Problems with 2000 Ford Focus FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

When i started my car to go home from work i started to smell gas. i didn't think much of it untill i got home. when i turned the car off, i lifted the hood thinking there would be a problem in there. i could here what sounded like something boiling. then i walked around the car untill i got to the gas tank. thats where i could really smell the gas. i looked under the car and there was gas dripping from the gas tank. my car only has 24000 miles on it, and only a month out of warranty. so i had the car towed to a local garage thinking that maybe it was just a crack in the fuel line. what was found out is my car has a plastic gas tank and has broken at the seams. the boiling noise i heard was the gas spitting on the exhaust. the mechanic said i was lucky that the car did not catch on fire. so i called ford to see what they could do since it was obvious that the gas tank was faulty. they said they would not do anything untill i got the car to my ford service station. i will have to call them and see what they will have to say. i hope i don't have to pay for fords mistake. how can they expect a plastic gas tank to last, when mine has busted at only 24000 miles.

2000 ford focus engine sputters and then stalls at high speeds. after sitting on the side of the road and letting the car sit with the engine off, you can start it up and then drive for approximately 10 minutes at high speed before the same problem occurs. at lower speeds the problem is not as prevalent. pinpoint diagnostic computer first provide the mass air flow sensor as the problem. several weeks after the new mass air flow sensor was replaced i had the same problem (exactly the same symptoms). this time the diagnostic computer provided the fuel pump as the problem. i noticed a technical service bulletin from ford about the fuel pulse damper, but they say that bulletins are not of any issue. i have also been able to find many other instances of faulty fuel pumps in the focus through random internet observation. my car is approximately 5 to 6 thousand miles past warranty (miles only, not years) and i will be spending the equivalent of 4 car payments to have the mass air flow sensor and the fuel pump fixed. any information on this problem would be appreciated. *jb

Our 2000 ford focus stalls. the first dealer it was taken to replaced the fuel filter - approximately an hour east of that dealer the car began to stall out again...the next dealer telling us the fuel pump needed to be replaced. this also happened as far back as two years ago. *jb

My 2000 ford focus with 45,000 miles on it has been experiencing violent stumbling and hesitation problems around highway corners. this has been occurring for the past 15,000 miles. ford was unable to fix this problem, but talking with others who took safety matters into their own hands found the fuel pumps not keeping adequate fuel flow to the engine. my car is at the dealership now with specific direction to replace this at my cost. when a car violently stalls on the highway around a corner, it's not safe. please recommend to ford to address this problem before someone is injured. *jb

While driving vehicle stalled. dealer replaced fuel tank. gtb *nlm....*ak

Fuel pump on my ford focus went out twice, once at 38000 miles, then at 91000 miles. car died intermittently on freeways, climbing hills, and would shake at acceleration. very frightening.*jb

Fuel pump failed in my 2000 ford focus. the pump went out as i was coming to a stop causing the car to stall and the power steering to go off. i was unable to steer, and was fortunate that there was a red light so i could restart the vehicle. this was the fourth time that happened. *nlm

Car will stall when attempting moderate speed right turn. highway entrance if gas tank is less than half full.*jb

Car stalled ford focus and fuel pump replaced. six months later smelled leaking fuel and pump again was replaced. this an extreme safety hazard that needs to be addressed ,it hasn't been taken care of. we were informed we weren't part of the extended coverage program(03n01) as our vin. number wasn't included. even though our car was manufactured in the wayne ass. plant and is a 2000 focus and has had it fuel pump repaired twice already. who's side are you on?our safety should be your first concern. do we have to wait till there is a serious injury. *ak

My complaint deals with the 2000 ford focus . i purchased this vehicle in june of 2001 with 100 miles on the odometer. since then i have had to bring my car back for a few recals. one of the recals was the rear suspension where my car lost control and i veered off the road....luckily noone was hurt. the reason why i am writing this complaint is because i understand that there is a investigation on the focus for various problems. i wanted to add to the investigation by saying that i just spent 340 bucks on my ignition switch because it wouldn't turn which i understand is a common problem and i also had problems with my car stalling in the middle of the thruway. i almost crashed into an eighteen wheeler! i have had the fuel pump replaced and my car still idols very rough and occasionaly stalls out when i am stopped. ford should be embarrased by this and should take all focus's off the road! i read that there were hundreds of ford focus' with the exact same problem but no recal was issued

My 2000 ford focus has recently begun stalling unexpectedly, especially i've noticed this when making a turn, and when my gas tank is between 1/2 and a 1/4 tank of gas. i believe this is a safety issue, as it stalls unexpectedly. i've read some forum with other focus owners who are having the same issues, related to the fuel pump. this happens fairly frequently if i let my gas tank get between 1/2 and 1/4 tank. *ak

We purchased this 2000 ford focus on 11/13/00. we began having problems with the manual transmission for the first time in january 2001 and took it to the dealership on 1/25/01 for diagnosis and repair. the vehicle has been in for repairs 4 additional times for manual transmission problems on 8/01/01, 1/11/02,7/09/02, and 2/13/03. the problems have been difficulty shifting into 1st and 2nd gear, grinding when shifting into 3rd gear. one of the times it was taken in we had completely lost the ability to shift into 2nd or 4th gear. each time they have fixed the problem only to have more problems occur. the vehicle was taken to the dealership on 1/30/03 for road noise and wobbling in the wheel. the tire almost fell off on the way to the dealership. at that time we were advised that there was a recall on the wheel bearings. we had never received notification of this and in fact the service manager said that he was unaware of the recall until he looked up our vehicle in the computer. they subsequently performed the following repairs: found related damage because of recall as follows, left drum, spindle and bearings refaced right drum r & r right spindle. rear shoes replaced parts for related damage. this is the information stated on the invoice. at this time the check engine light had also been on so we asked them to also find out what that problem was. they found gross leak found at evap manifold line. replaced line. this vehicle has also been to the dealership for several recalls including the replacement of a battery cable on 1/30/03 and another unspecified recall on 10/02/01. this vehicle has been in the shop 6 times for a total of 67 days in the 27 months that we have owned it. it now has 35,800 miles and the warranty is about to expire. we have made several calls to the dealership and to ford customer service. they have offered to extend the warranty on the drive train and charge us a $50 deductible each time that the vehicle requires service on this system.

Loss of power. occurs after the following combination of conditions: 1. fuel level below 1/4 tank 2. accelerating onto highway with circular approach (ramp) going clockwise. 3. vehicle speed on circular ramp above 30 mph. vehicle loses power upon entering highway. pressing accelerator pedal gives erratic results. vehicle will reset and operate properly when pulled off on shoulder and vehicle is turned off and then on again.

Severe hesitation problems on several occations as i was accelerating. took it to the dealer three times. they were unable to correct the problem, because they were not able to reproduce the same problem. january 2003 the car would not start. i had it towed to the dealership. i had to replace the fuel pump $440. mileage on the vehicle was 48,000. i was having the hestiation difficulties during the warrenty period.

I'm losing power while driving, worse while making turns. it occasionally stalls out, mostly while making hard right turns. i talked with someone in the service dept. of a ford dealership and she says it's the fuel pump which will cost $480. she also stated that there have been a lot of problems with them. i have found that many focus owners are having the same problem and ford is aware of it, but still they have made no recalls. *jb

My 2000 ford focus engine sometimes stalls or hesitates during acceleration when my fuel tank is about one-quarter full. it behaves like it's out of gas, but i know it's not. it has happened more than 20 times since i purchased the vehicle new. to the point where i never allow my tank to get near the 1/4 full mark. *la

Loss of power, stalling when fuel tank is less than one quarter full. according to ford service employee this results from problems with either fuel pump or fuel filter(due to build up of sludge and/or debris in fuel tank. *jb

On winding turns and hills car would act as if it was out of gas, especially if tank fell below half. car stall on one occassions but on others i took foot off gas and managed to recover power. the dealer replaced the fuel filter and pump (with the explanation that it was failing under heavy load). while the problem has not repeated itself, the car feels more sluggish than it used to. i also try to keep the tank above half full, as several sites have recommended.

Vehicle stalled for 3-5 seconds in a right hand curve. no check engine lights or other indicators. called dealership and they have not heard of any other complaints and want to charge me to check the computer in the car. car has also stalled and died when approaching stop lights but restarted first try. brakes also make a loud high pitch squeal at all times. i am contacting ford for assistance. we will see how far i get. ts

Car has had the brakes serviced a total of five times and the car is stalling during acceleration. this car has been in shops for several recalls as well as twice for ignition lock failure. one of our children was trapped in rear seat by defective seat belt & had to be cut out with a knife. car stalls after it warms up. dealer says it's fuel pump but if that were so, wouldn't it stall waarm or cold. i spoke to an employee at another dealer who said ford was finding problems with sensor connected with cooling system. who do i believe? they want to charge us $700 to replace fuel pump that probably works fine.

My 2000 ford focus has had problems starting 2 months after i purchased it. it's been in 6 times for excessive brake noise and or squealing. the door hinges were squeeking and had to be replaced due to misalignment..it took 5 times to determine this. weather strip molding has been replaced due to falling apart around the headlights. the cd player/stereo was replaced with a new factory model when cd player would not work properly. the "new" model was replaced yet again due to coding seen and no numbers in the window digital area. the fuel pump was replaced after stalling more than 50 miles from home...still does not run up to performance. fuel area reworked again. would not start due to battery cable. ford needs to discontinue this model until they can fix the problems it has with it. they also need to get all focus models off the road, they are safety hazzards.

Fuel pump

The vehicle began stalling at every stop light or intersection when braking. the owner managed to turn around and drive back to her house. the vehicle has been towed to the nearest dealership for diagnosis. please describe details. ts

My wife who is 7 months pregnant who also had my 5 year old son with her, was proceeding on the i-210 when our 2000 ford focus suddenly stalled going approximately 55 mph, there were many cars behind her and keeping her wits about her pulled the car into the emergency lane, narrowly missing being rear ended. after several attempts, the car re-started and she was able to get to a phone and call me for assitance. once i got the car moving, i was noticing a stalling as well.

Fuel system: vehicle was filled with fuel at a gas station. driver went to leave, car did not start. attendant informed driver that fuel was leaking from vehicle. almost a full tank of fuel dumped onto pavement. fire department showed up and towed vehicle away. apparent problem: fuel hose linkage had come loose and had fallen off from inside the body of the vehicle. other: throttle cable breakage in heavy trafic at high rate of speed. driver meanwhile merging with traffic. breakage resulting in quick deceleration. serious accident narrowly avoided. car was unfortunately out of warranty period, but ford paid for the repair. towing charge was not reimbursed.

Air has not worked properly from purchasing the car new. i purchased the car in wa state and have moved to ohio. i am now told that even though the problems started prior to the warranty expiring, since i bought the car from another dealer, i will have to pay for any future prolems myself. fuel, ford know this is a problem, and refuses to tell me if the new fuel pump i had them put in is an old pump or a new one without the problems. other, exhaust leak, i was told i had an exhaust leak, but the engine still sounds very knocky. i am 4th generation ford, my sister was also and now buys anything but ford, this will also be my last ford, but any cash back would be great after buying the most expensive piece of junk i have ever had.

Engine starts to stalls when comming to a stop. they claim it needs a new cylinder head.

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

I have had numerous problems with my 2000 focus. ford has not been willing to fix any problem due to the fact that i'm out of my warranty. my power steering switch has went out 2 times and when i take it back now there telling me it wasn't the switch, its the pump. since that's out of warranty they can't refund my money or anything. ford has a recall on left wheel bearings, but i had to pay for mine to be done, because the recall was in 2001 and my bearings did not go bad until 2002. there is too many things wrong with the ford focus. i have never seen a car in which i had to fix every 5 months. the current issue is that the car is stalling. in idle it will get a point where it will cut off. when shifting to different gears, it hesitates. the car is shaking like it will eventually cut off. it has cut off 3 times and the emission/engine light came on. dt

No summary. dt

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

Fuel pump in 2000 ford focus zx3 is not working properly. it is causing the car to stall on sharp right hand corners. it stumbles going up and down hills unless the fuel tank is over half full.*ak

The vehicle stalled while driving and would not restart. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who noticed black build up in the tank. *mr *nlm

On september 3, 2002, as consumer was leaving work, he smelled gasoline and the car hesitated when he accelerated. consumer pulled into a gas station to get gas since the gas gauge reading was between 3/8 and 1/4 full. consumer looked under the car and saw some gas leaking from the car. consumer thought maybe the gas and the smell was the result of some sort of pressure buildup causing an overflow.) however, after having the car filled up, he then started the car and went to pull away. consumer couldnot even pull away from the pump, when he stepped on the gas pedal, gasoline would pour out under the car from the gas tank. consumer had the car towed to pacifico marple ford (broomall, pa). they determined that the leak probably was due to the tube assembly becoming disconnected from the fuel pump. (that diagnonsis was later confirmed.) a new tube assembly was installed and the car seems to be running just fine, consumer is seeking reimbursement.*jb

1. july 26,2000 was the first incident when the fuel gauge light came on and even though the tank was full, the gauge registered empty. dealer replaced sender and pump assembly. 2. oct.11,2000 fuel gauge light came on, and the gauge registered the tank as empty even though it was full. dealer replaced the sender and pump assembly. 3. feb. 6, 2002, engine check light came on, returned to the dealer who replaced fuel filler cap. 4. aug. 19, 2002, service engine light came on, returned to dealer who replaced the gasket-fuel tank sender.*ak

While driving and no warning fuel tank cracked, causing fluid to leak onto exhaust pipe. dealer notified. *ak

After negotiating a cloveleaf onramp, the engine runs out of fuel and stalls. this happens all the time and is dangerous as we have many 18-wheelers in our area barreling down on your vehicle as it loses power.*ak

When i get close to 1/4 of a tank of gasoline, my car begins to die or sputter. it has died several times and wont restart. the other day i was coming off an exit ramp from the highway and it died coming around the sharp turn. i was almost hit by several cars while trying to get the car started long enough to move it off the ramp. after about 20 or so times of turning the ignition and gunning the pedal, i got it moved into a safe area off the highway. it took about 45 minutes and a lot of conk outs to get it moved. i was stranded and very angry. i was even more angry when i got home and did a little research to find that this same complaint has been made to ford/nhtsa and never reported to the public. i have had 6 recalls this year on this [xxx] car and i am very concerned for my safety now. i got the car because of its great ratings for safety- now i am afraid everytime i put my son in the car of it blowing up on me. i want to get rid of it but i cant because i owe more on the loan then i can get for trade in (my guess is the value of the car has totally fallen because of all these recalls). i am so angry with ford and i am afraid for my safety while driving this car. please do something about this! thank you. oh and the gas gauge never reads correctly. i have to count my miles to make sure i am okay on gas between fill ups. the gauge will just drop to below e and the light comes on for no reason. then after a bit of driving it will go back to normal. very odd.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

This fuel pump had previously been replaced on 10/18/2001 and 21127 miles due to component failure. the present failure (apparetnly the pump broke at the connection point for the filter/line) resulting in a large quantity of fuel being pumped out onto a sheet metal shield in close proximity to the exhaust system as well as onto the pavement around the vehicle. everything was present needed for a tragedy; fuel and ignition. the car was parked adjacent to a restaurant and several other vehicles and presented, in my estimation, a serious safety risk. the dealer took a cavalier attitude to the failure and merely attempted to get ford to pay for the repairs. i believe the gas tank, pump and filter should be scrutinized on this model of car. if a replacement pump failed on my car, it certainly could fail on others.*ak

Fuel pump failure. with less than 3/8 tank of gas car will not start if parked on a grade. also car hesitated at full throttle on the highway, but was ok at partial throttle, but speed could not be maintained. dealer diagnosed both problems as fuel pump failure. dealer volunteered that they have a lot of problems with the focus fuel pump. other complaints also mention slag or contamination from the fuel tank, which could contribute to the pump failure.*jb

Car has stalled multiple times at speed took it to the local ford dealership and they couldn't find any problems. last time it stalled my husband replaced the fuel filter and fixed the problem for 2 days and it acts like it is going to happen again.*ak

While driving at 75 mph on i5 with a full tank, gas pipe line underneath of vehicle broke and i was spilling gas on all vehicles behind me. another motorist signaled to me and i pulled over to find that gas tank was almost empty. temperature on that day was 115f. i was not aware of the problem. i was not able to smell the gasoline. i am a smoker but was not smoking at the time and was about to light a cigarette with my flame lighter. the patrol officer made me open the trunk and the smell took us aback. he instructed me to turn off flashing lights and roll down windows which i couldn't do as i did not want to turn on the motor again. car was towed to athens auto repair in redding. the gas pump had been replaced recently because the needle to register if pump was full or empty had already failed at 70.000 miles. i drive 1,000 miles a week since i work every day in oroville (200 miles round trip).*ak

While driving vehicle stalls out without warning due to a bad fuel pump. contacted dealer.*ak

My car started by losing power and the the engine would race up in any gear. the lights on the dash would dim along with the radio and the headlights. then on oct 31 2002, the gages went crazy. i parked the car and called ford and asked if they would run a test to see what was wrong. they said i would have to pay for the test and i told them i could not afford it. since then i only drive the car to the store about 5 miles from my house and back. now the engine is stalling again in any gear. the engine light is on. i again asked the dealership and ford if they could run the test to see what is wrong with car again they refused. i just now wrote a e-mail to ford. i just want my car that only has about 49000 miles to run. ford is offering a longer warranty on the newer focus why not offer it to us that owner the piece of junk older focus.

Vehicle stalls at any speed, consumer replaced fuel pump. *ak consumer stated stalling occured 4 to 5 times withn a 3 week period.*jb

Pe 02-040/engine stalling: vehicle stalls while driving, vehicle taken to dealer, and they replaced a fuel injector, but problem reoccurred. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Vehicle would not start. vehicle towed to dealer, and they informed consumer that fuel pump inside the fuel tank needed to be replaced. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Fuel pump is not functioning properly. while driving vehicle will stall. very unsafe while travelling on roads because vehicle loses some control.*ak ford refuses to assist with the cost or warn other drivers of this very unsafe condition. this fuel pump is problematic. *jg

No summary listed fo for above vehicle. *ak

When the gas tank is under 1/4 full, the car stalls consistently in hard right turns e.g. jughandles and entrance ramps. this is extremely dangerous, since these turns are often onto high speed highways and interstates. reported this problem to the dealer, who now wants to force me to buy a new fuel pump on recommendation from ford. i have informed the dealer of the ntsa investigation into clogged fuel lines being the real problem. please make this a recall asap to save me $400!