Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SUSPENSION

Was driving vehicle approximately 50mph, and after having it inspected by mechanic at dealership left rear bearings failed on highway.*ak

Problems with brake equipment. the vehicle has been to the dealer at least 4 times for a crunching sound when driving over bumps.. the brakes squealed when they were applied, the consumer was told they were fixed, however the problem resurfaced. *jb

There was a grinding noise coming from brakes. dealer replaced front brake pads. also had increased braking distance. while driving about 10 mph, driver's rear wheel came off with drum still in it.*ak

While driving on i275 nth i heard what sounded like the noise a flat tire would make.got off motorway to investigate, could find nothing wrong. got back on only to find the car starting to pull toward the passenger side. luckily i was near a rest area, pulled off. only to find smoke pouring from the rear wheel. it had siezed solid. it was taken to a dealer, who fixed the following, drum&bearing cup, spindle, retainer asy wheel, rotor brake sk, cap rear wheel and the abs sensor. refused to check other side as that had already(much early been fixed under a recall) while their they did find the cause for the fuel smell inside the vehicle, in circuit 15rl3(gn.rd) @ c-87 terminal was not seated in connector, fuel consumption has improved from 28mpg to 31mpg. local dealer and ford customer service both told me my concerns with the other rear wheel and the engine due to it's consumption of unburned fuel(not to mention mine)were area's they will not check, even if i feel they are potentially dangerous to myself and any passengers i may have.*ak

Vehicle has had numerous alignments , rear tires wear out within 2 weeks. the rear of vehicle will swerve.*jb

Ignition failed, had to be replaced, tires wear incredibly fast (4 sets of tires at 45000 miles), radio cut out, had to be replaced twice, brakes failed at least three times causing two accidents, dealership said they replaced them, but lied and never did, was forced to spend $500 having them replaced, trunk doesn't close, bad suspension, spun out on an exit ramp

Vehicle vibrated real hard when it started up and cut off. it has been to dealer 5 times. dealer has replaced computer, and changed ignition key and more. dealer has never said why, and didn't have a remedy to problem. consumer has tried lemon law, but vehicle was over the mileage at that time. consumer called ford, and was told to work it out with dealer. problem is still not resovled.*ak

Rear wheel bearing disintegrated, causing car to jerk side to side while driving. this has happened to other focus owners too!

Driver's side rear wheel bearings went out while diving 60 mph. consumer heard a noise from wheel, and vehicle was hard to control. on 6 may 2001, this happened again with passenger side rear wheel bearings. there was a recall on wheel bearings, but this vehicle was not affected due to vin. *ak *jb

While traveling at 45 a truck pulled in front of consumer's vehicle, and consumer hit the truck. upon impact, none of airbags deployed.*ak the wire harness, motor mount, front and rear wheel bearings had failed and were replaced. *yh

Tires/ shocks/ wheel bearings/ transmission struts, and rotors all bad and worn out. dealer unresponsive and so is ford long file on this car. dealer refuses to lemon the car out. totally frustrated by lack of communication with dealer and ford am considering law suit against both (tiresize: 195r7015)

Right rear wheel bearing caused car to swerve violently at 55mph, driver slowed to 20mph to avoid being pulled off road. driver tried to slowly drive to repair station but car kept wobbling on road so stopped and had car towed into garage..ignition /lock system failed in january and left driver stranded. car could not be started. in another problem that occured in october 2000 the fuel assembly recall was not properly repaired and caused car accelerator to not function. the car would only go 1-3mph at full acelleration. this was very dangerous in traffic. i do not have paperwork on this incident but problem was corrected at bergstrom ford, neenah, wi 54956*ak

First failure(18,925 miles)- loud moan coming from rear of vehicle while driving. took vehicle to dealer where right rear wheel bearing was replaced. second failure(28,218miles)- loud grinding and clunking sound from rear of vehicle. right rear wheel locked up. dealer replaced right rear wheel bearing again.*ak

While driving could feel left side of vehicle is pulling to side where sometimes ir could lose control of vehicle at high speed, and steering could lock to left side without prior warning. *ak

Recall 00 v 218 000/fmvss 201/ recall oo v 303 000/rear wheel hub nut, and program 00b59/premature seal wear in clutch master cylinder. unable to get dealer to honor recalls or progarm due to no parts available at redlands auto center in redlands, ca; phone # 909/793-3211. seeking help from nhtsa in this matter. please feel free to provide any further details in this matter. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

These are the probelems with my car. it is only 8 months old, yet this car has had repeated problems. the first major problem is with the brakes. they continually squeak and i was told by ford that it was due to a safety issue. the brakes and pads were replaced yet the problem has continued since. i have also made numerous complaints and had the breaks deglazed and serviced many times only to have the problems continue. the next problem is with the ventalation. the engine strongly smells of burning oil/fuel. this problem was checked and fixed three times, but this problem also continues. the smell is so strong inside the car that passengers now refuse to ride in the vehicle. the smell is also very strong from out side the car. the third problem with the vehicle is with the driver's side door. the lock and latch are very tight and are some times imbossible to turn or open without exessive force. the door hinges are also stiff. this is a lot of friction in the hinges making lots of noise and not allowing the door to move smothley. the last problem i am reporting is with the suspension. this problem has been fixed more than 5 times and it is still a very big problem. new parts have been put in and the squeaking and humming is still very loud. there are also loud clanking noises coming from the suspension.*ak

Rear wheels wobble when consumer is driving, this problem can happen at any speed. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to anything. *ak dealer performed recall 00s55b repairs. consumer adds that vehicle pulls to left and steering wheel is off center. *tt

Vehicle experienced a rattling noise in the rear suspension, consumer stated this could be attributed to a new wheel bearing that was added for recall, also during one recall repair, the dealer damaged the passenger side seat belt, it was returned in an un-retractable position. *slc

I complained to the dealer about the brakes squeaking a week after i bought the car in oct. of 2000. it has been an ongoing problme . my car has been in the service center a number of times in the last year and a half since i bought the car. i also mentioned that there a roaring noise coming from somewhere. this problem was never addressed. the noise had recently gotten unbearbable. so i took the car to two independent car shops and they both agrred that bearings are gone and that this car should not be having this problem this soon. one of the car shops even contacted a ford dealer to find out how much time it will take according to their book to fix this problem and was informed that they did know because they have never replaced any bearings on these cars before. i am veyr disappointed that i have had to go to great lenghts to have this problem fixed and it still have not been resolved. *ak

Dt: the consumer stated there were multiple problems with the vehicle. the brakes make noises and pulsated when the pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer where the brake light switch and ignition cylinder switches were replaced. the dealer also turned the drums, replaced the brake pads and resurfaced the front rotors. there was a vibration in the front end when braking. the lower ball joint, right wheel bearings, right front sway bar link, bone socket, steering rack column and tie rod ends were replaced in an attempt to remedy the problem. the tail light covers retained moisture and condensation built up. the dealer replaced the tail light covers and fuses that were blown due to the moisture. lastly, the contact noticed the rear seat was loose and upon inspection the dealer discovered an anchor and hinge problem. the back hinge and pillar were replaced. *jb

Strut was replaced, tires were replaced 6 times because of the strut failure which caused excessive wear, the vehicle had less than 10,000 miles after all the tire replacements. (attorney for client) *slc

Since the purchase of my ford focus 2000, it has been subjected to recalls for wheel bearings, paneling, and the master cylinder. additionally, the trunk latch had to be replaced and the computer reprogrammed. since late sept. 2000, the engine dies at approx. 45/mph when i press the clutch to downshift from 5th gear, slowing from a higher speed. on aug. 21, 2001, i took the the car to maroone ford in margate, florida because it had stall (died) twice in one day. the mechanic said there was nothing wrong with the car and said that i didn't know how to drive it properly. i contacted ford motor dispute settlement board and they came out and drove with me. the car did not stall at that time, and he advised me that i didn't know how to drive the car! i believe i have been lied to by ford and by their representative, maroone ford, margate. i have copies of letters that i sent to maroone ford, and to the board of directors at maroone ford as well as a copy of the initial dispute settlement board application. i have complained over and over again that i fear for my safety, and that i want ford to either fix my vehicle or give me a safe car. i was a full-time nursing student at florida atlantic university in boca raton, florida when this started, i am now a registered nurse still driving an unsafe vehicle. i would appreciate your help.*ak

Without warning front tires are wearing out. dealer has been notified. mechanic stated front suspension unit is causing unbalanced wear on front tires.*ak *tt

Suspension is hard when driving , vehicle swings from left to right, and there is a rattling noise. also, seatbelt on passenger's side broke, and when applying brakes, vehicle wanders to the left and right. *ak

Brakes do not work and driver uses his clutch to slowdown vehicle. also, front brake drums, and front shocks broke/ vehicle stalls unexpectedly, and the cv axle broke. dealer cannot determine cause any of these problems. please provide further information. *ak

Gas mileage is poor on this size veh--motor kicks into neutral while driving at higher speeds. dealer keeps telling me there is no problem/cannot duplicate, 4 incidents, this is very freighting. especially in heavy traffic & cannot get off the road fast. brakes wear between 16000 and 18000 miles with normal driving. the motor belt had to be replaced at 22000 miles. this never happened so soon with any vehicle i have ever owned. repairs and services are very expensive, many safety recalls and product warnings that take time to repair. the dealer has a problem making sure the parts are available when i make an appointment. the wheel bearings have been replaced several times and sound like they may be going bad again! i do not feel safe in this vehicle. what if something fails while myself or my family are in this vehicle. this vehicle has depreciated at such a drastic rate, that i would be wise to trade it for another vehicle. i feel it is in direct relation to all the safety issues with this vehicle. *ph **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**763169

Was traveling approximately 65mph when vehicle went out of control. wheels had felt wobblely and loose. had to swerve to miss several vehicles. managed to get off freeway and stopped vehicle. had vehicle towed to dealership. was informed by mechanic wheel bearings went out. dealership has to order parts. vehicle was repaired previously under recall.*ak screws keep falling out of seat belt and has happened two times. drivers side seat lever keeps breaking and has happened three times. windshield wipers failed while driving during a heavy rain storm, received recall two weeks later, 01v258, dealer replaced wiper motor. turn signal failed, dealer replaced bulb. problems with brakes, rear drum assembly bearing wore into wheel spindle, front brake pads replaced, front rotors resurfaced. consumer feels every bump in the road. bearings have failed twice. side mirror broke. a-pillar trim coming loose after recall repair 00s20. *slc

The main focus of this complaint is the fact that the rear wheel bearings on this vehicle have failed three times in the approximately two years i have owned this car. the first time, the vehicle was approximately 6 months old. the second time came without warning while vacationing in vermont with young children in the car, the left rear wheel was near falling off. the final time the rear bearings failed, they were replaced by the dealership due to a second recall on the rear bearings. in addition, my ford focus has been recalled for a-pillar trim panels replacement , and decklid wire harness rreplacement. needless to say, i have spent more time at the dealership getting repairs on this car, than i have spent collectively on all other vehicles i have owned.*ak

Consumer was traveling about 68mph and cruise control got stuck. consumer ran off into the shoulders of the road to prevent from hitting another vehicle. also, vehicle shook and vibrated when driving at speed of 50 mph and over. *ak

Ford dealer did not provide consumer with necessary information, and consumer felt that wheel could have come off. *ak

Vehicle vibrated upon starting and driving. more acceleration caused vibration to worsen. also, vehicle appeared to be slipping out of gear while remaining in drive. vehicle is at dealer's shop at this time. *ak

While making a left turn and upon applying brakes vehicle started to pull to the left, resulting in a collision. dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak

The driver side tie rod and axle collapsed while driving the vehicle, loss of control resulted in accident. yh

Consumer was on 7th set of tires at 60,000, an alignment with each set. radio had been replaced twice/ brakes had been completely replaced twice/ wheel bearings had been replaced,and ignition was replaced once after vehicle had been towed. low and behold, consumer's focus was sitting in driveway needed to be towed for the same problem again. car was getting horrible gas mileage, sometimes had brake failure which caused 2 accidents. also, lugs:nuts had been replaced. the car would sometimes stall for no apparent reason, and was in need of an alternator.*ak

Axle wheel bearing will disintegrate on highway, it went into a rearend curve. replaced at no charge. *ak second wheel bearing was discovered during a routine service. *yh

I have been completely dissatisfied with this ford product. i didn't put more information in this report because i wasn't sure i was doing it right. i plan to return the vehicle to the shop again today because last time it was there, they fixed the idle, window, and noisy suspension...guess whay, i still have all those same problems!!!

Squeaking brake, extreme wear and tear of front tires, back tires with wear and tear issues, alignment issues on front tires and cruise control issues. *jb

Vehicle stalls and then starts to vibrate while driving. *ak

The vehicle had a suspension problem, (possibly a loose bolt) which caused the wheel on the passenger side to become out of alignment.*jb

Defective front suspension and steering. *ph while driving the consumer heard a loud snap. the vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined that the passenger's side front suspension broke. *mr *nm

Passenger side front tire made a thud noise over bumps, due to inadequate suspension in the front end. yh

When get speed above 50,the car starts jump anyside. *ak

While driving 65mph over a bump in the road back end of vehicle will shift to one side. dealership was contacted.*ak