Problems with 2000 Ford Focus VISIBILITY

1)we had trouble with right rear door lock stuttering nothing found to be wrong has only occured once since 2)transmission makes a whirring noise intermitenly when car is in reverse dealer found nothing wrong on both occasions 3)rear brakes on two occasions have made squeaking noises first time at 34950 km new shoe pads. second time at 41346 km shoes and drums sanded 4mm left on shoes has squeaked on only one occasion since 4)front brakes done at 24450 km new pads and repaired two rotors. second time at 41346 km pads shown to be at 6mm left

Consumer states that while driving and no warning the windshield cracked starting from the driver side bottom all the way to the top of the windshield and during rainy weather water leaks into the vehicle. dealer notified. nlm

Both back door mechanisms failed due to what looked to be corrosion ultimately causing the door to fly open while driving - my eight year old daughter fell out of the car, luckily sustaining no injury, aside from sheer terror. i attempted to get assistance from ford, both dealership and ford credit, however, i was given the excuse that because i missed a service check on my vehicle, they were not responsible for the repairs, in part or in whole. i faxed, emailed and snail mailed letters to every department, but because of the "missed check up", which would have only been six months since the last one, i am now stuck with having to repair the doors...over four hundred dollars in parts for the latch/mechanism inside the both doors...and lord only knows what the expense is for labour.

electric system wiring causing lights/ windows, and door locks to go out. dealer notified.*ak

Recall 01v288000 repair parts are not available. dealer: sheehy ford, marlow hgts, md; 301-423 0041. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

No actual crash. took car in to service a recall notice for the wiper gear cover, mechanic discovers that the brake pads are worn down to 1 millimeter and the car is too dangerous to drive. he also says they have worn down bc the car is not being driven properly. the vehicle is only a year and a half old and only has 14500 miles on it, its not possible that its not driven properly since it doesn't get driven enough. i've researched this on a site called www.fordfocusbrakeproblems.com and there are a number of people having the same problems at about the same mileage. ford must be installing shoddy brake systes for this to be happening.*ak

Vehicle has been given consumer trouble since purchasing it. 2nd day after purchase vehicle was in dealer's shop for 2 weeks. when putting on brakes vehicle shakes. also, driver cannot see to make turns because truck is very high.*ak while driving, the consumer and his daughter were hurt due to brakes and wipers failed in the rain. the rear window is very high and the driver was unable to see vehicles from behind. brakes failed more than three times, however the dealer refused to fix it after the first repair there were 2 injuries, consumer also states the airbags failed. *yh

Parts to recall o1f156000 for windshield wiper motor cover are on back order.*ak

Takes off real hard like it wants to die but won't, then stops. when car is ran for a while it starts doing. we are not the only focus with this problem. there are others along with their reverse going out or first gear. every one who takes it in doesn't get it fixed

Brakes have squealed fron about 1500 miles. have had pads replaced, but squeals did not go away. front brakes grind, at shop now. in november 2001 had to have struts replaced while having recall work done. struts little over a year old. engine makes a chirping noise at about 1000-2500 rpm, but dealer unable to duplicate. also squeals or whines when making right turns. windshield cracked when a small stone hit it. will have insurance replace. overall, not happy with car. been in the shop three times in the last year!!

I have had my car for one year and five months. i have replaced the fuel pump a month after purchase, twice within two months. my gas lines have fallen off the car, causing the neighborhood to be filled with fumes. stalls while driving, not matter the speed,dealership said they fixed the issue, still ongoing. car hesistates to go at times. often the inside of the car smells like gas. hard to put car in reverse and other gears, often pops out of gear. recently replaced clutch cable, tech says the clutch is fine. replaced the brakes and rotors after being told they were fine, two weeks later the rotors were gone. brakes continue to squeak. windshield is not sealed, you can hear air blowing in while driving. had a burning smell from under hood was told there was no problem, only to get a recall, and my cables were melted. brake lights always out, when i replace one the other goes out. i have contacted ford motor company, and dealership, both tell me i have to keep getting repairs. i asked ford motor company to buy the car back, and they refused. i feel this car is not safe, i hate driving it.*ak

Sideview mirror had fallen out without a reason. it was not attached correctly. dealer was contacted. please provide more information.*ak

Consumer stated the gas gauge failed, the brakes were squeaking, the mirror was torn off by repeated car washes, gas leaked on the both driver and passenger side carpet, and the truck latch was broke, also the fues burst on locks. *yh

Windshield wipers will crack too often. dealer said that reason for cracks was the weather that caused. rubber to crack but, this vehicle was parked in an indoor driveway. please provide more information. *ak

Windshield had to be replaced three times since date of purchase. windshield without any assitance from a foregin object has cracked twice down the middle, and once on the side. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

Windshield wipers work only intermittently. dealer cannot duplicate the problem.*ak

While parked, the vehicle caught on fire, possibly due to the windshield wiper motor which was recalled, the fire department stated that is where the fire originated.*jb(claim#34-5037-171)

Defective brake rotors. dealer has yet to be contacted.*ak consumer also states the windhsiled wipers are inoperative, the striping on the driver side door has always been loose, also radio buttons were stuck,drivers doorlock does not unlock all the time with remote key.*jg

Windshield washer reservoir leaks. also, can not fill reservoir because fluid sloshes out onto engine and other compartments, contacted dealer, and dealer urged not to fill reservoir up to where it could be seen. had to fill it accordingly, there is a design flaw. *ak *yd

I work for a goodyear co. and everytime there is a problem i have one of our techs. check it out for me. first it was the brakes i was taking my children to the movies,as i was turning into the parking space i heard a grinding noise.the next day at work i have auto tech. inspect my brakes i had less than 10% left all around and the front rotors were cracked! my children and i could have died! i took the car to the dealer to marina ford they replaced front rotors,pads and rear shoes. three weeks later pads were down to 10% i did not bother going back to the dealer. our tech. at my place of employment replaced my brakes with good quality pads and shoes. i had th iside panel replaced,the windshield wiper motor replaced and the right front wheel bearing replaced! now my left front tie-rod is bent,my car shuts off when the gas is at the 3/4 mark and when making right turns,the emission lights up and the car stops! this is a problem car the ford focus. i found a web site and ther is over a thousand consumers who are not pleased with their focus too!

Windshield was replaced by ford once for stress crack, they would not replace second time also stress crack. *ak

There is a very bad squeaking noise when braking, and when consumer lets off the brake there is a grinding noise. driver states more than twice brake pedal was applied, and pedal went to the floor. ford has been contacted.*ak.also consumer was complaining of the transmission slipping, the cigarette lighter was not working, cup holder bubbling, serpentine belt was replaced due to a squeal coming from under the hood, gas light was coming on when the tank was full of gas, door ajar light was coming on, starter and battery were replaced, driver sider mirror knob fell off, rpm runs high, headlamp molding was replaced, sunvisor was broke, rear child seat latch cover was broke, air conditioner and heater were replaced, passenger door trim, driver seat metal bar, rewind button for am/fm cassette was inoperative, carpet loose, pillar trim was coming off, ticking noise was coming from the front of vehicle, the egr valve ws replaced, rear tail light was out, the bulb was replaced, deck lid wire harness, a new fuel tank was installed due to the engine light illuminating, the front and rear brakes have been replaced due to warpage, also the speedometer stopped working.*jb

Vehicle rolls backward when on steep incline while in drive position. for example, at a red light on steep incline and in drive if you take your foot off brake the vehicle rolls backwards. windshield replaced twice due to horizontal crack starting at trim (same place) (lower driver side).*ak

Ford blue oval certified dealer made two attemps to stop leak through heat/ac air duct. after second attemp owner was driving home and notice cowling at base of windshield had come lose. owner paid non ford dealer to make repair after this because of lack of confidence in ford dealer. parts damage from being install incorrectly and dealer made a mess with sticky non drying sealer which was used between windshield and cowling. owner now has no confidence in this ford focus , ford or it's dealers .*ak

Ignition and steering locked up, key would not turn, vehicle was parked. *ak there was noise in the right side of the vehicle due to rear outside mirror failure. the transmission slips on accel. there was vibration in steering at 45 mph and up. the high sqealing on rainy days when turning left or right was caused by drive belt malfunctioning. the ignition locked due to cylinder assembly problem. *yh

Numerous problems with vehicle some of which dealers have not been able to correct and have done cosmetic damage when making repairs. feel ford has made a troublesome vehicle and it's support network is poorly trained in making proper repairs . no safety defect listed. *ak

While parking vehicle jumped forward without warning. *ak during the incident, the air bag deployed and broke the windshield. *yh

The consumer reported to the dealer that the gas pedal was sticking but the delaer was unable to duplicate the problem, the throttle body also sticks. nlm

Problems not being able to shift properly, gears grind, pop out, burning smell in ac/heat, never buy ford again, bought in 8/00 nothing but problems. *ak

When applying brake pedal it would go to the floor, also brakes will grind. rotors had to be turned, and brakes were replaced 7 times, but the problem reoccurred. *ak transmission slips and jerks and rpms jump. no problem found. consumer hears loose gravel sound from right front wheel area. dealer found wheel well loose. dealer found serpentine belt failed causing whistle squeal under hood. gas light on with full tank and door ajar light is on. dealer replaced battery. evaporative hose loose. dealer removed and installed fuel tank. cigarette lighter not working. r-cup hold bubbling. driver side mirror knob falls off. rear child seat latch cover in broke. front driver seat metal fell out. both headlamps moulding fall out. sunvisor mirror/bracket moulding on passenger side between door / dash loose. broken. right outer ac vent broken. loose carpet on right front floor. pillar trim coming off. deck lid wire harness had tp be replaced. clicking noise from l/h front of vehicle. egr valve replaced. left rear tail lamp is out. engine light is on. problems with rewind button for am/fm cassette. *tt

Vehicle experiences problems with brakes, the front rotors, front brake pads, and rear shoes have been replaced due to vibration when brakes applied. *slc

When slippery out, the brakes will not grasp properly. therefore, the vehicle will slide. dealer can not duplicate problem.*ak consumer also experienced these difficulties as followed, power steering system (exploded, w/3-4 week repairs), trunk lock was broken, keyless entry system works improperly, the trunk lock has been replaced twice, the radio has been replaced 3 times & still occurs, the winshield arm recently broke, and concludes that the vehicle also slides in dry weather. consumer adds that she had filed a complaint w/ board of ford, the case was lost after recieving a loaner car (due to taking vehicle in for repairs) and says that she cannot afford to buy out the lease (will have to wait until oct 2002) *scc

When running air conditioner or heater there's a mildew smell. consumer took car to dealer, and dealer sprayed lysol into venting system. dealer stated that sometimes condensation clogs up in vents, and do not drain completely. please provide further information.*ak

Rear hatchback window shattered, no outside cause, rear defrost was on at time and rear window wiper was on. dealer stated warranty would not cover although it was not cause by a foreign object. *ak

The vehicle ford focus have had 6 different safety recalls in one year. this is annoying and inconvenient for the consumer to have to take my time to get a new car fixed. your organization should make sure the cars meet the standards before they go out. no safety defect, strictly informational. *ak

I suspect window wash bottle leak, leaking on ground connect on fender

The clutch pedal spring split in half while at a stop light on a road with a posted speed limit of 45 miles an hour. it was at night in a tropical storm with local heavy rains while i was in florida. the police parked a crusier behind me with it's lights on and even with this protect we were almost rear ended a couple of times before we could push the car off the road. the mechanic in florida said that ford knows of the clutch spring probleem - the original spring is to stiff and the replacement part is manufactured with more flexibility. if this is true ford should recall the focus' with the bad clutch spring before someone gets hurt. my wife and i missed a days work because of this problem. as far as the windshield is concerned it isn't sealed properly and allows water to enter the car. ford is going to take the windshield out and reseal it. again this is inconvenient and really disappointing for a new car to have this problem. the car also has two other problems that aren't safety related. the radio broke and ford replaced it and the passenger seat had a broken part that it took over 4 months to get a part for. *ak

I bought my focus in 2000. since then i have suffered 2 blowouts that neither ford or firestone would fix. i've had brake pads replaced once and now have to have brakepads and rotor replaced. sometimes the key won't turn the ignition. and of course this morning (one of the coldest days we've had) something has gone wrong with the heater. *ak

Interior lights come on intermittently. brakes make noise when applied/ radio will come on intermittently, and dome lights work intermittently. *ak . right front light is brighter than left light. defroster malfunctions. front tires makes squeaking noise, key get stuck in ignition and truck lock when trying to get out. *yh

Was traveling approximately 65mph when vehicle went out of control. wheels had felt wobblely and loose. had to swerve to miss several vehicles. managed to get off freeway and stopped vehicle. had vehicle towed to dealership. was informed by mechanic wheel bearings went out. dealership has to order parts. vehicle was repaired previously under recall.*ak screws keep falling out of seat belt and has happened two times. drivers side seat lever keeps breaking and has happened three times. windshield wipers failed while driving during a heavy rain storm, received recall two weeks later, 01v258, dealer replaced wiper motor. turn signal failed, dealer replaced bulb. problems with brakes, rear drum assembly bearing wore into wheel spindle, front brake pads replaced, front rotors resurfaced. consumer feels every bump in the road. bearings have failed twice. side mirror broke. a-pillar trim coming loose after recall repair 00s20. *slc

Nothing but problems with the car. first noticed leak in the floorboard on the front passenger side as the dealer detailed car. interior dome light fell off soon after, followed by the fuel gate door and the left drivers side mirror. now my transmission has blown up, all while going 25 mph or under, and all under 21,000 miles! we've had a major recall on average every other month too. what a lemmon! *ak (tiresize: p195/60r15)

Windshield wipers wouldn't work while driving in a rain storm. dealer was contacted & appointment was made for vehicle to be inspected. owner learned that there was a recall for this problem issued for her vehicle, it was received afterwards. *ak *ml

Windshield had cracked and was replaced, approximately one month later the windshield cracked again in the exact same spot, nothing had hit the windshield on either times that it had cracked. air conditioner drains inside the car to the drivers side floor. brakes squeak, dealer replaced rear brake shoes, however noise is still there. steering wheel was peeling, dealer replaced it. vehicle will not start at times, dealer reprogrammed the pcm and replaced the fuel pump. transmission slips into neutral while driving, it will not shift into reverse until after about 10 seconds, dealer has replaced the mlp sensor and transmission range sensor to attempt to correct problem yet it still continues, transmission lines leaking and dealer replaced lines. noise coming from under the hood. hood rattled, dealer adjusted and lubed the hood stops. engine races at times, vehicle hesitates and feels like it is going to stall. *slc

The inside rear view mirror reflect excessively bright light and the driver was unable to use this mirror. *yh

I have been completely dissatisfied with this ford product. i didn't put more information in this report because i wasn't sure i was doing it right. i plan to return the vehicle to the shop again today because last time it was there, they fixed the idle, window, and noisy suspension...guess whay, i still have all those same problems!!!

I bought the car in june of 2000 since this time the car has had a number of recalls on the car. i feel that the people that bought the 2000 model of this car should not be liable to pay the amount the contact was signed. due to the fact that at the time the car was bought, the people that bought the car didn't know that most of the car's life would be in the shop being fixed. also ford knew that the focus was prone to this happening.

Windshield wiper which rubs against touches of the windshield causes the windshield to crack in three different areas. please provide further information.*ak

My wive ann was sitting in a parking lot with the motor running and heater/def.on when she heard a cracking noise then she seen the windshield crack in strieght line a good 7 inches.i reported the incident to the dealer that same day on which they made an appointmt.for the 26th(4 days later)i kept the appt.on which a mechanic (i believe a bob)said we dont deal in glass but ford told me how to look for defects,or stone,and he went to my car dug a pen in to the crack and said see right there is a stone chip.so the refuse to honor the warrenty.when talked to real exsperts,they said that couldnt determined a defect now that it was tamperd with.now,there was no flying debris,no flying stones in the parking lot.also this guy said a stone no bigger than a pin head made such a crack...if this was to be even closely true,then in my oppinion it should still be defective,because,that windshield would not hold up to the slightest,freezing rain,or the smallest hail,or a dirt road,a sander,and the list could go on.but i believe it broke because we had good tempertures that morning,compined with the heater caused it to crack.*ak

Both exterior mirrors go out of adjustment, dealer unable to remedy.*jb consumer states the inside mirror parts had always fell off, the dealer never tried to fix or replaced them. *yh