Problems with 2001 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The vehicle was experiencing the same failure as described in the battery cable recall 02v288000. however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak

Ignition cylinder is locked. key wont turn it, but the key will unlock the door. have heard of this happening oftent other people as well.

My 2001 ford focus started having problems when i would put my key in the ignition and it wouldn't turn , it would take several minutes for my car to turn on. eventually after several attempts to turn the key it never did, and i was forced to tow my car home. i will have to pay out of my own pocket to tow it to the dealers and they said that the cost to fix will range from $350-600. i am a single mother with two kids on a limited income, there is no way i will be able to afford this.*ak

Key will not turn. called dealer and it appears this is a widespread problem affecting many ford focus'. after searching the web i see that is true. dealer wanted $325 + tow to replace ignition. not sure if that included rekeying. in any event, i found a locksmith who will come to my residence and replace the ignition with a better one than ford is offering for substantially less money.*ak

The ignition - the key won't go in, or goes in hard, but will not turn. i am told that it needs a new steering column, ignition and computerized key, and the warranty won't cover the $800+ charge. this is the 2nd time the key has been stuck in the ingition.*ak

While driving 55 mph consumer smelled a burnt odor coming from the steering column. vehicle caught on fire due to exposed wires. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. passenger extinguished the fire and disconnected the fuel box. vehicle was towed. *ak

My steering wheel locked. the key will go into the ignition (and the dinging sound starts), but the key will not turn. *jb

While driving at 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. the driver tried to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and the mechanic could not determine the problem. *mr *sc *jb

I'm having a problem with the steering wheel locking up and the ignition key won't turn. i tried jilting the wheel to try to get it to unlock.*ak

I bought a used 2001 ford focus in febuary of 2004. the ignition jammed and was replaced in march 2004. i went to the ford dealership and paid 300 dollars to get a new one. on september 27, 2004 my ignition got jammed again. i am sapposed to have a 12 month warrenty or 12,000 whatever comes first, so its in the shop now being repaired. i have read alot on this and it seems this is a common problem and is very expensive to replace. *ak

Ignition cylinder failed, resulting in a $250.00 repair.*ak

2001 ford focus key will not turn in ignition and steering locks. dealer wants $410 or more to fix. just off warranty.

When i tried to start my car the steering wheel and the ingnition switch cylinder both were locked up. i had to have it towed to the dealership and then found out that my extended warranty did not cover all of the expenses so i was out $350. now why do you by an extended warranty if it doesn't cover something like this that is apparently a flaw in the design of the car?? i would like to receive any information about this matter.

Key will not turn in ignition. the tow-truck driver who towed my car said this is a major problem with this car and ford has not issued a recall. he said he has done nine tows this week for this exact problem and had towed two this week to the dealership i took my car. of course, my car is out of warranty = $300 fix.*ak

Ignitioin switch freezes. when key is inserted the switch will not turn. a locksmith showed me how to free it up by tapping on the switch with a screwdriver...!*ak

Alternator is over charging without warning. consumer is concerned that it will burn out the electrical system. *ak

The ignition locks when the key is placed within the cylinder and the car is attempted to start. the ignition cylinder does not turn at all. i have attempted to turn the steering wheel and use another key, but this does not solve the issue. *la

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. she had her vehicle repaired according to recall# 03v482000 ( fuel system, gasoline). after the repair while at a local gas station she saw a puddle of gasoline from under the fuel tank. the vehicle was towed back to the dealer and an updated version of the component was installed. years later, while driving the driver-side head light failed. she pulled over to a local store and turned the vehicle off. minutes later smoke engulfed the front-end of the vehicle, and then flames erupted. the fire department extinguished the flames and cut the battery cables. a fire fighter speculated that the battery caused the fire. the manufacturer was contacted in reference to recall #: 02v288000 (electrical system:battery:cables). upon contact she was advised that her vehicle identification number was excluded from the vin range. she was in the process of sending correspondence to the manufacturer that exemplifies the failure. the failure mileage was . the current and failure mileages were 115,000.

My2001 ford focus zx3( manual transmission )with over 105,000 miles on it has had a electronic throttle problem since it had 30,000 miles on it. intermittently the engine speed would not decrease when your foot is taken off the accelerator pedal. the car would act like the cruise control was engaged. the car could be controlled by heavy braking or depressing the clutch. it was taken into three different ford dealer at least seven different times only once did they claim to see the problem. that time the mechanic show me disconnecting a electrical plug under the hood caused the throttle controls to go to a fail safe mode making the problem disappear for period of time(days).i was told to bring it back in when it happened again. i did that, mechanic was know longer with the dealership. several parts were changed several different times but did nothing to correct the problem. when the problem is present the engine speed will decrease to a fast idle once the car comes to a complete stop. the problem will go away sometimes after shutting off the engine and restarting but not always. *tr

Dt: the ignition cylinder failed twice. it failed in 2003 and in 2005. ford tels me there is high failure rate on these cylinders. the key locks up, and you can't get the key out. and you can't turn the wheel. *ak

At 38000 miles the ignition cylinder in the consumer's 2001 ford focus failed. the consumer was unable to turn the key in the ignition. *jb *nm

The vehicle was parked, when all of a sudden, it caught fire, due to a battery cable wire. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle after adding fuel. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the failure occurred on december 15, 2003 and recurred approximately three weeks ago. the ignition lock assembly switch was replaced. the cost to repair the vehicle was $433 at the owner's expense; however, the first repair was covered by the warranty. the ignition switch should not fail after three years. the ford manufacturer stated that they were unable to assist because the warranty expired. the failure mileage was 52,474 and current mileage was 52,732.

The consumer was unable to start the vehicle because the key would not turn in the ignition switch. the vehicle had been sitting for a month. please provide additional information. *jb

My 2001 ford focus se wagon had its ignition switch malfunction. ford dealership said graphite and/or wd40 would not fix it, that it had to be replaced. it cost usd$440 and i lost a full day's pay. the tow truck driver said he's responded to 24 calls on ford focus ignition failures. i found a website call www.automotivetalk.net where 85 people have made complaints on the ignition switch this year. what do we have to do to start a recall. this is a new car and should not be having this problem. i am not alone, as i have read many postings on the same problem. i can be emailed at [email protected]. thx, laura *jb

The ignition switch locked without warning. as a result, the vehicle became inoperative. *ak several people tried to unjam the key but no success. a tow company was called and the tow company stated that many ford focuses were having the same problem. the tow advised tapping on the key with a hammer to see if the tumblers would realign. it worked and the vehicle was taken home and again the ignition jammed but after several attempts with the hammer the key turned. the vehicle was taken to the dealer they had to order the part and a special locksmith was required for the repair. *cb *jb

The key won't turn in the ignition. the emergency roadside assistance locksmith told me that he sees it a lot in fords. he also told me that i would have to get the ignition replaced. my mother has the same make/model/year & she has had her ignition replaced twice! this is for a 2001. *la

While driving the consumer noticed that the instrument panel gauges were in operative. she could not tell how fast she was driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. *jb on some occasions when the speedometer failed the odometer also stopped working and the vehicle idled erratically. at times when the clutch was pressed while stopping the engine would die which resulted in loss of power. the fuel gauge was also unstable and as a result the consumer is never sure how much fuel is in the vehicle. *nm

Ford focus 2001 ignition locked. wasn't able to turn key and had to have ignition replaced for relatively new car.*ak

Dt:the contact owns a 2001 ford focus lx. the ignition key would not turn in the ignition. the vehicle was taken to the dealership , and when the contact got the bill it was $500, including towing. this incident happened twice in november 2003. ignition switch was replaced under warranty, and again on august 8, 2005 ignition switch failed. the repair invoice for august 8, 2005 stated diagnostic key will not turn in ignition, necessary to remove steering bezels, remove ignition switc to drill lock cylinder, remove guts and housing. also, it was necessary to code new lock cylinder and install it. this cost $257.00. the first time it was tthe dealership they replaced the ignition switch cylinder. the cost $103.66 and the towing was $85.00 . the second time all this was out of pocket, but the first time it was replaced under warranty. *ak the consumer was reimbursed $195, 50% of the parts and labor. *nm

The ignition switch was locked in place and would not move. this caused the steering wheel to be locked. also, exhaust sensor had to be replaced three times because it did not register properly. *ak

The first problem that i started to have with my 2001 ford focus began less than a year after i bought it. the left rear window went out first, then about a week later the right rear window went out. i think the gears were faultily manufactured. when at a ford dealership for a recall, i was told i would have to pay about $350 per window to fix the problem, money i do not have because i have to save up to fix another problem with this car. the second problem is concerning the electrical system. everything in my car powered by electricity flickers on and off. when i try to roll up my remaining windows or turn on the a/c, the radio will go static, the headlights flicker, the abs light pops on, etc. i have talked to numerous focus owners who have had similar problems. they have been told by ford dealers that it is this or that and paid a lot of money to fix the problems, but the problems never went away. i am just waiting for my ignition to go out, that is another common problem i have heard of with this lemon of a car. the ford focuses need to be recalled, we should all get our money back! how many people is ford going to rip off and kill before they are finally held accountable? i cannot afford to fix all the problems i am having and will have in the future, especially since my warranty was conveniently up just a month before i started having these problems. i would like to be e-mailed back with some information on what i can do. can i declare this car a lemon and make them buy it back from me? i have corresponded with ford via e-mail and it has gotten me nowhere. please help us!!!*ak

On separate occasions when consumer attempted to start vehicle it failed to start. vehicle has been towed to the dealer, and dealer replaced various computer components.*ak

While exiting the highway, the vehicle stalled and caught on fire. the fire department extinguished the fire and determined the fire started in the engine. *ak the inspector determined that the cause of the fire was related to a faulty cable/battery connector. this was a known problem in the 200-2001 ford focus model. *sc *jb

In the last past five months while driving at any speed and with no warning vehicle stalled due to corroded battery cables, causing consumer to pull off the road. dealer notified. *ak

Ignition lock cylinder failed, preventing car from starting. key would go into ignition but would not turn. i was stranded in parking garage until a tow truck that could reach it was located. ignition cylinder rebuilt, new keys created, total cost $550. dealer kept old parts. this is the second failure of the same part. it was first replaced in october 2003. *jb

While driving about 65 mph on the highway vehicle stalled and shut down due to battery cable wire melting. consumer was able to steer onto the side of the shoulder.*ak

Upon starting vehicle steering column locked up. vehicle was towed the dealership, who replaced the ignition switch . this failure recurred twice, and the ignition switch was replaced twice. *ak

When attempting to start vehicle ignition locked without warning. *ak

3 major complaints for 2001 ford focus zts 1.) front suspension needs a right arm replacement 2.) engine light turned on and was turned off when brought to ford dealer shop. 3.) on a separate occasion, car stalled while driving. *ak

I purchased a 2001 ford focus in august 2001. in sept. 2001 with only 2240 miles on the car transmission seemed to be slipping and the car failed to accelerate properly. had it towed to the dealership and they said there was a leak in transmission line. this was repaired. in oct. 2002 at 16416 miles headlights would not come on when i turned the switch. switch was replaced. about this same time new brake pads were required. nov. 2002 at 17871 miles the ignition cylinder locked up. car was towed and ignition cylinder replaced. august 2003 at 26757 miles ignition cylinder locked up again. once again the car was towed to the dealer and ignition cylinder was replaced. now i have a bubble in one tire and my brakes are squealing. what's next? not once have i picked my car up from the dealer and it been washed or vacuumed out. i bought a new car because i needed reliable transportation. now i feel like taking it back to the dealer and letting them keep it. i wonder how many ford employees would buy a focus?. *ak

Ignition tumbler will not turn on focus 2001 lx. *ak

I purchased my 2001 ford focus on august 6 2002. in the last year i have had to replace all brakes and now my ignition is stuck. i took the car to my dealership (citrus ford in ontario california) and after spending an extra 1200 on an extrended warranty when i purchased the car, they told me the ignition cylinder was not covered under my warranty. have they looked at the number of people that are having this problem. i am now spending about 595.00 for a new ignition cylinder. this is a very common problem for all focus owners. why has there not been a recall or at least an amendment so the warranty will cover the cost.*ak

Ignition cylinder broke without any signs, and was stuck without a car for a week. *ak

Consumer states that ignition switch broke. dealer notified. *ak

My key was stuck in the ignition switch. it did not turn easily. luckily i was able to start the car, and bring it to the dealer. they replaced ignition tumbler at 31500 miles.*ak

While driving t at normal speed, vehicle caught on fire, causing brakes and steering to fail, resulting in a front collision. dealer notified. *ak

Consumer states ignition switch is not working properly. dealer notified. *ak

While driving, vehicle caught on fire under the hood, eliminating visibility, and causing consumer to collide into side of mountain. related recall 02v288000, consumer's vehicle not included due to vin. *ak

The key didn't go all the way down into ignition. i had to replace the ignition lock cylinder.*ak