2005 Ford Focus

MY KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND WILL NOT RELEASE. HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS A DAMAGED KEY BUT WHEN IT HAPPENED ON A 2ND KEY THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO OUR LOCAL FORD DEALER. DEALER HAS REPLACED LOCK, AND AFTER A REPEAT OCCURRENCE RE-KEYED THE LOCK AND RE-CUT THE KEYS. NOW KEY IS STUCK AND WILL NOT RELEASE. MARYLAND LAW REQUIRES KEYS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY. *TR

2005 FORD FOCUS STATION WAGON- LOSS OF TAIL LIGHTS, HIGH MOUNT STOP LIGHT, DASH LIGHTS, RUNNING LIGHTS DUE TO SHORT IN LIFTGATE WIRING. THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE LIFTGATE FATIGUES AT THE BEND AREA. WIRES BREAK, RESULTING IN A OPEN OR SHORT WHICH BLOWS FUSE. THE BLOWN FUSE RESULTS IN NO HIGH MOUNT STOP LIGHT, RUNNING LIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS, AND INSTRUMENT LIGHTS. IN ADDITION THE HEATED REAR DEFROST AND WINDSHIELD WIPER ALSO FAIL. THE HARNESS MUST BE REPLACED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE WAS PART OF A RECALL IN 2000- NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 00V411000. MY CAR IS A 2005. THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER FIXED IN PRODUCTION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY REMOVING THE IGNITION KEY, WHICH WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. SHE MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RELEASE THE KEY, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THEY ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN AND MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

MY BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS PAST WEEK ON MY WAY TO WORK...THEN ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MY MOTHER-IN-LAW AND I DECIDED TO GO TO ASHEVILLE, NC...WE GOT AS FAR AS WAYNESVILLE, AND MY CAR QUIT...(ABOUT 80,000 MILES ON MY CAR)...I WAS ABLE TO ROLL IT OFF AND POP THE CLUTCH AND GET IT TO START...I DROVE ABOUT 5 MILES, AND IT QUIT AGAIN...THIS TIME, I COULD NOT GET IT STARTED AGAIN...HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK...HAD MY CAR TOWED TO ANDY SHAW FORD IN SYLVA, NC, THE TOWN CLOSEST TO WHERE I LIVE...THEY CHECKED OUT MY CAR AND SAID THAT IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR...THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT IN COLD AND HOT WEATHER, THE ALTERNATORS WILL GO OUT...MY HUSBAND HAS A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA, WITH 240,000 MILES ON IT AND HE HAS NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR IN HIS TRUCK...I HAVE HAD THREE OTHER NEW CARS, THE FIRST ONE BOUGHT IN 1986, FORD FESTIVA...IT HAD 149,000 O SO ON IT WHEN IT QUIT....NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR...THE NEXT ONE I BOUGHT WAS A 1995 TOYOTA TERCEL, HIT A DEER WITH ABOUT 149,000 ON THE CAR...NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR IN THIS CAR...THE NEXT ONE I BOUGHT WAS A 2000 KIA RIO...TOTALED IT OUT WHEN SOMEONE HIT ME IN 2005...THE CAR HAD ABOUT 140,000 ON IT THEN...NEVER HAD TO EVER REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR IN THAT CAR...SO, WHY DID THE ALTERNATOR GO OUT ON THE FORD FOCUS? *TR

I CANNOT REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION ON MY 2005 FORD FOCUS. THIS HAPPENED SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND TRIED TO REMOVE THE KEY AND IT WILL NOT COME OUT. I HAVE SEEN THAT SEVERAL OTHER FORD FOCUS OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND FORD REFUSES TO DO A RECALL, CLAIMING THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, I ALSO NOTICED THAT I CANNOT LOCK THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR DOOR, EITHER MANUALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY. I THINK THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AS ANYONE COULD GET INTO MY CAR AND DRIVE OFF SINCE THE KEY IS STILL IN THE IGNITION AND THE DOOR WILL NOT LOCK. I WILL TRY TAKING THE CAR TO A LOCKSMITH TO GET THE IGNITION LOCK REPLACED AS I HAVE HEARD THAT THIS IS CHEAPER AND MORE RELIABLE THAN GETTING THIS PROBLEM FIXED BY THE DEALER. *TR

NOTICED ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK ON FRIDAY THAT WHEN I CLICKED ON THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL, IT WENT IN A "FAST BLINK" WHICH USUALLY MEANS A BURNED OUT BULB, SHORT, OR BLOWN FUSE, BUT USUALLY JUST A BURNED OUT BULB. ONCE I GOT HOME IN THE DRIVEWAY, I GET OUT AND TEST THE LIGHTS AND SEE THAT THE FRONT LEFT TURN SIGNALS ARE FLASHING FAST, AND THE BACK LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS NOT FLASHING AT ALL. I'M STILL HOPING FOR A BURNED OUT BULB AT THIS POINT. I MAKE A NOTE TO CHANGE IT OUT IN THE MORNING. ON SATURDAY OCT 4TH I PULL OFF THE LEFT REAR LIGHTING ASSEMBLY, CONSISTING OF TWO SCREWS HOLDING IT TO THE CAR, AND I FIND TWO BULB CONNECTIONS; THE BOTTOM ONE (BRAKE LIGHTS) HAS A NORMAL QUARTER TURN AND PULL OUT CONNECTOR TO GET TO THE BULB. ONLY THAT BULB IS FINE. THE TOP ONE ALSO HAS ONE OF THOSE "QUARTER-TURN-AND-PULL" CONNECTORS, ONLY IT DOES NOT "PULL" HECK IT DOESN'T EVEN QUARTER TURN, IT'S FROZEN IN PLACE, AND THE BACK SIDE OF THIS LIGHT ASSEMBLY IS MELTED INTO AN EGG SHAPE (SUPPOSED TO BE ROUND). NOW I'M NOT INTO JUST A BULB ANY MORE. IT'S SATURDAY, AND MY NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP IS ON M-F BANKERS HOURS, SO I ORDER A REPLACEMENT FROM AUTOZONE FOR $100 WHICH SHOULD BE HERE THIS WEEK. I SEE FROM NHTSA WEB SITE THAT THERE ARE NO EXISTING RECALLS FOR THIS ISSUE, HOWEVER SOMEBODY ELSE APPARENTLY HAS ALSO SUBMITTED THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I WILL BE ASKING MY FORD DEALER ABOUT IT THIS COMING WEEK, BUT I AM ALSO FILING THIS COMPLAINT TO DOCUMENT A PART FAILURE ON A CAR THAT IS ONLY THREE YEARS OLD, AND WHATEVER THE REASON; THIS FAILURE INVOLVES ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, EXTERNAL LIGHTING, MELTING PLASTIC PARTS, AND FAILED SAFETY EQUIPMENT. I LEAVE IT UP TO YOU TO DETERMINE IF FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED. *TR UPDATED 02/19/10. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE ISSUE WITH THE MELTED ASSEMBLY AROUND THE BRAKE LIGHT SOCKET WAS NOT LIMITED TO THE BACK LEFT, BUT ALSO PRESENT IN THE BACK LIGHT TAIL LIGHT OF HIS 2005 FORD FOCUS STATION WAGON. UPDATED 02/19/10.*JB UPDATED 08/20/10*JB

WE BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND-NEW IN DEC. 2004. WE HAD NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE KEY GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION UNTIL TODAY, WHEN WE ARRIVED AT OUR HOUSE AFTER CHURCH. WE NOW HAVE THE KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION WITH NO WAY TO GET IT OUT - HOPEFULLY OUR CAR IS STILL SITTING IN OUR DRIVEWAY IN THE MORNING.... I CALLED OUR DEALERSHIP AND NO ONE HAD ANY HELPFUL INFORMATION OR IDEAS, THEY JUST TOLD ME I NEEDED TO WAIT UNTIL THE MORNING AND TALK TO PEOPLE IN THEIR PARTS DEPT. *TR