Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SUSPENSION

A "grinding" noise was heard when brakes were applied. inspected brakes - found no problem. within a few days the grinding noise turned into a constant "growling"/ "rumbling" noise. re-inspected wheels/ brakes and found drivers side rear wheel to be loose / wobble (lug nuts were properly torqued). closer inspection revealed that the hub/ wheel bearing assembly had "significant play". while the car was jacked up the drivers side rear wheel would go from "easily spun to nearly locked up". the "rear bearing retaining cap recall" was performed on this car years ago - we are the original owner of this car.*jb

Every time i would take my car to the dealer for repairs . they would tell me there were none. in june i took my focus to the dealer for a loud noise coming from the left rear wheel. they told me there were no ball bearings on the left side and the right side needed to be done also, they only had one in stock that day. *tr

Early on i had issues with stalling but just thought it to be weird for the car would turn back on..would power down while driving then i could start it over again. wasn't until recently it became an issue that worried me when i was on a trip and it did it 3 times in a row and it wouldn't start on the second time but then did on the third try. i had been pulling out into heavy traffic when car just died.. everything went dead. tonight my engine light came on and i started searching the net looking for reasons why when i came across the stalling issues with the ford focus 2000. i have also encountered multiple problems with the car over the years and until recently have stayed under 50,000 miles. i also had the locking of the ignition which was replaced by the dealing but last time i took the car in for the rear bearings they told me my car was not one of the 21 states it had issues with. i see they have now included that to go into all 50 states. at this point i am really scared to drive this car anymore and was just getting ready to do an out of state drive which i am putting on hold. i've had other issues that are nothing compared to the car stalling out in traffic.. it just stops.. steering freezes brakes lock.. its a mess and a danger to my child's life and mine. the latest problem of stalling plus the gas pressure seems to be an issue.. i press on the gas and it seems to sputter as if the car wasn't getting enough gas and almost dies.. i thought maybe my clutch was going out but that doesn't seem to be the case. it has not been a cause of an accident thank goodness but have come very close. this is a danger to other drivers and to myself. *jb

While leaving a parking lot, crossed a speed bump, at 5 mph, heard a loud clunk and the car would not easily move. car was taken to a repair facility on a flatbed. garage determined that the left front coil spring broke and bound up on the left front tire. the left front coil spring was replaced, as well as the left front sway link, which was also damaged by the broken spring. the broken spring is available for inspection. *jb

The front left coil spring on my car snapped and lodged in the front left wheel, causing it to seize while driving at highway speeds. the car came to a rapid halt, and if i wasn't in the right lane when the incident occurred, an accident might have resulted. a few days before, i had heard a snapping sound from the left side of my car, but i noticed no immediate symptoms. ford has determined that the coil spring was improperly manufactured, but no recall was performed. ford's response (campaign 03m02, in response to investigation ea 02-023) was not adequate for the following reasons: 1. ford's response states that the spring failure will cause "suspension noise, possibly accompanied by sagging of one side of the vehicle." clearly, the failure that i experienced was not considered when determining if the situation warranted a recall. 2. ford did not notify me that it knew that the front coil springs were defective. this left me without the information that i needed to recognize the failure and prevent further problems. 3. the spring was inspected by the dealer 7 months before the accident, but the corrosion was not spotted. this indicates that the dealers were not monitoring the spring, despite the fact that i live in a high-corrosion area. *jb

I was driving my ford focus & the front coil spring broke while i was driving the front end of the car collapsed on the front tire. i was driving 65 miles and hour seconds before i fortunately slowed down to a stop...noticed a noise like a flat tire, something did not feel right just before it collapsed on the road, i again thank god, i decided to turn around to go back home & immediately upon that turn around the car collapsed. these recalls safety campaigns are risking my life, but terrifies me for my newly driving son behind the wheel. as if that is not bad enough, i now have to file this complaint also. electrical system ignition---unable to remove key....car was unable to be towed car locked up..steering everything. cost of repair was quoted from $382.00 from ford service dealer...meanwhile the huge inconvenience car parking fees..for being in a public parking lot.

while having the car serviced at a 'big-box' service department on july 16,2006 ,it was lowered to the floor,with a loud bang...the right front coil spring had snapped , with a part wedging the "new" front tire against the inner panel..the other part of the spring damaged the strut assembly..the service manager told me to contact a towing company --because the car could not be driven.. when my tow truck driver saw the car and dragged it off the lift ..he replied to me that i was lucky it did not happen at 65 mph or i would have been history.. now, even with all--all new parts i don't know if i will ever feel safe driving it..*nm

I was parking when i heard a noise. the coil spring on the right front had broken. i drove to a gas station and had it repaired. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 25 mph, there was a loud pop as though something hit underside the vehicle. the steering then pulled to the right. the vehicle was driven to an independent repair shop that determined both front coil springs fractured and the springs were replaced.

I was going about 15 mph when i hit a small pot hole in the road. soon after i began to hear a clicking noise when i would take turns. after bringing the car to a mechanic i was told that both front coil springs had shattered. after having these fixed as they were under extended warranty by the manufacturer i am told that coincidently i have new front suspension and abs issues which though most likely were caused by the coil string malfunction will not be covered as subsequent damage and i am on my own. had the damage to the coil spring not occurred there would have been no issues with the abs or front suspension. *jb

Broken spring in front of 2000 ford focus. leading to other unsafe conditions on the car. strut bearings,control links unstable steering vibration. *jb

Left front suspension spring broke after riding over a manhole cover at low speed. the vehicle made a grinding noise and it was parked in the nearest parking garage. the damaged tired had to be removed and replaced with the spare to move the car back out of the parking garage to be towed. this tire was also damaged (however, the damage was less severe). the car was then towed to the nearest dealership. the coil spring cleaved under the rubber shielding and damaged the left front tire. if this had occurred at highway speeds, the tire would have punctured and caused significant damage and possibly injury/death. *nm

Front passenger spring broke, separated from the mounting bracket, embedded the end of the spring into the tire which punctured it. vehicle required towing for repair. i was notified of an "extended warranty" on the problem and submitted a claim to the local dealership for reimbursement. after 5 months of follow-up, i finally received a check for the repairs. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on dry asphalt, the engine stalled. the vehicle was able to be restarted after 15 minutes, and was taken to a service dealer who determined that the fuel pump had stopped functioning. the dealer replaced the pump on two separate occasions, however the problems persisted. the fron stabilizer bar and fuel filter were replaced. updated 11/16/06. *jb

My car a 2000 ford focus had a front spring break in (2) places causing damage to the strut and the car was not safe to drive. i took it to a local goodyear store and had both springs and struts replaced along with a front end alignment. the cost was $800 for all. i have saved the springs to return for examination. both springs have a sleeve on them about (6)inches at the top and bottom. the area around the sleeve has collected dirt and caused corrosion (rust) to eat through the spring to the point it breaks. this could very well be a safety issue depending on how fast you were driving when it occurs. i was going 25 in a residential area when it broke. i would log to log this complaint as i am sure from looking at the defective parts that others will also be experiencing the same damage. i have owned the car for about 6 years. please let me know how i should proceed. i can provide pictures if desired. regards gary young

Exiting the highway there was a loud pop from the front drivers side wheel well. believed i had hit something but there was nothing in the mirror. sound continued when the wheel was turned from hard left to hard right. jacked car to see if something was stuck behind tire and when weight was lifted from suspension spring which was broken shifted and made contact with tire. if i had hit a bump when/or after spring broke it would have punctured tire causing lose of control. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while in reverse coming out of a parking space at 1mph a noise was heard rubbing against the tire. upon inspection, the contact determined the front passenger side coil spring broke. the part with the rubber seal in the coil spring rusted causing the failure. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who suggested contacting the nhtsa to file a complaint. the manufacturer has not been alerted.

While driving my 2000 ford focus sedan upon exiting the parkway saturday evening march 18, 2006, i heard a loud thud from within the front end, like something had snapped. nothing looked to be wrong. a short time later, the vehicle started to emanate a loud high-pitched grinding noise and then a lot of smoke. what happened is the front right wheel suspension spring snapped off the strut and gorged a deep trough or groove in my tire. fortunately the tire was brand new. if this had happened while i was driving on the parkway a few minutes before, no doubt the tire would have blown and sent me careening out of control. my mechanic put the car up on a lift so i could take photographs. my mechanic is making the repairs today. he reports the strut spring broke in three separate places. the front tire is destroyed and rendered totally useless. the odometer reading is 66,662 miles. the defective parts will be retained and made available for physical inspection. i am sending my photos as an attachment with my e-mail message to the nhtsa at their following address: [email protected] i have never experienced this type of mechanical failure in any other vehicle make or model and i have been driving continuously since 1965. you will observe that a number of identical mechanical failures involving the ford focus struts and springs are posted by others at the nhtsa web site. *jb the mechanic informed the consumer the front strut broke which caused the front coil spring to break into three pieces. updated 04/04/06. *jb updated 05/25/06*jb

Had car towed after loud noise coming from front end. front coil spring broke while car was parked(??). dealer replaced the spring at no charge under recall 03m02b (coil spring corrosion warranty extension). dealer said could not replace rest of coil springs until/unless they break. is it dangerous to drive around with possibly defective coil springs? *jb

Always noted a rattling, which i was told was a strut noise, but nothing was wrong. two weeks ago the right side strut spring broke and nearly destroyed a tire. had to be towed, and then had spring replaced. 10 days later the left side spring broke as i entered driveway. many reliable sources have informed me that there was no way a 2000 vehicle with 67,000 miles should have these problems. the warranty expired. . bottom line was that ford used either inferior or defective springs on a important part of the car.*ak

My 2000 ford focus began making a very loud rumbling noise along with a grinding noise while driving down the road. i took it into my mechanic and he said that both rear wheel bearings were totally shot and the rear wheels of the car were about to fall off. i called ford customer care and they said that since the car was out of warranty there was nothing they were willing to do. this was in spite of the fact that the car had been previously recalled for this problem. i feel that this is a serious and life threatening safety defect. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at 70 to 75 mph the vehicle started to sway. when he checked the vehicle to see what was wrong he found the rear wheel was loose. the vehicle was towed to the dealership. they said the rear wheel bearing and wheel shaft wore out and needed to be replaced. there was nhtsa recall campaign 00v303000 in 2003 concerning the rear wheel bearing, and the remedy repairs were performed. the manufacturer was contacted, and the vehicle has been repaired. *ak

Mine is a ford focus 2000 se. the rear wheel bearing on the left side has gone bad and needs to be replaced on my vehicle. it is causing a loud rumbling noise at speeds higher than 20 mile/hr and wobble at speeds higher than 50 mile/hr. apparently this is a common problem and can lead to the wheel coming off during motion. it seems like there was a service campaign by the ford company (nhtsa campaign id 01i017000) to address this issue. i also noted nhtsa action number pe 02016 for this same problem. i contacted the company to be told that my particular vehicle (according to the vin number) was not supposed to be having this problem and thus not part of any service campaign or recall. it is very unfortunate that the company does not take responsibility of a common safety problem with their vehicle, just because in their assessment it is not their fault. i was wondering if i can take advantage of the above mentioned service campaign or the nhsta action number. *jb

1) rear wheel bearings.. both needed to be replaced on car with less than 62,000 miles. ford said not their problem. 2) thermostat housing made out of plastic, needs to be replaced due to cracking (ford know about this problem will not do a recall). engine light comes on every 3 months. will never buy another ford again. tired of putting money into what we thought was going to be a good car. *nm

Dt: 2000 ford focus. the consumer complained about the rear tires wearing out on february 12, 2003. bought two new tires for the rear. the next day i had a four wheel tire alignment. march 31, 2003 two more new tires blew out, and on september 23, 2003 was having problem with alignment, two tires were replaced. the tire company said rear end was out alignment and then went to the dealership and had a four wheel alignment again. in november or december 2003 a new set of four new tires were bought. then, in june 2004 two new tires were bought. the consumer went to a new tire company and it took them four times of driving consumer's car to get it aligned. was looking on the internet about recalls and i found information on silent vehicle recall. called the manufacturer about this silent recall, they said they could not assist consumer on this silent recall. then ,called ford world headquarters, they were still not telling anything on this silent recall. consume r found tsb 03135 on a canadian website but could not pull up any information. *ak

The right front wheel bearing gave out. this is a known problem and one of the top 3 problems that people have been asking for a recall on this vehicle along with the ignition lock breaking. the rear wheel bearing was recalled, but ford won't recall the front. i have never had, nor ever known anyone who ever had a wheel bearing give out on a car, and certainly not one only 5 years old. *nm

Dt: 2000, ford, focus. contact states the wheel bearing was howling. the vehicle only had 47,000 miles on it. heard this noise for one month. he thought it was the tires, but it was not the tires. took vehicle to an an independent shop, and they told him it was the rear wheel bearings, and showed him a service bulletin regarding the rear wheel bearings which did did not apply to this vehicle. *ak

Dt: had sererall issues with the vehicle its metal causes premature failure. the coil springs had to replaced .they broke and the rear door latches were in the process of disingrating . they put in weather stripping. the rear wheel bearings malfunctioned. contacted ford, they did two after warrenty repairs to the vehicle. ford said it needed a new axle. this started on july 15, 2005. there was a real high pitch whining noise before determining the problem with the axle. *ak *jb

Supplemental information reference nhtsa odi # 10134021 the aforementioned odi # is the third in a line of situations where, in my opinion, metal fatigue has caused a defect. excessive regrind material is being utilized in the manufacture of parts, leading to premature wear/failure aka planned obsolessence. the rh axle support bearings would possibly have never failed had good workmanship practices and standards been in place and utilized. being a "proud ford owner" only since 1969 i have never experienced such a rapid / rampid parts failure rate. as a show of good faith, i expect nothing less than ford motor company to absorb any and all cost of replacing the rear axle in my 2000 ford focus. your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. respectfully, paul a. stadden

Both front coil springs broke during normal usage. the springs, struts and one strut bearings had to be replaced. *jb

1) no known events lead up to the failure. we had no warning. we did nothing unusual. 2) we were driving and heard a loud noise. we hadn't run over anything and the car appeared fine. upon taking it to be looked at we found that we needed a new spring. we also found out that this is a very common problem in the 2000 focus and also that the ford taurus had the same problem. however the taurus was given a safety recall. i was informed by my mechanic that had the spring punctured my tires sidewall, i would have blown a tire and could have lost control of the vehicle, which, even at lower speeds is undesirable. 3) the mechanic put in a new spring, but thinks that the other spring may be more vulnerable now having beared the extra load. also, he says our struts may have been compromised as well... i don't have a lot of money so he replaced the spring on the front passenger side and that is all for now. *nm

Right front coil spring broke without warning. bearing on the upper ti rod froze up

Front passenger side coil spring broke and the sharp edge of the spring (created by the break) stuck into my tire causing a flat. the car came to a grinding hault. i was traveling at about 5-10 mph, turning down a side street. i had been on the highway 2 minutes earlier. if this happened on the highway it would have been very dangerous probably resulting in serious injury or death. when i talked to the service tech. at my local dealer he told me that it was a recall item but ford did not send out notices and they were fixing the problem cars when they come in broken. the local ford dealer replaced both front springs and the one tire that was damaged.

While driving, rolled over high-speed speed bump at about 25 mph, heard a loud noise. afterwards, right front of car made very loud clicking noise as if it were binding during sharp turns at low speeds. upon further inspection, found right front coil spring broken. both springs had portions of the black coating missing, exposing rusty steel. uncertain if driver's side spring broken. broken right front spring tilted inwards, did not contact tire.

Dt: front coil spring broke on passengers side, the spring was locked on the tire and ruined the tire. goodyear had never seen anything like that, and ford said they never had one come in like that. goodyear said it could have been anything that made it break. *ak

Dt: without warning driver's side front coil spring broke . ring that sits on top of coil spring that supports the car broke. has not gone to dealer yet. manufacturer has not been contacted.*ak the consumer contacted the dealer and manufacturer and they informed the consumer that the part had been recalled. however since the consumer had the part repair at a non-ford dealer they refused to reimburse the consumer for the repairs. *nm

Contact states: right front coil spring broke, causing loss of control, damaging right front tire. *ak

I have had the inside front wheel bearing replaced at 50000 miles. i am at 61000 now and the soem thng needs to be done again. i think the same problem that was recalled on the rear wheel bearings is affecting the front wheel bearings. the seal corrodes and and the bearings go bad. i have also had both outside wheel bearings replaced at 50000 miles. i have had them done outside of ford at my own mechanic due to price. the inside whell bearing was a ford part and was difficult to come by, my mechanic need my vin number to get the part. i have not had anything dangerous occur because of this but it makes a really loud humming sound while in motion. *ak

Contact states; contact was on freeway and heard a popping or cracking noise in the front end. tried to put into gear, made same noise. have been in contact with dealer and there was a recall on the front spring, corrision problem. driving 65 or 70, when incident happened.

Pe02-044 is the investigation number... this is information with a link to pictures to show how lucky i was not to be driving. this can happen without warning. ford agreed to fix it. i have my tire replaced as well, however this should have been recalled for inspection. there was a letter sent, but i, as a second owner of the vehicle used had no way to know it was a possibility. how many more people are driving these case as lease turn ins and have no idea of the potential. please make this a recall. i was lucky, if i was driving on the highway, i could have been in trouble. copy of my letter to transport california. i have recently had both my front springs fail in my 2000 focus zx3. the right one failed and punctured the tire. upon inspection, the left one was also shown cracked. the spring penetrated my right front tire and destroyed it as i reversed. what is concerning me, is there was never a recall on this issue. i am trying to obtain information from ford regarding this. after some research, i have found a letter from ford regarding an extension of warranty for springs for 10 years, 150000 miles.*ak i was very lucky. if this spring failure occurred while driving at highway speed, the affect on steering and control would have been incredible. not to mention the damage to the car after wards. if this is a know issue, there should be a recall to have these items fixed, not just replaced after failure (i am not sure if they will replace mine yet). links to damage in pictures: http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.hpguestlogin?user name=dawezilla&password=26544160

During a routine driving, the front right spring of my 2000 ford focus, simply brook. as a result, the front shock was tilted to the right. i had to replace both springs and shocks. i was very lucky it occured when i was driving in the city at 25 miles per hour, otherwise i could be involved in an accident. on november 2004 ford issued an extended warranty for these front springs saying that " portion of the front coil springs may not have received adequate corrosion protection which may eventually lead to a fracture of the spring." i have called ford dealership to fix the problem, but they wanted me to pay for the expenses, saying that it is not a recall. any requests for a refund were denided. please, i need your help. thank you.

The front suspension has been making popping and groning sounds leading up to the problem. they were very loud when going over bumpy road. the failure happened when we went to pull away from a stop sign. the left front spring broke with a loud banging sound. the car pulled slightly to the right but was still controlable. to fix the problem we had to replace the front springs and struts. i replaced both sides of the car for fear that the other side would break while i was on the highway. *ak

1. several loud popping noises every time the steering wheel turned from left to right or right to left full. 2. drivers side coil spring broke, 3. replaces front coil springs.*ak

Wheel bearings in my 2000 ford focus have been replaced 8 times already. all parts have been ford factory parts. recall from 2000 on the wheel bearings had been performed in 2001 but problem has persisted. ford motor co. has been contacted repeatedly in regards to this but no action has been taken. dealership has also been contacted but the keep referring back to ford. copies of all repair bills is available. it appears that wheel bearing #9 is about to go also. breakdown as follows: right rear 3 times left rear 2 times right front 2 times left front 1 time in addition, rear drums have been replaced 3 times already (on the average of every 18-20 months). most recent replacement of wheel bearing on 3/4/05 can you please help! *jb

At approximately 70,000 miles, i noticed a clunking noise while turning. after investigating the problem, my husband noticed that the driver side front spring coil was broken. if i would have continued to drive i'm sure it would have punctured the tire. we took it and had the spring coils in the front both replaced. *jb

In 2000 i brought my ford focus 2000 in for a recall on the left rear wheel bearing. the dealer supposedly fixed the problem. in 2001, my right rear wheel almost completely separated from my vehicle, and the car fishtailed when driven. i brought the car into a ford dealer who diagnosed the problem as a bad bearing in the right rear wheel. they replaced the bearing, abs sensor, and spindle under warranty. on feb 3, 2005, my abs light came on, followed by loud metallic popping and grinding noises when braking or accelerating. the car did not seem safe to drive, so i immediately brought the car into the nearest ford dealer. the problem was again diagnosed as a faulty bearing in the left rear wheel, the very same that was replaced in 2000. this caused the abs sensor to go bad and notched large chunks of metal out of the spindle, and potentially could have caused failure of the breaks or complete separation of the wheel from the vehicle. the dealer claimed there was nothing wrong with the design or the bearings being put in, and it was just coincidence that i had to bring it in 3 times for problems with 3 identical bearings. they obviously have not solved the problem identified in the 2000 recall, but have gotten around it with 12 month warranty periods, forcing customers to replace the bearings spending over $650 a pop every year or so.*ak

Coming home from work my engine light came on , i took it to a friend and he check it and said it was as cylinder misfire he reset he code(?) and said that he didn't guarantee that it wouldn't come back on . it work fine the rest of the day , but when i was again coming home from work the next day it came on again ,i immediately turn around and took it to the garage where i get repairs done . he also said it was a cylinder misfire and suggests i replace my spark plugs and wires , he also cleaned something else and something iac ( you can tell i don't know squat about cars)i paid 149.00 for this service . a day and half later i was back in the garage with the same problem (engine light on) this time he says it something with my transmission code and to call the co. and see if there is or was a recall on it . some thing about flashing the computer. i have only had this car since august 2004 and have trouble with all this and with the key not working but the car was still under a 30 day warranty and the car salesman took care of that problem. i am just wondering what next ,how much , money does not grow on trees around here. after reading all the complaints on this here website i wonder why i even bought a ford focus. i also have very squeal brakes constantly , and my rear passenger tire has a problem and my son won't even let me drive my car till i get it check out there is more money. my car only has 44,000. miles on it. *jb

Vehicle is losing its front bearings. there is a noise coming from the front of the vehicle. owner took the vehicle to the dealer, who confirmed this defect. vehicle is no longer under warranty, and dealership is asking for $700.00 to do repairs.*ak

Rear wheel bearings failed,resulting in rear whell wobble. *ak. this failure mad eit hard to control vehicle. owner notified manufacturer. *ak

The vehicle's brakes had to be replaced about every three months. *nm the rear end was unable to be lined up, if so, the vehicle would fishtail back and forth and the consumer would unable to drive the vehicle. the tires were out of round and the vehicle would run rough, especially when going up hills. *sc *jb