Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SUSPENSION

Ford extended their warranty on rear wheel bearings on the 2000 ford focus, beacuse of problems and safety issues which could lead to ball joiont separation with loss of steering control. my vehicle is now experiencing rear wheel bearing problems, but ford refuses to have the problem fixed at their expense, because the extended warranty period has expired.*ak

Fatality vehicle fire, dec. 8 2004. my husband is the original owner of a 2000 ford focus, subject to numerous service visits to bill brown ford, livonia mi for: ignition, steering column, wheel bearing, brake, rear window control, seat belt &trunk latches, overhead light and engine light. the vacuum line & fuel pump & valve assembly were replaced 2/03, followed by stalling. in 6/03, a/c compressor & manifold line replaced. fuel line & pump failure in 8/03, resulted in gasoline spill on residential street minutes after parking. bogging followed repairs, pcm reprogrammed & leaking pvc tube replaced 1/04. fuel pump again replaced. in 8/04, our 24 year old son took ownership of this problematic car. we are uncertain as to whether vehicle malfunction caused a 35 mph collision with a fire hydrant. an immediate engine explosion and fuel fed fire trapped my son and his passenger. described by police as a relatively minor crash which would not be expected to claim lives, the subsequent unexplained engine fire claimed two young lives. a malfunctioning driver's airbag was also detected. this incident was originally reported to nhtsa by my husband (#10104088). i am supplying these additional facts for your clarification. please correct your posting of "0" injuries as there were 2 fatalities. please take effective action to save lives, as these trouble plagued vehicles seem to become more lethal as they age. confirmation of receipt of this information is requested. *nm *sc *jb

After having the vehicle serviced on two different recalls vehicle performed poorly. the first recall was for battery wiring corrosion. currently, the battery failed. the second was for the pin bolt controls. steering wheel shook, and the two left front tires were replaced for extensive wear, and a blow out. the tires were replaced, and the vehicle aligned. however, vehicle continued to wear out, the tires and the steering wheel shook. manufacturer offered no solution. no recalls found. *ak.....also, was experiencing problems with decreased power. consumer objected to paying for repairs. *ak

The front right coil spring has broke. the consumer has contacted the ford manufacturer and was told that they would not do anything. consumer says that ford extended the warranty, but his did not comply due to the year it was built. please provide any further information. *jb

While driving, the right rear wheel fell off. after the vehicle was serviced it was discovered the suspension was defective. the wheel bearing had failed. *jb

When turning in either direction a rubbing sound was produced. the dealer stated the front struts need to be replaced, but the part was on back order. *jb the springs were broke on the driver's side. 2 struts, 2 springs, 2 sway bar links and aligned the front end were replaced. the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc

While driving approximately 35 mph the consumer heard a noise which sounded as if it came from rear. the consumer took the vehicle to dealership and was informed by a mechanic that the rear wheel bearings were loose. *jb

While driving at any speed consumer heard a loud noise like air plane. vehicle was taken to the dealership, and mechanic determined wheel bearing needed to be replaced. consumer indicated she was still waiting for dealership to replace the wheel bearing. *ak

While driving at low speeds front coil spring snapped. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.*ak

Left front suspension spring fractured inside the sleeve at one coil from the bottom. fractured end of the spring was forced against the tire, damamging the tire. this is the second oem coil spring to fracture on this car, reference odi confirmation number 10030978 describing the fracture of the right front coil spring. why is there no recall on these springs? why hasn't ford motor company's customer satisfation program 03m02 been extended to include all 2000my focus instead of covering only focus's built up tp december 1999?*ak

1) noise coming from right front 2) both front springs and struts had to be replaced because the right front spring had broken and cut the right front tire down the middle (which also had to be replaced). the spring also bent the strut.*ak 3) all old parts are available - see #2 for what was done to correct failure. repairs had to be made on an emergency basis.

Front coil spring broke, leading to tire puncture. *ak

From what i can understand about recalls on ford focus models, there has been a recall on the issues of wheel bearings. the last time i visited a ford dealership for service this recall was not mentioned as needing to be done or as taken care of on the service ticket, so i assumed that the problem was taken care of. however, on a visit to my local mechanic, he told me that i would need new wheel bearings in the near future. so from this i can only assume that the problem was taken care of once and now has to be taken care of again. and this is on a vehicle with only 73,000 miles. the vehicle is 2000 focus zx3 5 speed. also the vehicle was bought used in dec. 2003 with 49,000 miles on the odom. thank you for your time. *ak

Vehicle makes a loud noise when driving. the left driver side tire is wore out. consumer found a recall on lugs an bolts. dealer stated wheel bearings wore outprematurely. *ak

Below is the email i just sent to my local dealer where i bought my car new. yesterday we talked about the replacement of my front springs and struts on my 2000 focus, vin#[xxx], as my passenger side front spring broke. obviously, i think we both feel that this shouldn't happen with only 41,655 miles on the car. i went on line and discovered that this has been a problem with this model and in fact a replacement program, 03m02, was initiated to deal with it but mine is not one of the vin's affected. i called ford this morning and they are forwarding my report to the engineering department. they indicated that they were in some way going to be contacting the lofink service department about the vehicle. would you let me know, as soon as you receive any information from them, if they are offering any adjustment to me for the approximate $359 cost estimate you gave me. also, what would be the total cost of: (1)replacing just the one spring or (2) both springs without replacing the struts at this time in either case. i am sending a copy of this email to the nhtsa and to the center for auto safety.*ak updated 07/30/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

When driving more than 20 mph the whole front end shook violently. please provide additional information. *jb altenator replaced still having problems. engine will only allow the vehicle to drive 20 mph. *tc

Consumer is afraid to drive the 2000 ford focus due to all the problems that have developed with this vehicle.***no answer required***.*mr the rear brakes, drums and shocks were replaced. *jb

Left rear bearings are howling, there has been a recall on cars made at the wayne stamping plant where my car was made, and in the time frame my car was made. i never received a recall notice. i have called the dealer and there are unwilling to repair at their cost. in many other states ford replaces the wheel bearings. the result of a non-repair is the wheel separating from the car. i am petitioning to have my car included in the recall. 2000 ford focus vin #[xxx]. *ak updated 07/25/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Events, just normal driving. sway bar link disconnected causing sharp rightward pull at highway speed. continued smelling of electrical burning from dash panel with intermittent instrument failure, and airbag lights flashing. smoke came from the vent systems a couple times, but no fire noticed as of yet. nothing has been done to correct failure, costs too much for me to have ford diagnose the problem, $500+ for dash labour costs to pull it and inspect.

Purchased 2000 ford focus 7/2000 2/00 safety recall on rear wheel bearings indicates loud grinding clunking noise. 1/01 recall on the a-pillar trim panels complained about my rear brakes squeaking causeway ford manahawkin nj found nothing however they replaced rear brakes and rotated tires 10/01 recall wiper motor pack i complained about front brakes squeaking ford cleaned and deglazed front brake pads and did another tire rotation 12/01 recall rear wheel bearings constant wobble and grinding noise from rear tires sqeak continues on brakes 6/02 humming noise from tires road test confirms noise coming from front left tire they rotated my tires noise continues ford say i need new tires i am at 31,000 miles 7/02 got a flat firestone repaired patched tire was "ok" 8/02 power steering pump to be replaced 10/02 continuing loud noise in rear traced to failed bearing ford says they did service on a previous recall. 10/02 loud humming noise in front ford inspection revealed a choppy tire they rotated tires front to back 10/02 at 38,400 miles purchased 4 firestone tires 3/03 recall pinch bolt 5/03 brakes continue to squeak, grind, turns out front rotors are shot at 48,000 miles replaced front rotors complete front disc brake job bendix by tranz connection 8/03 alternator to be replaced car dies while driving, stuck in mass. for 4 days precision auto body. 12/03 check engine light on doesnt go out brought to firestone need to reset computer 12/03-12/04 car is stalling close to 1/4 of a tank of gas, i attribute this to not having enough gas in car and try to avoid 12/04 recall on fuel pump 2/04 lower radiator hose clamp to be replaced 7/04 loud humming grinding noise while drivingbring to firestone find a craked coil spring can lead to the tire seperating from the car front right wheel needs strut assembly with coil spring mount bearing bellow with alingment back breaks leaking wheel cylinder. *ak

Both rear wheel bearings need repair. loud noises from the wheel bearings. breaks needed repair at 35,000 miles (grinding). ew tires at 40,000 miles (both front and back). *ak i heard on car talk that wheels of the earlier models of ford focus's actually fall off!

I heard a squeaking noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. i turned into my parking space and heard a sudden clunk. after taking the vehicle to the dealer, was told that it was the right front coil spring that broke. service technician stated that if right one needed to be replace, the left one also needed to be replaced, along with a front and back end alignment. it is a good thing that this did ot happen on the freeway, as the coil spring could have punctured my tire and resulted in a serious car accident.*ak

Front coil springs failed on 2000 ford focus. *mr the vehicle was in motion when the front springs failed. the consumer lost control of the vehicle and ended up in the middle of a flat field. the consumer had two friends that experienced the same problem. *sc *jb

Front end creaking, crunching, grinding and/or rattling noise from the front suspension while driving at slow speeds and/or while turning. *al

While driving 25 mph front coil springs cracked in half. as a result, driver side tire was punctured. no impact reported. *ak

Right front coil spring broke without warning. spring wedged against front tire making the car inoperable.*ak

Front right coil spring fractured with the lower portion piercing the front right tire, resulting in no steering while driving on the interstate at 60 mph.i contacted ford and they acted like they have never heard of the problem. several hundred dollars later the vehicle has been repaired.

2000 ford focus se, whiledriving 35 mph around a turn when the front right coil spring broke. i ened up in a field just missing a graud rail. i have not fixed the car yet do to money. i find it odd that ford is recalling 2000 focus for this problem but my car like many others is not being recalled due to the fact it was not assembled in a certain plant. coil springs are not made at assembly plants and ford should know that if more then one car not made in that plant is having the same problem that maybe their springs got sent to other plants. *ak

I heard a clunking noise in the front passenger side of the car, i took the car into the dealer for several recalls at approx.149,000 miles. ford peformed the necessary recalls. 5,000 miles later i was backing up and i heard a loud knock and the car dropped on the passanger side. i went home and jacked the car up and found the spring broken into 3 pices so i lowered it back down to pull it into the garage. upon removal of the spring/strut assy. i noticed where the breaks were in the spring assy one of the breakes was pretty rusty and the other looked like fresh metal. i pulled the drivers side apart and it looked like a totally diffrent part but there was a plastic wrap around the spring with an abnormal amount of rust near this wrap. ford will not help me in this matter. this car is a lemon!*ak

I own a 2000 ford focus that is 3 1/2 years old and has defective rear wheel bearings. they were replaced 2 timse on the rear left and 1 time on the right rear while under warranty. june 3rd the rear wheel bearing started making a noise so took it to a garage where they said i had bad rear wheel bearing and i immediately took it to hagerstown ford who confirmed on june 4th 2004 that both rear bearing were bad and that it was no longer covered under warranty. i could have lost both wheels and been in a serious accident and these parts have been known to be defective on this model. ford would not cover the repair and this car has according to their record had 3 left rear bearings replaced and 2 rear right bearings replaced by ford. how can they keep putting defective parts that are a safety issue on cars and not take responsibility for it . *ak

[1] 2000 ford focus zx3, 27,500 miles, no known events prior to faillure [2] wile driving at 65 mph on i-65 the passenger side front suspension spring failed, dropped into the wheel and shredded the tire. vehicle shook violently bordering on being out of control. lifting the accelerator allowed the car decrease in speed and was brought to the side of the road. tow and delay of 24 hours to secure parts ensued. coil spring was found to have failed adjacent to a metal plate that received the spring as part of the strut assembly, at an area contained in a plastic sleeve. [3] coil spring, strut and tire replaced. parts photographed in place prior to repair, spring and strut retained.*ak

I was driving on the expressway at about five in the afternoon on may 20, 2004 at the beginning of rush-hour it was sunny, and i was driving at about 70 mph. suddenly, i started to smell and see smoke on the front right side of the car. i started to pull over into the right lane. then, the tire went, and i braked as i was pulled off into the shoulder. upon examining the tire, i found that it had been shredded. i tried to then change the tire, when i noticed that the coil spring broke off and punctured the tire. consequently, the car had to be towed to the dealership for repairs. i had to pay for the coil springs on both sides to be replaced along with the new tire and the balancing. *ak

Driving through a paved parking lot, ran-over a small storm drain with the left side of the car. the right side front coil spring snapped in the area of a plastic covering. turning the car was almost impossible due to the mis-placement of the spring. a new spring was purchased, ford said their special warrenty did not apply to this car. old part is available.*ak

Right front passenger's side coil spring failed at bottom of spring underneath plastic sleeve. spring failed at low speed in parking lot.*ak

2000 ford focus front coil springs broke turning into a gas station. ford honors some of the focus's as a customer friendly warranty only cars made up to december of 1999. my car was made in may of 2000 so it does not meet the program as they put it but yet the same issues and parts needed to be replaced at my expense. 708 claims since dec. 2003 where covered if your car was manufactured before 2000. ford well aware of the faulty springs purchased over in europe. not able to handle american rough roads with poor corrosion protection and inexpensive steel causing them to break while traveling. ford feels it is not a safety issue and will not do a recall. *nm

Dt: the front right passenger side coil springs broke. when this occurred it stopped the car and punctured the right front tire. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the repair bill cost $1000. the tie rod end was damaged along with the struts, upper bearing plates, front stabilizer rings, tire, a new right side axle, and control arm. they were replaced. the mechanic said there was a crack in the front coil springs that caused the aforementioned failures. in 11/04 there was a recall on the front coil springs and the consumer was notified by recall letter. recall repairs had already been done in april when the incident occurred. consumer took repair bill and recall letter to dealer, and they submitted it to ford. however, ford sent back a check for $480 but not the $1000 the consumer spent. they only paid for the coils and some other work, but claimed that some of the other repairs were unnecessary. the consumer wanted to file a complaint attempting to force ford to pay for all repairs that were done. *ak *jb

2000 ford focus, right front coil spring broke. car only had 44,849 miles on it when this occurred. the coil looked "very" old and worn for that new of a vehicle. has this been a problem found on these vehicles. if this would have happened on a highway vs a parking lot, there would probably been a horrific accident. *ak

The front coil spring was rubbing/cutting into the front passenger side tire. *ak the coil spring had fractured and became wedged against the tire. this failure left the vehicle inoperable because it restricted movement and steering. *sc *jb

Broken front and rear coil spring. eeded to replace with new front and rear coil springs.*ak

In the last six months the transmission has started to leak fluid (paid to fix that), i get a letter about a recall for the fuel pump take it in and get that fixed on the way to work straight from the dealership one of the guys i work with comments on my brake lights staying on, my brake lights will now not go off and my cruise control will not go on (paid to fix that), then a few weeks later the front wheel fell off! i was pulling into my parents driveway and the wheel just fell off then spent the entire day getting it on a tow truck and getting it off at the dealership. then the technician kept asking me what i hit. repeatedly i told him what happened and he finally said that that couldn't have happened unless i hit something (paid to fix that), now i get in my car to get me something to eat and my key will not turn. *ak

Spring on front passenger side broke. could have popped tire causing loss of control of vehicle. *nm

While driving 35 mph front coil springs broke without warning. the cause of the problem had not been determined, and the vehicle will be towed to the dealer for repairs. *ak the spring broke without warning and caused the wheel to lock up and skid to a stop. *nm

Complaint received via e-mail."my car started making a terrible screeching noise. fortunately, i was within 1/4 mile from a mechanic, so i pulled in there. the mechanic, dan, told me the front springs had broken on the car, and he even showed me just how close one of the springs had gotten to puncturing a tire. had i driven to nappanee, i believe the spring would have punctured the tire. we both looked on the internet for recall information since broken springs seemed so odd. nothing was there, so i paid over $300.00 out of pocket for the repair. now, i see cars like mine are having problems with the springs, and that ford is covering these kind of repairs for ten years or 150,000 miles. i didn't know that when i paid for the repair. i want reimbursement, but more importantly, i would like to see ford motor company acknowledge this serious safety problem through a recall rather than a service bulletin. i called ford just today, and the service person said to take original repair bills to my dealer's service manager for review. the dealer is supposed to send them to ford where a reimbursement decision will be made. this concerns me. i don't understand why in the world this obvious safety matter has not been made a recalled item. i didn't know the springs were broken until the mechanic told me. springs, i do not believe, are something the common ordinary person checks during oil changes. i would like to see ford initiate an immediate recall for the springs since it's such an immediate safety concern. had i driven on those broken springs much longer and had i been going faster than town speeds, i probably would no t be here to write this letter today. my car has been great overall. yes, i've had a lot of recall work, but i still like the car and do not regret buying it. i might buy another focus. but still, i think ford is wrong for not doing a recall on the springs." *nm

While driving a grinding noise was heard coming from rear wheels. the driver drove the vehicle to dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver both side of the wheel bearing needed replacing due to worn parts. a recall was issued (nhtsa)01-i-017-000)replacement of the rear wheel bearing. the mechanic informed the consumer this vehicle was not cover under a recall. please fill in additional information.

Fail of front coil spings and sway bar link.

Heard a thunking noise driving to work lasted a few seconds-drove to nearby parking lot and parked ther till after work--started to drive out of lot and drove appx. 50 yds and heard it again this time a piece of metal hit the ground-stopped and upon checking found a large piece of metal ring -took it to car dealership and they said it was a spring -ford has a consumer complaint on the springs of 2000 focus and they fix some for no charge-my vehicle was not assembled in the right place for it to be covered-although it met all criteria (year, make and problem). *ak

Left rear wheel detached while driving due to faulty wheel bearings. dealer will replace the wheel bearings and the wheel. *ak

My car has a constant bad vibration that intensifies on right turns, going up grades, and over bumps. i have taken it to jim click ford in tucson, az for a total of three times. each time they come up with a different excuse and it never fixes the problem. i have been told at first it was, my tires, i replaced all four tires with top of the line michelins, then i was told that my fuel pump was going out and that is the cause of the vibration, now it is the coils. not one of these has fixed the problem, i am still waiting on the pump to get in stock at jim click, and they did replace the coils at a charge of $370.88. in addition to the vibration it sporadically tries to stall and hesitates when turning. i also have my taillights, and back up lights constantly burning out, i have replaced them 3 times and the last time i had jim click replace them. (the back up light, passenger side is out again) i was also told the first time i took in my car to jim click ford (before the fuel pump recall), i needed to replace a failing fuel pump and that would cost $680.00 to replace. (parts and labor) i could not afford it and took it out of their shop, i then brought it in after the recall and they told me that the fuel pump was not the problem that it was the coil and they could not replace the fuel pump since it was not failing. i then fought it out with them and they said they would replace the fuel pump when it came in stock late january 2004. they did replace the coils and the engine check light was on when i brought it in and that is how they determined that it was the coils. they fixed that problem and i got my car back and guess again the engine light came on the very next day and the vibrations are getting worse. i am starting to feel that this car is a lemon my car only has 64,000 miles and has so many recalls and service bulletins it is scary. *cb

While driving at any speed vehicle stalled without warning, also vehicle had problem with the ball joints and arms. *ak

The car veered to the left while i was driving down an interstate highway causing me to loose control. injuries were relatively minor, fortunately. car was deemed a total loss by insurance company after assessment of damage. no mechanical inspection took place but on visual inspection the front left tire was disconnected from the car. *ak