Problems with 2004 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My battery light seems to flash when the car is off. car has stalled several times while driving try to accelerate over 50 miles an hour car will shut off. back hatch on wagon seems to release itself while driving well unlock automatically. have replaced three thermostat and thermostat housing due to overheating car will not tell me is overheating it will boil in the overflow return tank pressurize and shoot the cap off?...

Takata recall trunk lid pops when brakes are applied. i'm afraid that if i hit a bump in the road the lid will fly up. also if i pop the lid with key fob break lights come on.

Recently my vehicle stereo has been messing up. it sometimes smell a little burnt. it is the passenger door speaker. it sounds as if it's a shortage inside of it. sometimes the radio dash fades out. the car has hesitates sometimes to start. once the ac is on the car starts running really rough and you hear a kind of click is hard to explain but i know it's not normal. at sometimes i am unable to run the ac my whole trip. my engine light has recently came on i did replace the coil packs. engine light is still on.

When putting the key in the ignition the key will not turn and start the car. it will not start after pulling the key out of the ignition. i am pregnant expecting a baby. this is a safety hazard for me and my baby. if i go into labor and need to leave to the hospital i cannot risk the car will not start because the key won't turn the ignition on.

My vehicle instrument cluster failed causing alternator to die and false readings on the dash with multiple alerts such as battery, airbag , oil and incorrect speed dial. the vehicle instrument failed at 30,000 miles and if you search it is a very common issue with the ford focus vehicle's. the vehicle staled and died while being drove in town and thank god it did not happen while on the highway.

Alternator caught fire, feb 2017. replaced and checked system. july 30, 17 alternator smoked and melted inside. , positive terminal on battery was so hot that the connector was too hot to touch. replaced. alternator and battery. picked up car from repair shop and within one mile the alternator melted its internal wiring wiring and smoked. car is back in shop. each time this happened the car was being driven.

Shorted brake wires in trunk area blown fuse no start no brake lights would not shift into drive.

The car has had 5-6 repairs over the last 6 years. 3 batteries and 2 alternators. the car dies out while driving and wont restart without a jumpstart, is dead randomly or only clicks.just spent another $200 on an alternator when the key wont turn and the real problem over all these years has come to light. very dangerous situation with the car just dieing wherever and whenever.

My car was turned off and my dash lights would flicker and beep, my radio goes on and off by it self, the rear wiper and third brake light do not work, and now everything does not work.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. while parked, the vehicle was not able to start. the failure occurred constantly. the contact had to jumpstart the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the battery failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was 142,000.

Car was inoperable due to key not working in the ignition and emergency repair service in parking lot had to be done. read more: http://www.justanswer.com/new-question/optional-information.aspx?tqid=423907452&pt=630&catid=56411&r=autobeef&rpt=220#ixzz3bac4irxz

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact noticed that the failure recurred intermittently whenever a bump or a pothole was hit on the road. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000. updated. 06/09/15 *bf

Ignition lock stuck. key would not work. car had to be towed. ignition had to be replaced. could have been very dangerous depending on where car was parked. *tr

3/1/14: driver's side heated seat burned through upholstery and caught fabric on fire, while my daughter was driving vehicle. after searching the internet, i found that this has happened to other focus owners. there was a service bulletin (04b16); why no recall? *tr

All of the backlighting on the gauge cluster and buttons beside the radio screen is intermittent. i do not drive the vehicle at night because of this issue. due to the risk of not being able to see what speed i am traveling at. i have been the sole owner of this vehicle and i bought it brand new from the dealership back in 2004. nothing has been modified on this vehicle.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. the contact stated that after inserting the key in the ignition the vehicle failed to start. the contact tried approximately six times. the vehicle was later towed to the dealer for diagnosis. after diagnosis they advised him that the ignition failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure and current mileage was approximately 118,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start with the steering wheel locked. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis where the dealer advised that the ignition cylinder needed replacing. the manufacturer was contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 94,000.

The key will not turn in the ignition. this has been ongoing for two months. it takes several minutes of jiggling to finally get the ignition lock to release. i drive this car on business, including in remote areas. it is scary to try to start the car and have the key not turn. so far, i've always been able to get it to eventually work, but this is ridiculous. we've just started experiencing the same issue on my wife's 2007 ford focus. in researching this, it has been a problem on the focus since the beginning and apparently ford has refused to acknowledge the issue or change the ignition lock mechanisms on later focus models. potentially getting stranded at night or in a remote area due to a faulty ignition lock is a serious safety issue. one should never have a problem in turning the key in the ignition. for what it is worth, i am a career safety and risk management consultant working in the commercial insurance industry with 35 years experience. *tt

The 2004 ford focus has a problem where the key will not turn once inserted into the ignition. the only way to get the key to turn is to tap it with a hammer or other heavy object or spend over 300 dollars to get a new ignition lock. this problem has happened to me before on occasion but now it happens every single time i take the key out of the ignition. numerous people are complaining about this problem yet ford has not issued a recall to address the issue. i'm hoping the nhtsa will force ford to do something about this problem because i know i am not the only one that this is happening to. *tr

Ford focus wheel and ignition locked up. cant turn key or wheel! i have red multiple problems with this and cant believe ford has not recalled this issue!!! the best part about all of this is my car just got out of warranty! you suck ford and your cheap [xxx] dealers!!!!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

All of a sudden i am having trouble turning the key in the ignition of my 2004 ford focus. as of now i am able to get the key to turn by gently tapping on the key with a hammer as i try to turn. i have not replaced the ignition because when researching this problem i have come to realize this is a very common fault that ford is aware of, but refuses to take responsibility for. *tr

2004 ford focus key will not turn in ignition. *kb

The key would no longer turn in the ignition (but operated door and hatch without difficulty), creating an unsafe condition in which the car could not be driven and the owner was stranded with an inoperable vehicle. the local ford dealership required $400 for a replacement ignition cylinder. there is a known issue with poor quality ignition cylinders in this model year and they were subsequently redesigned by ford (perform a google search for "ford focus ignition cylinder" or see the discussion at http:forums.focaljet.comteam-tech497529-new-ignition-cylinder-help.html). given that this is a known defect, the issue should be covered by a technical service bulletin or recall instead of requiring a significant out-of-pocket payment by the owner.

Attempted to start car and steering column and ignition was locked. i can't get either to turn. *tr

The ignition is completely locked. i've been having trouble the past month being able to turn the key in the ignition and now i cannot turn it at all. my car is stranded at a local tire shop with the window down, which may cause even more damage from the weather or allow for easy theft. this problem is so unpredictable its scary, i could've been anywhere and been stranded. then i looked up the problem and find that tons of other focus owners are having the same issue because ford used a cheap metal. its time that they treated there customers right and recall this part. *tr

2004 ford focus, key will not turn in the ignition. this has been an on going problem. sometimes it takes 20 minutes, other times it has taken hours to get the key to turn. with less than 70k miles, this is a safety hazard when i have children in the car! *tr

Battery failure due to a short in the ignition switch. *tr

We have a 2004 ford focus 2.3l. key wont turn in the ignition. the steering wheel is locked. we had to call a lock smith out to replace the ignition cylinder assembly. the lock smith said that he replaces two to three every week on the ford focus model. lucky for us we were at home when the ignition failed. i read other stories where others were not so fortunate. it is unfortunate that ford still to this day dose not have a recall on this issue. even a courtesy alert would be better then sitting in the dark and having to do your own research to discover what the fix is. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the speedometer fluctuated continuously. the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

Parked car as always. came out to start car to leave and key will not turn in ignition. had to have it towed. the tow truck driver said they tow ford focus models with bad ignitions quite often. a woman in a focus wagon pulled up in the lot where i was stranded before the tow truck arrived. i asked her to not park there since a tow truck was coming; i also told her why. she said she had several times where her key would get stuck in her focus. mine had done that a few times over the past 3 months, it appears based on the internet searches, and just my conversations in one day that this is a major issue. mine is a 2004 model focus. so it goes beyond the thinking that it is only 2000 to 2003 models. this past weekend i could have been stranded in the henry m. jackson wilderness area in wa. state, possibly with no cell phone service available either. luckily this problem happened when i was in civilization. i was in the middle of nowhere this past weekend, in black bear & grizzly bear country. *tr

My key ignition has locked up on my 2004 ford focus leaving me stranded and costing me time from work not to mention the cost its going to be to fix it. i have read many many complaints on this problem and as of yet there is no recall. but i strongly suggest ford considering a recall because it is a safety issue.... who feels safe stranded on interstate, bad area of town, at night or whatever the case may be! *tr

2004 for focus. ignition occasionally won't start with the key. got stranded a few times. it seems something is wrong either with the keys or the ignition area where you place the key. *tr

The ignition switch failed to turn in my 2004 ford focus leaving me stranded. this was the first time this had happened and to temporarily remedy the situation i had to take a hammer and tap the key into the ignition and turn at the same time to start the car. the key must remain in the ignition at all times now to prevent a recurrence. *tr

Yesterday evening, 6/22/10, after playing tennis at a local park, i got into my '04 ford focus wagon, put the key in the ignition, and the key would not turn. the steering wheel was locked, and no matter how i tried, the key would not work. i called my wife to come after me with her key. with some difficulty she was able to unlock the steering wheel and start the car with her key. i drove the car home and left the key in the ignition. today, i drove the car to a local ford dealer. i was told that the focus ignition lock was a known problem. the ignition lock would have to be replaced at a cost of over $410.00. i googled 'ford focus ignition lock problem' and came back with numerous hits of people describing similar incidents. i believe this is a safety issue, and there should be a recall to fix it. fortunately, i was not left stranded by this problem, but it has happened so many times to so many people, it should be recognized as a defect and a recall issued. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. the contact stated while trying to start the vehicle, the key would not turn in the ignition. after repeated attempts, the contact banged on the key and the vehicle started. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the ignition switch was replaced. the failure did not recur. the failure mileage was 77,139 and the current mileage was 77,673. updated 11/9/10 *cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. the contact was driving with the cruise control set at 80 mph. when she attempted to turn on the headlights, the vehicle began abnormally jerking as if she was repeatedly tapping on the brakes. the trans axle cooling system warning light illuminated when she turned the lights off and on. the cruise control then became inoperable. the vehicle had not yet been taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. the failure and current mileages were 92,590.

My ford focus svt 2004 ingintion key will not turn and the steering wheel is locked. i had problems starting 4 months ago and now it is worst. *tr

2004 ford focus. consumer states transmission gave out with a mileage under 20,000. consumer requests reimbursement. *tgw in july 2009, the vehicle needed a new battery. about a week after the new battery was installed, periodically the cluster lights would make a sound and the lights would blink on and off. it would happen twice in a matter of seconds, but did not happen everyday. the consumer followed instruction on what to do. the situation was a little better, but the cluster blinking, etc still occurred periodically. a week later, as the consumer backed out of her driveway, there were sounds coming from the vehicle and they seemed to get worse. the consumer had the vehicle towed to a transmission shop. upon inspection, the transmission plate which was located under the engine showed transmission fluid an d excessive amounts of metal fillings. the mechanic showed the consumer the damaged parts where the teeth in the gears were not working properly which caused the metal fillings in the transmission plate. *jb

The deck lid wiring harness breaks due to fatigue from opening and closing the hatch. in my case, 6 wires in the harness had been completely severed. because of this, my tail light was out, the door ajar light was on and the brake lights were always on when the car was in drive. besides the danger of being rear ended because the brake lights are always on, depending on which wires break or have their insulation crack open, there are a number of bad situations: * all rear lights could turn off. * the trunk could open when you apply the brakes. * the trunk could open when you use a turning indicator. this is a known issue with the 2000 focus hatchback, but there was no recall for the deck lid wiring harness after that year. i just wanted to let you know that it happened on our 2004 focus hatchback, and it can leave owners and other drivers on the road in a potentially dangerous situation. to correct the issue, i spliced the broken wires back together. *tr

The ignition lock cylinder failed suddenly without a gradual increase of symptoms. the cylinder would not allow the key to turn, unlock the steering wheel and allowing the car to start. a new ignition lock cylinder was installed and rekeyed at a price of $171.18 for the part and $142.50 for the labor.

I own a 2004 ford focus, i've had an issue with the ignition sticking for about 4 months, usually being able to jiggle it and get it to turn. now it is stuck completely, i've read tons and tons of articles about this being a problem, my car is now parked in my driveway because i don't feel this is my responsibility to fix. *tr

The issue i would like to report is in regard to ford focus automobiles from 2000 to current date 2010. there is a know defect with the ignition switch which is made with inferior metal parts in the ignition lock. what happens is that metal shavings are produced inside the lock and after time these metal shavings cause the lock to jam. thousands of people have been affected by this problem and have been stranded because they cannot turn the ignition key. ford denies this problem. just go to any locksmith or tow truck driver or google ford focus ignition on the internet. everybody knows about the problem. everytime this happens it costs the owner between $500 and $800 to have this fixed at a ford dealership. my 2004 for focus currently has this problem. this should be a recall by ford and i think this is the biggest scam since bernie madoff. please do something about this. thanks frustrated ford owner. *tr

Ford focus 2004 ignition locked. opened car as usual, inserted key in ignition to turn and steering wheel appeared to be locked. tried to turn key and move steering wheel but both wouldn't move. called dealership and was told the ignition was locked and that it was a common problem. car now needs to be towed to be fixed. *tr

First occurrence,without warning,(had never happened before) car shut off, ignition switch would not turn, resulting in vehicle no start condition. (original manufacturers key and ignition switch) contacted aaa auto club, tow truck dispatched, tow truck driver states garage has seen many 2003, 2004,2005 focus with this problem. also should be noted numerous similar complaints on file with all model years of this vehicle. ford dealer that sold me the car and extended warranty claims repair not covered by warranty. feel this is a serious safety issue as car can stall and fail to restart !!!!!!. also feel that i was sold an overpriced "warranty" which i am told will not cover repair !!! will retain old part for investigation and possible class action. note : vehicle mileage at failure 43,205. *tr

Ignition switch in lock position freezes and refuses to unlock when ignition key is inserted, causing an inability to start engine or unlock steering wheel to move vehicle. this problem strands motorists wherever they are when the ignition key was switched off and removed from the ignition. *tr

2004 ford focus ignition problem. could not put my key in the ignition and was stranded. *tr

2004 ford focus-- ignition key won`t turn leaving the driver stranded. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. while attempting to start the vehicle the key would not turn in the ignition. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. the current and failure mileages were 86000.

On a saturday evening i drove to grocery store. after i had finished shopping i tried to start vehicle. i could not turn key in ignition and the steering column remained in the locked position. the vehicle had 67787 miles. i had car towed to ford dealer and they drilled out lock cylinder and replaced with a new one at a cost of $385.34. tow truck driver stated that he had towed the same model before with an identical problem. the service manager at dealer stated that he had several of the same model with identical problem. he also stated that the part had been updated a few times. i am 53 and have driven many vehicles, some with over 240,000 miles and have never before had this problem. i feel it was manufactured with a defect and it failed prematurely. *tr

I own a 2004 ford focus zx5, i went into work, came out and found my ignition would not turn. the steering wheel was locked, the key would not budge, the brake wouldn't even push in all the way, as well as my car wouldn't come out of park. i looked up the problem online and saw it was a very common problem and i'm very displease that this would happen. i bought this car about a year ago from a dealership! i'm going to have to take my car to a locksmith or dealership and have the entire ignition system replaced. *tr