Problems with 2000 Ford Focus VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

At any speed vehicle hesitated/surged forward and stalled. recall 03v482000 was issued for this make/model and year. however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. also, this vehicle not included in recall 00v302000 concerning throttle sticking problem due to vin. *ak

When placing the key in the ignition vehicle fails to engage. also, while driving on the highway vehicle will suddenly accelerate, then stall. *ak

For the second time since june 2003 my car drove sluggishly with poor acceleration and stalling. it was repaired by the dealership in june. as i was taking it back to the dealer while turning into their driveway i took my foot off the gas to brake to slow down. my car surged forward and the spedometer shot up to 140 and back down as i applied the brake.*ak

Has been to shop for 26 days in the past 4 months. repeated failure of clutch (manual transmission), failure of brake pads, resulting in minor crash. have had to had ball joints replaced. cruise control was disconnected from accerator/brake. key would not go into ignition and resulted in key ignition switch having to be replaced. numerous recalls and trips to shop since bought brand new in august 2003*ak

2000 ford focus lx 4-door sedan - numerous complaints: 1) currently have 75,200 miles on car and have gone through 5 (yes five!) complete sets of tires.2) engine stalls at any speed with no warning lights or indications, car bucks and gas pedal can be depressed to floorboard and car will not move - barely avoided three accidents (two of which would have involved my two small children) 3) all four doors will stick - really need to pull to open - and once open, they will not close again (you need to try to close the doors repeatedly before they finally latch). they also popped opened while driving. afraid one day one of my children or a passenger or myself may be injured. they are manual door locks and latches. 4) same with trunk - often needs repeated tries to close and latch 5) leak in front passenger footwell - when it rains, or when going through carwash 6) front brakes have been replaced twice at my cost - horrendous, irritating, embarassing squealing is incessant - brake dust accumulates every day! in some instances, brakes need to be applied very firmly to stop vehicle (again, i do not feel safe with my children in car). 7) extremely foul smell when air conditioning use is attempted. 8) stereo was replaced - original factory installed would not work after 2 months of ownership. 9) paint is flaking off of skirts - i was informed by ford that this is "sandblasting" and that i must drive on dirt roads all of the time - i live on an asphalt street, drive on asphalt roads and asphalt highways - not dirt! 10) fuel pump was replaced once already - was told i must be buying "dirty" gas - if it is dirty gas, is that my fault? i don't exactly run the gas stations, and i don't buy fro one specific station - i fuel up when i'm low, wherever it is convenient. 11) i have had three alignments to try to stop the horrible shaking of the car - the steering wheel vibrates so badly that my arms are sore by the time i get to my destination. *ak

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning the second gear pedal became stuck, and the pedal went all the way down to the floor. the vehicle accelerated at a very uncontrollable speed, and the consumer had to place the car in neutral at which the vehicle eventually slowed down. dealer said the throttle cable snapped. repair cost $201.09. the consumer was concerned about the malfunction of the vehicle and whether it should be recalled. *ak *cb *jb

Throttle cable stuck wide open, had to use "park" to stop the vehicle. found recall only on 2000 ford focus models with specific vin numbers. called ford, said did not apply, however it happened to me. dealer does not have parts on hand, no guarantee of safety in the future. ford motor company does not truely listen to complaints. *ak

While driving 5-10 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a very high speed. *nlm

Ford focus 2000 sputters and lunges on right hand turns. sometimes stalling and dying. this is a potential safety hazard if your car dies right in the middle of the road.*ak

Consumer received poor service from ford motor company, as well as from following local ford dealers morande ford of berlin, ct and ray seraphin ford of vernon ct, and different opinions from ford employees concerning multiple recalls on a-frame/stereo/windshield wiper motor/rear wheel bearings, electrical system, and sudden acceleration/lurching. *ak

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 ...

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

When entering a driveway owner proceeded forward when vehicle accelerated out of control, striking a wall. both air bags deployed from extent of impact. please describe details. *ak

Engine revved and vehicle jerked 4 times, vehicle is at dealership at this time. please provide additional information.

Vehicle will lose power when accelerating. dealer has been notified. please provide additional information.*ak

For the past two weeks my 2002 ford focus se has been running rough when rpm exceed 3500. yesterday this problem became worse while i was travaling on i-94 east bound. while trying to accelerate to maintain the speed of the freeway the car begain to stall out. it stayed running but i could no longer press the gas pedal without the motor wanting to stall. finally after a the car slowed down to 40mph i was able to make my way to the shoulder. i was in the middle lane where posted speed is 70mph. car where franticlly trying to avoid hitting me while i limped my way over to the side of the road. after letting the car sit for 15 minutes i tried restarting and it appeared to be running better. i got off at the next exit and it started doing the same thing. however this time it would not even ideal and completely stalled while i was traveling at a speed of 40mph. i have been told by others who own this same vehicle that they too are having simular problems. i also read that you may have other complaints on this matter. thank you for your help in keeping us safe and holding the manufactor to the standards they should be at. i'm a employee of ford motor company and have always defended there position, but as a consumer this problem is very serious and need your attention.*ak

Tried to stop using brake pedal, but lunged forward due to gas pedal being hit at same time. *ak

6/3/02 : my ford focus was accelerating on an entrance ramp to interstate 70 in abilene, kansas, and upon reaching about 40 mph it suddenly stalled. fortunately, there was plenty of shoulder to pull off onto. after about 20 minutes, the car was able to continue on to manhattan, kansas, without further problem. later that evening when attempting to move the focus from my driveway into my garage, it started up ok, but then stalled after about 5 seconds. it stalled about 5 seconds after each time it started. i made an appointment with the dealer, dick edwards ford, in manhattan, kansas, for 6/5/02. i did not drive the vehicle on 6/4/02. on 6/5/02, i started the vehicle and began driving to the dealer to have the problem checked/fixed. about 2 miles from my house, the focus suddenly stalled again. i had the car towed the remaining 3 miles to the dealer. 6/6/02 : the focus is currently sitting in the service bay at dick edwards ford in manhattan, kansas. tomorrow (6/7/02) the fuel pump and fuel filter are supposed to be replaced at the cost of $500.00 (estimate). tonight (6/6/02) i saw a report on the cbs evening news about ford focuses being investigated for stalling problems. perhaps it is mere coincidence, perhaps not. the report alleged that the problem might be a result of debris accumulating in the fuel tank. also noteworthy is the fact that my focus had its 100,000 mile maintenance performed on 4/19/02, including a new fuel filter and tune-up. i would also like to say that dick edwards ford has done all the maintenance on this vehicle at 5000 mile intervals. i am filing this report because i happened to see the evening news tonight. how many people did not see the report and have had, or are experiencing the same problem as i am now? thank you very much. i look forward to hearing from you.*ak

Vehicle accelerates on its own, engine revs. throttle recall was done first in october of 2001, then a second time.*ak

When braking engine revs high and vehicle accelerates forward suddenly and unexpectedly. a recall has been issued on the vehicle's make/model; however this vehicle was not included due to vin. manufacturer has been notified.please provide additional information.*ak

Accelerater pedal got jammed and vehicle continued to move forward while consumer was trying to slow vehicle down.*ak

While driving cruise control will lock up and could cause an accident. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak

Car sometimes stalls or experiences hesitation when accelerating...such as merging onto a freeway during rush hour and having cars swerve around you. only notice the acceleration and stalling problems when gas goes below half a tank. afraid to merge onto freeway for fear of accident and being stranded.*ak

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

While driving vehicle will start to accelerate, then slowing and completely shutting off. vehicle has to sit for an hour before starting back up, and will drive for a few minutes and do the same thing all over again.*ak

The vehichle lock with the steering wheel and the wheels in a locked position.the vehicle then accelerated on it's own,and hit a curb.the other times it happened the same way.the car pulling real fast to one side,and the car won't stop it actually accelerates. *ak

The focus reaches around 10mph and the engine dies. then it may run for a few mins and it dies again at a higher rate of speed or a lower speed. the speed hasnt remained constant in its failures. the dealership is replacing the part (iac) what ever that is. but i saw the other recalls with ford and was worried it may be related.*ak

The accelorator cable stuck on the vehicle causing the rpm's to increase and the vehicle not to stop. because of very careful driving, no one was injured. ford claims this is a "minor problem". secondly, phil long replaced some front suspension parts because they were defective. from that day the vehicle has had excessive front end noise.*ak

Consumer was traveling 5mph when rear driver's side well came off. dealer has been contacted for problem, and informed consumer that a recall 00v302000 was issued for this problem and the vin number applied to recall but refused to remedy vehicle free of charge.*ak

Unable to disengage speed control when used. vehicle been to the dealer shop on several occasions, but problem still occurring. feel free to provide any further information concerning this matter. *ak

While parking the car after a highway drive, the engine revved out of control and had to forcefully apply brakes. managed to drive to work, four miles, the next morning but transmission died as i pulled into parking lot. could not reverse and would not go faster than 35 miles per hour with much bucking like my breaks were being applied. had to be towed to a dealers lot. *ak

Tires wearing out fast, accelerated speed, and engine kill, uneven suspension, indicator gauges and lights haywire. i was told by ford that i had wrecked the car and had to pay $883.00 for repairs + $350.00 for new tires.*ak

Vehicle rolls backward when on steep incline while in drive position. for example, at a red light on steep incline and in drive if you take your foot off brake the vehicle rolls backwards. windshield replaced twice due to horizontal crack starting at trim (same place) (lower driver side).*ak

While driving throttle stuck, causing sudden acceleration which resulted in a major accident.*ak *mj

99 v 346 000/cruise control: governor on cruise control would not operate when shifting into neural from drive, causing unexpected acceleration when it occurs. dealer / manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further details on this matter.*ak

While driving and foot is removed from accelarator, motor races, loses power dies out.*ak brakes squeal intermittently. *tt

While driving stepped on the accelerator pedal, but vehicle did not speed up. then, took vehicle to dealer. dealer discovered accelerator cable was broken. please provide more information. *ak

The throttle cable runs over the distributor wire's and the throttle cable is worn through the rubber down to expose the throttle cable wires as well as one of the distributor wires. ford sent a recall for 2.0l engines with a 5-speed manual transaxles, ford program # 00b59 after that repair my cruise control no longer worked because as soon as the key was put in the ignition and turned forward with or without turning over the engine the brake lights come on and remain on at all times and at all speeds until you turn the ignition completely off. a third problem also deals with a recall fmvvss 201. the new a-pillar trim panels they replaced in my car do not fit. ford modified the pillars to make them fit in place. you can see the metal from the outside of the car from the insideof the car. ford had to cut part of the pillars to make them fit and they constantly do not stay in place over the passenger side door. the new a-pillars do not fit properly and ford modified the recall parts to fit them into place. they even cracked my windshield on the passenger side trying to fit them into place.*ak

Vehicle will stall out and die without warning at 40mph, resulting in a collision. dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem.*ak

While driving at about 20 mph rpm's went to 7, engine revved loudly. linkage cable had popped out of bracket.*ak

While driving 10 mph, vehicle unexpectedly accelerated to a speed of 50+ mph. dealership has examined vehicle four times, but could not reproduce the problem. *ak consumer also stated there is a noise coming from the rear brakes, dealer replaced the rear shoes, also front brake pads were replaced.*yd

Please check under the hood at the accelerator cable and the way it fastens to the carburator. while reoving your foot off pedal too fast, it will cause accelerator cable to come off, accelerating your car at high speed and making it impossible for you to stop. this happened to us yesterday and many people could have been killed. after inspecting the part myself, i was shocked to see that (a) it was plastic and (b) there is nothing holding that cable doen other than a c-hook. this is very dangerous!!!!!!!!! please have this part inspected immediately, have it recalled and get this car safe. i will no longer put me or my family in that car until the accelerator cable "death trap" is fixed. thank you for your time and help! *ak

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

Vehicle jumps forward whenever it comes to a complete stop. vehicle gets up 10 20 mph without having foot on gas. consumer hit another car once because vehicle launched forward. *ak *slc

Intermittent failure of signal lights/ brake lights/ speed control, and air conditioning. vehicle been in dealer shop on two occasions, and problem still reoccurring. feel free to provide any further information on this matter.*ak

Cruise control servo routes brake light system which causes no brake lights when servo failed. risk unknown to driver until notified by dealer.

While parking vehicle jumped forward without warning. *ak during the incident, the air bag deployed and broke the windshield. *yh

The consumer reported to the dealer that the gas pedal was sticking but the delaer was unable to duplicate the problem, the throttle body also sticks. nlm

Twice, while sitting at a stop light, the engine suddenly went to full throttle. put car in neutral and shut off engine. on second occasion, car restarted on full throttle a number of times before successfully restarted on idle. dealership can't locate problem.

Recall 00v302000/ spped control cable. while driving has been having problem with speed control. vehicle had to be taken to dealer for repairs. five other recalls had been made on this vehicle. *ak