Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SUSPENSION

The front sway bars were loose. *jb

The left front tire fell off unexpectedly while the vehicle was being parked. results showed that the front coil spring broke off the vehicle. *ak *sc *jb

There was an excessive vibration coming from the rear passenger tires, the dealer was unable to determine cause of vibration or excessive wear on tires.*jb

The steering wheel had a knocking sound. *jb there was a recall on the battery cable, and the pinch bolt has caused a lot of problems. (the problem still exists) the vehicle will knock when turned to the left. the front axle bearings were damaged along with the seal. the battery cables had a short circuit and the cables still have a corrosion problem. the vehicle stalled while driving, the steering wheel locked, and when the vehicle is turned off, it won't start, you must allow to cool down. the consumer felt that this is a fire hazard/recall #02v288000 scc

While driving at 40mph and without warning the front left wheel disconnected from the vehicle. this caused a distraction to the consumer. dealer notified. ph

I started to replace tires as early as 5,000 miles just about 7 times by now. replaced ignition 5/03 for $667.00 the key would go in and wouldn't turn. spring coil driver's side broke while in traffic replaced 4/03 for $158.50. now the transmission is completly gone the car would not back up. please help me, i just don't know what else to do. the customer service at paul clark is so poor that i would not go there anymore.

Bad brakes, leaking transmission x 2 repairs, numerous electrical probs, one "accident", damage repaired at ford expense, bad tire, noise from front rt side, "surge" prob, car seemed to "stick" in a gear. i don't have my file with me but i know there is more.

Consumer stated that during inspection, mechanic determined that wheel bearings were defective. consumer contacted manufacturer about related recall 00v303000. mfr advised consumer's v.i.n. does not fall within manufacturing date range of 3/5/99-5/5/00. consumer advised that certification label states vehicle was manufactured in 09/99. ts

Continued problems with ford 200 focus zts. bearings, electircal system, brake and paint issues among others.

The brake system is horrible. they make noises all the time. i have replaced the cylinders and the shoes and it still does not sound right. the suspension is bad and needs replacing, but i can not afford it. i am a teacher. cruise control has gone bad, because of a faulty wire.

My complaint is all the problems we have had with the focus. we have had numerous recalls and work done from the drivers seat collapsing, wiring harness replaced, bearings in front, and rear, brake assembly, sway bar, and have had to replace 3 sets of tires, and line up 3 times because they will not make good and the car eats tires. now we have 52,000 miles on the car, and a pin has come loose and gone through the transmission, and case. altough the dealer has been very good, we bought a new car so we would not have this hassle, and that is all we have had.

While driving at 35/40 mph , vehicle pulled sharply to the right. consumer lost control of vehicle, which resulted in an accident. the dealership indicated that this was caused by the entire right front suspension separating from the vehicle which included the axle, tie rod, and wheels. please provide more details. ts

Driver felt a vibration and heard a loud pop then the vehicle swereved to the right and hit a bridge. after the accident the vehicle was inspected and showed that the lower control arm had broken on the right side.

Brakes replaced but continue to squeal front suspension collapsed causing crash.

While traveling on the interstate there was a sway/shift in the rear end of the vehicle as she was crossing a bridge, which caused a loss of control. *nlm scc

Consumer was exiting a parking garage and placed vehicle in reverse. without warning, car suddenly accelerated and rear tail spun around 2 times then hit a parked vehicle. consumer did apply brakes with no success. ph insurance company informed dealership that there were two recalls that dealt with a defective throttle and speed control which was not performed on the vehicle prior to the accident. other problems included weezing noise while turning. power steering racked failed and replaced. lack of power steering in steering wheel. rear brake pad replacement. rear wheel bearing noise. defective wheel bearings replaced. tire punctured and replaced. hesitation on acceleration. fuel pump and gasket replaced. tires rotted out. key stuck in ignition. replaced malfunctioned shifter assembly. trunk lid wouldn't latch. latch replaced. *tt

While driving the vehicle at 20mph the right front suspension collapse. causing to pull out of the road. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

Cv joint cracked, loud thud noise, car fish-tailed, car hit guard rail, spun hit rail again. dt

Consumer has continuously replaced the wheel bearings. twice on the rear left, and three times on the rear right. there is a grinding noise coming from the rear end of the vehicle. consumer states that he has had the vehicle repaired on a recall number 011017000 before. the problem has not been resolved. *nm at the time of the failure the vehicle was out of warranty although it only had 27,000 miles. the vehicle is rarely driven yet the rear bearings wear out every 3000-5000 miles. *nm

During wheel alignment mechanic noticed the front driver side coil spring was broken. both front coil springs were replaced. ts

While traveling on a side street without prior warning the vehicle front suspension collaped and the right wheel broke . the dealership is aware of the problem. mr

Car is only 2yrs,8mo. have currently expended over $4000.00 on repairs. problem with seals allowing fumes in car from other vehicles running beside mine. the noise and wind shear level is very unsatisfactory. squeal noise and thumping feeling from pressing on brake pedal. hesitation on accelerating into traffic flow. poor quality on parts and workmanship from manufacturer

Consumer states abs light has illuminated, vehicle shimmy's, consumer noticed that the right rear wheel is wobbling. consumer states that the wheel bearing got so hot it melting the hub cap off. please provide any further information. mr

Consumer states when turning in either direction there is noise coming from the front end. vehicle has not been examined by dealer. nlm ford checked and said that the problem was from an accident on 3-9-2002. mr

First purchase focus it had a loud engine we took it back and they had to replace top of the engine. then other parts of the vehicle started to fall apart. in a 2 year span, mostly the occurances happened in the first yr, molding around the headlights came off along with the molding around the windshield back and front, trunk will not shut the molding around the key hole fell out and the lock inside was loose(taken in twice only the lock was fixed once the molding was just replace the last time, still won't shut) ignition got stuck key would go in but would not turn, engine is stalling all dashboard lights come on and then car stalls in park and just starting to move. dt

The right front axle wheel bearings failed, consumer had them replaced. received recent recall 01 i 01 7000 on the rear wheel bearings and consumer believed the front bearings were defective as well.*jb

While driving and with no warning left rear wheel bearing snapped, causing tire to wobble. it will be hard for consumer to control vehicle. dealer notified. *ak consumer states there was extensive damage caused to the left rear wheel assembly, bearings, hub, brake shoes and wheel speed sensor. *yh

Passenger rear tire making noise and wobbling. vehicle hard to control. problem with wheel bearing. *mr

I would like to file a complaint regarding my ford focus zx3 right front suspension is making a loud cluncking noise when i put the vehical in reverse/drive. i'm concern after reading that this vehicle front suspension can collapse.investigation: pe02-044. *ak

Wheel bearing on left wheel were making a squeeking noise. took to dealer and they replaced the wheel bearing. please provide any further information.*ak

Since this car was bought new off the showroom floor, we have had suspension problems. we have had the tires replaced 7 times now and will soon have to have them replaced again due to severe tire wear. alignment has been suspect at all tire changes and warranty has been voided on 3 sets of tires due to misalignment. alignment has been done several times by ford and by private shops. alignment was even set out of spec. by friendship ford (bristol tn) to correct the problem of severe tire wear. to my knowledge, if a vehicle has to be set out of spec. to correct a problem, there is something wrong with the car in the first place. we were told however, by rusty wallace ford (newport tn) that our driving habits were just too rough and they proceded to tell me how to drive. i do not race the car or drive like a maniac and shouldnt have to drive 25mph to avoid replacing tires every 20000 miles. i have since had to replace the left rear wheel bearing that locked up also ruining the spindle, and rear brake pads due to the brakes on the left rear wheel locking up. it seems sort of questionable to me that i have had so much trouble out of that one wheel, the same one that was recalled due to the slight problem of it coming off the car. my mother and i own an inventory service and drive the car as many as 3000 miles a month and sometimes more, so our warranty was used up quickly and all of our problems other than the tires have come after the warranty ended. i do not have a problem with spending money to repair our vehicle as i know nothing lasts forever, but some of these problems are glaring and ford seems to be looking over them. please investigate the problems with the brakes tires as i have found that i am but one of many with problems with this ford product. i have found a website that you may want to look into.....www.fordfocusbrakeproblems.com. please take a look and i believe you will agree this needs to be looked into. thanks.

Front coil spring broke, also cutting the abs sensor wire. *jg

Purchased ford focus se in may of 2002 with 13,260 miles. we did not buy the extended warranty because we could not afford. soon after bringing the car home, we noticed the tire was very wobbly, and the brakes were squeaking--took it to the ford dealer and they told us these cars are notorious for brake noise, as for the tire nothing is wrong-the service dept. test drove and didn't notice a thing. have taken it in several other times after that for wobbly tire-still same answer nothing is wrong. have taken the car in for several recalls. key was stuck in ignition and had to be towed to dealership-but the next time my teenaged daughter drove the car the steering wheel was stuck when she was turning at an intersection-had it towed again, there was a piece of material (from them fixing the ignition problem) that was stuck in the steering column. our latest episode with this car is our trip from wa-virginia. the car was fine on the way there, except for the wobble in the tire in which we had the tires rotated yet again. but on our way back we started experiencing sputtering and surging of the car, we would pull off the side of the road every 20 miles (thinking it was from the hot weather), we would get another 20 miles in and same thing until finally we drove through chicago, il and it was worse, so we pulled off the highway and on to an on ramp--walked across the highway to use a business's telephone to call for a tow truck. they found us a tow truck but unfortunately it wasn't a king cab, so our insurance co., called us a cab. the tow truck took us to the nearest ford dealer--the car however seemed to running fine, so we decided to drive some more. we got about 15 miles down the road and sputtering again, so we called for another tow--and in the meantime we called firestone, we drove it there, the serviceman drove the car and felt what it was doing and said he didn't need to hook it up to engine diagnostic that it was the transmission.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Pe 02 044/front suspension front coil spring; while driving over the railroad tracks at 5 mph left front coil spring broke. dealer and manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

While driving 65 mph vehicle was wobbling in rear. vehicle taken to dealer, and they had to replace rear wheel bearing/ spider and drum. feel free to provide any further infromation.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

While driving over 60mph vehicle will vibrate. contacted dealer. had wheel aligned, but problem still occurred. *ak

Rear wheel bearing was making noise. took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that rear bearing needed replacement. *ak consumer stated that wheel bearing went out and was replaced. *yh

Weak spring front. dealer replaced springs, shock mounts, shields, and bearings on 10/13/2001. on 02/07/2002 dealer replaced bearing assembly, mounting assembly and damper assembly for shock absorber 'binding'. on 05/23/2002 dealer replaced mounting assembly and bearing assembly for shock absorber. also installed correction kit for 'loose' stabilizer end. with all the above repairs, i have to have the car repaired for the fourth time because it's having the same symptoms as the previous three times.*ak

C v joint and shaft fell apart when the car was put in reverse leaving driveway. pieces throw everywhere.wheel bearings melting to rear drums . back drums replaced and all 4 wheel bearings. door lock system replced after stop working. *ak

At 65mph rear passenger side wheel bearing snapped, causing tire to come off of vehicle. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak

Last month, i replaced the right rear wheel bearing on my ford focus when it failed. i have heard reports that other people have had the same problems, and i believe this problem is related to a flaw in design. more dangerous than that, though, is the problem i had with the fuel system. the car lost power on several occasions after right-hand turns or going uphill. it did not stall, simply sputtered and lost power for between 2-5 seconds. one of the most frightening incidents happened when my husband and i were merging onto the capital beltway on our way to visit friends, and the car lost power, nearly causing an accident. i took the car to the dealer and they were quite familiar with the problem, as ford has issued a service bulletin about it. the repairs cost over $425, and involved replacement of the fuel pump and complete flush of the fuel tank. i was told that ford claims the problem is created by contaminated gasoline, which means that at any time, this problem could resurface. i am frightened to drive the vehicle in traffic or on the highway, because my confidence in its safety has been shattered by this problem. i believe that ford is aware of this safety issue and should issue a recall on the faulty system.*ak

While traveling on the highway the rear wheel was making a loud noise. due to the wheel bearers. please fill in additional information. dealer is aware of the problem. ts

Bearing failure damaged abs system. only warning was abs light started flashing, then right rear wheel locked up at 75 mph, causing car to swerve across two lanes of highway onto shoulder before car could be controlled. previously, the left rear wheel bearing failed and was replaced at 22,764 miles. there was no incident attached to that failure, as we could hear the slight rough or grinding noise, and took the car to the dealer for warrant service. this time there was no warning, i lost control of the car at speed, and could have been killed.*ak

While traveling at 75 mph vehicle started to jerk real hard. consumer it was hard to get over to the side of the road. towed to dealer . left rear wheel was falling off. consumer felt it was due to defected bearings. please provide any further information.*ak

The right wheel bearing needed to be replaced. the dealer stated the bearing had fell of when the wheel was removed. the left wheel bearing needed to be replaced due to a wobble. in order to stop the wobble, the consumer had the bearing replaced along with a purchase of four new tires. mr scc *jb

Both rear wheel bearings had to be replaced.*ak *jb

While driving 45mph, wheel shakes and makes loud noises. *ak the wheel bearing spontaneously loosened. the dealer repaired the problem promptly. *jg

Was traveling 50mph heard a loud noise in trunk of vehicle. sounded like grinding noises. stopped vehicle and smelled smoke. engine check and abs lights came on . parked vehicle , then, had vehicle towed to dealership. was informed wheel bearings had blown out. this caused wheels to go bad. *ak