Problems with 2004 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 17 year old daughter was left stranded one evening when the key wouldn't turn in the ignition of her 2004 ford focus so she couldn't get the car started. i had just signed up for a class at our local community college at a campus 25+ miles away. i was in class with my phone off, so i couldn't help her. it is a dangerous situation for a young girl to be stranded anywhere. in addition, we live in texas where we're up to 65 days of temperatures in the triple digits. this could be a major health concern for anyone who became stranded in the heat of the day. i understand this problem is quite common in 2000-2004 models. we were finally able to get someone to get the key to turn so she could drive home. however, once there, the same thing happened. we had to have the car towed to the dealership for service. then i learned that the part wasn't even covered under the warranty i had purchased. for whatever reason, ford doesn't consider this to be a safety issue and has failed to issue a recall. *tr

Ignition and steering wheel completely locked up when i put the key in while heading out on my lunch break. i'm really disturbed that the nhtsa has not done anything to make the ford motor company fix this problem which is a chronic, well-documented safety hazard. my car is now completely immobile and had to be towed back to my residence. luckily my father is going to be able to fix it, but there are many people that don't have this option and have to spend hundreds of dollars to fix a problem caused by faulty materials knowingly used by ford. i will never buy a ford again. *tr

2004 ford focus key ignition is a faulty design in seemingly all focus models according to my dealer and many sources. this left me stranded in 100 degree weather with my pet and no idea what to do. the repair is quoted at $550 to replace it at the dealer and ford has done nothing to recall their poorly designed ignition. my dealer said every ford focus will eventually need this repaired, why then isn't ford accountable? *tr

1. there was no warning sign 2. my key wouldn't turn the ignition, i was stuck at my job 11:00 pm. 3. i had the car towed to the nearest ford dealerships and had the ignition replaced costing me $382.00. *tr

I tried to start my 2004 ford focus zx3 one night only to find that the steering wheel and ignition were locked up. it felt as if the whole steering mechanism was frozen. i'm still researching how to deal with this issues since i can't drive my car. on-line resources have taught me that this is a common problem with the ford focus' yet there is no recall available and we are stuck paying hundreds of dollars to fix a manufacturer defect. *tr

There is a defect which causes the ignition lock to fail, making it impossible to turn the key or start the vehicle's engine. the form says it's invalid but i checked both places in the car and that is what it says. the form did not have, "electrical system:ignition," as an option for component name which better describes the problem area. *tr

Our 17 year old daughter stopped at a seven-eleven store and when she tried to return home the ignition key in our 2004 ford focus would not turn. this left our daughter stranded and required her to wait for a tow truck. being a 17 year old girl stranded outside a seven-eleven was not a good feeling! i believe ford is aware of many complaints about their focus ignition locks. *tr

2004 ford focus. the key will not turn in the ignition and the ignition needs to be replaced. this has happened to tons of other people with the same car and issue and ford has not recalled it because they are cheap.*tr

The vehicle ignition starter fails to start the vehicle. you must hit the key into the ignition in order to actually start the car. this occurs every time that i attempt to start the car. this is a common issue that recurs even after you replace the parts. this is a mechanical error that will constantly break down. *tr

1. ford focus (2004) has for the past month had trouble with the key turning in the ignition. apparently it is a well known issue and ford refuses to acknowledge that it is a safety issue. however, i absolutely believe that being stranded somewhere at night is very much a safety issue - whether or not ford admits this possibility. 2. the key does not turn because of a defect in the ignition switch (or so i've read online). this problem has occurred thousands of times according to online complaints and petitions, without ford recognizing it and taking action. this problem renders the car completely unusable until fixed and the repair can be very costly and time consuming. it is most certainly a safety issue - what is safe about being unable to start one's car if one is on the side of the highway, at night in an unknown city, etc? 3. nothing has been done yet because i am waiting to see if ford customer service can explain why the company refuses to admit the issue and reimburse it's customers for their faulty design. *tr

I have two issues with my ford focus (2004) first, i ran into a problem with the ignition switch and it will not turn. i left the key in for a couple of months when this initially happened but, it wore out my alternator and i had to have it replaced. i removed the key once the new alternator was installed. i had some minor success with inserting the key and had to bang on it with my hand to get it to turn. this worked successfully for 2 weeks. the ignition switch is now frozen. i am back to square one. secondly, the trunk latch doesn't close properly and i have to use my remote to reopen the mechanism in order to get it to close. very aggravating. i will not purchase another ford if these issues are not recalled. *tr

I own a 2004 ford focus that the ignition went out on, i would put the key in and the key would not turn, locked steering wheel. for a while, i would wiggle the key and it would finally turn over, until 2 weeks ago( 5-2009) when i had to have it towed after i got in my car and it would not start. the ford dealership looked at it the next morning and told me it would be $450.00 to fix and that this problem has happened to alot of focus owners, i don't understand why ford would not want to correct this problem, starting your car is the most important thing needed to drive so without being able to count on your ignition your car is useless and without ford recognizing this problem and fixing it, i believe alot of ford owners may not be in the future. you need to be able to start a car! *tr

The key will not turn the ignition. this has happened several times. usually i can get it to work after about an hour or two of repeatedly putting the key in & out, but today i cannot get it working. i have been stranded in the dead of winter with my daughter out at midnight, on the side of a major busy highway (rt 94 west to chicago), and several other locations. it's usually late at night and freezing cold out when this happens to me. it is definitely a safety hazard for me as well as when i have my daughter with me. *tr

Ignition system failed for 2004 ford focus 2 dr coupe. car now needs a new system which ford estimates at $450. google "ford focus ignition" and see hundreds of exact same complaint. ford will not recall since not "safety" issue, how about integrity. they know of the problem but will not fix it. california has a class action law suit, but what about me?? ford should be held accountable for this problem that they know exists for older models, especially in this time of need. no confidence left in ford, i will buy foreign cars from now on. please help!!! *tr

My ignition lock froze up and i was unable to drive my car. key wouldn't turn and the steering wheel was locked. i had to have my car towed to a shop for repairs. i called ford and asked them to correct the problem and they declined. i own a 2004 ford focus zx5. i checked the internet and this is a common problem. *tr

Ignition completely locked up. i could not start car. i was stranded and had to get towed to a ford dealer. cost was $500 to fix. *tr

2004 ford focus - key will not turn in ignition. the first occurrence was 6/27/09 @ 1:15 am, leaving movie theater, had to leave vehicle there. again @ 7 am (finally got car cranked after 15 minutes). when got home this occurred again. repeated times. cannot crank vehicle with key in ignition. *tr

My 2004 ford focus ignition switch failed making it impossible to turn the key and start the car. leaving him stranded in providence ri late monday night. i understand that this is a class problem with the focus and the state of california is pursuing a class action against ford for this. why is their no recall ??? the car has 70k miles on it, but the repair was not covered under the 100k warranty as it is over 4 years old. *tr

Upon leaving a grocery store the ignition key wouldn't turn. i was unable to start the car and called the local ford dealership. they responded by saying that they would charge $391 plus tax, and that if they damaged the steering column in the process i would be liable for the repair or replacement cost of the column as well. not willing to take my chances with such an expensive repair that would leave me with a new part that would possibly fail in the same manner, not to mention possible additional costs of repairing or replacing the column i conducted a brief internet search i found that this was an ongoing problem with 1999 through 2007 ford focus cars. i also learned that a competent locksmith could repair the switch for between $150 and $200. i was able to get my vehicle repaired for $152, and there was no possibility of damaging the steering column. the original part was removed by the locksmith, rebuilt the switch and replaced it thus repairing the vehicle. *tr

2004 ford focus - ignition problems. came to find out this is a well known, documented problem. "the ford focus' most common problem, according complaints from focus owners, is the key won't turn in the ignition, or the key gets stuck in the ignition." *tr

For about a month now, the ignition and/or steering wheel locks up when i try to put the key in to start my 2004 ford focus. i initially spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to start the car. now i realize i have to jiggle, turn, & finagle everything just right & i can get it the ignition to turn in a few minutes. it is ridiculous that i now think getting my car started in under 5 minutes is "good." this happens 9 out of 10 times that i try to start the car. i have seen many similar complaints. seems like ford needs to fix this problem. i am not impressed. *tr

2004 ford focus key gets stuck in the ignition and will not turn. it occurs frequently. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. when the contact removes and re-inserts the key from the ignition, the ignition locks. he was unable to start the vehicle and it was towed to the dealer. he is in the process of having the ignition cylinder replaced. the manufacturer stated that they would not provide financial assistance because his vehicle exceeded the warranty. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 57,000.

Got into the car put the key in the ignition and it would not turn. a locksmith hit it with a hammer and it turned, now to get it started i have to hit the key with a hammer but i don't know how long that will last. *tr

2004 ford focus - locked ignition switch-low miles. unable to drive or unlock steering wheel. hundreds of complaints on this situation. class action filed in ca. *tr

The key will not turn in the ignition. this it turns out is a known issue for the ford focus yet so far ford has not recalled the faulty ignition. *tr

My ignition has locked multiple times leaving my 3 year old daughter and myself stranded where i had to call someone to come and help start my car as the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. tonight the car would not start at all and i had to abandon it. *tr

I have a 2004 ford focus whose ignition switch went out and had to be replaced. this cost me a couple hundred dollars. *tr

My 2004 ford focus's ignition has failed. it just stopped working one day leaving me stranded at work for 2 hours. *tr

I have a 2004 ford focus. intermittently i have had difficulty turning the key in the ignition. i place the key in the ignition but the ignition does not move. generally if i wait and try again several minute later the key will turn. tonight i left work and attempted to start my car. the key would not turn. i called home and attempted with spare key with similar results. i left car in parking lot until able to call service in morning. fortunately it was not an emergency and i was able to contact family to obtain alternative transportation. *tr

Occasional erratic instrument display operation with periods of instrument panel outage. *tr

I got in my car after lunch on day to return to work and when i put my key in the ignition, it would not turn. i kept trying for approximately 30 minutes and could not get it to turn. this is the second ford focus i have owned and the 2nd time this event has occurred. i had to pay $473.20 to have the car towed, the ignition lock replaced, and a new key fitted for the car. the lady at the ford dealership informed us before we took the car in that there was a possibility of the part being recalled since this happens often. when we took the car in and they began work on it we discovered this was not true. i am just thankful i was not coming back from court or it was late at night or else i would have been stranded on the road. *tr

I bought a 2004 ford focus zx3 a year ago in august 2007. the car had never given me any problems until yesterday, september 22, 2008. i got out of school and went to lunch with a friend, i had to go to work so i decided to leave. when i went outside to turn my car on i couldn't turn the key in the ignition, i tried moving the stirring wheel while i turned the key in the ignition but it wouldn't budge. i called my friend and she came out to try to see if she could turn it on, it didn't work for her either. i then proceeded to call the dealership from where i got my car, they told my that i did still had warranty for my car so the told me that i had to tow it to them. they gave me a number so that i could call customer service for the warranty, they let me know that i did have insurance for a tow truck. they gave me the number of a tow truck and i had to call them so that they could pick-up my car and take it to the dealership. the tow truck came and got my car to take to the dealership. i called the dealership after my car got there the guy told me that they where not going to be able to check my car until tomorrow when the service guys got in. they called bck today and told me that they were able to fix my car and i had to pay a 50 dollar deductible to pick up my car. i have read some more statements from people that have had the same problem with their focuses but the most report have been with the 2000-20003 like i said my car is a 2004 so ford really needs to try to better there ignition locks because even after replacing the ignition lock it sometimes happens again. i didn't make it to work yesterday and if my friend wasn't with me i would have been stranded with out a car, hopefully i this doesn't happen again and ford does something about it soon! *tr

Ford focus 2004 key ignition problems. the key wont turn in the ignition. i understand that this is in focus 2000-2003, but mine is a 2004 and i just spent $400.00 in repairs. i went to the dealer to get it repaired hoping ford would finally issue a recall, and i can get my money back. the one i have will probably break again in a few years, for another $400. this is terrible. i had the card towed. *tr

My ignition switch on my ford focus 2004 would not turn over. i was only in a fast food restaurant for 5 minutes and when i came back out, the ignition lock and steering wheel would not turn. had to have car towed to local repair shop. went on internet and have researched thousands of ford focus locked cylinder complaints. when will this become a recall? i do not know how much money i will be out of but this is ridiculous for ford to not pay for this problem. *tr

Ignition on my 2004 ford focus would not turn. this has happen before and i was able to get the car running. the latest i had to drill out the ignition to get the car home. *tr

There were no difficulties leading up to the failure of my ignition. i put the key in the ignition of my 2004 ford focus and it would not turn. i had a mechanic look at it and he said it was the cylinder ignition switch. he checked online after seeing my car and found that this has been happening in focus' since 2000. i then did some research on my own and found the same thing. i called the ford company and they suggested i take my car to the dealership. i called another mechanic and he told me alot of focus' have this problem and that the dealership would have to fix it because they would have to make a new key and no one else could do that. i have not totally fixed the problem yet. the mechanic who saw my car put wd-40 in the ignition and banged a screw driver in it and then it turns on. i still have to do this. *tr

Purchased 2004 ford focus on 8-5-08. on 8-19-08 the ignition locked in my drive way. ignition will not turn over at all. ford needs to fix this! *tr

1. nothing led up to the failure. 2. failure occurs each time key is inserted into the ignition 3. parts need to be replaced. i drive a 2004 ford focus. my ignition cylinder has gone out. i spent 1/2 hour late at night trying to get home from work. the key wont turn. i fear for my safety. there are thousands of people that have this problem. this is scary! *tr

My car (2004 ford focus) was just about due for its 30,000 mile tune up when it first acted up. it stopped while driving on the freeway-no power, nothing. we took it to a local toyota dealer service center and had it checked and the 30,000 mile tune up done. no problems for 1 month. while driving it did the same thing when i exited my driveway. after stopping the car, taking out the key, then re-starting the engine it seemed to be ok so i headed out on the highway. fortunately while driving at the back of a line of traffic, including 2 fully loaded logging trucks, it happened when i had slowed down to about 50 mph. i got it over to the toyota service station and again they checked it out and couldn't figure it out. this time they couldn't get it to start for about 10 minutes. the service manager called me the next day to tell me that ford had a bulletin on fixing this type of issue, apparently the computer needed to be re-programmed! so i called the closest ford dealership 29 miles away and tried to discuss the situation with them. i called another ford dealer and was quoted 3 times as much. i called the ford customer service to make a complaint and got the same blase attitude about the situation. no one thought it was a safety issue and that owners needed to be notified. but 4 times in total, my life and my fiance's life were in danger. this is another issue of ford's negligence. remember the firestone tires??? *tr

I have a 2004 ford focus that is having major issues with the ignition. the key will not turn in the ignition in order to start the car, and has left me stranded on several occasions. *tr

Key stuck in ignition switch. cannot turn. cannot be removed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford focus. when the contact inserted the key into the ignition, he was unable to start the vehicle. he was also unable to remove the key from the ignition. the dealer stated that they have had many similar complaints related to ignition failure for the ford focus. depending on the severity of the failure, the repair could cost between $300-$600. through online research, the contact discovered other complaints related to the ford focus and ignition failures. the failure and current mileages were 49,000.

Ford focus key will not turn in ignition. i was stranded at night with 2 children for over an hour due to this problem! this has occurred more than a handful of times in the last 2 weeks which is unacceptable. this defective part should be recalled and replaced immediately!! *tr

Ignition switch frozen, the cost to repair/replace quoted by ford dealership was $361.00, the cost by a locksmith is $300-$350. 2004 ford focus z3. *tr

Key will not turn in ignition leaving me stranded at night. seems to be a common problem with this car(ford focus) according to internet queries. *tr

Went to start car to go to work and key would not turn the ignition on. had to have the whole tumbler assembly repaired at a cost of just under $400. *tr

I have owned my 2004 ford focus se for about 4 years now and out of no where the ignition in the car froze. when i put my key in the ignition the key doesn't go in the key hole smoothly once all the way in it wont turn. i was stranded at work for 3 and a half hours trying to get my car started finally a tow truck driver came and used a mallet hit my key while it was in the ignition to get the car started. i brought my car to a local ford dealership because i heard that ford did a recall on this part. turns out that the dealership says i am fully responsible for the part...i did some researching online and found that hundreds of thousands of people have the same problem ford is not fixing this malfunction. i am deploying to iraq for the second time and i can not leave my family a working vehicle because of a defect ford has with the ignition system. i feel as if this is a problem that ford should face and should do an official recall on. this is poor service esp coming from a large vehicle company like ford. *tr

I was getting into my 2004 ford focus and put the key in and tried to turn it. the key would not turn. the ignition switch is broken. i researched it online and found numerous consumers with the same problem. ford is not issuing a recall for this problem and they should. i called ford and they said there is nothing they can do. i was left stranded at work and late for my second job because of the car trouble. i am having my car fixed today. i called a dealership and barely got two words out about the ignition and they knew exactly what i was talking about. they said that it has been happening to a lot of focuses. this has left many people stranded and in dangerous places. ford needs to issue a recall and fix this issue so that they do not have any more unhappy customers. *tr

My daughter went to start her 2004 ford focus and the key would not turn when inserted in the ignition. steering wheel and ignition cylinder were locked up and could not be moved. this was the first occurrence of this problem. vehicle was towed to a nearby ford dealership where the problem was diagnosed as "ignition cylinder binding." dealership drilled out cylinder and replaced at a cost of $425. failure mileage was 67,947. *tr