Problems with 2000 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2000 ford focus zx3 ignition is failing, as have many others from the research i've done. the same component is fitted into my wife's mazda tribute which also failed on her. ford should issue a recall on this very poor quality item. *nm

While placing the key in the ignition switch vehicle locked up. consumer tried to restart the vehicle, but was not able to restart it. vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection. consumer informed mechanic that ignition switch had been replaced twice. *ak the vehicle was involved in an accident, no other information was provided in the police report. updated. *jb

The key will go into the ignition but will not turn. the steering wheel will not unlock itself. i've been trying for an hour and am getting really fed up. *jb

Our 2000 ford focus had an ignition problem that left my fiancee stranded at work in the night. the key was unable to be placed into the ignition. the car was not broken into and there was no prior damage to the ignition. it caused me to travel to her work over an hour away to pick her up and the car ended up being towed. if it would have been an automatic we would have needed a locksmith in order to get it into gear. as a result of this incident we replaced the car with a new toyota. this was the third incident in 4 months and it cost us over $1,000.00 to repair it. *nm

I have a 2000 ford focus which has needed the ignition switch changed three times in 60,000 miles. *jb

My car's ignition switch went on me first at a grocery store, stranding me. after walking across the busy street to the ford dealership, as soon as i told them the make of the car they knew exactly what the problem was. i got the car to start by tapping the key while in the ignition (only a temporary solution). soon after my car ignition, luckily this time in the safety of my own driveway, went out completely. i had to get the car towed and am now facing a $500-800 cost to get the problem fixed. i am a student who is now saving up so i can get my car fixed and get back to life as usual. *jb

The ignition lock cylinder of my 2000 ford focus would not turn leaving me stranded. *jb

My ignition and steering wheel has completely locked. i had no indication that this was going to happen. it has worked great ever since i bought the car in 2000. as i look at entries on the internet i see hundreds of ford focus owner with the same problem! seems like it is time for a recall! *jb

I have a 2000 ford focus. for the second time it has an ignition cylinder malfunction. this is an obvious defect in the car experienced by other focus owners in legion. ford doesn't consider this a safety issue, but i do since i was stranded for hours because i wasn't even able to turn the key to my car. this problem is over due in becoming a recall. *nm

Ignition cylinder completely locked up without any indication that a problem was imminent. vehicle could not be started. had to be towed to dealer for repair. after researching, have found this appears to be a common problem in the 2000 focus. could be a safety issue if car is needed in an emergency, or leaves you stranded. *jb

Stopped car, 2000 ford focus, to enter gas station. came out and car would not start..ignition was locked up...key would not turn...blocking other cars...had to call tow truck and tow to auto repair facility...this is the second time in two years that the ignition cylinder on the ford focus has frozen up and not allowed key to turn, costing much money both times. there should be a recall...tow driver said that this happens to numerous focus cars in the course of his business. *jb

Broken ignition-lock cylinder. *nm

We have a 2000 ford focus se and about two weeks ago the headlights stopped working (late at night). it was then discovered that every time a new fuse was put in, it would just blow right away. we took it to a private automobile repair shop and they discovered that the deck lid wire harness had broken wires at the bend area causing the loss of power and lights which resulted in damage to other wires. there were multiple wires which were damaged and needed to be repaired. this was all because of the defect in the deck lid wire harness. we have a copy of a nhtsa recall bulletin which states that this defect was under a recall in december 2000. we have called ford and also spoke to our local ford dealer and they are telling us that our car does not have a recall for this defect. it is very obvious to anyone who would see the rear deck lid that there is a very clear defect. the wires are frayed and melted together. the gentleman who repaired our car said this is definitely the cause of the problem. the wires on the deck lid are still need of repair and something needs to be done to the bend area to prevent this from happening again. ford is telling us that they are not responsible and it is not their problem. the reference number for the nhtsa recall is 00v411000. mfg. campaign no: 00s50. we would appreciate any help in getting this matter settled to prevent further damage. we would also like to be reimbursed for the garage bill which was caused from the deck lid wire harness defect. thank you in advance for your help with this. *nm

Ignition cylinder locks up which requires total replacement of assembly. it has happened three (3) very unfortunate times, each requiring replacement of the assembly. in the right situation it could (and one of those was) dangerous. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated after parking the vehicle the ignition failed to release the key. there were no previous problems with the ignition. upon inspection the dealership determined the ignition switch needed to be replaced.

For the second time my wife has been stranded because the ignition lock cylinder on our 2000 ford focus locked up and the key would not turn resulting in the car having to be towed and the cylinder replaced at a cost of $349.00 to me. the dealer denies that any service bulletin was ever issued by ford concerning this problem and that is not true. *nm

2000 black ford focus zx3 my key (same key that came with the car) will not start my car. . . .it will not turn over at all. and also i can't get my steering wheel to unlock to make matters worst. this problem doesn't happen often but it happens more than it should, and this time i can't even get it to start at all. it happens about 3 times a year and i can get my car going in about an hour. but, this time my car has been sitting in my drive way for 3 days now. i have called the dealership 3 times. the first time someone gave me advice but, it didn't help. and the last 2 times they have failed to call me back! *nm

2000 ford focus ignition lock cylinder failure. ignition switch won't turn when trying to start vehicle. vehicle had to be towed to ford dealership to have ignition lock cylinder replaced. this cylinder was replaced in 2003 at the cost of $200 and had to recently be replaced again. this defect leaves the owner stranded. i have never heard of anyone having to replace this cylinder in a vehicle - let alone having to replace one twice in the same vehicle. when paying for my second replacement in june 2006 the cashier at the dealership said that all of the early year focus models seem to have this issue. cashier said that they knew what was wrong when they saw a focus being towed in - ignition lock cylinder. *jb

The ignition lock cyl in my 2000 ford focus locked up and will not turn. *nm

I took my vehicle to the local ford dealer on march 2, 2006 after i was having trouble with it stalling and then it was hard to restart. they replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. then on may 19, i took the car in again to have a recall on the locks fixed and to assess the check engine light being on. i was told that their was an evap leak at the gas cap and one would be ordered for me. during this wait i experienced a strong gas smell surrounding the vehicle and coming up through the vents. then on june 4 (the cap still not replaced), i was getting poor gas mileage. as i was backing out of a driveway i noticed a string of gas. as i was driving down the road i was losing gas. i went from half a gallon to e in less that 8 min. until i arrived at my destination and the car died. i put it in neutral and rolled to safety. then i had to have it towed to my local ford dealer who is currently assessing the situation....please help!!! previous problems includes, but it is not limited to the following problems (cuts out, dies, hesitates{coil pack replaced}, the key not fitting into the ignition {jammed the key in & wd40}. *nm

Sticky key. ignition locks up and cannot turn key. key locks up. *nm

My 2000 ford focus has less than 55 thousand miles which i just purchased 3 months ago. my ignition froze, key would not turn. thank goodness it was home in the garage. i could have been at the lake or anywhere and been stranded. the tow truck just hauled it off. this seems to be a recurring problem with ford focus i have learned. why is this not a recall problem. this will be my last ford. *jb

I own a 2000 ford focus. i inserted the key into the ignition and the key would not turn. i tried again several times, but did not work. had to end up getting the car towed to a mechanic where they replaced the ignition lock cylinder. did i mention this is the second time this has happened in the last three years? i did an online search with the words focus and ignition and got numerous other reports of similar incidents. do you even read these things? how long do you allow a company to get away with this type of thing? *jb

I cannot insert the key into the ignition of 2000 ford focus. never had a problem like it before. called locksmith and was told this is a very common problem with my make/model. tumbler has to be replaced, at a cost of approximately $150.*jb

I own a 2000 ford focus and among all the recalled parts i've fixed the car continues to have problems. the car jumps either when i press the gas or if the car is in idle. i've brought it to a mechanic and they thought it had to do with the oil leaking in my spark plugs which they fixed and gave me a tune up with all ford parts. of course now they suggest bringing it to the dealer and have ford run tests. i've probably have gotten something fixed on my car every 6 months for the past 3 years. also i've had to replace 3 windows due to the device that pulls it up and down broke. and now my key won't start the car. i can't start my ignition because of the key lock/pin is defective. what more do i have to go through for ford to recall or fix this car, get in an accident and get hurt myself. *nm

Ignition switch failed, could not turn key to start vehicle. vehicle had to be towed. this is the 2nd time this has happened. i'm the original purchaser of the vehicle. the dealer replaced the cylinder the first time with oem stock. first time was $250. this time is $283. ford owns this problem. i will never buy another ford, and neither will anyone in my family, until this is reimbursed. *nm

Locked ignition cylinder. key goes in but either gets stuck or with not move. *nm

Ignition lock failure: had problems inserting the key into ignition and turning. problem worsened quickly so that the key could be inserted into the ignition but would not turn. ignition completely locked up. could not start the car and was stranded. tow required for repair. this is the second time this failure has occurred on my 2000 ford focus zx3. the first time ford replaced under warranty with similarly inferior parts. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. the contact was able to insert the key into the ignition, but it would not turn and start the vehicle. the failure began in 2003. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they installed a new ignition lock in the vehicle, which resolved the issue. currently, five years later, the failure recurred. the contact believes that a recall should be issued, but the manufacturer refuses to be responsible for the defect. the vehicle is currently parked at her place of employment. the failure mileage was 37,000 and current mileage was 90,000.

2000 ford focus zts exhibiting problems since october 2005. two mechanics unable to identify problem. in may the car stalled while cruising and was unable to start. it was towed to mechanic. mechanic diagnosed with a failed starter switch, which had been replaced over a year before. if this incident had happened on a busier road it may have resulted in a serious accident. *nm

Ignition switch failed, could not turn key to start vehicle. vehicle had to be towed. this is the fourth time this has happened since i've owned the vehicle. *nm

Recently the vehicle started to idle erratically sometimes dying, i took it to the dealership and they told me the bosch platinum spark plugs were not compatible with ford vehicles and sold me new spark plugs. the problem seemed to go away but about 30 days later it started again. frustrated with the dealers performance i checked the vehicle myself and found that the crankcase vent between the engine and firewall had a rubber elbow and hose that were collapsing after the vehicle started. i removed them and found the elbow had a hole and the hose seemed to be structurally weakened. i replaced both and no more problem. *jb

I own a 2000 ford focus. i have recently been having problems with my ignition sticking and just today it completely locked up. i found on the internet where this has happened to hundreds of people. is there any info regarding a recall on this problem?*jb

Ignition lock failure (key could not be put into lock) due to ignition lock cylinder failure. this left car and driver in a dangerous situation where car was very difficult to retrieve by tow truck (turned-over front wheels locked, no steering possible). repair is extremely expensive. ford declined participation in repair cost. many complaints about this problem can be found on the internet (for example, http://cbs5.com/investigates/local_story_041015136.html, or class action law suit at http://www.fazmiclaw.com/focus.html, or excerpt "...ford has conceded that it has a problem with the ignition locks, but the company has not ordered a recall."). *jb

The ignition switch/lock cylinder is difficult to turn key. there is a tsb listed with this company for after the switch/cylinder locks up creating an expensive tow etc. i have seen several web sites listing numerous problems with the ignition locking up. i was fortunate enough to take car in prior to total lockup. apparently the ignition switch/lock cylinder is faulty to the point of excessive wear on the keys. i tried a different key and it worked better. i believe an ignition lock cylinder should have a longer life expectancy than a few years. i have seen posts for cars as new as 2003 with the same problem. i understand the car company has finally bought a revised/improved lock cylinder. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to start the engine, the key would not turn in the ignition. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. the dealer replaced the entire ignition cylinder and lock, a new key was provided. however, the problem has reoccurred.

I purchased a ford focus 2003, the car had 18,000 miles. i paid pacific coast ford seven thousand dollars cash for the car, two day later i brought it back because the car just shut down while i was driving it. they ran tests told me nothing was wrong with the car. a couple of days later it was back for the same reason. ultimately i had to bring it to lakewood transmission where after two attempts it was finally fixed it. i've had to get my ignition done two times and is ready for a third. mallionn ford fixed that for me. now three weeks ago i roll into a lady doing 5-10 miles an hour. the police are called but since there is no injuries or damage to either parties the police say they won't come. no police report. im driving home and my air bags deploy smashing out my windshield . a little ate you think. i cut one air bag out and continue to drive home. my car never shut down, the only thing that happened is the seat belt locked. i came home and took pic of the car not a scratch on my car one air bag still deployed the other you can see i cut it out and of coarse the smashed windshield . i contacted ford they said it was an insurance problem not theirs, how could it be there was no police report my car malfunctioned. *nm

I got into my car to go on a business call and the key, when inserted, would not turn the cylinder. after trying for some time to get the key turned, i began a search on the internet to see if there had been yet another recall on the focus (i have learned that this car has had numerous problems). i found that it was not recalled, although it certainly was a known issue. i found many accounts of this problem and many suggested remedies. i chose to use the "hammer method." this worked. it takes four hard raps with a rubber mallet on the end of the key (into the cylinder) to get it to then turn. if i take the key out, even once, the process must be repeated. i park the car with the key in the ignition, using my non-coded spare or the remote unlock to get into the car. this is a safety issue - if there were an emergency of some type or some type of personal threat and i were unable to leave quickly due to this ignition problem, where would i be? also, my car (as undesirable as i'm sure it is due to its many problems) sits at risk of being stolen - the key is easily visible in the ignition if i leave it there to avoid having to use a hammer to start the cat. i'm listing the failures as 100 - i've had to use the hammer at least that many times over the last year, but i can re-create the issue any time by simply pulling the key out. *jb

I try to turn the key in the ignition and it will not turn. this has happened 3 times in the last 3 years. i also had to get it towed all 3 times to the dealer to be repaired. i have spent a little over $500 for these repairs. *nm

I own a 2000 ford focus. for about 18 months i have been experiencing a fuse blowing which runs my brake lights. i continue to replace the fuse, but now it won't hold anymore. there is a recall #02313: deck lid wire harness fatigue, but my vin didn't get recalled. my car is experiencing these recall 'symptoms' and should be covered! *jb

I have a 2000 ford focus and have had nothing but problems with the car. i've had most (8 of 12) of the recall services done to the car. now the key won't turn because the ignition is jammed. i searched the web and found literally hundreds of posts on websites regarding the same problem with all years of the ford focus. on many sites, people are describing the same problem of the ignition problem and paying $350+ at the dealers to get it fixed. these same sites have many people hoping that nhtsa will force ford to do a recall on the ignition. it is a defect when it's this common. people describe tow truck operators saying they tow a number of ford focus to the dealer for the ignition problem each month. please do something!! *jb

My ignition is jammed and will not turn the car on. i have read numerous complaints regarding this problem and think that it should be a recall. i have not fixed the problems because i have put too much money into this "lemon" of a car already! i need a recall to pay for ford's mistake! *nm

I drove home from school parked my 2000 ford focus lx in the driveway and on my way out to work found that my ignition would not turn and my steering wheel was locked into place. after 2 days of having to find an alternative way to work i called a locksmith who said they have several complaints about this happening a week and to lightly tap on the key while it is in the ignition, after trying that i found it works but has to be done everytime i want to start the car. *jb

Key and ignition cylinder on steering column getting hot. ignition locked up for the second time. repaired 1st time with motorcraft part. also maybe not relevant but it's like there is no braking system without the key in the ignition. upon loading car onto trailer, foot on brake took key out of ignition briefly and car rolled back missing ramps falling on end of trailer and damaged front bumper. *jb

1) ignition stuck, and can't start vehicle. 2) stepdaughter was stranded, by side of road. car had to be towed home, and then dealer. 3) drilled ignition tumbler from and re-keyed. re-keyed new ignition cylinder. *jb

I could not insert my key into the ignition switch. i also could not turn the steering wheel or move the car into neutral gear. the service tech at ford said "it was a very common and widespread problem with the focus and that they repair many more ford focus ignitions than any other model of ford cars. this should be a recall repair and the owner of the ford focus (i) should not be financially liable for the repair. i would like for ford motor company to reimburse me for the cost of the repair $269.32 and the fee i paid to the towing company $35.00 a total of the two is $304.32. *jb

I bought my ford focus with 19 miles on it in june of 2000 from the time i bought it i had issues with the key getting stuck in the ignition or failing to turn, or requiring excessive pressure to get it to turn. after many minutes of work i was generally able to force the ignition to turn. eventually i could no longer force the system to work. i have asked several dealerships about this issue and they state it is a known problem but ford does not acknowledge responsibility. to repair this issue i must have the car towed to the dealership and have the ignition replaced. *nm

The ignition won't turn so the vehicle won't start. it left me stranded at work and now down to one car for me and my wife. we have not been able to repair it yet due to the cost of a replacement part and to get it towed to a service station. *nm

Our ford focus has been nothing but problem since we bought the thing. the wiring was shot about 4 months in, and we could no longer use the electronic locks, or trunk opener. however, the latest problem would be the ignition. i was getting gas when i went to put the key in the ignition and it was stuck. luckily, after a brief panick attack i managed to get it to start. today, unfortunately we weren't so lucky, and the steering wheel, brake pedal and ignition are all frozen and are unable to start the car. i now have no vehicle for work tomorrow morning, and am furious with this unreliable vehicle. someone must do something about this! *nm

Failed to start; noticed that positive cable insulation near connection to battery was melted; had battery jump-start; took to have battery check in car while running; bad battery; replaced battery with new one; and failed to turn on; mechanic checked continuity and there was none found; mechanic cut off part of cable with burnt insulation and tried to reconnect; no remedy; notified by mechanic that it would cost approximately $400 to replace positive cable harness. mechanic notified me of a recall he found concerning the zetec engine and battery cable harnesses catching on fire; thus, contacted dealer with vin; and they said there is no such recall associated with that vin... *jb