Problems with 2001 Ford Focus ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. the contact stated that the front driver's side floor mat became wet. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the condenser box to the air conditioning unit was cracked and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was unknown. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. the contact was traveling 30 mph when the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was restarted shortly thereafter. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vin failed to qualify under nhtsa campaign id number:03v482000 ( fuel system, gasoline). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 157,000...updated 01/30/13 *bf the consumer stated the dealership found pcv hose at the back of the engine collapsed (repaired), performed fuel induction sytem flush, aaa replaced entire cooling system. the vehicle has been repaired as a whole. updated 2/5/2013 *js

On 7/27/2012, the car caught on fire while being driven. the smoke started coming into the interior through the vents. when attempting to pull over,there was no brake (my guess is that the brake line had melted.). my husband used the e brake and park to stop and someone yelled...get out of the car.my husband and son jumped out and the car became engulfed. there is nothing left. he told me that just before that it started hesitating some,like it was going to cut off, but didn't. for a more detailed statement please contact him. i am so thankful that they got out... thank you, *tr

Engine suddenly had no oil in it. in turn, the engine is now blown. *tr

This vehicle has suddenly died dozens of times since april of 2011. it dies when applying the brakes on the interstate, it dies when braking in a parking area. there is no specific speed when this occurs. the vehicle starts back up after two or three times while giving it gas. it happens when the gas tank is full or low and our very reputable mechanic can find no cause. this is extremely dangerous, especially in high traffic areas and i have seen where numerous complaints have been filed online and i hope reporting this will show a pattern with these vehicles. *kb

After purchasing car with 62k miles on it, i discovered a coolant leak the next day. this leak has gotten worse over the last week. a search of different internet sites found at least 15 reports of the thermostat housing coming loose/breaking loose from its position against the engine block. this is where the leak is coming from on my car, and the description in at least one other case appears to be identical to my own leak. the descriptions found online range from nearly immediately after purchase to approximately 1 year after purchase. this leak is severe enough to generate a 2ft wide by 4ft long puddle of coolant in approximately 12hours. continuous leak even after car has sat for greater than 12 hours rules out a failure only while under pressure. *tr

I've had numerous problems with my ford focus and despite regular maintenance i've been stranded on the side of a highway countless times.thus far i've replaced the engine twice. twice i've had to replace the alternator. my throttle does not return to idle and has unexpected moments of acceleration and i've had to replace the engine throttle sensor. both of my front coil springs have broken and were very close to puncturing my tires. after taking my vehicle to numerous mechanics none of them have been able to diagnose why my car shakes so badly. i have very poor visibility at night with the exterior lighting which is significantly less compared to other vehicles. my fan has had to be replaced since it was malfunctioning and my car was having problems overheating as well. during the course of all of these car malfunctions, i've been in dangerous situations on the side of the highway and in risky neighborhoods at night. this car has proven to be very unreliable and unsafe. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. while driving at approximately 10 mph, the engine stalled. the contact tried to restart the vehicle after a minute it would not start up. the contact then noticed smoke emitting from the hood which soon became a fire. the fire department extinguished the fire and a fire report was filed. the vehicle was totaled. the current and failure mileages were approximately 93,000. updated 6/21/10 *cn updated 06/24/10.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. while driving at approximately 15 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the contact pulled over and when he restarted it, the vehicle functioned properly. the dealer, when contacted, stated that they were unaware of such a problem. the failure continued to occur intermittently. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in any recalls related to the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 129,000. the current mileage was 130,275.

I have had a ford focus 2001 for two years and in those years i have had to replace the engine and engine mounts. i have found out that this i common place in almost all ford focus's. i fear that this car might leave me anywhere, now one week ago the ignition cylinder has broken. this is not wear and tear. i demand that these cars of 1998 threw 2003 be labeled as lemons and have ford issue a recall or reimbursements on them. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. she received a recall notice for the rear door handles which were repaired at the manufacturer's expense (see nhtsa campaign id 05v030000). the front passenger door came open due to a defective door handle while the contact was driving. the manufacturer was contacted and advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer where they would further investigate the defect. repairs to the passenger door were scheduled with the dealer at the owner's expense. she also stated that the engine failed and was replaced per the extended warranty. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 97,000 and the current mileage was 124,000.

My main complaints are the power windows, air conditioning, fuel system issue 3 of the 4 power window mechanism in my car have broken and two are wedged up, which wasn't a huge safety concern to me because i rarely have people in the rear seats. now, i have to decide if i should fix my driver window or wedge it. it is a safety concern for me because if i get into an accident and cannot open my window then i might make it out alive. my a/c is broken as well so in the summer months, i need to choose to either fix my a/c or fix my power window so that i can have ventilation. also, i have been trying to get an issue fixed with the fuel system as it sometimes lurches in the middle of driving. it hasn't stalled on me yet in the middle of an intersection like it has for some people, but i am worried it will happen soon. i am hopeful ford will fix my window issues as this is a direct cause of cheap parts. *tr

The connecting rod broke in the engine. our mechanic said that almost all 2001 ford focus has this problem. i know i have 130,000 miles on the vehicle but i kept up with all recalls and maintenance. just lucky we made it home safe. if there is such a problem with most focus why wasn't it fixed by ford before a break down and lost of my vehicle. *tfr

Our daughters 2001 ford focus caught on fire from the engine, burned into the cabin. the car was off and parked in a lot. we purchased the car from a ford dealership when it was 3 years old, and have never been told of this problem. the car has been totaled. we are so fortunate that our daughter was not injured, nor that anyone else or property was damaged. she had only been out of the car for about 4-6 minutes before it erupted in flames. prior to that the car appeared to drive fine. no smells, no warning lights. very scary. i felt that i need to tell someone, as the insurance company, appears to want to just settle the claim, with no investigation. how are we to make cars safer, if the insurance companies, the last line of defense, don't notify anyone? *tr

Ignition sticks and moves around, horn fell completely out from under the car and hit someone's car, the fan box and all fell completely off and down, backfiring stalling rattling vibrates front right side around tire area rattles horribly, check eng. light stays on mass air flow sensor is bad transmission sensor is bad lighter stopped working car completely goes dead spits sputters, manifold pipe broke so now its loud. its all day long non stop period we have replace several sensors and tubes and wires for it doesn't work not getting the gas mileage i should and i have had it 11 months but hardly dove it 3 total all together i cant afford any thing else to fix these problems 3 days after i bought it its been pure ?!@#$%. *tr