Problems with 2000 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ignition switch failed. key would not turn when placed into the ignition. dealer is currently replacing ignition switch and ignition column. ford was contacted and has denied any knowedge of previous problems. *ak

Something was burning while driving, after parking found battery cable was burning. dealer contacted. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Ignition key would not turn ignition. had to call in locksmith to replace. ford dealerships not helpful. apparently this is common problem with focus. locksmith said he has worked on 100's of ford focus with same problem. car rental agency said same thing about their ford focus fleet. ignition key either locks up in ignition or fails to turn.*ak

Consumer states the ignition lock/switch mechanism failed, causing ignition key to get stuck and the steering wheel to lock. *yd

In highway traffic vehicle shutsdown unexpectedly. dealer has replaced fuel pump, and computer board. problem keeps reoccurring. please provide any further information.*ak

My whole is my problem. i lease this car for three years and they could not tell what the problem is. i spend more time at the dealership then i did on my job. i am still having problem with ford focus and they still don't know what the problem is. the customer service at adamson ford is very poor . this where my first time driving a american car. they did not want to get me out of the car and then i call the owner of adamson ford he did not call me back at all the only thing i could try to do is file lemon law but it will take so long for it to take action i drop the case. this should be taking off the market and people should get there money back. because i almost got hit two time by 18 wheeler with my baby girl in the back in a car seat they don't give a [xxx] about that at all. this car is having problems right as i type you this letter. i am very up set on this car i have 12 months left and they still will have problem when i finish with it. i have many more problems but i am at work and it will have to type them later today. please do something about this before it is to late and someone will get kill injured really bad. *ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Ford 2000 focus ignition lock failure - locksmith websites talk about this and offer special parts to fix it - why doesn't ford take ownership of this latent defect that is ruining quality. this is just the icing on the cake of the 2000 focus and its laundry list of recalls (4 more in the works as i understand it). this is a prevalent mechanical failure and is actionable. if there is a class action suit on this contact me to join.*ak

Myon 3/27/02 car burned down in my yard . i really need some help to resolve this this the third time i have filled out this form with no response at at all. *ak

When i tried to insert my key into the ignition, it refused to go in, almost like it was the wrong key. i called the ford dealership and they advised me to call ford roadside assistance for a tow to their dealership. the tow truck driver told me she had towed serveral focus' in the last month with the same problem. bob turner ford kept my car from friday to monday saying they had to put in a new ignition system. i wasn't charged because my focus is still under warranty.*ak

2000 ford focus zts, 4-dr sedan. the engine caught on fire on 3/19/02. car was totaled as a result of the fire. fire/police suspected fire originated around the battery.

While driving at any speed and no warning the vehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over and it will be hard to get the vehicle back started.dealer notified. *ak

Wiring under dashboard started smoking, causing car to stall and ignition to locked up. *ak

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

Under dash wiring harness started smoking, causing car to stall. also, ignition locked up.*ak

Under dash wiring harness started smoking, causing car to stall. *ak

Car stalls or surges when going 50+ miles per hour/headlights flash on/off and other electrical components fail/engine light illuminates

Consumer experiencing many problems with ignition, key will not turn when inserted in ignition switch. dealer replaced ignition. *tt

Many safety recalls for this car. no safety defect stated. *ak

Consumer was having a difficult time entering key into ignition. mechanic stated that vehicle had a lock switch that had malfunctioned. *ak consumer contacted customer service and was told that this condition was a familiar one with the ford focus and that the engineers have not received enough complaints to consider the problem a recall. dealer replaced ignition lock cylinder and offered to pay 60% of cost. *tt

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

I purchased my vehicle in february of 2002. just 2 weeks after purchasing, car shut down and locked up. had towed to dealership and found out that there were several recalls to be fixed. there was no cost for that work. then in about april of 2002 the button that turns the air on and off messed up and the air would not work. we went to ford and since i had no warranty, i was going to have to pay for the repairs, they quoted me at $170.00 to repair this so i order the part for 12.00 and fixed it myself. then 11-4-02 i went to get into my car and start it, and once again it would not start. we had it towed again, causing us to pay for a rental and towing fees. the car was in the shop for 2 days and they said that the ground wires were shorting out????and they said it needed several other things also, but they are yet to get fixed due to financial reasons. i cannot stand this car!!!

One week after purchasing the vehicle, the key that came with the car would not start the car. consumer had vehice towed to dealer. dealer pulled off wheel and went into the ignition, and fixed a part. *ak consumer stated that the second key was made and that key would not start the vehicle, vehicle was towed to the dealer, dealer said it was a security lock and they fixed the ignition. vehicle stalled for the third time but consumer managed to start the vehicle. *yd

While driving in the dark dashboard and rear lights will go off without a prior warning, and headlights will di. had taken vehicle to dealer and they found out that electrical wiring was corroded and had to be replaced to correct the problem. please provide more information. *ak

Dealership treated us like criminals(my wife and i) they gave us a rental, and harassed us about the rental even though by maine lemon laws, they are supposed to provide us with one. they threatened the police with us for theft of the rental. i noticed on your web-site yesterday that one day prior to our fire nhtsa started an investigation pertaining to vehicle fires on 2000 focus. we have attained the services of an attorney in this matter. thank you for all your help.*ak

Car burned in my driveway. we just found out it came from under the dashboard, a problem with the wiring(electrically)in the heating system.

This car burned up on highway while driving.also, i am not sure of some of the questions on engine type etc.*ak

Rear brake lights have failed to operate and to communicate to other drivers vehicle was slowing or stopping. dealership has not examined vehicle to determine cause of problem. also, consumer was informed tha vehicle was not included in recall campaign 00v411000/wiring harness due to vin. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak

Vehicle stalled out, and consumer left it where it was. then, he went back 3 hours later only to find that vehicle had burned up. he was told by the fire department that there was a vehicle fire. *ak

Consumer unable to turn key in ignition switch as a result of key cylinder locking up. contacted dealer.replaced parts 3 times; but problem reoccurred. *ak

Ignition lock cylinder will not turn. ford has refused to pay as my 36,000 mile warranty has expired. i am going to contact everyone i can think of to try to get this taken care of. i would appreciate being contacted if any class action law suits are filed against ford for violation of lemon laws.

Consumer states unable to start vehicle due to fact that you cannot put key in the ingnition. dealer replaced part. nlm

I have a 2000 ford focus lx. the ignition cylinder "fell" or broke or whatever it is called. the net effect is that the key would not go into the ignition and had to be towed to the dealer. it was replaced under warranty on jan 17, 2002. 19500 miles approximately. the next time the ignition switch failed was december 4, 2002. same symptoms and the ignition switch was replaced again. again under warranty. approximately 33394 miles. now again november 5, 2003 the key is having trouble sliding in and out again. i'm sure i'll be up for another ignition switch replacement and re-keying soon.i really feel ford needs to fix this problem and then recall so that we can had reliable ignition switches.*ak thanks carol. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The fire department indicated that vehicle caught on fire due to an electrical shortage.*jb(claim#55-s443-496)

I have had to replace my ignition in my car 3 times....every year at the exact same time its goes out....i think everybody with a focus is tired of paying tons of money to get this fixed when its not even our fault.....something has to be done, this has to b mad into a recall.... *tr

In april of 2000 the first problem was encountered when the car lost electrical power and went on auxillary power- i was towed to the dealer and the alternator was found to be the cause of the power failure - both alternator and battery were replaced with no further problems to report as of yet. second problem encountered while idling i noticed the fan was not turning on to cool the engine down- i brought car to dealer in january of 2002 where i was told that there was a problem with the fan relay switch which was replaced to my satisfaction. no further problems have surfaced with cooling system. thirdly and most troubling is my experience with the automatic transmission. i had noticed the transmission slipping in early 2002 (jan) and had the dealer look at it- they told me the fluid level was low and added a quart and test drove - immediate afterwards changed gears great - as time went on i noticed it again- i made an appointment with the dealer- before the appointment the car started worsening until complete transmisiion failure occured. the car was towed to dealer wher it was worked on for about 3-5 days - a new transmission was supposed to be installed (4/2002). 2000 miles later and 4 months same problem surfacing again!! i have an appointment in the morning hopefully the problem will be addressed. i believe this problem is a safety concern and an accident waiting to happen- so far i have been lucky enough to escape injury or death. there are over 60 incident reports listed on nhtsa 's web site for transmission failures and i believe someone needs to look into this matter further. i am considering legal options as well as a simple yet effective way of voicing my opinions through never purchasing a ford again!!!

At idle the head lights, dash board lights, and internal dome light flicker with cycle of engine. ford certified mechanic does not acknowledge the problem, nor a remedy to the flickering. flickering still exists! *la

I have several defects in my 2000 ford focus 4 door. first one is my left passinger door does not latch closed, 2nd is my cylinder lock in the ignition failed and i had to have it replaced , 3rd when it rains the front passinger floor fills to top with water, 4th the cd player turns off and blinks buy itself, 5th my check engine light stays on after repetedly taking it to machinic to see why and having it reset even though there is no reason it should be on and last the only way i have heat or ac is on level 4 -1, 2 and 3 do not work . *ak

On 3 different occasions vehicle has been having problem with igniton switch turning off. vehicle had to be towed because it would not start back up.*ak

Tried to put key into the ignition, key wouldn't go it. had car towed to dealer and it took a week to get fixed. had to argue to get a loaner car in the meantime and no one at ford was helpful at all and insisted that this was not a big problem. shortly before this happened, the steering and rack and pinion had to be replaced because of a fluid leak. last week, when attempting to start the car (it had not been started all weekend), the engine wouldn't turn over and the dealer had to replace the fuel pump. today while driving to work, the steering wheel became very loose and pulled away from the steering column. took the car immediately to the dealer and they put it back on. have had nothing but problems with this car. lots of recall work and all these other issues too. car is at dealer for service on average every four months. this was my first new car, but now i will never buy another ford and am getting rid of this one asap. *ak

I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle just last month the cable and motor in the rear passenger side door window burned up and now will cost over $600. to fix i can not get the front rack & pinion fixed because it will cost $1800.00. the transmission is going out now it slips out of gear sometimes not at all. i just got the brakes repaired for the third time in may and they are again squeaking. i have all of my receipts for work done to this car. i am now having to put power steering fluid in once or twice a week. the automatic locks on the doors lock and unlock all the time, and the electric instruments turn off by themselves. (radio) the driving lights go out at times and will not come back on. please help me, i am a single mother and have complained to courtesy ford they want to charge me diagnostic $90.00 for each item i am complaining about and then the amount it will take to fix all of the things wrong. this vehicle i just recently found out has had six different owners before me and one was rental car company. i do not know who the rest of them were. courtesy ford had said there was only one owner. they will not listen to me and now the focus' have a front suspension recall that may have been the problem the whole time with the brakes and the tire replacements and the power steering problems.!!! please help me. dt

Starter just stopped working, burned the fuse assembly. *ak

I sent this letter to ford in may of 2000 i purchased a ford focus, thinking it would be a safe, low maintenance car, considering it had been in europe since 1997. i would think this would be plenty of time to work out any bugs you may have. or, should i call them recalls. i think a car that has 16 recalls, most of them which i would consider safety issues, should be recalled entirely. i have had other issues with this car as well. my key would not turn, seat belts locking for no reason, door handles not opening the door (this is all happening again). and one that has not been addressed, brakes. i am now on my third set of front rotors since i have purchased the car. the same thing has happened every time. the driver side rotor and pad will wear completely down yet the passenger side will be just fine. i have talked to other focus owners and the same thing is happening. i still have my last set of rotors just to prove it. i got smart this time and bought replacements that were not made by you. stop tech cross drilled rotors and ebc greenstuff kevlar pads. i also replaced the driver side caliper with a non-ford replacement. i want out of this car because i feel it is unsafe. i also would like to warn other focus owners that this car is unsafe. you also had better not send me to the dealership again. what does the dealership have to do with the production of an unsafe car? nothing, except that they sell it. i am not putting up with ford pushing me around or giving me the run around either. this car is extremely unsafe and should not be on the road. i did not do this before but this time you leave me no choice. this letter will be sent to as many bad product websites as i can find. it will also be sent to nhtsa, consumer reports and the better business bureau. you did not do anything with my previous complaint and now there are more issues with this product that ...

Key will not turn in ignition, dealer determined ignition switch needs to be replaced.*ak

When the key is placed in the ignition, the key will not turn and start the vehicle. the dealer examined the vehicle and replaced the ignition switch. this vehicle has had the ignition switch replaced three times since ownership. *la

I was south bond on warren and observed, and smelled smoke. i went to pull over and found out i had lost brakes. i applied the emergency brake and came to a stop,

We have a 2000 ford focus and it has been in and out of the shop for the same problem. the car stalls at times and the lights of the car go off and on as well as the radio and the speedometer go crazy from on side to the other. i can be driving and have the radio off and it will turn on. the car stalled for the first time on oct. 22 2001 and it didn't restart so we took it to ford and they replaced the fuel pump. the car drove good for a while and then it started all over again. so we took it to ford on sept. 30 2002 and they told us that it was altenator. so we had it replaced. the car did good for a while and then on july 16 2003 the engine would stall. ford said that this time it was vacuum leak and they replaced the tube assembly. the car still had the same problem and we took it in on july 18 2003 the engine would stall. ford said that it was the fuel pump once again. so we had it replaced. the car still had the same problem so we took it back to ford and they said it was the altenator. we couldn't afford to have it fixed by ford so we had the altenator fixed with someone else. on sept. 17 2003 we could not start the car and we had to have it towed. ford said that it was the ignition cylinder and we had it replaced. after all of this the car did ok for a little while but on jan. 28 2004 the engine begain to stall once again. ford said that it was the fuel pump once again so we had it replaced. on feb. 4 2004 the gas would leak when you filled the tank. ford said it was the pump retaining nut not seated properly. the car still did not act good it started out slow with the car stalling every now and then and then it just would stall and turn off while you are driving. and sometimes the car would not ever start again untill 15 min would pass and then it would ...

Ignition switch is not working properly. at times consumer is not able to put key into ignition, other times vehicle will not start or able to put out of gear. contacted dealer, and dealer is not willing to do anything. please provide further information. *ak

The ignition housing locked up and as a result the vehicle could not be moved. the front axles on the right side fell off. the dealer refused to repair them. the front brake calipers fell off. the rear end slid while driving on a wet surface. *mr cb *nlm

Vehicle constantly stalls. sometimes she cannot take key out of ignition. then, sometimes cannot put key in ignition. also, fuel pump has been changed twice. when accelerating vehicle begins to vibrate.*ak