Problems with 2001 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and without warning vehicle will stall, and it will be hard to start up the vehicle again. dealer notified. *ak

The vehicle was parked for about fifteen minutes in front of a residence and it caught on fire. the fire department extinguished the fire. the problem was not determined. vehicle cannot be used. *ak

2001 ford focus bucked severely several times then lost power at 65 mph on interstate in traffic. i was able to move to breakdown lane from passing lane and continued at a maximum of 30 mph off the interstate, car was still "bucking". the car then completely lost power, unable to accelerate on bridge. coasted to side of road, car would not restart. towed to dealership. service dept advised they could not recreate the situation and no codes showed on computer. mechanics best guess was it was a fuel pump failure. car has 57000 miles, is still under extended warranty plan. ford refuses to replace fuel pump. car is being returned to me with instructions to return it if problem occurs again. i'm filing this complaint because this seems to be a very serious problem to leave "undiagnosed" and have seen a number of similar complaints on this website. ford needs to do something to rectify this problem.*ak

Problems similar to ea02-022. stalls (enigine shuts off) while driving on freeway or at any speed. fails to start in driveway or parking lot, then car gets towed to repair shop and car works fine with no problem found. replaced fuel filter with no effect on problem. verified spark works and relays are closing when car would not start. happens very frequently. about once per week. car now has 58,000 miles on it and problem started to occur around 32,000 miles. please fix this is dangerous!! stalls occur without warning. stalling this often makes this problem higher risk than an occasional stall.*ak

When driving at an undetermined speed, the consumer heard a popping noise coming from the rear driver's seat. the consumer noticed that, the instrument panel lights would flick on and off. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. please provide any further details. *jb

My ignition cylinder locked up leaving me stranded 200 miles from home. *la

Ignition switch froze and would not turn. had to be towed to dealer at cost of $50. switch had to be drilled out and replaced along with an inner part at a cost of around $250. car has 54,000 miles. *nlm

Consumer's vehicle has the same problem as mentioned in recall#02v288000 concerning battery cable. dealer will not repair because this vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *ak

When the vehicles key is placed in the ignition sometimes the key will not turn, dealer has to replace the ignition switch.*ak *ts

While driving vehicle caught on fire under the hood. consumer received recall letter 02v288000 the very next day.*ak

Dt consumer states there is a recall for the battery cables and the recall repairs was done on may 21, 2003, the vehicle completely stalled and it caused another vehicle to rear end consumer's vehicle on october 12, 2005. consumer stated that her husband checked the vehicle and the battery cables burned out and melted again, and that is the same thing happened as stated in the recall. contacted ford, they said to bring vehicle in for inspection, but than likely it was something else. *ak

Ignition key will not turn. *nm

Consumer ignition cylinder would not turn. *tx the consumer stated when the incident occurred the steering wheel would lock up and everything would have to be re-coded. *jb

The vehicle started smoking under the dashboard. the dealer stated that the vehicles rear wiring harness failed. *nlm

The dealership refused to honor the recall for the rear wheel bearing 01 i 017 000 and the battery cable 02 v 288 000. *jb

My car has a eletrical or computer problem which al packer ford cannot seem to fix. i,ve had two recalls they had to take care of so far .when i purchase my car i brought the extended warranty which i thought took care of everything including a loaner car which they nerver even offered for my inconvinece

Difficulty turning key in ignition (ilc). *nlm

The battery cables were misrouted, which caused the battery to be inoperative.*jb

The dealer refused to honor recall regarding the battery cable. *jb

While driving from a parking lot doors locked. doors were inoperative, except driver's side door. also, horn started to blow and the driver was not able to stop it. *ak

Engine light on. jerky gear engaging. choppy acceleration. 8/02 replaced alternator 8/02 replaced v belt 10/02 blinkers out & electric windows broke 10/02 battery light on "corrosion on wires" 1/03 wouldn't start, battery light on, "wire fell off alternator" airbag light on then off

Ignition cylinder has been replaced twice. key will go in, but is stuck, you can not turn the key at all to start vehicle. *nlm

Jan 2003 - ignition locked and key could not be turned. car was towed to dealership and the ignition cylinder had to be drillled out and replaced.ay 2003 - same as abovej. une 2003 - same as above. *ak

Ford focus 2001. purchased in august of 2001. has always had problems with suspention. has been in shop 6 times to be fixed for the same problem. the problem has been fixed several times but the noise keep on comming back. the car has numbers of other problems. the breaks make noise, the windshiels leaks when it rains, and when i drive on the highway the engine stalls sometimes while driving at high speeds.

I have had my 2001 ford focus ignition switch lock up on me a total of four times in the first 14 months i owed my focus. if you have this problem, look at the tip of your key -- is it being worn down at the tip? this is the source of the problem -- ford basically used inferior metal when designing their keys for the 2000-2001 ford focuses. they have supposedly fixed this problem in later models. after having my ignition cylinder replaced or rebuilt three times, finally after the fourth time, they gave me a new set of keys. but the problem still exists and it is just a matter of time before my current "new" key gets worn down enough to lock up the ignition switch when i insert it. i am in the midst of pursuing the lemon law on my car. i've asked ford to "repurchase" my car and they have countered my offer to "replace" my car with another focus -- fully acknowledging that the "ignition cylinder malfunction... was a known concern in 2001 models, and was unfortunately unable to be repaired on your vehicle." this problem has the potential of being recall-worthy (in my opinion) but i have no idea of how to get that process rolling! all i do know is that all four separate tow truck operators(without being asked by myself) told me that they tow 12-15 ford focuses a month with this same problem! that's ridiculous! i was told by a kind ford service guy that if i ever do get in a dangerous situation where my ignition switch locks up and my key will not turn and start my car, that if i lightly tap the end of the key into the ignition switch with something hard -- it may work to allow it to turn. so if you are in a pickle, give this a try. if your car is still under warranty, be sure to keep a good record of every time this happens to you. then look into the lemon law requirements in your state. *la

Seat belt would not stay locked. ignition key would only go part way into ignition, could not start vehicle. had vehicle towed to dealer. dt

Consumer stated the battery light indicator illuminated, just as stated under recall#02v288000, however dealer would not repair because the vin was not included. ts. consumer stated the dealer did fix the battery indicator problem at no charge, also the brakes and rotors was replaced.*jb

Engine stalling, check engine light stays on, transmission slips when this happens. when i took the car to the dealer, they have replaced the sensor 3 times.

Have there been any reported problems with rack/pinion, transmission and alternators on this vehicle since mileage has been so low yet so many problems with the car. dt

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing numerous failures. the main failures were the electrical system, brake system, bent tie rod, shaking and vibrating, rear window mechanisms, and flooding after it rains. the leak occurs on the passenger side and the water rises 2 to 3 inches. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer due to the inspection costs. the failure mileage was 130,473.

Bad egr system followed by battery ground failure. ph

Consumer states that while vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. after inspection for the cause of fire was told that the fire originated from the wire harness. it was brittle. mr

No summary. dt

While driving 45 mph driver started smelling smoke. when she pulled window down smoke began pouring through the ventilation. she pulled over, and vehicle began to smoke even more. fire department wasn't able to detect cause of severe smoking. please describe details. *ak

In august of 2002 my 2001 ford focus zx3 hatchback caught on fire as a result of a battery cable insulation and routing defect and negligence. *jb

Was driving home from work last thursday (10 minutes on the interstate, 97 degrees, full ac), when the car started to lose power followed by transmission lurching and engine trying to die. pulled the remaining block into my apts and opened hood expecting to find overheated engine, and ended up see a bunch of flame and signing my thumb. got fire extinguisher and put it out, and called fire dept. no work was done to engine other than a new air filter 4000 miles ago. so far the ford dealer wants to write it off as complete loss and leave it to my insurance. took out my air intake, melted battery, melted battery wires, ruined hood, scroched headlight, smoked interior, and who knows what got sucked into engine through the intake. dealer wouldn't tow because "warranty tows have to be called in through ford customer service". photos are up at http://www.geocities.com/archangel_jjn. contact me for more information. *ak

At 40mph with no warning vehicle shut off, and could have caused an accident. cause unknown. cause dealer notified.*ak

While parking ignition switch will lock up because key will not turn vehicle on, causing vehicle to be towed. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Car would repeatedly chug and all guages would drop to 0, radio/cd would turn off. finally, car stalled while driving. luckily car behind us was able to swerve and go around. *ak

Car shuts down completely, no warning. the first time it happened, the car took a while to restart, radio wouldn_x0012_t come back on. dealership replaced radio. after numerous times in the dealership, service manager of the dealership, as requested by ford motor co, ask specific questions as to help isolate why it was happening. i was asked if i notice the lights dim prior to car shutting down. i replied, i don_x0012_t recall if the lights dimmed because i was more thinking about it is dark, i have a black car, no lights, no power & a semi coming up behind me, on i40. my thoughts were of not getting killed at that moment. the car started back up, however the radio again didn_x0012_t come on including the clock. the last time it was brought in after it shut down, i brought it into the dealership with the radio and clock not working. it was kept for one week and i was advised the radio works, it merely has a loose face plateon the radio & you have to keep" hitting_x0014_ the control to get it on. i know first hand the radio shutting down is a resulting of complete power lose (including the clock). i don_x0012_t think a lose face plate on the radio will cause the car to shut down. this has been going on for over a year now. from what the dealership says, after consulting ford , they have replaced anything the can be replaced. i have brought this car many times. the dealer has less repair invoices because they have combined multiple reports into one. if you count the dealership records of how many times, it is alarming. i purchased what i thought was a safe car. 99%of my driving in on the interstate. i fear driving this car and don_x0012_t want to prove it is unsafe by my death. other problems w/car: traction control fuel gauge. engine surges at idle key sometimes will not go in and turn, sometimes the key will be stuck and you have to keep trying it to get it out. car locks itself after you exit. *ak

Brakes have failed to stop the car, they didn't lock, and i don't have abs. radio loses power intermittently. then clears up and is good for a while. had incidences of car jerking/stuttering when coasting at surface street speeds has happened three times. have taken car to dealership and told nothing wrong. deal with jones west ford, bought car from internet auto sales. dt

Consumer reported battery failure. on another occasion the brakes failed. *tt *jb

While driving at any speed, the interior and exterior lights starts to flicker, without warning. then the vehicle stalls out. the dealership replace several parts, but the problem continues. the dealership cannot fix problem. please provide more details. ts

When putting key in ignition key won't turn, and sometimes it will afterwards jiggle around. took to dealer, and tumblers replaced. also, tailgates are too high. consumer has injured shoulders opening and closing the tailgates.*ak

The date listed is the first failure date. the sensor went out and the car kept running. on 7/1/02, the sensor failed again and this time a fuse blew and the car stopped running. i was driving 70 mph with 3 passengers in my car. the car was towed to the nearest dealer, who "repaired" the car and i arrived on 7/3/02 to pick it up. i drove approximately 3 miles away from the dealership and the part failed again. i was driving approximately 30 mph in heavy traffic. the car was towed back to the same dealer, who told me the part failed another two times while they were attempting to determine what was wrong. finally, they replaced the wiring harness and the car has run since then. i finally picked up the repaired car on 7/10/02. i contacted ford (the corporation), who told me they were not aware of any problem with the part and their engineering department would do something about it if there were enough complaints. i was told by a service technician at the dealership that repaired my car, who told me it was "a bad ford part" and that there was nothing they could do about it until ford came out with a new part. i told ford what i was told by the dealership, they contacted the technician who denied saying that. i would just like to put some pressure on ford to assure that this vehicle runs properly and prevent this problem from happening again. i was lucky enough to avoid an accident in previous incidents, but may not be as lucky the next time.*ak

Power door locks failed to open after the vehicle was turned off. consumer and child were stuck inside vehicle for at least two minutes trying to manually unlock the doors. horn started beeping/ headlights and hazrards lights wouldn't go out, and trunk wouldn't open. an electrical burning smell was entering vehicle. two days prior door key code would take 3-5 tries to unlock the door. dealer was aware and inspected vehicle. please provide more information. *ak

Key will not turn in ignition. took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced locking mechanism in steering column. *ak the fuel mileage was not consistent with what was stated , the fuel pump was replace along eith the filter, egr valve and radio, two front tires were replaced at 10,700. *yh

I was watching the news last night and heard a story that the nhtsa was investigating complaints that the ford focus engine can stall causing an accident. this is what happen to my car fortunately i was not involved in a crash. but, when i took the car in i was told that i needed a new starter. this was strange to me being the fact the car was not even a year old. after seeing this report i know understand that the problem is cause by debris accumulating in the gas tank, blocking fuel from being delivered to the engine. after the new starter was installed i'm still have problems with the car. for example at time it seem like it's going to stall or it feels like its dragging.*ak

Startern relay sensor on vehicle was not working properly, causing vehicle to stall out intermittently. contacted dealer, and dealer could not fix problem. *ak

There is a delay when starting vehicle, at 55-65 mph vehicle jerks and is hard to control. dealer has been contacted.*ak