Problems with 2000 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I own a 2000 ford focus. i had my ignition cylinder replaced in june 2002. then on march 2, 2003 it happened again. i have spent nearly $600 on this part in the last 9 months and i am still paying for my car. an ignition should usually out last the life of the car. i am very dissatisfied with the service i am receiving from ford and i know this will be a re-occurring problem. they also had to shave my key a little to make it work but it does not feel the way it used to and it really bothers me because i know it will happen again. *jb

Came out of work after closing up at 9:30 pm. at first, key would only go into ignition half way.after a little jiggling key went in the rest of the way but would not turn at all, and steering wheel remained locked. after a half hour of tryng i gave up and had the car towed to the dealer(john lance ford - westlake, ohio) because their service department is open till midnight. on the ride there the towtruck driver told me he pick up several focus's a week with the same problem. heard the same thing from the service department dealer. dealer replaced ignition tumbler and steering column ignition lock at a total cost of $331.52 to me since it was not covered. i filed a complaint with the dealership and with ford since i feel this is a manufacturing defect that should be covered. i have never heard a response from either since. i feel this a safety issue since i was stranded at night, but i was lucky enough to have aaa and a cellphone. i feel sorry for those that don't. this is an unbelievably common problem with the 2000 focus and should be a recall, and we should all be reimbursed.*ak

Consumer received a recall notice #02s42 to replace the battery wire. the consumer was traveling on the highway and she noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. the vehicle caught on fire.*jb

The ignition switch failed without warning, which caused the vehicle to stall. the ignition switch was replaced 3 times. *jb

The ignition switch locked up.*jb

The horn was inoperative.*jb

Nhtsa#02-v-288-000:the dealer did not perform the recall on consumer's vehicle.*jb

The ignition switch failed which caused the vehicle to stall.*jb *ts

Ignition key would not turn, when attemping to start the vehicle. replaced ignition lock and cylinder. r/r fuel delivery module. *bf *tc

Replaced ignition lock and cylinder twice on a 2000 ford focus. had to have the car towed. the steering wheel occasionally locks. have around 46338 miles on the automobile. the bill was $215.52. purchased the automobile from team ford in tarboro, north carolina. *nlm

The vehicle did not start, when consumer inserted the key in the ignition there was a clicking noise. *jb

The ignition was replaced twice, it took numerous tries before the vehicle started.*jb

Key gets jammed in the ignition. dealer notified.*ak

My complaint deals with the 2000 ford focus . i purchased this vehicle in june of 2001 with 100 miles on the odometer. since then i have had to bring my car back for a few recals. one of the recals was the rear suspension where my car lost control and i veered off the road....luckily noone was hurt. the reason why i am writing this complaint is because i understand that there is a investigation on the focus for various problems. i wanted to add to the investigation by saying that i just spent 340 bucks on my ignition switch because it wouldn't turn which i understand is a common problem and i also had problems with my car stalling in the middle of the thruway. i almost crashed into an eighteen wheeler! i have had the fuel pump replaced and my car still idols very rough and occasionaly stalls out when i am stopped. ford should be embarrased by this and should take all focus's off the road! i read that there were hundreds of ford focus' with the exact same problem but no recal was issued

On both february 11, 2003 and april 21, 2003, my car had to be towed to the dealer for replacement of the ignition cylinder in my ford focus 2000. i was told by the mechanic that the ignition design made the ignition cylinders prone to breaking, i believe because it does not require the key to be inserted fully. i have no complaints with the dealer who performed both repairs at no change, but from the mechanics comments, it appears that a design defect could exist. *nlm

Ignition cylinder pin defect. had to replace this item 5 times underwarranty. *ak

Ford ignition cylinder defect. key will not insert all the way, it takes numerous tries, once inserted will not rotate to start position. *jb

After about 10 days of buying my 2000 ford focus the problem. started and one year later the problems are still coming like clock work. first my breaks were squealing i called the dealer, he said not to worry about it until i had time to come in. 1 to 2 months later, after several calls asking if it was still okay to drive, i took my car in and the routers and breaks were bad, they sd i should have brought my car in sooner. well per there request i took my time. i had to pay the get this taken care of. it didn't stop there, my tires kept getting flats so i has to once again replace at my own expenses. now the real problems start, my cruise control was just out of control, my car would accelerate every time i would put in on cruise. the windshield wipers would not work and my radio kept turning off by itself. i had once again at my own expenses replace my windshield wipers calling the maintenance. dept. at meridian ford. they fixed the problem. with the cruise control and it was working fine for about 2 months it is now happening again! now i have problems with the key getting stuck and will not turn, the trunk will not shut, and my car will shut off when the car is in idle. it turns off if in park or drive after about one min. idle. this is very frustrating. and has caused so many financial and stress problems. i don't feel safe in this car and i feel cheated! i was sold a lemon! a list of what was wrong with my new car..bad breaks, bad routers, bad windshield wipers, bad cruise control, bad trunk, bad tires, the key gets stuck and will not turn, and now it turns off while in idle. all these things are still wrong with it and its costing me money, stress,time and it is costing me to be late on my car payments and other bills because i have to pay for all this crap to be fixed! why is this happening! do i need to get a lawyer or do you need to replace or fix my car at your expensive. i have lost so much and feel helpless. i hope this does not fall on ...

Could not put key in ignition and steering wheel locked. needed to have car towed to dealer. dealership had a brand new replacment part they told me was "defective" and they had to go to another dealer to get part. ignition switch was completely replaced at a cost of $260 +/-. 40,000 miles on car and is a 2000 wagon model.

I went to warm up my ford focus zx3 as usual on tuesday morning, but when i turned on the heater/deforoster nothing happened. i then got it serviced and was told that the heater/defroster switch had melted. my concern is that there could of been/ still can be a fire if the electrical system is faulty enough to melt the switch.

Here's a serious safety defect that needs to be corrected. since i bought my 2000 focus zts (with less than 45,000 miles on it) it has had all the recall services done (six, if i recall correctly) and two windshields replaced too (due to edge cracks developing). this week a serious new problem surfaced: a wire sheared off within a connector that goes to the ignition coil, part of the main engine harness. i was traveling and all of a sudden the engine simply died. if this happened in traffic or on the highway, a serious accident would have resulted. luckily, i was on a quiet street. this is a manufacturing defect that ford should acknowledge and correct at no charge to the owner. to make the matter worse, the dealer tells me that the connector that failed is not available from ford as a replacement part -- the whole main engine harness has to be replaced, with more than eight hours of labor required, plus the cost of the harness. it will end up costing close to a thousand dollars. if the connector were available it would cost under three hundred dollars to repair.

The electrical system for the doors failed, which caused the driver side door not to open.*jb *ts

The steering wheel had a knocking sound. *jb there was a recall on the battery cable, and the pinch bolt has caused a lot of problems. (the problem still exists) the vehicle will knock when turned to the left. the front axle bearings were damaged along with the seal. the battery cables had a short circuit and the cables still have a corrosion problem. the vehicle stalled while driving, the steering wheel locked, and when the vehicle is turned off, it won't start, you must allow to cool down. the consumer felt that this is a fire hazard/recall #02v288000 scc

Consumer states the ignition switch it is not working properly, key go only half way and it takes longer time to put it inside the switch. dealer has been notified and wont fix. please provide further information. ts

Attempted to insert key in the ignition and wouldn't go in all the way. even wiggling the key doesn't work. saw on the newsgroups that this is a common problem. how come ford hasn't acknowledge this problem? this is the most troublesome car i've ever owned!!! i used to be a royal ford customer. * cb

Since 2002 i have experienced many problems with the ignition, key will not turn when inserted in ignition switch. i have replaced that part twice, $500 dollars each time. it's been only one year since the last time that i got it fixed and again i'm having problems everytime that i try to start the ignition. *jb

Bad brakes, leaking transmission x 2 repairs, numerous electrical probs, one "accident", damage repaired at ford expense, bad tire, noise from front rt side, "surge" prob, car seemed to "stick" in a gear. i don't have my file with me but i know there is more.

Ford focus se year 2000; purchased nov 1999; since 1999 i've had 10 or 11 recalls; a new transmission installed; now my car periodly will not start, i have put the car in the shop from jan 2003 to oct 2003 for the same problem; dearler cannot find the problem they give me a new battery to solve the problem; however i still have the problem; i just recently got the car out oct 24 then on oct 26 stranded again 30 miles from my house with a 11 month old baby; car would not start. its back in the shop again on oct 27. milage on the car is a little over 73,000 miles my warrenty expires 75000. is their a lemon law this would fall under. i'm scared to drive the car with my baby. i still owe on the car. what can i do to resolve this problem?*ak

The ignition switch on my car is not working. if it has to be replaced, it will be the third time since i bought the car. which was in febuary of 2002. if a locksmith shop can repair the problem, why is it that a ford dealership can't?

I bought my ford focus 2000, brand new in july of 2000. since then, i've had the wheel bearings replaced twice, the rear door stopped latching and i had to drive it to the dealer with my son holding the door shut, my alternator had to be replaced and still the lights get dim when i turn on the heater, the plastic and rubber door molding started coming loose and falling off right after i bought the car, the brakes have never stopped squealing, and now my key is stuck in the ignition and it won't come out. every time i take my car to a dealer, they always say the same thing "oh, that is common with the ford focus". after reading all of the consumer complaints, i guess you could say these problems are common with the ford focus. i've had nothing but problems with this car and expect to experience many more because so far the track record for the ford focus is extremely poor. after reading the numerous complaints, i hope ford is forced into recalling the ignition cynlinder or switch whichever is to blame for the key to becoming stuck in the ignition and the wheel not locking while the car is in park. ts

The key would not turn the ignition was locked in place it would not move at all and the steering wheel was locked. i called roadside assistance and they told me it was a common problem, in fact, they told me what kind of car i had before i told them, and they said they no longer come out on that defect. they said there are a lot of problem with these models and they had many calls on the ford focus . i am just out of warranty period which is 36000. i don't feel this is my fault. i feel it is a defect with the product. i have had several other problems for which ford refuses to own up to, and i feel the public is being shammed with their claims that this is the #1 car they sell. the steering wheel is locked and i am stuck without being able to move my car. how could i expect this to happen, i feel this is a ford problem, i don't feel that i should have to pay (note: this happened jan 6, 2003, but your site only goes to 2002, therefore, i had to use dec 31, otherwise i could not continue).

Went to ne from mn for xmas. parked focus in parking garage. came out on xmas eve; put key in ignition, would not turn. when trying to get the steering wheel to turn; locked up. called ford motor and none of their suggestions worked. had to have focus towed to local dealer to repair and rekey ignition cylinder. total cost $260+ (which is low from what i hear). tow driver mentioned something very fishy,"i've towed more than 12 focus's and every single one of them had this same ignition/key problem... ...ford wont recall until this ignition/key problem becomes a safety issue when someone freezes on the side of the road because they cannot start their car." interesting. ford must be required to recal for this problem. its a trap for dealers to make money off this problem. please follow up!

Ignition switch failed, had to have car towed to dealership and replaced for $300. i've seen that many people have had this problem and i want to be included in that number with the hope that ford will recall and reimburse me.

Put key in ignition and key would not turn in ignition switch. had to replace ignition cylinder. 8nlm

Continued problems with ford 200 focus zts. bearings, electircal system, brake and paint issues among others.

My complaint is all the problems we have had with the focus. we have had numerous recalls and work done from the drivers seat collapsing, wiring harness replaced, bearings in front, and rear, brake assembly, sway bar, and have had to replace 3 sets of tires, and line up 3 times because they will not make good and the car eats tires. now we have 52,000 miles on the car, and a pin has come loose and gone through the transmission, and case. altough the dealer has been very good, we bought a new car so we would not have this hassle, and that is all we have had.

1 week after purchase took in for brakes and rotors, 3 months later same thing, two months following ignition locked along with a/c not working need another lining, right now ignition is trying to lock again needs calipers brakes rotors car is stalling mechanic just made me aware that the two tires on the right has four lug wheels two tires on the left has five lug wheels. the car sounds horrible no money to repair all these problems fell like i have to pay for something that's not even drivable ford will not do anything or dealer still covered under factory warranty i believe deep in my heart they sold me a lemon i know there's no way a car should have four, five lugs it means that they salvage the car threw it back together and had it sitting waiting for the first sucker! me but i'm going to try to fight this all the way no matter what it takes. dt *tr

I noticed the doors squeaking soon after i purchased the car. the noise became progressively worse over the next year. the dealership brushed off my questions telling me the doors just needed grease. now that the warranty is up they tell me it will cost $405.00 for them to fix. the doors have not squeaked for over a year, now they don't lock and both rear doors fly open when i take a corner so i keep them tied shut with bungee cords and ropes. all the junk i used to keep in the back seat is now gone, it flew out of the car while i was getting on the highway. thank god i didn't have passengers. i have had trouble with the gas gauge since i bought the car, and the ignition locked and had to be replaced. the tow truck driver knew what kind of car i had before i told him-he said they pick up a few ford focus's every week due to the ignition problems. i have also gone through brakes and tires at an alarming rate. the accumulation of brake dust on the front panels is unreal all i do now is wash this car and write checks to pay for repairs. *la

The vehicle began stalling at every stop light or intersection when braking. the owner managed to turn around and drive back to her house. the vehicle has been towed to the nearest dealership for diagnosis. please describe details. ts

The consumer place the key inside of the vehicle and it wouldn't start. the vehicle had three ignition switch put on prior. please fill in additional information. dealer is aware of the problem. ts

The battery cable (part #14301) shorted out, causing the car not to start as well as other minor electrical issues. i found the part was recalled for my vehicle(nhtsa campaign id number: 02v288000), and contacted ford. they had said that the car/part was not covered by the recall since my car was made in nov 99, and the recall only covers cars made after jan 2000. i just wanted to make it know that i experienced (and paid for) the failure and suggest that earlier made cars may be having the same issue. dt

Consumer was exiting a parking garage and placed vehicle in reverse. without warning, car suddenly accelerated and rear tail spun around 2 times then hit a parked vehicle. consumer did apply brakes with no success. ph insurance company informed dealership that there were two recalls that dealt with a defective throttle and speed control which was not performed on the vehicle prior to the accident. other problems included weezing noise while turning. power steering racked failed and replaced. lack of power steering in steering wheel. rear brake pad replacement. rear wheel bearing noise. defective wheel bearings replaced. tire punctured and replaced. hesitation on acceleration. fuel pump and gasket replaced. tires rotted out. key stuck in ignition. replaced malfunctioned shifter assembly. trunk lid wouldn't latch. latch replaced. *tt

No summary. dt

When consumer starts their vehicle. the ignition switch and steering wheel will lock up, and keys will get stuck in the ignition. had vehicle towed. dealership replaced the ignition switch. ts

Consumer stated there was excessive corrosion on the positive terminal of battery. consumer hads to clean terminal monthly. consumer also stated the insulation on positive terminal was starting to melt at the point where it connects to battery. ts *tt *jb

Consumer stated there was excessive corrosion on the positive terminal of battery. consumer had to clean terminal monthly. ts *tt *jb

On 2 occasions in last week vehicle completely stopped without any warning while driving in heavy rush hour traffic. all electric systems failed. there were no warning lights prior to engine shutting down. first failure, battery replaced; charging system checked but seemed ok. five days later same thing happened alternator and battery replaced. afraid to drive the car on highway now, for fear it will shut down without warning at high speed. i was very lucky not to have caused a major accident. dt

This car has more recalls than i ever seen. the air bags deployed and gave me second degree burns. the brakes are shot and i have to pay for repairs even though i only have 29,940 miles. the keyless entry does not work even though its been fixed 2 times the ignition locked up and they change it the air conditioner leaks but they say its fine. mr

Consumer states that ignition has locked up three times, each time vehicle had to be towed, because ignition does not recognize key. please provide any further information. mr

Consumer states that the some wires melted on the battery causing the car to start. mr