Problems with 2000 Ford Focus ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

After researching different complaint sites on the internet i realized i wasn't the only one with this problem. i have a 2000 ford focus se. my car often shutters when i approach a stop. i took it to my dealer and they told me that it is a serious engine problem, that there is a small whole in my cylinder gasket, and the whole cylinder needs to be replaced. they quoted me $1,700 plus tax for this work. *la

While driving at an undetermined speed vehicle stalled, causing consumer to drift off the road. mechanic informed consumer that the engine failed.*ak

While driving emission warning light illuminated in the instrument panel. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Vehicle engine on a 2000 ford focus zx3 w/ 2.0l dohc zetec engine routinely stalls when going around corners. the failure has occurred numerous times when attempting to travel on highway on/off ramps. the vehicle has stalled twice in the middle of the curve which caused a temporary lost of control on the vehicle. after a few seconds, the engine will resume normal operation and continue. in both circumstances, i was attempting to get on the highway and accelerate out of a turn. the engine was checked out and is in normal operating order. *jb

Recall 03 v 482 000 concerning stalling. vehicle stalled and hesitated while in motion. vehicle was repaired for this recall by the dealer, and problem recurred. *ak

When the heat is on (mainly) i get a burning smell inside my car and looks like smoke is inside also. was charged for the engine diagnostic at one place who said it might be under warranty, so i took it to the dealership and was charged $120 for them to say my emissions can or something was clogged. still wasnt the problem and no one can figure out where the burning is coming from.*ak

Dt: the contact stated the ignition switch failed three times within a year and a half. the first time, she went to start the car, the ignition would not turn over. the car was towed and repaired. the second failure was approximately one year later and the same thing happened. the car was towed and repaired for the second time. the third failure happened this week, went to start the car and it would not start again. it is being repaired now. the dealership stated it could possibly be the starter along with the ignition switch. *ak in dec 2001 the consumer was involved in an accident due to a problem with the tires and the rear axle. the transmission cooler lines were replaced. the brake lights and heater did not work. the egr tube was replaced. the wiper arm was broken. the engine light stayed on all time. the driver side mirror had to be replaced. updated 01/11/06. *jb

Nhtsa recal 03v482000 concerning intermittent stalling. after recall repairs vehicle stalled without warning. dealer determined that vehicle needed a new engine. *ak

While driving vehicle stalled. *ak

Engine stalls at different speeds. taken to dealer twice, last time new updated fuel pump put in as per recall. still stalls even after that.*ak

Took my 2000 ford focus to dealer for 30,000 mile service, and to have them fix whatever was causing the engine light to blink and the car to idle roughly, and to fix the problem with the car engine turning off while driving. the service was done and the fuel filter "recall" would fix the engine problem. was told the computer did not register an error code and that the rough idleengine light problem was likely fixed as a result of the fuel filter replacement. the next morning, the engine light came on and stayed on and the car was still idling rough. drove straight to the dealer and was told that my car had excessive carbon in the cylinder head and that the cylinder head might need to be replaced. they would try to clean the carbon, which they did and billed me $205. don't understand why such a problem wasn't noticed the day before when i spent over $500. the problem is that this car has less than 30,000 miles on it and it makes no sense that not only do i possibly face having an expensive cylinder head repair, but i have already replaced the front pads and rotors (at 25,000 miles) and have had numerous recalls. i have consistently followed the scheduled maintenance plan and am concerned that not only is this car defective, but that it is unsafe. what are my options and what can be done to ensure focus owners that the car is safe? is there some way to make this car reliable? it has some really great features (like the interior roominess), but it is proving to be a major disappointment.*ak

Ford as a tsb on a problem that i am having with my tsb. i just found out that on my focus the valves are sticking in the guides on the cylinder head and it needs to be replaced. ford has admitted to me and the car dealership where i purchased the car that this is a default on their part but they refuse to be of any assistance to me. there is much more to this story and i am desparately seeking assistance from someone to guide me as to what to do next. when i spoke to the customer service department at ford they told me there was nothing they could do and eventually hung up on me.*ak

The "malfunction indicator lights" failed to work after the oil cap was forgotten to be replaced. the car was driven (not knowing the oil cap was not secure) and no signs or warning signals (malfunction indicator lights) were displayed on the dashboard that would denote some type of caution/malfunction. the car had smoke billowing out from under the hood and the interior filled w/smoke. the car then began to buck and blue smoke was blowing out of the exhaust pipe after adding oil, and again, no malfunction signals were highlighted on the dashboard.*ak

(2000-ford focus zts - 29,536 miles) in addition to a prior incident when my car stalled on highway 635 when i was going approx. 60 mph in the center lane, it has stalled "twice" today within just 1 hour during my lunch break! in all incidents the car lost all power and the engine stopped without any prior warning whatsoever. in both occurences, i was driving at the posted speed limit and was neither accelerating nor decelerating when all of a sudden, the radio went out, warning lights came on and the engine died. i was stuck in the extreme left lane of 'us 75' and narrowly missed being hit by multiple vehicles. *ak

While driving 15 mph the vehicle stalled. the driver attempted to restart the vehicle when she noticed steam coming from under the hood. the driver lifted the hood and saw steam and smoke coming from the battery compartment. the vehicle caught on fire and was towed by the insurance company. *nm

When driving at an undetermined speed vehicle stalled. this caused the driver to drift to the side of the road. driver was able to restart the vehicle. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership, however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem.*ak

consumer received a recall notice for stalling. *ak

I received a notice of a recall on my 2000 ford focus concerning the defective fuel pump design. the notice recommended waiting until the new design was available in january 2004 before taking the vehicle to the dealer.the vehicle was not showing any symptoms at this point but did so shortly afterward.shortly before getting a schedule to take it in,the check engine light came on and stayed on. the dealer replaced the recall fuel pump system but found the engine light was on because of a sticking exhaust valve on one side of the engine which would have to be replaced at a cost of $1900.this was in addition to a $100 diagnostic fee.the condition was described as not likely to cause stalling or furthur damage if the vehicle was driven. i took the car to the dealer where the car was purchased. prior to arriving at the 2nd dealer's shop the check engine light was no longer on.the diagnosis was similar and the cost was put at $2100 plus an $85 diagnostic fee.after requesting an explanation of why this damage would occur on a car with just 28k miles and only after the fuel pump symptoms started,the repair cost was reduced to $600. because the car was purchased a little over 3 years ago the 36,000 miles engine warranty did not apply.the car was running fine and appeared to have no problems until the fuel pump malfunctioned as ford expected. i am certain this caused the engine damage. i will also file a complaint with ford .

While driving 20-25 mph consumer heard a loud noise coming from the engine. vehicle was taken to the dealer, and mechanic determined it was an engine problem. but, there was no recall. *ak

Nhtsa campaign 03v482000; ford issued a stalling recall. this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin although it was experiencing the same problem. brake lights do not operate well. the bulb and switch were changed, but still there was no change.*ak

Without any warning, the engine stalled while being driven 15 mph. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and the mechanic indicated the timing belt was broke. please provide further information. *jb

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

Around 6:00 a.m. on 01-14-04. while taking 9 yr. old daughter to school and myself to work, driving at aprox. 55 mph. my 2000 ford focus engine suddenly caught on fire.*ak

Recall #03v482000 regarding stalling. dealer charged consumer for a diagnostic of $60.00 concerning this recall.*ak

Problem started in mid-february 2003. when the fan speed level for the heat is turned to the 3rd position the fan noise drops down & then a very acrid burning odor is emitted. can not put the level higher than the 2nd level due to the burning (wire?) odor and concerned that a wire is burning. our mechanic told us that we needed a new heater switch which he proceeded to order but was told by a ford dealership that the item is backordered due to a high demand for this part. we still don't have the problem fixed yet & now am concerned about use of the air conditioner. i have spoken with a ford dealer who says there isn't a recall or tsb, i have called the nhtsa, & i've checked the alldata.com website with no luck. i suppose, given the problems we continue to have with the rear tires, this could be considered a minor problem, however i don't think so. my only other comment is that i definitely do not feel safe driving this vehicle at highway speed due to the vibration of the wheels & how wobbly they feel. we have to replace tires often because they cup. any information you can give me or any direction you can point be would be appreciated. thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

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

Engine stalling - the last two occurred while entering a freeway (from another freeway). i step on the gas pedal to accelerate and nothing happens - floor the gas pedal and still nothing. then the car dies. fortunately the first time there was no one behind me. the second time i immediately put on the flashers and the car behind me was miraculously able to swerve around me. this car is very unsafe.*ak

Timing belt broke due to defective belt tensioner bearing, causing engine to stop, vehicle had to be towed and timing belt and belt tensioner assembly were replaced. incident occurred at 39,324 miles. *jb

When coming to a stop vehicle stalled. this caused the steering wheel to lock up. consumer managed to pull over and regain control of the vehicle. dealerships mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

While driving 45 mph vehicle stalled. consumer managed to pull over. vehicle was hard to start. dealerships mechanic was notified, but was unable to resolve the problem.*ak

When applying gas vehicle begins to hesitate and engine starts to produce a loud noise. *ak

When his wife started the vehicle and put it into drive, it suddenly accelerated. consumer states that his wife was able to apply the breaks and the vehicle stopped, but it was scary. consumer also stated that the vehicle runs hot. he says that he has had the heads and thermostat replaced,. he has also had the radiator flushed, but the vehicle continues to run hot. he states the mechanic can not find out why, and the vehicle still has the problem. *ph

When driving car after so long the engine gets hot and speed reduces. when pushing on accelerator to try to pick up speed, it continues to lose more speed and starts jerking. after it continues to keep jerking and speed keeps going down engine shuts off, leaving me sit in the middle of town with two children under the age of two. when car stalls and you try to restart, it turns over but will not start. once it does start it shuts back down until it sits for a couple hours. had this problem for a long period of time. ford refuses to fix even when under warranty. it supposed to be such a reliable car but is very unsafe to drive when it acts up. could cause serious accident. i don't feel safe driving a car that i'm paying so much money for to keep breaking down. i find this to be a seriuos problem. i don't believe anyone that has children would want this happening to them and ford not doing anything about it, telling me there's nothing wrong with it .

My vehicle has a stalling problem. it gives no indication that this will occur. it can happen at high or low speed. i have contacted my local dealership and they do not have any indication of what may be causing the problem. what is strange to me is that if the engine sits then it will start up again with no problem. this first occured in april 2003 and now it occuring more often. all i want to know is what to fix or what can be done. i really love my car but getting stranded is no fun.

Hi, i own a 2000 ford focus and it has been nothing but trouble. i purchased the car brand new in 2000 and have had it in the shop so many times. i have had my rear passenger side window mechanism replaced by ford, then personally replaced the driver front window mechanism and the driver back mechanism due to cable breaks. i have had it in with the radio 3 times and it still does not work correctly. i have had to have the brakes replaced, the ignition block replaced, the struts and shocks. the trunk release has never worked. now it keeps breaking down on me if i drive for more than 1 hour non stop. this weekend i went to san antonio from corpus, it died on the highway 3 times going to sa and coming home 4 times & how safe is that! ford said they cannot do anything for me unless it is messing up when i bring it in while it is acting up, however it always happens when i am away from town. they told me that if they hook it up to the machine it will not tell them anything. also, on several occasions my accelerator has stuck and i cannot brake, i have to put the car in neutral and press on the brake hard while the rpm's are still revving and pull the emergency brake, the first time this happened i was pulling into a parking spot and went over the yellow divider. is there anything i can do? *la

Leaking water into passenger foot-compartment. isolated problem to plastic cover that sits beneath windshield, and is mostly accessible with hood open. the problem is that the plastic comes away from windshield due to some buckling in the plastic. fixed problem by applying pressure to plastic to bend it back to shape so it snagged-up closer to windshield. not seen problem since. mastic to adhere plastic to windshield might be an option to other people. the fuel gauge sometimes refuses to work. found this to be case when key is put into ignition and key-turned to start engine was done too quickly. if entering key into ignition and then turning key each click, giving each click a half-second, then gauge appears to be more reliable. when engine goes into slow-idling state, engine idles very erratically and is not smooth. sounds like only some of cylinders are firing. this has only started to occur today and since reading comments on this website, i'm concerned. have tried adding fuel-injector-cleaner to fuel tank, awaiting results of that. the trunk would not close. the problem here was fixed by removing the locking assembly from the trunk-lid and simply dowsing the mechanisms with wd40 and then bending some spring-loaded components.. there are 2 moving components in the lock. first is shape of a loop that you can easily move with finger/screwdriver. this component locks onto stub that you can see when opening trunk. the other component is hidden within casing and moves in front of other component to hold it in a locked position. problem was with this component. problem was component had "somehow" gotten bent and not free to leave casing and block other component. bending this to a position freeing it of casing fixed problem. engine lacked power when under load when accelerating, vehicle would shudder and decelerate instead of accelerate. problem resolved when ford dealer replaced spark-plugs plus leads and a full engine tune-up. $230 plus but fixed problem. *la

While driving at any speed vehicle began to hesitate then stall. *ak

My car stalled three times in a one hour period - twice accelerating out of a toll booth, once exiting and off the highway onto a sharp right hand curve. cars speeding out of the tollbooth came close to hitting me from behind. when my car stalled out during the right hand exit, the power steering went out, almost causing me to go straight into an embankment. *la

While driving 55 mph on the highway vehicle stalled without warning. driver was able to pull off the highway. then, vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis.*ak

On october 10th 2003 i was driving in the ford focus 2000 wagon from new york city to cleveland, oh, about 500 miles. it drove well for about 300 miles, but started to choke and sputter on hills, like it was about to stall. i was hoping i would make it to cleveland for repairs, but it stalled out on me going 65 miles an hour 60 miles outside of cleveland. i was able to restart, and limped into the nearest town and found a ford dealer in ashtabula oh. he said it was the fuel filter and repaired it. it drove fine for the rest of journey into cleveland. but i then headed to new york city a few days later, and again after 200 miles, it started sputtering on hills. then outside of binghamton, ny it stalled again. i again restarted, and terrified of a fatal accident, i called for road side assistance from verizon wireless. they got a tow truck to get me to a garage, but they were closed. the next morning, i waited for them to diagnose the problem and repair the car, but they were unable to replicate the stalling problem. i drove the rest of the way into new york city terrified, and almost stalled out at the foot fo the george washington bridge. it was after 5:00 pm so the dealership was closed that i bought the car from. so i am planning to have them look at it. but they said that unless they can see the problem, they can't fix it. i also called ford and they said they never heard of this problem. which i later found out is a major problem with this car, and there is an active investigation underway at nhtsa. i am hoping to get by under the lemon law in ny, but fear that the dealership will claim there are no problems with my car. thank you for listening to my complaint.

My ford focus engine cuts off with out any notice. i felt very unsafe in this car. the dealership cannot fix the problem. somebody has to do something about this car before people start getting killed for driving this car. the government should to step-in, because ford is not doing anything about this problem. i see a lot complaints about this car. in i'm sure there will be plenty more. *la

The car stalls in turns while downshifting; going up hills and at highway speeds. it begins hesitation while accelerating; and after several hesitations it will stall out much like it is running out of fuel. the problem began the first year i bought the vehicle and only when the car was running with under half a tank of fuel but now occurs even with a full tank. twice i have mentioned it to ford technicians, twice test results came back negative. the ford technicians have been unable to locate the problem and the car is no longer a reliable source of transportation. *la

Own a 2000 ford focus se wagon. car runs rough at low idle and is stalling out. we see this listed as a possible investigation under investigation number ea02-022. *la

Since october of 2003 my vehicle has been experiencing the following problems: engine hesitation, loss of power when i am stopped a traffic lights or stop signs it would just shut off and sometimes i get power surges and lastly, the engine will sound as if it wants to shut off and or is gasping for air. i have paid for several services, such as ignition switch and other column issues, because my key got stuck in the ignition one time as well. i have several other underlined issues with this problem, first ford has issued a recall for this apparent engine problem, however they have authorized the dealer only to make repairs if it not up to specfications(fuel pump). the dealers are telling me they will charge me for a diagnostic evaluation if the problem is not the fuel pump. i do not have the money to pay for a diagnostic for service evaulation for something on my vehicle that is "not" a problem.

While driving at any speed the engine stalled without warning. as a result the consumer had to pull over. the dealer inspected the vehicle several times but could not duplicate or correct the problem. *nlm *scc *jb

At 148 miles told ford there was a problem with trans, did not believe road tested fro 2 miles and had car for day and a half. said they designed trans to slip. i continued to drive it in that condition and repeatedly called customer service back and questioned dealers about slip and they said it was designed that way. to say the least trans replaced. trim and other items falling off car and frod would not replace. more brake jobs than you can shake a stick at. just got done putting 600.00 into it when engine threw rod and now has to be replaced for a cost of 3,700.00. ford made a bad car nd they know it , but will leave us focus owners out to hang.

Let's see, where shall i begin. within month or two of purchase of 2000 focus sedan it was back in the shop for the front a panel trim. it took 3 times to finally get that right. also less than 5 months after purchase, windshield had to be replaced due to a stress fracture (was a 1-1.5 hairline crack which appeared in windshield). the windshield has since been replaced again. while adjusting the rear-view mirror the windshield cracked around the base, apparently from slight pressure of mirror. and just recently, august 2003, i've noticed water drops flying up from above the dashboard. not sure if windshield is leaking around the bottom base or maybe a.c. haven't had it checked yet, but it will be in the shop this week for other problems i haven't mentioned yet. it was in shop in late 2001 or early 2002 for throttle problems. while the car was sitting still the engine would race between 2.5 and 3000 rpms. fortunately i never used the cruise control during that time. late 2002 the trunk lock mechanism apparently broke preventing the trunk from shutting properly. it wouldn't latch at all. i have yet to have the wiper motor cover recall fixed. and on different occasions the fuel gauge has read empty, no matter how much fuel you have in the tank. and just when you think nothing else can go wrong, it happens. me and my wife were shopping this morning on labor day saturday. we got in the car and i went to start it. my key somehow would not go into the ignition completely, no matter how hard i tried. we eventually call our triple aaa insurance and arrange for a locksmith to come and take a look. he looks at it a second and declares what we fear the worst. our focus is the 7th focus this month he has seen with the same problem. he said that the ignition would have to be replaced by ford. i believe that this should be a recall. i will never buy another ford.

Engine stalls then restarts. occurs under all driving conditions. occurs in warmer weather vs winter. dealers tend to indicate fuel pump over heating as problem. fuel pump is in gas tank cooled by 12+ gallons of fuel. the catalytic converter is right long side fuel tank. fuel tank has temp insulation on side that favors fuel tank. the mass of the fuel tank has to exceed operational temp spec of fuel pump to contribute to anomaly.

I purchased my 2000 ford focus se from merlin motors in saskatoon. production date - may 2/2000, stock no. pp24941, r.o. no. 155631. i believe this car was previously owned by someone in british columbia. here is a chronological breakdown of repairs. april 17/01 - took car in because driver mirror vibrated badly when driving - so badly that i could not look into it, it was shaking that much. also, the trunk would not open from the release inside the car. parts were ordered at this time. vehicle kilometers- 32854. june 19/01 - they checked for driver mirror vibrating when driving and replaced driver side exterior mirror. the also checked for trunk not opening from the release inside the car, they replaced the trunk stop and adjusted. vehicle kilometers- 35222 june 20/01 - they checked for power steering leak and replaced steering rack and set toe. vehicle kilometers- 37782?? (this is obviously an error - i know i did not drive 2, 560 km in one day!) i also did not complain about the power steering and don't recall why my car was in there at the time. sept 21/01 - they repaired rattle in right front going over bumps, tightened all assemble bolts in front end, removed right caliper and rotor, lubed all bushing, adjusted front splash shields, found tie rod bolt loose and tightened. they also fixed molding on window belt, which was loose and checked inside rear view mirror and found it flawed - part on order. vehicle kilometers- 43170. nov 3/01 - we were driving in saskatoon when engine started to boil. we knew this because of steam coming from the hood, all gauges in the car read normal! we took car to merlin - they could find nothing wrong with the car after their checks, and told us to bring it back if it happened again! work order for this date states: customer saw steam coming from under hood, antifreeze pooled on engine, gauge read normal, steam coming from overflow tank - fill with a/freeze, pressure test for leaks, no leaks found.

Engine idles at 3,000 - 4,000rpm's when clutch is pressed in. it does this at a stopping position and while driving. ford dealer spoke with ford engineers and were told that it is "a characteristc of the car and is normal!"