Problems with 2003 Ford Focus STEERING

(1) not sure (2) steering wheel and ignition are locked and can not be moved anymore (3) new lock *tr

I purchased my 2003 ford focus zx3 just over a year ago and have recently had trouble with the steering wheel locking up. after jerking the wheel around a bit i've always been able to get it to start until today. but today when i went to get in my car and go to work no amount of jerking or twisting would get my key to turn and my car to start. before calling for a tow i decided to check for info on like and what do i find? that this problem has been going on in the zx3 since 2000! and nothing is being done about it! so now i'm going to have to drop over $300 on a fix for my car and from what i read i'll probably have to do the same thing again next year. why is the being allowed to go on? if ford cares so little about the people that drive their cars that they can't find a long term fix to a well documented problem than you can be sure that this will be the last ford i purchase. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the steering column failed, which prevented the vehicle from being started. the dealer was not notified of the failure and no repairs were made. the current mileage was 18,000 and failure mileage was 17,000.

Rattle anf thumbing sound coming from under front of vehicle when going over every bump. reported to ford service department on three occasions. (10/11/06, 04/05/07 and 06/26/08 ) on 06/26/2008, ford charged me $288.56 to install a front end stabilizer kit. old parts are not available. *tr

The vehicle is a 2003 ford focus with less than 45,000 miles, the ignition cylinder locked up without warning and the car refused to start. additionally, the car would not shift out of neutral, making a tow difficult. this is a well known problem, ford refuses to acknowledge the risk of drivers being stranded in unsafe places where they could be raped, robbed or murdered. fortunately, this happened to my wife and i in our apartment complex, however there are reports of other people not being so lucky. hixson ford charged us $289.69 to repair the ignition lock cylinder plus we paid $65 to tow the vehicle. below is a list of websites documenting similar complaints of the ford focus ignition locking up and rendering the car inoperable. some even complain of it happening while driving: http://consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_focus_ignition.html http://www.fazmiclaw.com/focus.html http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0706/347339.html http://cbs5.com/investigates/local_story_041015136.html http://www.petitiononline.com/focusic/petition.html http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.eea50dc http://forums.treemedia.com/fb/archive/index.php/t-493.html http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cars/msg062031202524.html?20 http://www.complaints.com/directory/2004/december/12/7.htm http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/july/5/17.htm http://forums.focaljet.com/problems-service-recalls/416401-please-post-if-your-ignition-has-locked-13.html thank you for any assistance you can provide. *jb

While driving, the steering system became difficult to control, which resulted in an severe accident. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the transmission slipped out of gear while driving 25 mph. the steering column also needs to be replaced since it can be turned 360 degrees. the manufacturer could not identify the cause of the failures. the current mileage was 120,000. the failure mileage was 80,000.

Steering column locks up on ford focus 2003, because of side bar. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that the key has a tendency to stick inside the ignition when starting the vehicle. this prevents the ignition from turning. an authorized ford dealer recommended that she take a hammer and gently tap the key when inserted into the ignition in an attempt to lodge it out. the contact heeded the advice and the remedy worked temporarily. after a few weeks, the failure worsened and currently occurs three times per week. the steering column sticks whenever the vehicle is parked on a flat road surface with the steering wheel turned upright. the contact stated that is was difficult to turn the steering column. ford stated that nothing could be done. the powertrain was unknown. the failure mileage was 120 and current mileage was 67,000.

Dt*: the contact stated the steering wheel locked. the dealership replaced the key cylinder. this did not remedy the problem. the steering wheel locked again resulting in the vehicle being towed to the dealership. the dealership replaced the key cylinder again. *ak

I am the owner of a 2003 ford focus and i have several issues. in the last year i have experienced problems with the ignition locking and as well as the steering wheel, i contacted the dealer carey paul ford in decatur, ga and was told that i had to pay for repairs, which i did, after being stranded with my son. this cost me 260.00, i am a single mother and cannot afford to spend money on problems that the manufacturer clearly was aware of. the trunk on the vehicle just randomly opens at any given moment, you're riding along the road and the trunks just opens for no reason. this i find just annoying but would also like to have corrected. my latest issue is that on yesterday 04/16/06, while driving along the steering wheel just became loose and i could barely control the car, i made it to a firestone dealer that recommended that i take the vehicle to the dealer, which i will do first thing in the morning. i can't stop thinking that i or someone else on the road could have been seriously injured or killed. i can't understand how a manufacturer can continue to market a product as safe when clearly there are issues with it. i have found numerous web sites and personally spoken with focus owners with the same problems, what will it take to get ford to take responsibility for it's product. any feedback would be greatly appreciated. *nm

My boyfriend and son took my car to have it washed. when they turned the corner the steering wheel just spun. causing them to almost crash. i have had several other things happen with the car since i bought it in may 2004 used. i have replaced the back tires 4 times in a year. they all have cupped. every tire place we have went has said the rear of the car has a defect in it. also, my seat belts used by my children do not always work properly. last jan, the transmission wouldn't shift out of first. ottawa ford did fix this issue as a speed control sensor wiring problem. with the steering issue the car is undrivable and i am a single mom with no other transportation or means of income to fix. i need some help with this. *jb

Piston in transmission deteriorated causing shift solenoid and value body to go bad at 71,000 miles, front drivers seat belt will not unbuckle, rear seat belts will periodically not buckle, now blowing massive amounts of smoke, rims are seized when trying to change tires, no matter if it was just taken off 5 minutes previously to takeoff; ignition seized and ending up having to rebuild steering column. *jb

Dt: the contact stated steering wheel locked and she could not get the steering wheel to turn. it locked while the vehicle was parked. a neighbor was able to unlock the steering wheel by maneuvering the steering wheel with the key in the ignition. *ak updated 1/19/2006 - the vehicle was repaired at the dealer. *nm

I just bought this used 2 weeks ago, thinking it has under 50,000 miles it's good. well on february 17,2005, i put the key in the ignition and the key wouldn't turn. i tried for at least an hour and nothing,i tried again the nex morning and nothing, the delearship had to tow and here i am without a car, so i deceided to search the web and see if this has happened to other people and sure enough it has, if this is a recall it needs to be fixed. *ak

After washing the vehicle at a car wash steering column locked up. steering wheel would not move in any direction. vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed consumer that the steering column was broken , and needed to be replaced.*ak

The ignition lock cylinder locks up, making it impossible to start the car.the ignition key will not turn the lock.if the car is towed in it creates a problem in that the car stays in park and if towed incorrectlywill damage the transmission.ford motor views this as natural wear and tear. *ak

I recently purchased a used 2003 ford focus from menlove dodge toyota in bountiful in late september. verything was going fine, until one day my wife comes home an hour late from work saying that the keys for our car would turn in the ignition, she had to enlist the help 2 other co-workers & finally got it started after an hour of trying it. o i went out to take a look at the ignition and sure enough the key would not turn until after a bout 20-30 tries. so then i got to thinking, with this car having less than 50,000 miles on it i should have it looked at. after talking to other people & doing research on the internet, it appears to be a very common problem, which ford apparently fails to acknowledge. this is a very serious problem as what if you were driving on the freeway & your car stops running, your going 65 mph, the steering wheel locks because the key wont turn to the on position again. i called to get a quote on getting this fixed and was told it would cost me in the ball park of 200-300 dollars for a defect that is obviously a know problem by ford. have found a message board that other for focus owners have posted information on with the same complaint. my felling is, with so many ford focus owners out there with the same problem, ford needs to step up and admit there is a problem & issue a recall on these ignitions. here is the url to the site i referred to: http://www.autowhiz.com/messageboards/message.php?id=1784&page=1*ak

When sticking key into ignition the key will not turn, the wheels are not locked its the steering wheel locked,, i have taken this vehicle to 3 different dealer ships to report nothing is wrong, first it was igntion an now is the sterring colum, the cars is as of yet to be fixed, this car was purchased in april of 2003, an now the price i am being quoted is ridiculous. this vehicle needs to be recalled from the year 2000-2003, there are forums that customers complain about the same issue on this ford focus zx3, i have contacted ford motor company an have submitted several complaints, i dont feel that i need to pay for something the company failed to correct, i will continue to complain an report until this issue is resolved.......

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the starter failed. there were no warning signals for the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the flywheel and the starter had to be replaced. after the first incident, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer thirty times for the following failures: brakes rotors were replaced four times; battery and alternator had to be replaced; the transmission had to be replaced after the second attempt to repair it. the electrical wiring under the dashboard had to be rewired. the air conditioning was repaired three times with the replacement of defective valves; the rear door latches were repaired according to recall # 05v300000. the dealership had not corrected the noises from the steering column. the manufacturer was contacted and refused to cooperated in finding a suitable resolution. the last problem found by the dealership was the required replacement of the engine heads. the engine heads were attached to the vehicle frame.

Ball joint (suspension) broke, vehicle spun out of control. fortunately, incident occurred in a multi-story parking garage, at low speed. *ak the consumer's insurance requested status update. *sc

Consumer states that while driving 25 mph through a puddle of about 6", the engine died on the spot. consumer had vehicle inspected by a certified new york car inspector, who informed consumer that the air intake hose is below the front fender of vehicle. the manufacturer and the dealer has been notified and neither will claim responsibility. *ph

Vehicle has been taken to have repairs done three times and vibration problems has not been resolved.*mr the consumer expects ford to repurchase the vehicle under the provisions of the applicable lemon law in the state of maryland, because of consistent problems with the vehicle. *cb the consumer stated the vehicle had a defective tie rod bushing, bearing assembly, axle shaft and joint, front end alignments and numerous wheel and tire adjustments *jb