE AFFECTED MODELS EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP DID REPAIR THE PROBLEM, BUT I HAD TO PAY OVER $200 FOR IT. *NM

CAR STALLS WITHOUT NOTICE. SENT DAUGHTER TO EMERGENCY ROOM ONE TIME. STALLS 2 DIFFERENT WAYS, WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES WHEN COMING TO A STOP. TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL HAPPENS. HAS BEEN IN SHOP MANY, MANY TIMES AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT PROBLEM. STARTED WHEN CAR WAS 7 MONTHS OLD. ALSO, CLUTCH PREMATURELY WENT OUT. HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 OR 3 TIMES. (CAR HAS 26,000 MILES CURRENTLY). ALSO, THERMOSTAT HAS GONE OUT MANY, MANY TIMES- DAUGHTER HAS DRIVEN MOST OF WINTER WITH NO HEAT. *NM

IGNITION LOCK ON 2004 FORD FOCUS FAILED (FROZE UP). THIS IS THE SAME SCENARIO THAT HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED ON THE INTERNET FOR WHICH FORD HAS NOT DONE A RECALL. FORD DID REPAIR THIS UNDER WARRANTY AT NO CHARGE TO ME, BUT SINCE THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE CHRONIC, I WANT TO BE SURE THAT THE INCIDENCE OF THE PROBLEM IS RECORDED. *JB

ON OCTOBER 26, 2006 AT 8:00 AM I TRIED TO START MY VEHICLE AND THE IGNITION KEY WOULD NOT TURN. I CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE PERSON SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE AN IGNITION LOCK AND HE SAID HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE REPAIR. I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY HAD NO TOWING SERVICE. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DEALERSHIP WAS APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES AWAY, I INSTEAD HAD IT TOWED TO A GARAGE DOWN THE ROAD. THE GARAGE INSTALLED A NEW LOCK CYLINDER. I WAS LATE FOR WORK AND HAD TO BUM A RIDE TO PICK MY CAR UP AFTER WORK. THE GARAGE CHARGED ME FOR 2 AND 1/2 HOURS OF WORK, THE TOWING AND THE PART, THE TOTAL BEING $308.62. ALL THIS ON A CAR ONLY 2 AND 1/2 YEARS OLD. AFTER THE REPAIR WAS DONE I CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BECAUSE I DID NOT BRING IT TO THEM. I WROTE TO FORD HEADQUARTERS AND THEY AGAIN REFUSED TO PAY FOR IT. *NM

2004 FOCUS BELT TENSIONER BROKE AND BATTERY FAILED. *TS THE FRONT DOOR HAD TO BE ALIGNED AND THE DOOR SEAL WAS REPLACED. THE THROTTLE CABLE HAD TO BE RE-ROUTED DUE TO THE CABLE BINDING. THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WERE REPLACED. THE LEFT REAR MOTOR ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED, THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT LENS AND RIGHT SIDE CV AXLE WAS REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING ERRATICALLY. THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TURN, AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR UNTIL THE ENGINE REVVED UP PAST 6000 RPM. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SERVO PISTONS. THE TRANSMISSION WAS EVENTUALLY REPAIRED. THE BATTERY FAILED 5 TIMES. *JB

08/15/06 I PURCHASED USED 2004 FORD FOCUS. 10/24/06 CAR DIES ON ME WHILE DRIVING. IT DIES AND AN "EXCLAMATION POINT" INDICATOR COMES ON IN THE DASH. THIS IS A VERY ABRUPT HALT WHENEVER IT DIES. IT ALMOST FEELS AS THOUGH SOMEONE HITS YOU FROM BEHIND. TOOK CAR TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER THEY REPLACED THE TR SENSOR FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. 11/06/06 PICKED CAR UP AND ON THE WAY HOME IT DIED ON ME TWICE. TOOK CAR BACK TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME THEY SAY THAT THEY FOUND WIRES THAT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CHEWED BY AN ANIMAL. THEY REPLACED THESE WIRES AND THE CAR HAS NOT DIED AGAIN SINCE. **THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO HAVE YOUR CAR JUST DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY WHILE DRIVING. *JB