Problems with 2000 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Consumer went out to start the vehicle and key would not turn. the ignition was locked in place, it would not move at all, and the steering wheel was locked. vehicle was towed to the dealership, technician replaced the ignition switch.*ak

Ignition lock failed. unable to insert kit all the way and had to have car towed to dealer. *la

Consumer placed key inside of the ignition switch and key would not insert properly inside the switch, and vehicle failed to start. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic stated that this warranty expired. *ak

Defective ignition switches even service wrighter say they should be recalled my 2000 ford focus has had 4 ignition switches installed, the latest on i installed 5-13-04 and today it was towed 65 miles for a new ong against a faulty design and should be fixed. ford will credit me for the new switch i put in cause they say the key ruined it but i say the switch ruined the key. so the change everything now that the next one is in ford when it brakes and i don't think its fair the consumer get stuck.the car had the original one, then about a year or so ago i changed it. then i changed it 2 months ago and now today 07-12-04 again all the service wrighters say the should be recalled too. *la

The key in my 2000 ford focus zx3 will not turn in the ignition. i have to take it to the dealership to fix. i have read so many accounts of this same problem i cannot believe there has not been a recall. (there have been so many already.) *la

Ford refuses to issue a recall or replace the ignition lock assembly which is faulty. *nm

While driving 40 mph vehicle caught on fire under the hood. local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. consumer questioned o whether past recall repairs were done properly. *ak the electrical gauges had gone up and the oil light stayed on. the vehcile was out of control. recall# 00v411000. *sc

It was hard for the consumer to turn the key in the ignition switch. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Ignition lock failure. yet another person with a bad ignion, tumblers fell inside lock could'nt get the key back into ignion. we had the car towed.*ak

Over time, my ignition lock has been freezing up and not allowing my to start the car. now it will not work at all and am forced to replace ignition cylinder my self. there seem to be many reports of the same problem with other owners as well. ford needs to recall this car completely until they work out all bugs. *jb

I have had my ford focus for two years. i will never buy another ford again. the time i have had my ford i've received about 3 or 4 recall notices for my car. just recently i had another problem. the ignition on my car completely locked, you couldn't even turn the key. after talking to the person that towed my car and was told that they have seen this on so many of the focus cars i did a search on the internet and found out it is a major problem. it cost me about $450 just to have them fix the ignition. this is a major concern and i feel there should be a recall on this. *jb

Like many ford focuses, my ignition lock cylinder failed. my key ring is not excessively heavy, nor am i abusive with my vehicle--the spring assembly inside the ilc is just a poorly designed piece of crap, and rather than pay the quoted price i successfully replaced the problem by drilling out the old lock and replacing it with a new ilc. ford has issued a technical service bulletin on this problem and thousands of focus owners have suffered a similar breakdown. it's a crap part and should be replaced with a sturdier part at no expense to the consumer, and those of us who have suffered breakdowns to date should be compensated for our repair costs.*ak

2000 ford focus, second incident involving the faulty ignition tumbler, stranded on vacation. have replaced the ignition/linkage once already, now car disabled by same situation. sitting in car trying to get ignition to turn over while 80 mile an hour winds rocking the car side to side. had no choice but to sit there and fret. car works fine if you can start it. *nm

initially, the key would not go into the ignition switch all the way. when the key finally did go in, the switch would not turn. in the process the steering wheel locked. tow truck was called, and vehicle towed to nearest dealership, olympic ford in marysville, wa. tow truck driver stated that they had 4 ford focus' with the identical ignition issues to tow that week alone. reported that this was a rampant failure in recent weeks. as result, husband was left stranded over 35 miles from home.*ak

Problems with the vehicle motor going fast then slowing down. *mr when the vehicle was in motion, there was thump in the rear under the seat as if it were stopping and or losing power, the emission light had come on the dash board and would go off and on again, the floor would vibrate and rattle, the engine would cut off when at stop lights, the key would not turn in the ignition/stuck in cylinder. the stalling would occur especially when the fuel tank was below 1/2. *sc *jb

Dt*: the contact stated that the ignition locked; the key could be placed in the ignition but it would not turn. a locksmith repaired it. on the first occurrence, the repairs were made at the owner's expense, however the contact expressed there should be a recall or reimbursement.

When the consumer placed the key in ignition switch, the switch did not turn. the vehicle is now on its 2nd ignition switch. please provide further information. *jb

I own a 2000 ford focus that has recently developed a problem with the ignition. when the key is inserted in the ignition, the ignition switch will not turn to start the car or to the auxillary power position. the problem has not stranded me or my wife, but it has been a concern. the problem has been irregular as to when it occurs and usually corrects itself with patience and several attempets. i am submitting this problem because our neighbor has the same car and was stranded. she had to have her car towed to the dealership and $600 dollars of work done to solve the problem. the mechanica at the ford dealership told her that he has seen a lot of these problems and that he expects ford to issue a recall.*ak

Once the key was in the ignition the ignition switch failed to turn. three times in two years ignition cylinder had to be replaced. *ak

I am a victim of ford failing to do something about their ignition locking problem. my ignition locked up on me. this is a well documented and known problem. the design is flawed. the consumer is being taken for a ride. even the replacement part has the failed design. please do something!*ak

The key would not go into the ignition. i had to have the car towed to the dealership and have the ignition replaced.*ak

I have a 2000 ford focus. it has a recurring problem where the ignition cylinder locks up and the car cannot not be started, requiring towing to the nearest ford dealer. the ignition cylinder has had to be replaced june 2001, feb 2003, march 2004, and now for the forth time in june 2004. this is a serious and costly problem. if one were to stall in traffic on the highway, and then could not start, the car will be locked in park and would be dangerous. upon picking up the car this time, after putting in the key, the key got stuck and i pulled out the whole cylinder and key together. i was told i am not using my key properly! ford know they have a problem with focus ignitions and will not address or recognize it. in addition, the dealer is tired of dealing with this problem.*ak

Ignition cylinder locks, key gets stuck and will not turn or come out.*ak

Vehicle will not start when the ignition switch is turned. vehicle had to be towed to dealer due to malfunction of the ignition switch. *ak

Put key in ignition and would not turn over car . locked in park position and could not get it to unlock the steering wheel. key would not turn. dealer claims that this is an ongoing problem with the ford focus, could you please tell me what if any thing i can do to prevent this from happening again, since the car dealer said it's not guaranteed not to happen again. this i s costing me $500.00 plus towing and i'm not even sure it is going to be okay. *jb

We have had three separate occasions where the ignition switch locks up and will either fail to accept the key or fail to rotate to start the car. the first two occasions were during the warranty period the third was outside of the warranty period. this ignition failure seems to happen every 12-18 months. although this may not be a safety problem, it clearly is a manufacture defect.*ak

When inserting the key into the ignition the key will only enter half-way and the key cannot be turned or the key can be fully inserted, but cannot be turned. *ak

Key would jam in ignition. then yesterday the key wouldn't start veh. now i am having to tap on the end of key to get the ignition to start due to faulty cylinders in the ignition. i have found numerous complaints regarding this on the web. *jb

I went out to my car after work and tried to start my car. the key would not go all the way into the ignition so i could not turn the key. after trying a few times, i called ford roadside assistance and had it towed to my dealership, gaudin ford in las vegas on a wednesday night. the tow truck driver said that he's seen a lot of focuses with the same problem. they did not work on it on thursday as they had other cars in front of it. friday they figured out that the ignition cylinder was binding. they did not have the part in stock, so it had to be ordered. finally on tuesday it was done. it was under warranty as i had opted for the extended warranty plan, but i did have a $100 deductible. also, i had rental coverage, but was made to pay for the taxes on the rental car, about $20. *la

Consumer attempted to start vehicle but key would not turn. ignition was locked in place, it would not move, and the steering wheel was locked. dealership replaced less than three months ago the switch, but problem recurred. *ak

Without any warning, my the key will not go in the ignition. consequently, i cannot start my car. because i have seen entirely too many posts about this, i contacted ford at the 800 number. all i got was apologies and if i get it repaired to keep the receipt for reimbursement in the event there is a recall. i wonder why there hasn't been one already when it is listed as one of the top two problems with the ford focus.*ak

No sign of anything wrong at all - then the key will go into the ignition - but the key will not turn and the steering wheel is locked up. *ak

No sign of anything wrong - then key will not turn in ignition and the steering wheel is locked up. *ak

as i tried to leave my house on 6/18/04, i found that my key would only go into my ignition a quarter of the way. despite trying several ideas suggested, my husband and i ended up contacting a locksmith who fortunately was able to fix the problem in our driveway instead of having it towed. he had to drill out the ignition and replace it with a new one. all together, it ended up costing us $170. my 2000 ford focus only has 70,000 miles on it, and i don't feel this type of problem should be occurring. i understand it is a consistent problem by reading items on the internet as well as the information presented by the locksmith. he said that he has worked on 6 focuses in the past year including one just last week. i am truly concerned about this possibly happening again. ford should be recalling the ignition and replacing them with ones that will last. *ak

I purchase my 2000 ford focus lx on september of 2000. since then ive had nothing but problems with this vehicle. i drove it for 10,000 mile and the ignition cylinder locked up and left me stranded. this also requird a new set of keys because the ignition cylinder strips them. i also had to replace brakes and tires 4 times in 3 years. the fuel pumped failed 3 times now also. i was at work yesterday and the car once again had a locked igniton cylinder. luckily for me the car is out of warranty. i had to get another set of keys made a year ago because they got stripped(again). i would not have a problem with this but they are 120 dollars for 2. but going back to yesterday, i recieved a phone call from the dealership saying that it will cost 500 dollars to fix the ignition cylinder. what is going on here when i can't find one person who as ever had to replace this part on their vehicle? i have a problem believing that ford can make something so defective!*ak

While placing key inside the ignition switch, the vehicle would neither start nor move. the driver had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic replaced the cylinder switch inside of the ignition. please fill in additional information. *la

The ignition cynlinder on my 2000 focus has collapsed for the second time, leaving me stranded without transportation. the key will not turn to crank up the car. i had this problem fixed by the dealership in 2002, but it just broke again. i have found hundreds of other complaints filed and posted online about this same problem and repeated occurances. now my dealership is charging me $250 to fix it again because the part is no longer under warrantee. this is disgusting. i would like reimbursement, and ford should issue a recall, as this is obviously an ongoing problem. *ak

While driving at any speed, the vehicle stalled. the consumer restarted the vehicle, and drove it to a mechanic for inspection. the mechanic determined that the battery cables needed to be replaced. *ak recall# 02v288000. the consumer was told that his vehicle was not apart of this recall. the positive battery cable was found routed improperly. *sc *jb

Key to my ford focus would not turn in the cylinder and was unable to start my car. had to have car towed and a new ignition cylinder installed. towing, parts and labor costs $400.*ak

My wife went to the the store and when leaving started to put the key into the ignition switch. the key only went half way in, she could not get it to go any further. as a result we had to have the car towed to the local dealer for repairs.the dealer informed us that the switch will have to be drilled out and replaced and rekeyed to our keys. i will ask for the parts back. the estimate is $400.00. i have since done some research and found that this is a very common complaint.*ak

In july, 2002, i had warranty work on my 2000 ford focus to replace the ignition switch. at the time, key would not go into the lock, or would not turn at all. dealer made warranty repair. fewer than 2 years later, the ignition switch is going out again. this time, the key can be removed in any position. i think that this is both a safety and a security problem. ford will not honor the original warranty work past 12 mos./12,000 miles. the car came with a 36/36,000 warranty. does this mean the parts they put for repairs are 1/3 the quality of the original?*ak

My 2000 ford focus se was having problems with the steering wheel locking up and ignition key not turning, on 06/08/04 car was towed to pacific ford. ford said that it was not covered under extended warranty, that the problem is wear and tear. ignition cylinder was replaced, cost me $380.25. now key does not open driver side of door, will open trunk and passenger side of door . took back the car to pacific ford, now they are saying that is has to do with my cylinder lock on door (wear and tear)and if would cost me about $300.00 to have it replaced. did not have problem with any of the doors or trunk not opening up before they serviced the car. *jb

Ignition key failed and locked the steering wheel on my 2000 ford focus zx3. *ak

I had been having some slight problem getting my key to turn thought nothing of it until today (6/7/2004) went to store and got out went in came back out and low and behold my ignition would not accept my key. finally got key in the ignition and could not get it to move. it is frozen up completely. this is terrible how can there be so many complaints on this problem and nothing be done about it.ford has to know that they have a defective part on these cars...... is there not anything a person can do abouit this kind of thing? is there a certain number of recalls before there is something done ...if there is any thing a person can do to get ford to correct this "defect" and it is a defect i am certain after reviewing your complaint site it is amazing how many people have went through this same thing alot more than one time, some people said they had to fix theirs more than one but three and four times .. please help ! *ak

Owner says that the ignition locks up. it also locks the steering wheel. owner took the vehicle to the dealer who repaired the problem early on. now the vehicle is not under warranty and it will cost about 600.00 for repair. provide further details. *nm

When placing the key inside the ignition switch consumer is unable to turn the key. this causes the steering wheel to lock, and consumer is unable to start the vehicle. consumer contacted the dealer, and was informed that the ignition cylinder needed to be replaced, and dealer replaced it. however, problem recurred. *ak

The consumer noticed that it was difficult to insert the key into the ignition switch to start the vehicle. the dealer has been contacted. please provide details. *nm

Once the key is in the ignition switch it fails to turn. this would be the third time in two years that the ignition cylinder had to be replaced. *ak *sc *jb

I had purchased a 2000 ford focus. i have had the car less then 5 years and the ignition cylinder had fail twice. ford motor co. has not admitted and fault in either occurrence. *ak

While having the key inside the ignition switch it would not turn. consumer was not able to start the vehicle. consumer contacted the dealer, and was informed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. *ak