Problems with 2000 Ford Focus STEERING

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

The vehicle was park without prior warning the steering column lock up and will not un lock the vehicle was towed. please provide additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts

I own a 2000 ford focus with 86,500 mi. and was told that the front rack and pinion steering was shot. how can this be on a 2000 car?

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 steering column has locked up twice states consumer. cause is unknown. please provide any further information. ph

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

Car is only 2yrs,8mo. have currently expended over $4000.00 on repairs. problem with seals allowing fumes in car from other vehicles running beside mine. the noise and wind shear level is very unsatisfactory. squeal noise and thumping feeling from pressing on brake pedal. hesitation on accelerating into traffic flow. poor quality on parts and workmanship from manufacturer

Vehicle stalled twice, then engine caught fire in battery area. please note that i live in canada, and site does not permit canadian address. actual zip is m4k 1m6 in toronto ontario, canada. vehicle is total writeoff. ford dealership denied knowledge of fire or stalling problems with focus.*ak

3 recall notices had been received regarding defects on different parts. consumer will further detail notices. dealer has been notified.*ak

I beg of you recall this car. it will eventually kill somebody and their children. no safety defect listed. *ak

When the fuel tank is less than half full and i am turning right, the engine will stall, if it does not stall, it will jerk into different gears like it is going to stall. one time it stalled while i was on a sharp curve and i lost my power steering in the middle of the curve and almost hit someone.*ak

While driving on highway lost control and vehicle hit highway divider on left side. then skidded to left side of highway and hit a guardrail and went into a tree. upon impact, frontal air bags did not deploy.*ak

Airbags deployed upon entering driveway, causing loss of control of vehicle resulting in accident. nlm

Front disc brakes - excessive squeal upon braking...took car to dealer. determined front brake pads & rotors needed replacement. only 16000 miles on car! also, rear drum brakes make squealing noise as well. dealer replaced them and turned drums. still squeals. also, emergency brake lever has excessive travel and poor brake holding capacity. took back to dearler twice, still poor emergency brake function. power steering assist suddenly failed when started car cold. steering was difficult and slow until car warmed up. happened for several day until took to dearler. said p.s. pump was bad and replaced it.*ak

While parking on the street without prior warning the steering wheel column turn to the right out of controland the vehicle hit the curb, the dealer is aware of the problem. nlm

While driving 20-25 mph and making a turn, there was no response, consumer is able to turn wheel 360 degrees. vehicle was towed to dealer, loose nut in steering column was replaced. on 11 feb 2002 at 20 mph steering was unresponsive again. vehicle still at dealership at this time. 2 piece steering column had disconnected. dealer cannot explain why, does not know how to remedy it. *ak the manufacturer stated that the press fit connection between the shaft and the joint failed due to steering cloumn assembly failure. also, steering column found retain nut loose causing the air bag light to ill and the horn inoperative. *yh

In jan 2002 ford wanted to buy car back but said the car is 2 years old so it was only worth half of its value due to the car would have to go to an auction car was in shop 77 days then released and 4 days later parts went up again and car lost steering and brakes and had accident this is a serious matter and someone is going to be killed by this problem ford knows about this problem but seems they dont care. *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

Steering wheel was not maneuverable due to a technical malfunction in steering column. vehicle failed to start because of steering malfunctioned. please provide more information.*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

While driving and making a turn to either left side or right side steering will make a loud noise. this could make consumer lose control. dealer was contacted. please provide more information. *ak

Power steering fluid leaked into rack and pinion, making it difficult to steer. took vehicle to dealer, and and replaced rack and pinion steering. *ak

Dt: consumer states that steering wheel locks up, which causes the key not to turn in the ignition. the consumer has to work with the steering wheel to get key to turn. consumer has taken vehicle to service department, and the technician stated that vehicle has an anti-theft system, and that is why it is having steering problems. *ak

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!

While driving under normal operating conditions heard an abnormal noise coming from vehicle while braking. dealer examined vehicle and discovered that left front brake pad was loose. since that time, consumer has experienced problems with brake pads needed to be replaced or examined because left side pad support knuckle: spindle arm was bent, and causing brake pad to wear. dealership was unwilling to assist in repairs of because vehicle was no longer under warranty. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak

On saturday, june 30, 2001, the steering wheel on my 2000 ford focus station wagon began to come loose. specifically, the steering wheel was unresponsive when turned slightly, and was only effective when turned sharply. then i noticed that the steering wheel was wobbling at the base -- i.e., the point where the steering column entered the dashboard. i drove to ted britt ford (where we bought the car) and left the car for servicing. on tuesday, july 3, 2001, the service technician at ted britt (jim kiefer of the brown team) called me to inform me that the steering column had been assembled improperly by the manufacturer. i understood him to explain that the bolts to the steering column had not been sufficiently tightened, and had simply come loose over time. he stated that he had never seen this same problem before. i note that the car has between 19,000 and 20,000 miles on it, and it took approximately one year since we bought the car for this problem to manifest itself. it seems likely that most people who bought 2000 ford focus station wagons have not yet put 19,000 + miles on them, so this problem (if general to all or many focuses) may still be latent in many cases. thank you for your attention to this incident.*ak

While pulling into the dealer lots, a fire had developed in engine compartment. insurance adjuster inspected vehicle, and informed consumer that cause of fire was a power steering pump leakage. dealer was also notified, and no response was given at this time. feel free to provide any further information on this matter.*ak

Steering mechanism has locked up, leaving consumer's daughter stranded in georgia. a dealership was repairing defect, and stated that problem was in coding of key that locked steering up. a specialist has to come in, and decide about locking mechanism. please provide any additional information/attachments.*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

While driving on i275 nth i heard what sounded like the noise a flat tire would make.got off motorway to investigate, could find nothing wrong. got back on only to find the car starting to pull toward the passenger side. luckily i was near a rest area, pulled off. only to find smoke pouring from the rear wheel. it had siezed solid. it was taken to a dealer, who fixed the following, drum&bearing cup, spindle, retainer asy wheel, rotor brake sk, cap rear wheel and the abs sensor. refused to check other side as that had already(much early been fixed under a recall) while their they did find the cause for the fuel smell inside the vehicle, in circuit 15rl3(gn.rd) @ c-87 terminal was not seated in connector, fuel consumption has improved from 28mpg to 31mpg. local dealer and ford customer service both told me my concerns with the other rear wheel and the engine due to it's consumption of unburned fuel(not to mention mine)were area's they will not check, even if i feel they are potentially dangerous to myself and any passengers i may have.*ak

While driving vehicle would shut down without prior warning. power would completely go out, no steeering or hazard lights. consumer would turn engine off, and start back up. this has occurred on numerous occasions. dealer was unable to duplicate, so was not able to provide remedy. *ak

While driving could feel left side of vehicle is pulling to side where sometimes ir could lose control of vehicle at high speed, and steering could lock to left side without prior warning. *ak

Engine just stalls every 3 months while driving. have had the same problem happen 4 times! the last time i wasnt under warranty and it cost me 500+...they replaced many things but it still continues. also after only 23000 miles my left caliper slipped causing extreme wear and tear on the brakes and rotors. cost 300 to fix that. *ak

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

This car has giving me nothing but trouble. this is the second one i have owned, the first one ford bought me out of because it was a lemon, and this one is worse than the first one. the ford focus is nothing but a lemon. i will never own another ford for as long as i live. ford needs to stand by their product and take this car back. it is obviously not fixable. i have this car in the shop at least every other week, i only have 5,955 miles on this thing. i hate this car!!!!!*ak

Dt: the consumer stated there were multiple problems with the vehicle. the brakes make noises and pulsated when the pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer where the brake light switch and ignition cylinder switches were replaced. the dealer also turned the drums, replaced the brake pads and resurfaced the front rotors. there was a vibration in the front end when braking. the lower ball joint, right wheel bearings, right front sway bar link, bone socket, steering rack column and tie rod ends were replaced in an attempt to remedy the problem. the tail light covers retained moisture and condensation built up. the dealer replaced the tail light covers and fuses that were blown due to the moisture. lastly, the contact noticed the rear seat was loose and upon inspection the dealer discovered an anchor and hinge problem. the back hinge and pillar were replaced. *jb

Extreme amount of problems and recalls, vehicle has low mileage. in addition to listed problems, severe rear tire cupping at 7000 miles, may be attributed to loose rear wheel bearing. power steering pressure hose leaking, a/c still not fixed correctly cold lasted for about a month drivers door lock wont lock interm. rear trunk latch wont release from inside car. fuel gauge erratic, caused driver to run out of gas on a bridge. maf sensor failure, caused driver to be limited to 15 mph on freeway till next exit. vheicles radio stuck on with key removed causing battery drain---happened twice and was fixed. vehicle is a lease due back for return in august. cant wait to be rid of this headache but feel sorry for whoever buys it... i would still like ford motor co to reimburse me for the lease payments made for the amount of downtime and time vehicle spent at the dealership to fix some of these problems......thankyou

Defective front brake rotor. *ph during the inspection the consumer was told that the defect was not covered under the vehicle's warranty. other vehicle components also malfunctioned. the vehicle's trunk latch broke, the check engine light illuminated twice, the cd player became inoperative and the steering wheel locked up. *nm

Consumer was driving at 4-5 mph coming from a dead stop to make a turn , turned a little wider and hit curb, leaving a mark size of quarter on tire. dual air bags deployed, causing loss of vehicle control. steering locked up, vehicle went over the curb. tire did not blow, and there was very little damage. front windshield completely shattered due to airbags deploying. dealer made a statement that there was airbag sensor in the wheel. *ak

There was noise in the front and cargo area of the vehicle, the trunk did not close easily, the doors and the brakes squeaked. scc

The steering wheel and ignition switch locked up, on another occasion the steering wheel locked up in the right position while the drivr was backing into a driveway, the rear wheel bearings had to be replaced due to road noise, the ignition switch came out of the steering column when the drivers attempted to remove the key from the ignition. nlm

Brake pads and rotors failed, worn out at less than 13000 miles. reported burning smell from brakes at 3700 miles. (dealer refused to place repair under warranty)..replaced both front pads and rotors. at 3700 miles bumping..grinding noise noted had to lower sub frame..upper rack assembly tightened ed bolt to rack and streering shaft. *ak

Nationwide insurance has ruled a manufacturing defect, auto body shop invovled also agreed, ford motor company has yet to review or acknowlege any error.

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 driver side tie rod and axle collapsed while driving the vehicle, loss of control resulted in accident. yh

Steering wheel is locked and key will not turn so car will not start. after doing research i have found that this is very common and may even happen again after being repaired - typical cost is $250 - 300. *ak.

While driving 30-35 mph and making a turn the steering wheel locked up, causing loss of vehicle control, cause unknown. please give any further details.*ak