2005 Ford Focus

I PURCHASED MY USED VEHICLE IN 06/08 AND IMMEDIATELY THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE TIRES. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE "ONE BAD TIRE". IN ORDER TO KEEP ALL THE TIRES IN GOOD AND EQUAL CONDITION I PURCHASED THREE MORE. OVER THE PAST 10 MONTHS IT HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES FOR "ALIGNMENT ISSUES" AND TO A PRIVATE ALIGNMENT SHOP FOR THE SAME ISSUE. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE HAS INDICATED THAT THERE IS A "KNOWN ISSUE" WITH THE FORD FOCUS THAT ALLOWS A "GENEROUS" SPREAD FOR ALIGNMENT SPECS. AS LONG AS IT CAN BE ALIGNED WITHIN FORD'S SPECS IT IS CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE, HOWEVER THE TIRES CONTINUE TO WEAR UNEVENLY CAUSING VIBRATION AND INCORRECT TREAD WEAR. I WAS TOLD BY FORD TODAY THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE "NUMBER IS" BUT THAT THEY ARE ALLOWED TO DO NOTHING UNTIL THAT "MAGIC NUMBER" IS REACHED. EVIDENTLY THEY HAVE ALSO ISSUED A "SILENT RECALL" THAT ALLOWS ONLY THOSE VEHICLES THAT CANNOT BE ADJUSTED TO THEIR "GENEROUS" SPECS TO BE REPAIRED. THIS IS NOT ONLY A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE WHEN IT COMES TO TIRE WEAR BUT AFFECTS TRACKING IN SNOW AND WATER WHICH ALSO HEIGHTENS RISK. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING OVER 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR SHOULDER INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND THE INDICATOR WAS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 35 MPH, A VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE CONTACT AND THE TWO VEHICLES T-BONED WITH EACH OTHER. AGAIN, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, NECK, AND MIDDLE TO UPPER BACK AREA. SHE ALSO HAD PAIN IN HER CHEST. SHE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 65,000. UPDATED 4/23/09 *CN UPDATED 04/27/09.*JB

KEY STUCK IN IGNITION STARTED CAR DROVE HOME. PARKED CAR. TURNED IT OFF. KEY STUCK. DISCONNECTED BATTERY. KEY CAME OUT. RECONNECTED BATTERY. REINSERTED KEY. KEY WOULDN'T TURN. CAR WOULDN'T START. LEFT OVERNIGHT. TRIED AGAIN. LEFT ALONE FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. RE INSERTED KEY. DEPRESSED BRAKE...MOVED CAR OUT OF PARK AND BACK INTO PARK. KEY THEN WORKED FINE. *TR

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

WE PURCHASED OUR 2005 FORD FOCUS ZX4 SES BRAND NEW IN FEBRUARY 2005. SINCE THE DATE OF PURCHASE WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRES 5 TIMES, TWO OF THE 5 TIMES WE REPLACED THE WHOLE SET. THE ORIGINAL FACTORY TIRES ON THE REAR OF VEHICLE (YOKOHAMA 205/50/ZR16) WERE BALD AT 11,000 MILES. AT THAT TIME WE REPLACED THEM WITH 4 NEW YOKOHAMA TIRES. SIX MONTHS LATER, WE HAD TO BUY ANOTHER COMPLETE SET OF TIRES (MICHELIN/205/55/R16) BECAUSE THE TIRES IN THE REAR WERE CUPPING AND WEARING IN A DIAGONAL CROSS PATTERN. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO FORD BOTH TIMES AND THEY DENIED THAT THERE WAS ANY FACTORY DEFECTS ON THE VEHICLE. FORD CLAIMED IT MUST BE AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE, WE PAID $79.99 FOR A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT, AND EVEN HAD THE FRONT END CHECKED, AS WELL AS SHOCKS AND STRUTS, AND FORD CLAIMED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES 3 MORE TIMES, JUST LAST WEEK BUYING TWO NEW TIRES FOR THE REAR. WE REPLACED TIRES ON 7/13/2006 (16,463 MILES), THEN ON 7/6/2007 (25,926 MILES), THEN ON 1/16/2009 (43, 556 MILES). ALL OF THE TIRES PURCHASED HAD 80,000-85,000 MILE WARRANTIES ON THEM. FORD REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES, AND CLEARLY OUR VEHICLE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. REFERENCE OIB-NHTSA, TSB #19064. FORD SHOULD BE FORCED TO FIX THE DEFECTS WITH THESE VEHICLES, AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMERS WHO PURCHASED THEM IN GOOD FAITH. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO INVEST $3,000 IN COSTS FOR TIRES IN 3.25 YEARS. *TR

MY 2005 FORD FOCUS WHICH I BOUGHT NEW OFF THE DEALERSHIP NOW HAS 100000 MILES ON IT. WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, WHILE DRIVING, THE BACK END FISHTAILS BACK AND FORTH AS IF IT IS BEING HIT BY A STRONG WIND. AS SOON AS I TOLD A REPAIR SHOP THIS THEY IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE HAD MANY OTHER FOCUS OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME THING. THE REAR CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY IS DEFECTIVE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NEED TO BE EVER CHANGED ON A VEHICLE. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT WHEN THEY ORDER A NEW ONE FROM FORD, THE NEW ONE SENT IS MUCH STRONGER AND BULKIER WHICH TELLS THEM THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THIS DEFECT. THE REPAIR BILL FOR THIS IS OVER $1200! THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS YOU FEEL YOU ARE LOOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AT ANY TIME. UPON HEARING THIS, I CONTACTED MY PARENTS WHO ALSO HAVE A FORD FOCUS AND THEY SAID THAT THOUGH THEY HAVE ONLY HALF THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THEIR VEHICLE IT IS ALSO A 2005 MODEL AND IT HAS STARTED TO DO THIS ALSO TO THEM BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK, IF IT WAS JUST BAD ROADS OR WHAT. VERY DANGEROUS AND FORD HAS NO RESPONSE TO MY QUESTIONS! *TR