Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Front brakes began to squeel. upon inspection at brake shop it was found that although the front pads were in good shape, both front rotors were warped and needed replacement. vehicle was purchased from the ford dealer approximately 10,000 miles ago. the right rear brake drum also needed replacement because of excessive wear. the vehicle had been into ford for a recall on the rear bearings at 23,757 miles at which time the rear drums were removed but apparently the drums were not warped or the mechanic did not inspect prior to replacement. these problems are apparently common to the focus as documented at www.fordfocusbrakeproblems.com, which includes reports of total brake failure at very low mileage. nlm

This seems to be a very prevelant problem with this model car. no safety defect listed. *ak

Premature failure of front disk rotors. this appears to be a frequent and well documented problem with ford focus. ford customer service claims the failure of the rotors is "normal wear and tear" yet owners are reporting frequent failures. there is even an internet site devoted solely to this defect, which ford has not acknowledged.*ak

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

Consumer states the front rotors were replaced due to vibration. *jb *yh

Brakes have not been right since the first day of delivery. *ak

While driving the 2000 ford focus down a 35 mph road i proceeded to brake to a stop when front driver's side wheel assembly collapsed, causing car to skid out of control. it came to a stop after hitting a parked car.*ak

Vehicle has been given consumer trouble since purchasing it. 2nd day after purchase vehicle was in dealer's shop for 2 weeks. when putting on brakes vehicle shakes. also, driver cannot see to make turns because truck is very high.*ak while driving, the consumer and his daughter were hurt due to brakes and wipers failed in the rain. the rear window is very high and the driver was unable to see vehicles from behind. brakes failed more than three times, however the dealer refused to fix it after the first repair there were 2 injuries, consumer also states the airbags failed. *yh

Consumer states, the rotors and brakes pad worn excessively. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

Consumer noticed, when aplying the brake will squealing and moaning. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

Vehicle has been brought to ford dealer 4 times for brake problems. the fist one at 6,000 miles and about every 6,500 miles thereafter. i am so tired of having to have these fixed. *ak

At any speed there's a roaring noise coming from driver side. took vehicle to ford, and they stated that brakes needed to be cleaned. consumer feels it is the wheel bearing. please provide any further information.*ak

Brakes have squealed fron about 1500 miles. have had pads replaced, but squeals did not go away. front brakes grind, at shop now. in november 2001 had to have struts replaced while having recall work done. struts little over a year old. engine makes a chirping noise at about 1000-2500 rpm, but dealer unable to duplicate. also squeals or whines when making right turns. windshield cracked when a small stone hit it. will have insurance replace. overall, not happy with car. been in the shop three times in the last year!!

Brake pads and rotors have worn out prematurely. rotors had to be replace at 27000 miles.*ak

Brakes constanly sqeak. this is the second time consumer is having them repaired.*ak

While driving would step on brake pedal and brakes would malfunction at time of operation, had taken vehicle to dealer and they replaced rotors five times *ak the brakes squeak often, both the rotors and brake pads had to be replaced due to warping, the vehicle has 31,800 miles. *yd

Front disc brakes - excessive squeal upon braking...took car to dealer. determined front brake pads & rotors needed replacement. only 16000 miles on car! also, rear drum brakes make squealing noise as well. dealer replaced them and turned drums. still squeals. also, emergency brake lever has excessive travel and poor brake holding capacity. took back to dearler twice, still poor emergency brake function. power steering assist suddenly failed when started car cold. steering was difficult and slow until car warmed up. happened for several day until took to dearler. said p.s. pump was bad and replaced it.*ak

Brakes wae making a grinding noise. took to dealer, and had rotors repaired, but problem still exists. *ak

2000 ford focus only with 23500 miles, mainly highway. brakes started making grinding noise, shop replaced front brakes, pads and rotors. car still making grinding noise. one week after replacing front brakes, shop replace rear drum brakes. brakes are still making grinding noise. have had brakes inspected and reinspected but mechanics states no problems with brakes. general comments from mechanics are that the ford focus brakes are bad, weak and will require replacing more than the average automobiles in the market. *ak

Consumer experiencing many problems with ignition, key will not turn when inserted in ignition switch. dealer replaced ignition. *tt

Many safety recalls for this car. no safety defect stated. *ak

While driving would step on brakes pedal and brakes will make a loud noise. had taken vehicle to dealer for repairs. please provide more information.*ak

Consumer stated the gas gauge failed, the brakes were squeaking, the mirror was torn off by repeated car washes, gas leaked on the both driver and passenger side carpet, and the truck latch was broke, also the fues burst on locks. *yh

While applying the brake pedal consumer heard a loud squeaking noise, and the vehicle failed to stop completely. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that brake rotors and pads needed to be replaced, and replaced them three times. however, the problem recurred. *ak

Premature wear of front brake pads and rotors. inside of brake rotors have worn. however, pads on the outside have not. please provide additional information.*ak

In jan 2002 ford wanted to buy car back but said the car is 2 years old so it was only worth half of its value due to the car would have to go to an auction car was in shop 77 days then released and 4 days later parts went up again and car lost steering and brakes and had accident this is a serious matter and someone is going to be killed by this problem ford knows about this problem but seems they dont care. *ak

Brakes failed. proceeded to stop sign, pressed the brake to stop, grinding and clanking noises heard, car would not slow down and car went completely through stop sign. had to use emergency brake to stop the car. car is at dealership and requires both brake pad and rotor replacement. brakes have squeaked since i took the car off the lot brand new. *ak

As a final gesture of goodwill, our local dealership's customer service representative offered us a 24 hour period to consider a $2,000 trade-in credit toward the purchase of a new ford vehicle at 0% financing. this would have more than doubled my daughter's monthly car and insurance payments. because her job was not yet a permanent position, she was not in a position to take a $4,000 loss and double her monthly payments. once that offer had expired we were met with stony indifference by our local dealership's customer service representative. after several conversations with him we came away convinced that ford customer service policies are intentionally designed with several goals in mind: 1) to offer one's local dealership as the only path of recourse other than a nation-wide 1 (800) customer service line; 2) to staunchly refuse to provide the names and mailing addresses of ford customer service representatives at the local level and/or regional level; and 3) to discourage mailings to the national customer service representative (michael jordan) or ceo (william clay ford) with comments such as "don't waste your time, they don't even open their mail." the end result is that the car owner feels totally powerless once the goodwill of their dealership's in-house customer service representative has run out. when combined with holding open a 24-hour trade-in offer toward a more expensive ford vehicle, the end result was a psychologically oppressive hard-sell tactic.no safety defect listed. *ak

Front brake rotors and pads had to be replaced twice within 26,000 miles of wear. problem would causes vehicle to vibrate severely when applying brakes. dealer notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Brake pads will stick to the rotors when consumer is trying to accelerate, making it harder to accelerate when at a complete stop. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

Rotors are prematurely wearing and have been replaced three times. when brakes are applied at any speed a loud noise occurs, cause unknown. dealer has been contacted. please give any further details.*ak

I have had the front and back brakes in the shop for 4 or more times combined. have had bearings replaced also 2x's. *ak

Only left front brake pad worn out. right side still has approximately 30% pad left. had to replace rotor and pads. dealer stating not a problem, called ford consumer relations, referred me back to dealer. want to have documented if brakes fail and accident occurs.*ak

Brake calipers on all focus cars are defective which causes premature wear of front disk pads and rotors calipers are sticking.*ak

My brakes has consistantly had a loud grinding noise. after several complaints to the dealerships and customer service reps, i was told this is normal. the problem now is that 22,000 miles and 1 year later, i need new brakes. also, the car was recalled for wheel bolts and nuts. i have seen many complaints about the exact problem. there is no way to tell if you have a problem with the brakes because of the loud noise. my belief is that the car is defective or poorly designed.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle just last month the cable and motor in the rear passenger side door window burned up and now will cost over $600. to fix i can not get the front rack & pinion fixed because it will cost $1800.00. the transmission is going out now it slips out of gear sometimes not at all. i just got the brakes repaired for the third time in may and they are again squeaking. i have all of my receipts for work done to this car. i am now having to put power steering fluid in once or twice a week. the automatic locks on the doors lock and unlock all the time, and the electric instruments turn off by themselves. (radio) the driving lights go out at times and will not come back on. please help me, i am a single mother and have complained to courtesy ford they want to charge me diagnostic $90.00 for each item i am complaining about and then the amount it will take to fix all of the things wrong. this vehicle i just recently found out has had six different owners before me and one was rental car company. i do not know who the rest of them were. courtesy ford had said there was only one owner. they will not listen to me and now the focus' have a front suspension recall that may have been the problem the whole time with the brakes and the tire replacements and the power steering problems.!!! please help me. dt

I sent this letter to ford in may of 2000 i purchased a ford focus, thinking it would be a safe, low maintenance car, considering it had been in europe since 1997. i would think this would be plenty of time to work out any bugs you may have. or, should i call them recalls. i think a car that has 16 recalls, most of them which i would consider safety issues, should be recalled entirely. i have had other issues with this car as well. my key would not turn, seat belts locking for no reason, door handles not opening the door (this is all happening again). and one that has not been addressed, brakes. i am now on my third set of front rotors since i have purchased the car. the same thing has happened every time. the driver side rotor and pad will wear completely down yet the passenger side will be just fine. i have talked to other focus owners and the same thing is happening. i still have my last set of rotors just to prove it. i got smart this time and bought replacements that were not made by you. stop tech cross drilled rotors and ebc greenstuff kevlar pads. i also replaced the driver side caliper with a non-ford replacement. i want out of this car because i feel it is unsafe. i also would like to warn other focus owners that this car is unsafe. you also had better not send me to the dealership again. what does the dealership have to do with the production of an unsafe car? nothing, except that they sell it. i am not putting up with ford pushing me around or giving me the run around either. this car is extremely unsafe and should not be on the road. i did not do this before but this time you leave me no choice. this letter will be sent to as many bad product websites as i can find. it will also be sent to nhtsa, consumer reports and the better business bureau. you did not do anything with my previous complaint and now there are more issues with this product that ...

My 2000 ford focus kona edition has been subject of at least five recalls and other numerous problems that have required me to take the car in to be repaired. i was also sold this car way above sticker price and currently this ford focus is worth 5000 dollars yet i still owe 11,000. i am now having problems with the brakes and the rear axle, that i will once again have to take my car in to get repaired. all of the incidents have taken place between the years of november 2001 (when i bought the car) and the present date of november 2003... but the problems are still ongoing. *la

Consumer was traveling 30mph on a side street and a truck veered into consumer's vehicle direction. applied his brakes, and crashed into other vehicle. upon impact, dual airbags didn't deploy. dealership was aware of problem. *ak ford motor company stated that they were not able to verify any manufactuer's defects. *tt

When applying the brakes, consumer states' there a wierd noise. took to ford, and ford says its normal. consumer noticed black dust collecting on pads. took to dealer and they replaced rotors, pads, and brakes. next consumer states' while applying the brakes pedal went to the floor. consumer was able to come to a safe stop. consumer states ford is not correcting the problem. please describe further. ts

Brakes squeal when applied, there is intermittant extended braking distance. dealer replaced front and rear rotors, drums and pads. did not remedy the problem. ts

When the driver applied the brakes they locked which resulted in extended stopping distance. *nlm

The ignition housing locked up and as a result the vehicle could not be moved. the front axles on the right side fell off. the dealer refused to repair them. the front brake calipers fell off. the rear end slid while driving on a wet surface. *mr cb *nlm

Defective brake rotors. dealer has yet to be contacted.*ak consumer also states the windhsiled wipers are inoperative, the striping on the driver side door has always been loose, also radio buttons were stuck,drivers doorlock does not unlock all the time with remote key.*jg

I work for a goodyear co. and everytime there is a problem i have one of our techs. check it out for me. first it was the brakes i was taking my children to the movies,as i was turning into the parking space i heard a grinding noise.the next day at work i have auto tech. inspect my brakes i had less than 10% left all around and the front rotors were cracked! my children and i could have died! i took the car to the dealer to marina ford they replaced front rotors,pads and rear shoes. three weeks later pads were down to 10% i did not bother going back to the dealer. our tech. at my place of employment replaced my brakes with good quality pads and shoes. i had th iside panel replaced,the windshield wiper motor replaced and the right front wheel bearing replaced! now my left front tie-rod is bent,my car shuts off when the gas is at the 3/4 mark and when making right turns,the emission lights up and the car stops! this is a problem car the ford focus. i found a web site and ther is over a thousand consumers who are not pleased with their focus too!

I was driving down a main road, when a car suddenly swerved in front of me. i was only driving about 25-28mph, yet the brakes would not stop, though i pressed down on them. luckily, the driver who had swerved in front of me, noticed that i was unable to stop, so she sped up considerably. if it wouldn't have been for that, i would have definitely crashed into her. i have reported this brake problem to the dealership on several occasions and they tell me that their "all points check" indicates that everything is okay. two weeks after i purchased my car, it began making extremely loud squeaking noises when the brakes were pressed. yet, no one wants to help me. i told them that i wanted another car, because this vehicle is obviously defective and they told me that i'd have to pay $3,000 to break my lease. i explained that it is not for luxury reasons that i want my vehicle replaced, but for safety reasons. they still continue to bully me around, because i'm a young, single female. though this car has so many problems, i sometimes choose to disregard them, because i would prefer to avoid any interaction with the dealership. they are so manipulative and heartless. please document this, as i have complained many times, to no avail. thank you.*ak

At 65 to 70 mph when applying brakes vehicle shakes and makes a grinding noise upon slowing down. please provide any further information.*ak

There is a very bad squeaking noise when braking, and when consumer lets off the brake there is a grinding noise. driver states more than twice brake pedal was applied, and pedal went to the floor. ford has been contacted.*ak.also consumer was complaining of the transmission slipping, the cigarette lighter was not working, cup holder bubbling, serpentine belt was replaced due to a squeal coming from under the hood, gas light was coming on when the tank was full of gas, door ajar light was coming on, starter and battery were replaced, driver sider mirror knob fell off, rpm runs high, headlamp molding was replaced, sunvisor was broke, rear child seat latch cover was broke, air conditioner and heater were replaced, passenger door trim, driver seat metal bar, rewind button for am/fm cassette was inoperative, carpet loose, pillar trim was coming off, ticking noise was coming from the front of vehicle, the egr valve ws replaced, rear tail light was out, the bulb was replaced, deck lid wire harness, a new fuel tank was installed due to the engine light illuminating, the front and rear brakes have been replaced due to warpage, also the speedometer stopped working.*jb

Many, many problems and defects with this car...all problems have been replaced more than twice and still faulty. no safety defect listed. *ak