Problems with 2002 Ford Focus ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

While idling, my car is turning off. it also does so when attempting to accelerate after shifting the car from p to d. initially the gas cap light on the dashboard signaled. i replaced the cap, and the check engine light was illuminated afterwards. now, the car is turning off completely while idling and only the check engine light is lit. *tr

Without warning the engine blew! i service my auto like i'm suppose to and this happens. by looking online i see i'm not the only one. try finding a engine for this car is so expensive that it's ridiculous! that let me know i'm not alone! i can't believe the going rate for this car's engine is $1700! so now i'm stuck with a piece of junk costing me $3500 to get it fixed only to wait until the next shoe falls!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. while attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, the vehicle suddenly lost all power without warning. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a failed timing belt. the contact was awaiting repairs. the dealer advised the contact to notify the manufacturer of the failure. the manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance since there were no recalls for the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 110,000.

cylinder head valve seat failure. approx 1/2 of the valve seat fell into combustion chamer (between piston and head).. this caused piston to break and rod to go through cylinder wall but not through block outer wall and causing coolant to get into oil. being a ford tech, i have seen damage caused by valve seats in cylinders 1,2,&4. it's always a intake valve seat. also always and only on sohc motor. have seen this happen and as early as 60k miles. *tt

Vehicle failed to start after completing a 30 minute drive and being turned off for about 5 minutes. clicking noises like starter failing to engage or low battery ensued. when hood was lifted and battery cover removed and cables and connections were inspected, it was observed that the positive cable off the back of the positive battery harness was exposed, the insulation being almost completely melted. the exposed wires showed signs of fraying and burning. after attempting to jump start the vehicle about 3 times and waiting about 20 minutes, the vehicle started. the vehicle was driven about 20 miles to a service station and inspected by their mechanics. it was decided for safety reasons(fire hazard) to leave vehicle. in 45 years i have never known a battery cable to melt even though i have had bad connections, corroded terminals and harness to the battery and even bad starters. all of the above reasons were the only solutions offered to me.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. the contact stated that whenever she would downshift or brake to a complete stop, the vehicle would stall without warning. the fuel filter, engine coil pack and spark plugs were replaced but to no avail. the contact experienced the failure at least three times. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that there were no recalls on the vehicle and referred the contact to the local dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 113,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph the engine dropped down onto the drive shaft. the vehicle was pulled over and towed home. an independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and the contact was informed that the bolts for the engine mount fractured due to corrosion. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 88,000.

While driving, the spark plugs eject from the block. this is dangerous and can cause an engine fire. this problem has apparently been reported to ford, but they claim nothing can be done until they receive a certain amount of complaints. this is not normal wear and tear. the spark plugs have been replaced four times along with the coil. this is unacceptable and inconvenient and ford needs to remedy this issue everyone is having with their vehicles. *tr

Engine stalls when starting the car cold and when stopped at a long light. have taken it to the dealer several times and was told that they cannot identify any problems. problem has been present for last 6 years and is getting progressively worse. have changed battery and fuel filter but problem remains. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. when the vehicle stopped it began to shake. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle stopped. approximately one month later a check engine light began illuminating on the dashboard. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was told that the engine was misfiring. the contact was later told that the failure was within the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 98,200 and the current mileage was 101,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. the contact stated she was unable to start the vehicle and it was towed to a local repair facility. the mechanic found that the valve seat had fractured and caused the piston skirt to fracture along with the connecting rod. in addition, the failure caused cylinder scoring. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 87,000. updated 11/23/10*jb

The check engine light came on suddenly on my 2002 ford focus. immediately, i took it to the ford dealership. the technician couldn't find a problem , the check engine light wouldn't come on. therefore, nothing could be done. they didn't understand why. within in week, the engine light came back on. this time there was a miss in the engine and it was running rough. now, the ford dealership mechanic told me my focus se had a dropped valve and in the #4 cylinder. inorder to fix the problem, the head of the engine had to be removed to see if the dropping of the valve had caused serious damage to the engine. because the scheduled required maintenance,i.e oil changes, according to ford instructions for my ford focus, i thought the engine would last. after this event, i became curious about ford focus' engines. was this an isolated mechanical flaw? or was it an engine defect? from my research, this type engine failure appears to be from a defect in the design of the 2.0 liter efi spi type of engines. for years, i thought the ford focus was a great product to have because of its reliability, if you complied with scheduled maintenance of the vehicle. it appears that i was wrong. the cost of repair for a well-maintain focus engine $6000.00. there is a pattern to these engine failures. should the 2002 focus be recalled for engine defects? all i know is that quality well-maintain engines shouldn't have dropped valves for no apparent reason. so, it must be some type of engines design defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. while driving 5 to 10 mph, she heard a loud banging noise. she drove onto the emergency lane to inspect the vehicle and noticed that the front axle looked as if it was going to break. she safely drove the vehicle to her residence. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that there was nothing wrong with it. the failure continued to occur and it was inspected by the dealer again. the dealer advised the contact that both front axles needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure continued to occur. the dealer advised her on the third visit that the front axles that were replaced were defective and that the wheel bearings needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the vehicle also had an exhaust leak. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 123,000.

On 3/12/09, while driving my 2002 ford focus se wagon on main street (ri-3) in ashaway, rhode island, at about 35 mph, hit a small bump with the right front wheel. a loud scraping noise immediately ensued. was able to stop within a few feet. inspection revealed that both mounting studs on the passenger side engine mount for the transversely mounted engine had broken off allowing the engine to drop down onto the passenger side drive axle. the car was flatbed towed 5 miles to my mechanic. his inspection showed that one of the studs had been broken for some time, while the second showed a fresh break. there was no evidence of corrosion, or that the studs had ever been removed and replaced. i don't know how often this failure occurs, but the tow operator and both mechanics at the shop had never seen this happen before. the consequences are that the car becomes inoperable without causing severe damage. the result at highway speed could have been disastrous. the failure was corrected by replacing the broken studs with new factory parts. i have the two broken studs in my possession. *tr

Details: the car's check engine light came on and started stalling, had it checked and was told it needed a timing belt and tune up. after $1400 later and still the same problem that the car was only running on 3 cylinders and was recommended to put an additive in the engine to try to loosen up stuck valves... still same problem . then tearing the engine apart found damage done to # 4 cylinder . *tr

Ford focus 2002 would not start the ignition. *tr

On my 2002 ford focus, the thermostat housing began leaking coolant when the thermostat housing gasket against the engine block failed. this is a common problem on various years of the focus as verified by the comments of the ford motor co. parts sales people in saying that they sell many of the thermostat housings, and also by blogs on internet chat lines. the rubber gasket swells when it comes in contact with oil and breaks off the inner gasket-support ring, allowing the leak to happen. it is a poor design that can lead to major problems such as environmental pollution and engine failure. i would be glad to mail the affected part to you for your examination. it is amazing how completely the support ring failed, and the condition of the gasket that is not compatible with oil which leaks from the valve cover above. the part could easily be redesigned to use a standard o-ring for the seal, which is resistant to oil, and seals better. the current gasket is more like a rubber band that is held in place by the inside rim which breaks off. *tr

We bought this two yrs ago from ford dealership and up to the date it broke down not one problem . we do all the maintenance plus some all buy certified mechanics . this was our only car . the engine blew at under 200xxxkm . these are all highway km as we are commuters . there is no way this engine should have blown at that many km without some kind of warning sign . before the day it blew there were no knocks nothing ran like a top . we have never taken this car over 100km on the highway as its our only mode of transportation . we still owe 140000 on this hunk of crap . im just wondering if this is the norm for the focus engines . im just baffled because like i said there was absolutely no warning signs up till the morning it happened it started to sputter and lose power . the misses dropped me off at work made it to the shop barely and its never started since . the mechanic says there is no compression in number 4 cylinder and it was just in the shop for a tune up maybe a month tops before this happened . any help or info would help . there aren't that many out there that care about the little man so i'll take any help or advise i can get . thx tania and derrek eberlie *tr

In the last 5 years i have replaced a air conditioning hose 3 times ! my mechanic claims it to be a bad design and he sees it often with this model and year ford focus 2002. *tr

The car's check engine light came on and started stalling, had it checked and was told that the car was only running on 3 cylinders and was recommended to put an additive in the engine to try to loosen up stuck valves...a week after that the car, we were driving the car, parked it for about an hour and it wouldn't start. we finally got it started after a few minutes and it sounded like there were rocks in the engine. had it towed and have not done anything with it because we cannot afford to spend $3000 to repair it and we still owe $5000 on it. we bought it used 3 1/2 years ago. we have found that ford replaced the cylinder heads on these cars because of the problem but no recall was issued by ford to prevent further engine damage. we understand that at this point the whole engine would need to be replaced because of damage to the pistons. the person who checked our car said that he had taken the cylinder head cover off and found a broken spark plug which suggests extensive engine damage. *tr

A screw was dislodged from the engine, ricocheting through out the engine causing damage beyond repair. the engine ceased working without any preparation. the engine needed to be replaced completely. *tr

I was driving to work. i live 7 miles from work. at a stop light my car started shaking very bad and the engine shut down. it would not start again.. i had it towed to my brothers house and started researching the symptoms... everything i could find leads to engine failure, caused by a thrown rod or broken piston. after checking the compression in the cylinders # 1-3 no problems about 75 psi and #4 was 0. i believe that the #4 piston or rod is broken or otherwise rendered useless causing the complete engine failure. the vehicle has 85500 miles and has been maintained per the owners manual. *tr

I had to replace the motor mounts twice in approximately a 4 month period due to cracking and complete breaking, a partial break in one and general overall weakening. my mechanic only charged me the first time for the mounts and installation (the second time was a free replacement--as the mounts failed, and as it came only a few months after the first replacement). my mechanic said that there is a problem with the ford focus vehicles due to the lack of stability in the motor mount area. basically, he said that there isn't much structural support for the engine and the motor mounts get stressed as a result of the vibrations and constant tension on them. he told me that they would probably need to be replaced again at some point. i was trying to figure out some type of jury rig device to reinforce the stability of the area. do you have any suggestions? *tr

Continual oil leakage from the lower engine block of a 2002 ford focus 5 door hatchback. this results from an engineering problem, per my firestone service person. the right side cv axle mounting brackett is attached to the lower crankcase, and the axle torque has over the 73,000 miles we have driven the vehicle cracked the lower crank-case. when there is pressure on the engine, the crack opens and oil leaks. i have seen the crack with my own eyes. according to the technicians, if this is the case with this vehicle because of the engineering, there are probably other instances of the same thing happening. *tr

Engine stalls then turns off. i give it gas and it seems to get worse. idles down to zero and turns off. i have to wait a couple of minutes, then it will run. it usually will keep happening every few miles until i stop for several hours. i can no longer drive on the interstate/expressway, too dangerous when it stalls at 75mph. *tr

1. two days before the engine died i noticed it was having problems starting first thing in the morning, like a sputtering. then it would go away and the car would drive fine. the car had a transmission fluid leak and so i continued to make sure it was at the right levels. 2. the day when the engine died it had been running normally. i had stopped at the store. when i got back in my car and turned it on the engine made a popping noise and then the engine "turned over" and started making a thwaping noise, like cardboard in contact with a fan blade. after towing it to a mechanic (it wouldn't start, it kept making thud-ish thwaping noises), who had worked for ford previously, he said that the 4th piston had broke and was grinding on the side of the engine block (he had taken a look at the timing belt - ok- and was testing the gears that the timing belt attached to. 3 turned with the right torque but the final one at the bottom of the engine block didn't turn unless torque greater than what was normally needed was applied. when it turned there was a thwap sound inside the engine). what made me wonder is he said that this always happened with this model on the single overhead cam engines at around 90 to 120 thousand miles. he said that he repaired numerous similar incidents with this type of engine, even guaranteeing that opening up the engine would show that the 4th piston (farthest on the right facing the front) broke. i hate to think what would have happened if i had gotten on the freeway and the piston had broke. 3. the cost to replace with a new oem engine was more than the value of the car if i were to personally sell it (based on kelly blue book) and so was the cost for a used engine ($1200 was the lowest, compared to the duel overhead cam engines for the focus which i found used for $500. seems the demand for that style engine is high). i have not repaired it. i am considering selling it to a scrap yard. *tr

Ford focus 2002, 69,000 miles. on 8/22/07 driving on the freeway my car stall it was towed away. ford called me and told me it could be my engine that's ruined due to the time chain. *tr

The car was running hot had to use a/c to keep the fans to cool car i took car to my mechanic and he found that the switches for the fans and the rest of the car was burned out and would have cause a fire if i had not brought the car for a checkup it would have caught on fire and i am 3 months pregnant. 2002 ford focus .the mechanic had to replace the switch and the whole wire system it cost me $225.00 i am scared if i did not take the car for a checkup to see why the fans were not working i don't want to know what would have happened. *tr

2002 ford focus se 4 cylinder shutting down while driving. dash board goes out and then the engine shuts down. battery was replaced and it is still doing it. sometimes it starts back up if i let it sit for awhile, but sometimes i have to get it jumped. very unsafe and scary when it shuts down while driving on the road. *tr

My ford focus 2002 stalls, sometimes it stops completely. it stalled out on a bridge which interfered with traffic. i took it to tipton ford twice for repairs and the problem still exist. *nm

Tl*- on december 18th of 2006 while coming out a drive-thru, contact states that the engine thermostat went above normal . the gauge temperature reached the top of the register. the contact stated in order for her engine not to over heat she had to drive at a speed of 45mph. the contact currently has the vehicle at the dealership and they stated that the problem with the vehicle is that the resistor that controls the cooling had burned out and part of the harness had melted. the contact states that she has been on the nhtsa website and there are 24 similar complaints. if the invoice for repair is needed contact can provide a copy of the invoice.

I am having problems with my car not starting on occasion. also, the car seems to want to stall at times upon slowing down or when i'm stopped. *jb

I am having problems with my car not starting on occasion. also, the car seems to want to stall at times upon slowing down or when i'm stopped. *jb

The first week of me purchasing my car at garnet ford in chaddsford, pa, i noticed i was having problems with my car not starting. this has only continued to happen more. also, my car seems to want to stall at times upon slowing down or when i'm stopped. the car will start riding rough and shaking indicating the car is going to stall. i brought this to the dealers attention on many occasions and they told me that because the problem was intermittent and they could not re-create the problem there was nothing they could do to correct it. these are problems that started during the first week of me owning the car. the car was given to me this way and garnet ford is saying the problem is with my iac and throttle body sticking but those two things are age related problems and i advised them that this problem has been happening since day one. they have refused to look into this problem further and they are not taking responsibility for what is happening to my car. i'm very upset with garnet ford for giving me a car with these problems and i expect them to look into what is causing the problem and fix it on their dime not mine. if this does not happen, i will seek other ways at getting their attention. *jb

2002 ford focus sedan manual transmission with 80,000 miles. with no warning the engine acts as if it is going to stall, vehicle hesitates, jerks and sputters. this literally causes the vehicle to jolt forwards and backwards and shakes the passengers inside the vehicle. this is a very scary event, especially at 70+ mph speed or when in traffic. highly concerned that the vehicle is going to simple shut off while on interstate 95 which could be deadly. the ford dealer where the vehicle was purchased and maintained has run a diagnostic test that showed no abnormalities. the following week the key would not turn and the vehicle had to be towed with ignition/steering repairs. the vehicle was re-examined while again in the shop and driven again by the service team and they were unable to provide a useful diagnosis of the engine hesitation problems. we need a resolution to this problem and it appears that no one can appropriately diagnose the problem. *jb

When turning on my 2002 ford focus zx3, it tends to have a very rough idle, sputtering and stalling. i have replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs, spark cables, pcv valve and my ignition coil. but even after all of that my car still sputters, stalls and has a rough idle....i don't know what to do, being a college student out of my home state of michigan. i have taken it to auto zone and had it hooked up to the code reader and the attendant said everything was fine... this is my last straw.. *jb

Exhaust gas return (egr) line failed at exhaust manifold mounting flang . this failure allows carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to seep into the passenger compartment of the focus. co poising can cause: 1)death a) the driver of the ford focus passes out and dies in a crash b) the driver of the ford focus dies from co poising 2)organ failure it is interesting to note that you can't attach a photomicrograph's to this complaint form? *jb

At vehicle start up, my wife heard a loud pop, followed by engine sputtering, and smell of gas fumes. my wife took the kids out of the car and ran away for fear of fire. the following day, we had it towed to the dealership. the dealership told me a spark plug blew out of the engine and striped the engine block. i called ford motor corp. they said they could not help me with the repairs, since my vehicles warranty just exspired. the car only has 35,000 mile on it, and has had other major electrical problems at 25,000 miles. now i am paying for a car that doesn't even run, i guess i should have known better than to buy a ford. ford has lost a customer forever. *nm

Engine stalls repeatedly while driving at all speeds. often the car will not start after stall. vehicle is still under extended warranty and has been serviced four times, none of which have fixed the problem. *nm

Engine accelerated at a high speed while shifting from forward to reverse (and vice versa). to overcome the problem i maintained heavy pressure on the brake and tapped the accelerator. *jb

The day was very hot, 90+ degrees. i had the air conditioning on while driving and had to take my husband to a dentist appointment. i left the car running with the air conditioning on for about 10 minutes, then shut the car off. after another 5 minutes, i restarted the car, with air conditoning on and waited for my husband to return. the car was running for a total of about 25 mintues while parked. my husband returned and we proceded to go over to the other side of town to get some dinner. it was 4:30 pm at this time. on our way, the car started to 'jerk' forward and backward and i had no acceleration at all. i stepped on the gas and absolutely nothing happened. i managed to get over to the side of the road when the engine just died. i tried to start it several times to no avail. we waited several minutes and i was able to restart the car. we drove on, with the air conditioner on for about 6 more miles when the same thing happened. i managed to get off the road, but not before the engine died. my husband called a local ford dealership and told them what had happened and we were told it sounded like the fuel pump might need replacing. we had the car towed to a local ford dealership, not the one we had called, and were told they would get to it that night yet. they called us at 8:30 pm and had not gotten around to doing the diagnostics as yet. they called back within 30 minutes and told us that the fuel pump will probably need replacing, but they will call us as soon as they knew for sure. at 11:30 pm, they called to say that the diagnostics had shown nothing and they could not replicate the problem. they had no idea what the cause may have been and were shocked that such a thing could even happen to such a new car. there was nothing they could do. we picked the car up this morning and are praying to god that we can get home this ...

Focus 2002 started to run rough around 40,000 miles. had a major tune up 2 x's in 6 months. changed all the plugs, wires, oil & fluids, still handled rough like it needed to be timed. focus's have no timing belt. i took it in & was told the plug wire ran over the block was the causing the rough idl, due to the cable melting on the block. i replaced the cable & again the idle was still rough, but now started to surge & miss also. driving @ various speeds, conditions & roads & still it would surge & miss fire & then drive on. took it in & told with no light showing & unless it could repeat the surge/miss nothing it could be done. less than a month later the batter died on a trip out of town. checked the battery & full of corriosion. bought a new battery & checked the electrical system told nothing wrong again. after a year of surging/missing (at least 1 a week) the car died again & we thought it was the battery. the battery tested & was told it is the alterator, bought a new one. we then did an oil change. we took it in & ask them agian about the surging & miss & asked if it could be checked when they did the oil. was advised that it could be the fuel injectors but with out the check engine or oil light on that there was no way to know for sure. two days later was driving on the freeway & all the lights on the dash light up, felt like there was no power when the gas pedal was pressed, at that point exited the freeway, almost got to the exit & the whole car stalled out, walk home about 4-5 miles. back over to jumped it, it started up with a new clackety clack in the motor, did not drive at all, i towed it back to the mechanics who did the oil & tested it. i was told on friday 5/27 that they think it might be a vualve or a engine tap. please help

While driving at 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealership. the battery cable melted and the alternator was bad and needed replacement. a week prior, the check engine light came on and smoke had come from the engine compartment. the fourth gear went out because it's wire connection melted. the consumer felt the failures were due to the engine misplaced cable problem as stated in recall 02v288000. *ak *sc *jb

While driving 65 mph vehicle stalled. a recall was issued, however this vehicle's year was not included. *ak

I own a 2002 ford focus with approximately 44,000 miles. i recently had to replace the evaporator core which cost me $900.00, i was quoted a price of $1,100.00 through the ford dealer. i would expect that a major part like this would have a longer life than this. the ford dealer refused to sell the part to an outside source and stated they were saving the 11 they had on hand for their own customers, as this part has been a problem in the focuses. we had to pay an additional $50.00 to special order. if this is the case than why hasn't there been a recall on this part. i feel i should not be replacing major parts on a vehicle with only 44,000 miles on and another 3 years of payments.*jb

I drive a 2002 ford focus lx. i has appoximatley 56,000 miles. i had brought my car to the dealership to have body work done on the fender. i was told the the repairs were complete, and i left with my car. i was driving down the highway, going fifty five mph, when the engine light came on and the engine just stoped. after we coasted to the shoulder, we push-stared the car and drove directly back to the dealership, who told me that the catalytic converter, and fuel injector lines were broken. this occurs immediatley after i had body work done at the dealership. in fact, it was the same hour of the same day i left !! *ak

While driving vehicle stalled. consumer was unable to restart vehicle, and had it towed to the dealer for inspection. however, mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *ak

This is a complaint made to the ford company on 11-18-2004. dear [xxx], [xxx] has forwarded to my home both your letters that were dated october 12, 2004 and november 3, 2004. your letters were written in addressing my original complaint (file no.: [xxx], vin#: [xxxx]) regarding the safety feature of the 2002 ford focus vehicle my daughter purchased from the jacob twin ford dealership, located at 6750 w. grand avenue, chicago, il united states 60707, phone (866) 276-4943. i would like to clarify that i am not only complaining about the ?leak? and rust? problem, but i also deeply concerned about the fact, which i discovered after i came back home from chicago in september 2004, that there is no weather strip at all under the hood. because of this lacking of a weather strip, the salty vapors may have been sucked into the engine compartment during the winter seasons in chicago causing rusting problem. i have requested that ford must investigate this potential safety hazard and make up recalls to install a weather strip to fix this "safety"-related problem.*ak updated 07/24/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

I was driving on the on-ramp of the pa turnpike when scalding water from up under the dash poured out onto my right foot. i was barely able to drive the car to a safe stop. i sustained second and third degree burns to my right foot. the wrecker took the car to a ford dealer in emmaus, pa for repairs. the service department originally told me that the evaporator line was plugged, but when i picked up my car, the narrative on the service form said that the line was not plugged. they replaced the evaporator which i understand entailed removing the entire dash. i do not know if the old part is available.*ak

Check engine light comong on, had it in shop 5 to 7 times and they say it is the evap system, shut off the light and send me out the door!! what is up with that? *ak