Upon entering and exiting the vehicle the door locks became inoperable. on the right rear door consumer had to press the lock from the inside, which was inoperable. on the front passenger and driver's side consumer had to use the key, which also became inoperable. consumer contacted ford dealer, and manufacturer. *ak
Rear door problem experienced with 2000 focus door latches. *bf while making a left turn into a driveway the right rear door flew open. a passenger was sitting in that seat and was luckily wearing the seat belt. the consumer has had problems with the doors prior to this incident. the consumer has had to slam the doors several times for them to close properly. the consumer also noticed while driving the door ajar light would illuminate on the dash. *nm
Opened rear (drivers side) door and placed groceries on back seat. closed doors and left grocery store lot. upon making a turn, en route, the rear door swung opened and some items tumbled out! pulled off the road and tried to close rear door. was unable to. got home and used a screwdriver to work the latch to the open position. was difficult to get the door to stay closed. i try not to use this door even now.*ak
About six months ago, while i was driving on the highway going about 65mph, my back door opened. this situation progressively got worse, and started occuring more often, and now with both doors. i notified the dealer, where i bought the vehicle, and they informed me that there was no problem that ford was responsible for, and suggested that i spend almost $1000 to have this repaired. i also contacted another dealership, and ford motor companies 800 number, and they advised me that there were no problems with the back door locks. i can close the doors, although they will not stay closed, nor lock. *ak
1. no indication that failure would occur at any time. 2. failing door-actuator. 3. consequences: door cannot be open at all, key, inside/outside door handle can be operated but will not unlock the door. the remote opener is rendered useless. there is no prior warning it happens all at once. this is the second time that this has happened to this vehicle in less than one year. my daughter who is eight month pregnant had to crawl over to the passenger side to be able to exit the vehicle (in 96 degrees weather). quite a chore in a small car like this. the dealership refused to fix this under warranty and expects me to pay $574.00 for the repair. in order to get to the mechanism i was told they most likely will have to break out the door panel, which would also be my responsibility. in my 30+ years of driving i have never had anything like this happening to any of the cars i have been driving. first of all - in my opinion, this is a safety hazard and it is the manufacturer's responsibility. even if the remote access fails, one should still be able to open the door manually. the key will turn counter-clockwise to the 10 o'clock position and clockwise to the 1 o'clock position. i called the ford customer service number and was brushed off (out of warranty). also,the ford representative acknowledged that ford does not consider this a safety hazard. i asked for the name of the manufacturer of the door activator and was denied this information. then i asked to talk to the next person in the supervisory chain and was told that i could not talk to anybody else about this problem. i checked the complaint section on this problem and this is the 53rd complaint on this model car regarding door locking/unlocking problems. when is somebody going to do something about this? i was under the impression that this agency is here to protect the consumer, or is it just a sounding board?*ak
My 2000 ford focus has a defective left rear door latch. the vehicle has not been involved in an accident. my dealer, lighthouse ford in falmouth, ma, examined the latch and advised that it was "rusted" beyond repair and that a replacement latch, costing over $200, would not be covered by my extended warranty. since the door somehow seems to secure itself (without the function of the latch), i opted not to install a new latch at my expense. is the door a hazard? please advise. *ak
For no apparent reason, the rear doors on my 2000 ford focus se do not stay latched. this problem is intermittent but has been happening with greater frequency. additionally, the right rear passenger door will not open from the inside, unless the door never latches at all. i have three children i reansport in this vehicle and i no longer consider it safe. this problem has appeared on several other 2000 focus cars and i consider it to be a defect that should be recalled.*ak
The rear driverside door of my car would not stay closed. it popped open while i was driving. luckily the back seat was empty. my son and his friends usually travel back there along with the family pet. it was sunday so service centers were not open. we had to take apart the entire door to get the mechanism inside the door to work enough so i can lock the door. the other side doesn't appear to look any better.*ak
Consumer stated that the power accessories were defective. the power door locks were ineffective, the key won't work in the door. the doors did not open manually from the inside, the hatch button from the inside will not work either. once the actuator froze, it blew a fuse, preventing the doors from opening. consumer contacted the manufacturer, who was not willing to do anything about the problem. *ak
Both rear door latches failed. as a result, while driving at highway speed, the rear passenger door flew open. *ak children were in the back seat when the doors flew open. the door would not re-latch. *sc *jb
I was having problems closing my rear door and keeping closed. it had opened more then twice when i finally called ford. they said they do not cover locks and that it would cast upwards of $275. needless to say that is unheard of. i wd40 the latch to get it shut and have not used the door since, and when i use the other doors they all make a very loud creaking sound, it's awful. with all the problems and recalls to my 4 year old 2000 focus i am disscusted that i even bought the car. now there is a recall on the part..... go figure... *ak
While driving, the consumer noticed that the rear passenger door opened on its own. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle , and pulled over. the consumer closed the door and the door opened on its on again. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, the mechanic determined that the locking mechanism needed to be replaced. *ak the consumer stated both rear doors were inoperative. *jb
Vehicle's back doors open while the consumer is driving. they are automatic locks, and they still fly open. someone has to sit in the rear to keep the doors from opening.*ak
The door latch on the rear driver's side seized up and the door would not open. due to this the latch, the door handle and reinforcement had to be replaced. the handle still would not open the door due to ford providing them the wrong part number to be ordered for the latch. once the car dealership was able to find the correct part number to order the latch the door was fixed, but the handle still comes lose on the inside of the door. the only way to fix this is to hit the handle.*ak
The consumer stated the automatic locks and the doors failed to latch . the consumer had to tie the doors up with rope, because on one occasion the door flew open. *jb the rear passenger door would open on left turns. *sc *jb
While driving driver's door opened and closed on its own. vehicle was taken to the dealership on june 30 , 2004, dealer repaired and replaced hinges and electrical motor at consumer's expense of $700.00, but problem recurred. *ak
Upon trying to shut the rear left door it will not shut, the latch does not catch. consumer had to continuously slam the door to get it shut. *ak
Problems with 2000 ford focus rear door latches. *mr (the rear door opened while the vehicle was in motion) the fuse was broken making the latch freeze. the vehicle had a faulty part in the left side driver's door actuator. this made the front door and passenger side door useless. the door could not be opened from the inside or outside, not even with the unlock button from the inside, the key or even the remote. *sc *jb
When inserting the key into the ignition the key will only enter half-way and the key cannot be turned or the key can be fully inserted, but cannot be turned. *ak
Rear driver's side door did not latch. as a result, the door did not shut properly, and consumer had to tie a rope around it. *ak
Left rear passenger door latch has failed to function. door will not latch rendering the vehicle unsafe to transport children. this is the latest in a history of recalls and component failures that lead me to consider suing ford under ny's lemon law. i was in the process of trying to sell this vehicle and am now unable to due to this latest problem. *ak
While driving consumer noticed that the rear passenger side door opened on its own. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. consumer closed the door, and the door reopened on its own. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic was not able to duplicate the problem. *ak
I own a 2000 ford focus station wagon. the hydralic lifters to the rear door (back door) have failed so that it requires two people to place items in the wagon, one to hold the door up and the other to load. i consider this a safety item as the door is inoperable as it is intended. ford does not.*ak
Rear door on the driver's side does not latch correctly. once opening the door it does not shut. *ak
The consumer is unable to open the vehicle doors with the remote. the consumer would have to manually use the key to enter the vehicle. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *mr
Ignition cylinder froze on 2000 ford focus se requiring car to be towed to dealer to have lock cylinder replaced as the key could not be inserted into the lock. this was covered by warranty at the time. in december 2005, ignition would periodically freeze with key inserted requiring several attempts to turn the key to start the car. car was taken to dealer on january 17, 2006 and cylinder has to be replaced again at a cost of $453 since the car is now out of warranty. i've noted numerous complaints on the internet about other ford focus owners with the same problem. i called ford customer service and they would not do anything other than note the complaint. this is a safety issue if the lock fails when the car is needed in an emergency situation. since this is a recurring problem, why has ford not been required to fix the problem? *nm
My wife and i purchased a new ford focus back in 2000. we loved the look and i have had ford cars before and have always been pleased. to get right to the point, we have been completely dissatisfied with our purchase. we have had recall after recall on this car and to top it off we have a new situation. about 10 days ago my wife mentioned that her power locks were not working. we decided to bring it in to the dealer on our next day off to have it looked at. the next day after the locks stopped working, the doors would not open at all on the passenger side. the lock mechanism apparently had seized up. after being in the shop for a few days i was notified that the other side was about to seize up as well. that of coarse is being repaired at my expense as well. now being a consumer that is a bit disheartening. being a father and knowing that my 3-year-old son rides in that car, makes me irate. i cannot believe that there would or could be any way that a car built by ford would have a problem like that which essentially turns the car my son is transported in into a death trap. it makes me think _x001c_what if_x001d_ all 4 doors seized? _x001c_what if_x001d_ my wife and child were in a car accident and drove into a river or lake? i hope you see were i would consider this a potential disaster in waiting. of course i am out of the warranty period so to add insult to injury i am paying approximately $520.00 to fix this problem. there is no way that anyone can guarantee me that this will not happen again. if it happens again, all the _x001c_what if_x0019_s_x001d_ are back in play. i do not know if this is a regular problem on these cars, but i hope that this is something that will be addressed in future production considerations. i unfortunately will not purchase another ford vehicle or any affiliated with ford due to this major problem. additionally i will mention this problem that i_x0019_ve had every time i hear anyone around me speak of buying a new car. *ak
The owner could not unlock the front passenger side or rear driver side doors from the inside or outside of the vehicle. the dealer was notified. *nm
The front/rear door/trunk manual locks became stuck intermittently. this made it difficult to enter/exit the vehicle. the dealerships mechanic was notified and attempted to repair the problem, however the problem recurred. please provide more information. *nm
While driving the dash light began to flicker then the vehicle shut down suddenly while in gear. *nm campaign id number : 00v411000. the consumer was told that the power cable to the battery was the result of the problem. campaign id number : 02v288000. the consumer was told by the service department that this is a problem because the vehicle could explode. the warranty company turned the consumer down stating that the problem was not part of the warranty. the key gets stuck in the vehicles ignition and would not come out. the doors would not close properly and remained open while the vehicle was in gear. when the tire was removed the consumer noticed that the wheel was missing a lug nut. campaign id number : 00v303000 the air vent did not stay open when the a/c was on high. the brakes howled like a wounded dog from the time of purchase. pads and rotors needed to be replaced. *tc
Three different instances where the passenger back door flew open when making a turn. the door was properly closed and the doors were locked but the door flew open. no one was hurt thank goodness because they had their seat belt on. they could have been thrown from the car. if you had a pet in the car they would have fallen out. another time my daughter was driving the car and the door flew open. she is an inexperienced driver being only 16years old. she could of had a accident. i no longer let her drive this car. it is a 2000 ford focus. i called the dealership and they said they would have to look into the problem. i said will i be charged they said possibley....*ak
When the vehicle was parked or running, the front driver and passenger door locks did not unlock. *jb
Problem is that i made a right hand turn and the rear driver side door flew open, with my son in the back seat. upon futhur investigation i found the door latch on my 2000 ford focus to be at fault. i had to replace the unit. i contacted ford with my concerins of this happening to other vehicals with no response. i feel that this is a very very unsafe as to my self and my family, they could have been servierly injured. i have owned several car in my lifetime and never had a door latch fail. nor did the child restrant locking system on the latch work and it was engaged.
Key lock mechanism on steering column fails (won't accept the key). this leaves the motorist and his (her) passangers stranded. i've seen many identical problems reported in numerous posts on the internet. probably a manufacturing refect.*ak
I'm writing to you about (part # xs4z*11582*aa cyl assy strg col ignition lock) i've had it replaced 2 times and it's at ford as i write this for the third time. two times it was covered under my ford esp (extented warranty) at a $200 deductable.i can't find paper work on first time but second time was (dec. 9, 2003) 74960 miles on car. this time it hasn't been 12 months or 1200 miles (current date and offically at ford service center july 17, 2004 (83500 or so miles) i don't think i'll be charged this time because it's within the warranty time but i won't be sure till monday. i know several people that have had the same problem. my neighbor just went through this a week ago and message boards online are teaming with hundreds if not thousands with this same problem. this is definitly a part problem that ford refuses to own up to. ford does not give old parts back. a soon as i find paper work i will update first incident unless it could be gotten from ford. i should be in there computer data base.
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
I had two problems occur concurrently on my 46,000 mile car--and the mechanics at the dealership i brought it to told me that they're seeing a large number of these same problems. 1) the ignition barrel goes stiff with little warning, and apparently leads to a jam, early in the useful life of the car. 2) the automatic door lock suddenly stops working, apparently due to the defective actuactor in one of the rear doors, so that the car no longer locks *la
Both rear door locks do not latch and swing open when rounding a corner. must tie down with bungee cord. mechanic shows locks corroded and defective. locks replace for $350. a very dangerous failure which could have caused serious injuries to rear seat occupants. *la
I have had this focus for about 2 years. when i purchased it, i was not told of any of the possible mechanical problems that may be associated with the model. since then, i have had 4 recalls repaired. recently, the door handle on the driver's side door was getting stuck. now, the factory installed security system will not work. i cannot lock the driver's side door at all and i must lock the other 3 doors manually. my key chain door locker does not work at all. the inside button for unlocking the trunk will not work either. the front console is too big for the car and coffee cups will not fit into it. i also seem to have trouble seeing behind me when trying to look to the left from the driver's side due to the placement of the headrest. *la
I have a 2000 focus. i experiance hesitation when the fuel tank is about 1/4th full, it died once while turning around an offramp cloverleaf. also when coming to stops it idles rough. when starting and waiting while in or out of gear, idling is rough. turning corners i occasionaly get creeks from the front and rear. sometimes i hear thumps from the rear when riding over bumps on occasion. i hear and feel a growl while the engine is running regardless of being in or out of gear or in or out of motion. it feels more prominent when the temp. is below 60 degrees. i can feel it vibrating in the steering wheel while turning and it seems to stop while turning left but continues when the steering reaches center. while going up or down inclines or small depressions in the road it becomes even more noticeable and you can feel it in the floor. the drivers side rear door lock sometimes clicks in and out of the lock postion erratically when the electronic door lock/unlock button is depressed. this handle is also extremely tough to open. sometimes power is lost to the radio, i remove the detachable aniti-theft piece and replace it, sometimes it works, sometimes i need to do it numerous times before the radio will turn back on. i had experianced warped rotors on the front when i first bought the vehicle numerous times, but i switched them with slotted rotors so i no longer have this problem. my rear brake drums are stock (but the pasds are not) and they squeal quite frequently, possibly due to excessive dust. i had noticed that sometimes the power window control would not work for windows other than the drivers. this has not happened in about a year or 2. i have just recently experienced water in the passenger well. last, occasionally the transmission will hesitate while driving. it almost feels like the transmission is shifting into neutral, but more like it was a human with a cluthc out a bit who cannot make up their mind about what gear to use.
Rear driver's side door came open on it's own (with a child in the back), safety locks were engaged and there was no indication from the sensor light that the door was not latched properly. soon afterwards i began having more frequent difficulty getting same door to stay latched. door is now inoperable as it will not latch once opened. the other three doors do not latch smoothly and i often have problems getting the trunk to latch properly. on one of my numerous recall trips to the service center, i asked if there were any recalls on the doors and was told no. since the car is no longer under warranty, i cannot afford to get it fixed but neither can i safely transport anyone in the rear seat. this is absolutely ridiculous. the entire car should be recalled and replaced!*ak
Both locks in the rear doors in my ford focus have failed. my doors are now held closed with bungee cords. *jb
Both rear door latches are not working. door flew open while driving on a highway. consumer has to use rope to tie both doors. dealer notified, it will cost $450.00 to fix problem. my son changed the latches and found that they were heavily corroded.
There was a short in one of the locks on my 2000 ford focus. this caused the passenger side door to be unable to be opened either manually or electrically, from the inside or the outside. this seems to be a common problem in the focus, and has the potential to result in being trapped in the car in a dangerous situation. the manual locks should at least be able to override the electrical ones, so that the doors could be opened in case of a short. *ak
Consumer stated that while driving and without warning door would automatic lock ,and it would be hard to unlock the doors to enter or exit the vehicle. dealer notified. *ak
2000 ford focus lx 4-door sedan - numerous complaints: 1) currently have 75,200 miles on car and have gone through 5 (yes five!) complete sets of tires.2) engine stalls at any speed with no warning lights or indications, car bucks and gas pedal can be depressed to floorboard and car will not move - barely avoided three accidents (two of which would have involved my two small children) 3) all four doors will stick - really need to pull to open - and once open, they will not close again (you need to try to close the doors repeatedly before they finally latch). they also popped opened while driving. afraid one day one of my children or a passenger or myself may be injured. they are manual door locks and latches. 4) same with trunk - often needs repeated tries to close and latch 5) leak in front passenger footwell - when it rains, or when going through carwash 6) front brakes have been replaced twice at my cost - horrendous, irritating, embarassing squealing is incessant - brake dust accumulates every day! in some instances, brakes need to be applied very firmly to stop vehicle (again, i do not feel safe with my children in car). 7) extremely foul smell when air conditioning use is attempted. 8) stereo was replaced - original factory installed would not work after 2 months of ownership. 9) paint is flaking off of skirts - i was informed by ford that this is "sandblasting" and that i must drive on dirt roads all of the time - i live on an asphalt street, drive on asphalt roads and asphalt highways - not dirt! 10) fuel pump was replaced once already - was told i must be buying "dirty" gas - if it is dirty gas, is that my fault? i don't exactly run the gas stations, and i don't buy fro one specific station - i fuel up when i'm low, wherever it is convenient. 11) i have had three alignments to try to stop the horrible shaking of the car - the steering wheel vibrates so badly that my arms are sore by the time i get to my destination. *ak
Vehicle has a major electrical problem. while driving vehicle gauges will go "beserk". door chime activates, all lights flicker on and off, transmission changes gears,and the vehicle stalls.*ak
My 2000 ford focus se has faulty rear door latches. they will not stay closed. they started to become difficult to latch in 2003. ford was notified but refused to pay for fixing the doors. now i use bungee cords to keep the doors closed while driving.*ak
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. when the key was turned in the ignition, the vehicle would not start and the steering wheel locked. the key that is used to start the ignition is also used for the doors. the key stopped working for the passenger side door and the trunk. the vehicle does not have power locks. the dealer stated that the ignition switch needed to be replaced, however, they did not suggest a remedy for the doors. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 17,000. update 01-15-08. *kb updated *jb
On the ford focus the door lock either don't lock or you can't get them to unlock. the lock on my car will not lock at all on the back passanger side.