Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph with the cruise control activated, a growling noise was heard coming from the rear end of the vehicle. the contact continued to drive and then began to hear a clunking sound as the vehicle began to shake. the contact was able to stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and noticed smoke coming from the rear driver's side brake drum. a few moments later, the drum caught on fire due to the grease igniting. the contact used water and was able to extinguish the flames. the vehicle was then towed to contact's home. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

On an irregular basis, the car does not return to idle when braking. most of the time this occurs when exiting from a highway but lately has been occurring on side streets. abnormally hard brake pressure is required to stop the vehicle and once i had to shift to neutral and back to drive to return to slow idle. dealer claimed to be unable to find or repair this problem. *tr

2000 ford focus se, purchased new 04/2001 --- 06/02 - car died on fathers day, replaced battery with one from auto zone; ?/03 - at service call for recall of harness wiring, complained about led lights flickering, no problem found; 10/05 - car died, towed to ford, battery replaced; 12/06 - service at ford, complained about led lights flickering again, no remedy; 06/07 - car died, towed to chrysler dealer (my employer), could not locate prob, charged battery, 06/07 car died, replaced battery; 06/07 car died, towed to chrysler - replaced alternator; 09/08, ignition locked/replaced; 02/09 car died, towed to ford, replaced battery; 06/09, electrical system warning light illuminates at 35-40 mph. positive battery cable insulation melted. service at dodge (employer) - reroute positive cable directly to bolt on connector to battery, problem continues - carried to ford, they advise alternator is bad and must be replaced. ---- 9 years, 5 batteries, 3 alternators, problem not corrected. dealer continues to treat the symptoms, not cure the disease. something is causing this to happen continuously. numerous focus owners at least through 2003 experience same issues. service advisor admitted to me that they ...

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic for an alignment. at that time, the contact was informed that the two front coil springs failed and needed to be replaced. the mechanic replaced the two front springs, the two rear wheel cylinders, and a brake line. the contact learned of nhtsa campaign id number 01i017000 (wheels:lugs/nuts and bolts), but it did not apply to her vin. she called the dealer and was informed that the recall had expired. the current and failure mileages were 136,000. updated 06/16/08 *bf

I was driving ny car about 25-30 mph when i heard a noise. low and behold my right wheel was wobbling back and forth. then it stopped for a moment so i decided to take car to shop. on my way to the shop my barring went completely out. my abs light came on the everything locked up,got to shop right rear wheel was smoking bad. shop told me everything burned up coast me 1,200.00 to get back on road. just one of the many things fixed. *tr

On 10/23/07 i inserted key into ignition of my ford focus and immediatley the lights and gauges went haywire-vehicle failed to start. to make a long story short ,after unpluging the battery cables and going back to the stranded car the next evening, it started . 2 days later my wipers came on by themselves and would not stop until i turned the car off and restarted. on 10/31/07 while driving my daughter home, the vehicle began accelerating and deccelertaing uncontrollably. i pulled of the highway and when i opened the drivers door, the seatbelt light began blinking and making a loud ticking noise. this had happened the night prior, but i thought maybe the button was depressed. my dome lights make a screeching noise and blink on and off. this is a serious problem that needs to be looked into. whenever something like this happens i am driving home late at night and of course the dealer is not open to help me . my car is almost paid off and i will not invest more than what it is worth, which is only about $2,500.too bad i have paid about $18,000 for it. i would also like ...

I was driving my ford focus & the front coil spring broke while i was driving the front end of the car collapsed on the front tire. i was driving 65 miles and hour seconds before i fortunately slowed down to a stop...noticed a noise like a flat tire, something did not feel right just before it collapsed on the road, i again thank god, i decided to turn around to go back home & immediately upon that turn around the car collapsed. these recalls safety campaigns are risking my life, but terrifies me for my newly driving son behind the wheel. as if that is not bad enough, i now have to file this complaint also. electrical system ignition---unable to remove key....car was unable to be towed car locked up..steering everything. cost of repair was quoted from $382.00 from ford service dealer...meanwhile the huge inconvenience car parking fees..for being in a public parking lot.

I was going about 15 mph when i hit a small pot hole in the road. soon after i began to hear a clicking noise when i would take turns. after bringing the car to a mechanic i was told that both front coil springs had shattered. after having these fixed as they were under extended warranty by the manufacturer i am told that coincidently i have new front suspension and abs issues which though most likely were caused by the coil string malfunction will not be covered as subsequent damage and i am on my own. had the damage to the coil spring not occurred there would have been no issues with the abs or front suspension. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65 mph the brakes locked up without warrant. the brake pedal was not depressed; smoke erupted from the passenger side rear wheel. the vehicle was pulled off the road without incident. upon inspection the rim was black and there were metal pieces on the inner side of the wheel. the vehicle was driven very slowly 25 miles to an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic was unable to remove the wheel hub due to the damage caused by the brakes locking up.

For almost one month, loud humming in front right and both rear wheels and loud rear squeaking on braking revealed, after 4/20/06 inspection, failed wheel bearings in our ford focus se 2000 in right front and both rear wheels. both rear cylinders were leaking fluid and right brake drum was failing. many of the ford focus vins issued during 2000-2001 manufacturing years had wheel-bearing failure issues and consequent recalls. we were informed by "maria" at ford motor company, today that our vin was not one that had a wheel bearing issue. how, then, could three of our four sets of wheel bearings fail? ultimately, failed wheel bearings can lead to wheel failure and detachment leading to injury or death. why isn't the nhtsa addressing this serious issue with ford, as the manufacturer appears to be sidestepping its ethical and legal responsibility in this matter. we spent over $1,000 on this repair. nine months ago, our front coil springs failed, which could also have led to a fatality. ford assisted us then, but is doing nothing to help us now. please note that because on ongoing teamsters strike, most ford dealer shops were unavailable to service customer service or ...

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph, there was a loud popping noise and loss of brake power. the contact down shifted the transmission to stop the vehicle, and noticed brake fluid leaking from the rear driver side wheel. the vehicle was driven to an independent repair shop, where it was determined the rear brake shoe broke and severed the brake line. the rear wheel bearings, brake lines, shoes, and cylinders were replaced. the rear brake drums were resurfaced. the manufacturer was alerted.

Dt: the contact stated while waiting at a stop light the vehicle in front of put on the brakes, this in turn caused the contact's vehicle to rear end the other vehicle. the seat belt did not restrain the contact. she hit her chest on the steering wheel. the vehicle was driven to the dealership to have this problem checked. no repairs were made.*ak updated 1/25/2006 - the dealer determined that the passenger side seat belt was also faulty. *nm

Brakes will not work when car first driven in morning. have to stand on the brakes to avoid hitting someone. ford will not fix this. this car is extremely dangerous along with the water leak, bad ignition key tumbler and poor gas mileage. it has been rotten from the get go. needs to be recalled! *nm

My car was kept up to date on maintenance and recalls. approximately 2 days before my accident, my husband experienced a slight delay in brake response on one occasion while driving. he checked all fluids and looked for leaks. everything seemed good. no indicator lights or warning lights indicated a problem. on the day of my accident, i drove to work and most of the way home. i was less than a mile from my destination when i applied my brakes to make a 90 degree turn. this is the first and only time that i had knowledge of a total loss of brakes, with no indicator or warning lights being activated to alert me of a brake problem. as a result, i crashed into a utility pole, injuring myself and my passenger. my 2000 ford focus se is totaled. *jb

Within two weeks of purchasing the 2000 ford focus the air bag sensor broke, the brakes began to squeal and less than a month later the ignition locked. the car cannot be started or moved due to the locked ignition. nothing was done about the brakes. the airbag light was replaced at a cost to me of $280.27. the ignition has not been repaired or addressed by the dealer. *nm