2005 Ford Focus

I PURCHASED THIS CAR WHEN IT WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD AND IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE. FIRST, ALL THE DOOR HANDLES BROKE OFF MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE CAR. SECOND, THE ACCELERATOR STUCK ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND NOW THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE I WAS GOING THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION. BUYER BEWARE, THIS CAR IS NOT ONLY JUNK BUT DANGEROUS!!! *TR

REFERRING TO CASE # [XXX]. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE SHORT WAS IN FACT THE SMALL BUNDLE OF WIRES GOING INTO THE LIFTGATE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO ALL AFFECTED WIRES. INCLUDING INSTALLATION OF A BRAND NEW HEADLIGHT SWITCH FORD CERTIFIED. COST OF REPAIRS 2347 DOLLARS AND 97 CENTS.UPON READING OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE I'VE SEEN AT LEAST 40 OTHER CASES CAUSED BY THE SAME BUNDLE OF WIRES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND AS YOU CAN SEE COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A VEHICLE TO BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE DRIVING. SOMETHING'S GOTTA BE DONE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

DRIVING ON ROUTE 209 APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES AN HOUR. I NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING THROUGH THE DASH. IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CAR OVER, PUT THE CAR IN PARK, REMOVED THE KEY, AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR. WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION THE STARTER BEGAN TURNING OVER. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY TOOLS TO UNHOOK THE BATTERY. THE STARTER TURNED OVER FOR ABOUT A MINUTE, THEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, HEADLIGHTS, AND HORN ALL BEGAN ACTIVATING. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY MECHANIC FOR EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. AFTER ABOUT 4 MINUTES OF THE WIPERS HEAD LIGHTS AND HORN ALL ACTIVATING WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION, SOMEONE STOPPED AND HAD SOME TOOLS UNHOOK THE BATTERY.MECHANIC SHOWED UP ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER, HAD THE CAR TOWED TO HIS SHOP, AND BEGAN SEARCHING FOR THE PROBLEM. AFTER REMOVING THE DASH PANELS HE SAYS THAT THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH COST A SHORTWHICH MELTED ALL THE WIRES TOGETHERUNDER THE DASH AND GOING BACK TO THE TAIL LIGHTS.HE SAYS IT IS DUE TO THE SMALL WIRES THAT FORD USES AND THEY'RE HARNESSES AND THE WAY THEY TWIST THEM TOGETHER SO THEY WILL FIT INTO THE SMALL PLASTIC TUBE UNDER THE DASH. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A RECALL TO ATTACH THIS PROBLEM TOO. HOWEVER I REALLY THINK FORD SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE DAMAGES. I'M CONSIDERING THIS CAR A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

THE LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL STOPPED WORKING- THE BLOWN BULB INDICATION WAS NOTICED BY THE FAST FLASH SIGNAL ON THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR. WHEN GOING TO REPLACE THE BULB IT WAS FOUND THAT THE UPPER SOCKET FOR THE TURN SIGNAL SOCKET IS MELTED TO THE LENS COVER. THE LENS COVER SOCKET MOUNTING HOLE WAS DISTORTED BY HEAT. ONCE THE SOCKET WAS REMOVED THE BULB WAS FOUND NOT TO BE BLOWN. THE SOCKET HOUSING SHOWS INTERNAL SIGNS OF HEAT DAMAGE -COLOR CHANGE. THE BULB WAS IN POSITION IN THE SOCKET AND THE BULB BASE SHOWED NO SIGN OF MELTING AT THE BULB CONTACT POINTS. IT APPEARS THE HEAT WAS GENERATED IN THE SOCKET CONNECTION TO THE BULB BASE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINT OF A SIMILAR FINDING ON MULTIPLE YEARS OF THE FORD FOCUS THAT WERE EASILY FOUND WITH A INTERNET SEARCH- FORD FOCUS MELTED SOCKET. PURCHASING REPLACEMENT SOCKET FROM DEALER AS THIS IS A MAJOR PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

SINCE WE RECEIVED THE CAR, WE HAVE NOTICED INCONSISTENT ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION - BOTH IN TOWN AND ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT WAS A SIMPLE SLOWING DOWN FOR A STOP LIGHT. I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE GENTLY TO START COMING TO A FULL STOP BEHIND A FEW CARS. AS MY CAR TRIED TO SLOW DOWN, I NOTICED IT WAS FIGHTING TO SLOW DOWN. I PRESSED ON THE BREAK HARDER, BUT IT WASN'T GOING TO BE ENOUGH TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I TAPPED THE ACCELERATOR, THEN BACK ON THE BREAK, NO CHANGE. NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE TO DO, I PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE DID NOT STOP REVVING UP SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF. AFTER WAITING A MINUTE, I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND OPERATED FINE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. *TR

A FEW MONTHS AGO MY PASSENGER DOOR LATCH HANDLE FAILED AND BROKE SO WAS OPENING IT FROM THE INSIDE. NOW MY DRIVER'S SIDE HANDLE/LATCH IS NOW BROKEN. I HAVE TO CRAWL THROUGH THE HATCHBACK TO OPEN THE DOORS. THESE HANDLES/LATCHES ARE VERY POORLY MADE AND WHAT HAPPENED IF I WAS IN A ACCIDENT AND THE DOOR/HANDLE FAILED AT THAT TIME WHERE THEY COULDN'T OPEN IT AND GET SOMEONE OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND NEEDS LOOKED INTO. I'VE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE IN YOUR DATABASE. THESE HANDLE SHOULD NOT GIVE OUT THIS EASY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,600.... UPDATED 08/19/13 *BF THE SHIFTER WAS REPLACED ON JULY 30, 2013