Problems with 2000 Ford Focus SEATS

I have a 2000 ford focus zx3. i pushed hard on the brakes to avoid a collision and my bucket seat snapped in half. *tr

Re: nhtsa campaign: 00v-418 - - in july 2007 we bought a 2000 ford focus wagon as a 2nd car. upon lowering the back seat to load items, the seat separated from the hinge. researching this problem on the internet i learned of the above nhtsa recall campaign and contacted ford. they state that no recall was issued for my vehicle and refuse any further comment, even though the defect in my car is exactly as described in the recall notice. i even referred their "customer relations" office to your website as an "fyi" but they adamantly refuse to reply with any meaningful response. although i intend to have the deficiency repaired at my own expense, i am very unhappy with fords "stonewall" tactic and due to the circumstances i refer this matter to your agency in the event that you might be able to confirm whether, or not, my vehicle was involved in a recall for the particular item cited in campaign number: 00v-418 and/or if ford is in violation of the recalls mandate. thank you for your consideration. *tr

Focus 3 door seat back latch failure. secondary release to allow access to rear seat failed and will not hold seat back in upright and locked position. *jb

A hole appeared in the driver's seat upholstery, near the drivers left hip. disassembly of the seat cushion revealed a broken weld which allowed a sharp metal piece to puncture the upholstery. i also observed this on replacement seats i purchased from a 2002 svt focus. photos (of the 2000 seat) at https://flic.kr/p/mle2fp; https://flic.kr/p/mlduyh; https://flic.kr/p/mle5w6. i was aware of the hole when i purchased this car in 2005, but did not discover the cause until recently, when the seat folding mechanism failed, and i had to replace the seats, and noticed a similar hole in several that i saw. i then disassembled the original seat and found the cause of the problem. this issue is dangerous in that it exposes the driver's body to a sharp metal projection. *tr

The focus seems to have a drivers seat recliner defect. with our zx3 the recliner handle broke off. we now use a screwdriver to recline the seat, haven't had time to fix it yet. my sister who also owns a focus her seat does not recline at all. she uses a pillow to help with the recline. she is a college student has no money to fix it. however i do think its funny that both cars are having similar problems both within 6 months of each other, both are 2000 ford focus.*ak

The rear middle seat belt is jamming for the fourth time. the belt will not retract out which is a safety issue. the dealership has replaced the belt three times now and going back for the fourth on febuary 11 2005.*ak

While driving at any speed driver's seat rocked forcibly during acceleration and stopping. *ak

The front drivers seatback has completely failed: i.e. the right side of the seat back has collapsed with no warning, while driving, which almost caused an accident! after reviewing the nhtsa listing of customer complaints i realized this is not the first complaint of this kind. *ak

The bolts fell out of the seat, which caused the bottom of the seat to collapse . *jb

While exiting the rear seat, the passenger seat back release assembly broke (part number ys426161184aa). when i examined the broken part it was obvious that the clevis had broken from "metal fatigue" failure. i brought my focus into the dealer the next day. to my surprise, i discovered that another ford focus, same year, same model, had experienced the same failure, suggesting that the casting / forging for that part is faulty. the parts department just received the part to repair the other focus. the dealership is investigating, for me, the milage of the other vehicle. i will up date this report when the milage of the other focus is known.*ak

Dealership sad that parts to recall 00v180000 concerning seat hinge failure were on back order.*ak

Driver's and front passenger's seats: the bolster support bars (2 per seat) are spot welded to the seat pan. the end of the support bar closest to the rear of the seat pan on both seats is sharp enough to wear thru the seat covers and become complete exposed to the buttocks of the person in the seat. the driver's seat has woren thru from the inside out all the way thru the seat cover and has caused holes in driver's pants. this same thing will happen to the passenger front seat since the two are made the same. the driver's seat left bolter support bar has also broken away from the seat pan near the front of the seat pan where it was attached. i have had the seat cover on the driver's seat and foam replaced and now about 8 months after the holes appeared again and the dealer local to me - millennium will not fix it under extended warranty from the original warranty period of the car. they said that it has been fixed to many times before. at their request i took it to an auto upholsterer and the cost to fix it would be about $500. the problem tho is inherent in the seat design and not fixable for the long term. it would happen again. the safety issue is that i could potentially and especially in a fast stop or accident drive that rear end of the bolster support bar into my buttocks. also the front end of the same bolster bar has broken away from the weld. ford makes no claim to the fact that weight is an issue. i wiegh 280 lbs and am 6'5" tall. due to my size and size of my buttocks i am always sitting on the bolster bars and not between them. while ford will not admit to a weight and size limit of the seats - i feel that is an issue. lear corp. who makes the seat for ford says that the seat is designed for the 90-95 percentile and is not designed to accomondate larger folks. i am afraid that the broken end of the bolster support bar in an accident or fast stop may find it's way into my left thigh.*ak

Both front seats completely collapsed backwards when vehicle was struck from rear. dealer was notified. *ak consumer was pushed into an intersection, had no control over steering wheel, 2 people were injured in accident. *jb

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

Driver's side seat can easily move forwards and backwards, even if seat is locked in place or not. has not contacted dealer.*ak

My focus was struck from the rear on i-75 by a large pickup truck. at the instant of collision, the drivers seat collapsed. the seat belt system worked perfectly, but the collapse of the seat result in whiplash and loss of control of the vehicle. *ak

Bolt that attaches seat to vehicle floor broke, and the seat was coming apart.*ak

00 v 418 000/seat hinge: 00 v 411 000/wire harness: 00 v 303 000/rear wheel hub nuts: 00 v 218 000/fmvss 201: while vehicle was in the dealer shop for is routine check up consumer was informed of four recalls, and ,was unwilling to give a appointment for repairs, consumer called on two other occasions, and still dealer, hertige ford, burington, vt; phone# 802/865-8150 refused to help in these recall repairs. seeking help from nhtsa in these matter.*ak

When applying brake pedal it would go to the floor, also brakes will grind. rotors had to be turned, and brakes were replaced 7 times, but the problem reoccurred. *ak transmission slips and jerks and rpms jump. no problem found. consumer hears loose gravel sound from right front wheel area. dealer found wheel well loose. dealer found serpentine belt failed causing whistle squeal under hood. gas light on with full tank and door ajar light is on. dealer replaced battery. evaporative hose loose. dealer removed and installed fuel tank. cigarette lighter not working. r-cup hold bubbling. driver side mirror knob falls off. rear child seat latch cover in broke. front driver seat metal fell out. both headlamps moulding fall out. sunvisor mirror/bracket moulding on passenger side between door / dash loose. broken. right outer ac vent broken. loose carpet on right front floor. pillar trim coming off. deck lid wire harness had tp be replaced. clicking noise from l/h front of vehicle. egr valve replaced. left rear tail lamp is out. engine light is on. problems with rewind button for am/fm cassette. *tt

Dt: the consumer stated there were multiple problems with the vehicle. the brakes make noises and pulsated when the pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer where the brake light switch and ignition cylinder switches were replaced. the dealer also turned the drums, replaced the brake pads and resurfaced the front rotors. there was a vibration in the front end when braking. the lower ball joint, right wheel bearings, right front sway bar link, bone socket, steering rack column and tie rod ends were replaced in an attempt to remedy the problem. the tail light covers retained moisture and condensation built up. the dealer replaced the tail light covers and fuses that were blown due to the moisture. lastly, the contact noticed the rear seat was loose and upon inspection the dealer discovered an anchor and hinge problem. the back hinge and pillar were replaced. *jb

Driver's seatback handle broke, unable to adjust the seat. *ak

The rear seat is stained each time you put it down- there are some black brackets that slide up onto the seat and they leave hideous black marks on the fabric in 8 places as well as on the clothes of the next person to sit there. my dealer replaced my back seat fabric but failed to repair the cause of the problem. it makes me especially angry that i paid $17,000+ for a car and i have to put a sheet down to have anyone sit in the back seat. i want ford to fix the problem and replace the fabric one last time. also, my friend margaret has the exact exact same car and hers does it as well. we have spoken to other focus owners that have gotten no resolution from their dealer. thank you. *ak

Was traveling approximately 65mph when vehicle went out of control. wheels had felt wobblely and loose. had to swerve to miss several vehicles. managed to get off freeway and stopped vehicle. had vehicle towed to dealership. was informed by mechanic wheel bearings went out. dealership has to order parts. vehicle was repaired previously under recall.*ak screws keep falling out of seat belt and has happened two times. drivers side seat lever keeps breaking and has happened three times. windshield wipers failed while driving during a heavy rain storm, received recall two weeks later, 01v258, dealer replaced wiper motor. turn signal failed, dealer replaced bulb. problems with brakes, rear drum assembly bearing wore into wheel spindle, front brake pads replaced, front rotors resurfaced. consumer feels every bump in the road. bearings have failed twice. side mirror broke. a-pillar trim coming loose after recall repair 00s20. *slc

Back seat of the wagon does not come back onto the catch after it has been used as a wagon bed. i have written ford several times, talked to the dealer five times and talked to ford three times. each time they have told me they would not use the seat and they are refering the problem to engineering. what i think furthur complicates the problem is the fact that the dealership is closing and the model is being taken off the makrket. hence no reason to fix it.*ak

A bar was pushing upward from the seat into the back of driver when seated. dealer notified, and informed consumer that it would take approximately three weeks or more before they could replace the seat, and it was okay for consumer to drive until then. feel free to provide further details. *ak

The clutch master cylinder failed. *mjs

Consumer was in an automobile accident, car was towed into dealership where she was advised that tires did not cause accident and there was nothing wrong with the brakes, two weeks later consumer went to another mechanic and was told that tires were bald and there was metal coming out of them, also rotors were cracked and had pieces missing out of them, so rotors and all brake pads had to be replaced. *jb