Problems with 2005 Ford Focus ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ford focus 2005 wagon. noticed that electric lock will not open hatch back, but took no action to correct. incident: could not move shift lever out of park leaving motorist stranded. found that shared brake light fuse was blown. replaced fuse, but wondered about root cause so tested brake lights. immediately noticed that brake lights remained on when brake pedal was not pressed or pressed. realized that this is a major safety concern, as other drivers will not be aware when the brake is pressed. after web search, i observed many documented cases of damaged wiring harness; i opened the hatch and removed the rubber boot covering the wiring harness. immediately observed that several wires were severed and others damaged. *tr

Purchased the car new, have had to have alternator and battery replaced 3 times now. every time it goes out without warning and in most cases on the highway or in heavy city traffic. i almost couldn't stop nor steer the car safely away from the road. each occurrence has cost me 500.00 usd from towing, parts, and labor. *tr

Intermittently car will seem to short out for split seconds. if i let it idle all is ok but as i apply the gas the split second short comes back. this can happen at various speeds and sometimes if i go over some bumps all becomes ok. friend with a madza3 had similar problem hat was fixed by changing the solenoid. *tr

Key got stuck in ignition and won't come out of the ignition. had to lock key in car and use remote to lock car. second incidence of this on here so looks like it could be a recall in the future for the 2005 ford focus. *tr

Hatch wiring harness fatigued and developed broken wires in the bend area of the wiring harness causing a short circuit. this resulted in loss of stop lamp function & harness burning. *tr

Excessive heat from taillight/brakelight bulb caused plastic housing to distort and brake lights fuse to burn out, causing loss of rear brake lights. potential for rear end collision & wiring fire. after fuse was replaced, wiring smoldered until new fuse also burned out. *tr

I'm having problems with the car hesitating while driving. this has repeatedly happened. i have a little over 90,300 miles on the car. it really scares me when i'm going at least 60 mph on the highway and press the gas to accelerate and then get the hesitation or pullback as if it is going to cut off. i'm afraid it is going to cut off while i am driving it. it also happens when i'm driving 35 mph. when this happens and i cut the car and start it back up, the clock resets to 12:00 and the radio comes on blasting. my lights flicker when it happens at night. i took it to the dealership and they replaced the fuel pump module. this has not helped one bit and i am out $462. they have quoted me a price of $1500 if the fuel pump module replacement did not work. they tell me it will probably be the pcm that needs replacing. *tr

Key stuck in ignition and will not lock into key position #; therefore, gear shift will not lock appropriately when car is off. *tr

Both the front and back drivers side doors can be locked either electronically with the remote or manually by hand. the front drivers side door handle wont operate from the outside. it has been fixed twice already and now broken for a third time. this seems to be a widespread problems with the 02-08 focus. a little googling will show just how often this happens. *tr

The decklid wire harness has fatigued breaking 2 internal wires in the bend area. as a consequence, rear windshield wiper and decklid latch remote release function are lost. because it is in the same harness, loosing stop lamp, defrost or vehicle registration lamp functions it just a matter of time. this failure mode has already been described only that with a different effect (loss of stop lamp). please refer to your campaign id: 00v411000. *tr

Could not get key to release from the ignition of my 2005 ford focus. had to leave car unlocked, with key in ignition overnight. still cannot release key. a child could get into the car and start it up with tragic consequences. many reports on the internet about ford focus ignition cylinder problems, including key-lock issues. i am a single mother who works in retail management, and i get out late at night from work quite often. if my key locks up, i could be stranded in a darkened lot and vulnerable to crime. ford is aware of this problem, had been for years, and has not taken accountability for it. this is absolutely inexcusable for a major corporation.. *tr

Ford focus 2005- the key will not come out of the ignition, after putting the car in park, and turning the ignition off. i took it to ford, and they charged me $300 for replace the ignition cylinder. they said they were 90% sure it would fix the problem. well, it didn't. it is still happening. they now say maybe it's some cable, but it will cost $450 to fix it. they also refuse to apply the $300 for the last unnecessary fix to this fix. i see on the internet that thousands of focus owners have this problem. ford refuses to acknowledge that this is a problem. *tr

The key cannot be removed from ignition. *tr

Key won't turn in the ignition. can no remove key. *tr

My key is stuck in the ignition and will not release from it. i have to leave the key in ignition and lock the vehicle with the alarm. *tr

2005 focus key stuck in the ignition. i disconnected the negative side of the battery and the key came out. *tr

My 2005 ford focus has been having issues with key not turning in the ignition. i have been stranded twice due to this problem. in the past three months i have had this occur over 8 times but until recently the car has eventually started. this last time the car would not start and had to be towed to a shop. i am currently awaiting the correct actions to take inorder to fix this problem. *tr

Ignition switch will not turn. if car was stalled in traffic or on railway crossing serious safety issues could arise. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. the contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition. whenever she drives her vehicle, she has to lock it with another key since the ignition key cannot be removed. the ford manufacturer informed her to take the vehicle to the dealer, but she has not done so at this time. the manufacturer further stated that the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 66,000.

The keys will not come out of the ignition. the car is not registering that it is in park. *tr

My keys are stuck in the ignition of my 2005 ford focus. this just happened today and they are still in there. i will have to lock my car with the keys in it and pray no one steals it. this has happened once before and was stuck for 2-3 days. the keys often act like they are going to stick, then, thankfully they come out. this is such a nuisance and a risk. i asked my dealership would the problem be fixed if i had it repaired and was told that it might still happen and that this is a common problem with the focus. not so good news since, i am sure this would not be cheap. *tr

Key stuck in ignition started car drove home. parked car. turned it off. key stuck. disconnected battery. key came out. reconnected battery. reinserted key. key wouldn't turn. car wouldn't start. left overnight. tried again. left alone for a few more hours. re inserted key. depressed brake...moved car out of park and back into park. key then worked fine. *tr

My key is stuck in the ignition and will not release. has happened multiple times over the past 6 months. at first i thought it was a damaged key but when it happened on a 2nd key the car was taken to our local ford dealer. dealer has replaced lock, and after a repeat occurrence re-keyed the lock and re-cut the keys. now key is stuck and will not release. maryland law requires keys to be removed from the vehicle in the interest of public safety. *tr

The hatch back lid started opening when the rear window defrost was turned on. this has resulted in many inadvertent opening of the lid while driving. while researching, i found a recall for the 2000 ford focus assigned nhtsa 00v411000. i pulled back the rubber boot which protects the same wire harness at the hinge point of the lid. i discovered multiple cracked and exposed wires, and on wire broken it two. i desire for this to be a recall item just as you did for the 2000 model. i have pictures if you desire. *tr

2005 ford focus station wagon- loss of tail lights, high mount stop light, dash lights, running lights due to short in liftgate wiring. the wiring harness in the liftgate fatigues at the bend area. wires break, resulting in a open or short which blows fuse. the blown fuse results in no high mount stop light, running lights, tail lights, and instrument lights. in addition the heated rear defrost and windshield wiper also fail. the harness must be replaced to fix the problem. this issue was part of a recall in 2000- nhtsa campaign id number 00v411000. my car is a 2005. the problem was never fixed in production. *tr

My car fails to start until i crank it 3 or 4 times. sometimes it begins to start then sputters and dies. it has been an everyday thing for about 3 months now. it happens about every time i go to start my car with a few times it starting right away. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. the contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition switch, which failed to release. the failure occurred without warning. the manufacturer was notified and the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin and mileages were unknown.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. the contact experienced difficulty removing the ignition key, which was stuck in the ignition switch. she made several attempts to release the key, but was unsuccessful. the failure occurred without warning. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and they advised that the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer for repair. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin and mileages were unknown.

Key locked in ignition occurred once before,and key came out after 3 days. this time key has been locked for 5 days. can't lock car. dealer explained the need to change ignition for $500!! admitted that this is a problem with various ford focus models. *tr

My battery light came on in the middle of this past week on my way to work...then on friday afternoon, my mother-in-law and i decided to go to asheville, nc...we got as far as waynesville, and my car quit...(about 80,000 miles on my car)...i was able to roll it off and pop the clutch and get it to start...i drove about 5 miles, and it quit again...this time, i could not get it started again...had to call a tow truck...had my car towed to andy shaw ford in sylva, nc, the town closest to where i live...they checked out my car and said that it was the alternator...they also told me that in cold and hot weather, the alternators will go out...my husband has a 1998 toyota tacoma, with 240,000 miles on it and he has never had to replace the alternator in his truck...i have had three other new cars, the first one bought in 1986, ford festiva...it had 149,000 o so on it when it quit....never had to replace the alternator...the next one i bought was a 1995 toyota tercel, hit a deer with about 149,000 on the car...never had to replace the alternator in this car...the next one i bought was a 2000 kia rio...totaled it out when someone hit me in 2005...the car had about 140,000 on it then...never had to ever replace the alternator in that car...so, why did the alternator go out on the ford focus? *tr

I cannot remove the key from the ignition on my 2005 ford focus. this happened suddenly without warning. i turned the ignition off and tried to remove the key and it will not come out. i have seen that several other ford focus owners have had the same problem and ford refuses to do a recall, claiming that this is not a safety issue. a couple of weeks ago, i also noticed that i cannot lock the passenger side rear door, either manually or electronically. i think this is a big safety issue as anyone could get into my car and drive off since the key is still in the ignition and the door will not lock. i will try taking the car to a locksmith to get the ignition lock replaced as i have heard that this is cheaper and more reliable than getting this problem fixed by the dealer. *tr

Noticed on the way home from work on friday that when i clicked on the left turn signal, it went in a "fast blink" which usually means a burned out bulb, short, or blown fuse, but usually just a burned out bulb. once i got home in the driveway, i get out and test the lights and see that the front left turn signals are flashing fast, and the back left turn signal is not flashing at all. i'm still hoping for a burned out bulb at this point. i make a note to change it out in the morning. on saturday oct 4th i pull off the left rear lighting assembly, consisting of two screws holding it to the car, and i find two bulb connections; the bottom one (brake lights) has a normal quarter turn and pull out connector to get to the bulb. only that bulb is fine. the top one also has one of those "quarter-turn-and-pull" connectors, only it does not "pull" heck it doesn't even quarter turn, it's frozen in place, and the back side of this light assembly is melted into an egg shape (supposed to be round). now i'm not into just a bulb any more. it's saturday, and my nearest ford dealership is on m-f bankers hours, so i order a replacement from autozone for $100 which should be here this week. i see from nhtsa web site that there are no existing recalls for this issue, however somebody else apparently has also submitted this exact same problem. i will be asking my ford dealer about it this coming week, but i am also filing this complaint to document a part failure on a car that is only three years old, and whatever the reason; this failure involves electrical systems, external lighting, melting plastic parts, and failed safety equipment. i leave it up to you to determine if further action is required. *tr updated 02/19/10. *lj the consumer stated the issue with the melted assembly around the brake light socket was not limited to the back left, but also present in the back light tail light of his 2005 ford focus station wagon. updated 02/19/10.*jb updated 08/20/10*jb

Ignition key is stuck in my 2005 ford focus. over 2200 people have already signed petition with the same issue on ford focus vehicles. some vehicles the key doesn't turn and can leave them stranded. mine turns but you can't take the key out. *tr

We bought this car brand-new in dec. 2004. we had not had any problems with the key getting stuck in the ignition until today, when we arrived at our house after church. we now have the key stuck in the ignition with no way to get it out - hopefully our car is still sitting in our driveway in the morning.... i called our dealership and no one had any helpful information or ideas, they just told me i needed to wait until the morning and talk to people in their parts dept. *tr

With no previous events, my key became stuck in the ignition. *tr

Nothing in particular happened i just parked my car yesterday and my key has not been able to come out of the ignition since. i work at a car dealership and they could not correct the problem(not a ford dealer) and i called ford and they said it would cost $100 to look at it and they even said it is very common in focus'...yet it is not a recall and covered my warranty ended a month ago also..*tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled and the contact pulled off the road. a nearby mechanic inspected the vehicle and discovered corrosion around the battery cables. he jumped the vehicle and drove to his residence. the following day, a local mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the alternator was overcharging the battery in the vehicle. when the mechanic called to order the part, he was informed that this was the fourth complaint regarding this particular component in the last four weeks. the driver has not notified the manufacturer. the vehicle was repaired on july 17, 2008 by a local mechanic. the failure mileage was 20,814 and current mileage was 20,862. updated 09/16/08. *lj updated 09/17/08. *jb

My 2005 ford focus ignition keeps locking up on me, unable to take keys from the vehicle-leaving me stranded or car open to theft. i was in a car accident over a year ago, since ford wont touch vehicle-says everything was because of accident which was only minor damage. since the accident i haven't had a problem with vehicle until now. at time of accident , the air bags didn't deploy, now everytime i honk on horn the air bag light comes on and stays on for a day or so. *tr

I attempted to exit my car (a 2005 ford focus) however the key cannot be removed from the ignition. i have not been able to remove the key from the ignition and will have to take it in for repair. it seems as though this is a common complaint among ford focus owners. it's problematic because if it happens repeatedly, it can leave the car prone to theft. *tr

My key gets stuck in the ignition intermittently. nothing i do releases it. sometimes i have to leave it in my car for days before i come out one of the mornings and it just decides to let me have my key back. on and off ever since i have gotten the car. *tr

My ignition locked up on my ford focus. *tr

Like thousands of others my 2005 ford focus ignition would not turn in a 2005 focus and i was left stranded. this thankfully was at my workplace and i was not in any immediate danger. *tr

2005 focus with appox. 18000 miles, i am unable to start my car. ignition switch will not turn to crank position nor will it turn on accessories. *jb

Driving the car (ford focus 2005 - 52000 miles) in residential neighborhood. stopped the car to get out, key would not release from the ignition. unable to leave the car until we got back into secure parking garage at home. key has been left in the ignition & is vulnerable to theft. i am currently in the process of finding a way to get it repaired. initially told by ford dealer that ignition needs to be replaced, approx $400. *tr

Key will not come out of the ignition - we have no money to replace anything. *jb

2005 ford focus. the key is stuck in the ignition. it will not come out. i have been told i will have to replace the ignition. single mom here don't have the money. *jb

2005 ford focus airbag system inoperative at around 23,000 miles and 1.5 years of service. dealership advised wiring harness severed by rodent. not covered by ford warranty remains uncorrected. *nm

While driving in the early morning or evenngs i notice that the abs light and battery light glow on. they come on and go off. last evening the car was sitting in my driveway with the doors locked and windows up. the dome light came on and went off several times. i looked into the car and found that the oil light and the door ajar light were on when the dome light was off. also, when the door ajar and oil light are on, the wireless remotes do not work. i have taken the vehicle in for the abs and battery light 2 times with no resolve. i took the vehicle in for service today with video of the dome light, oil light, and the door ajar light. *nm

I purchased this vehicle new in 2005. within the first year and a half i started noticing that the dash lights would illuminate when the vehicle was parked, no keys in the ignition. the abs and battery light would flicker on and off accompanied by a buzzing sound. the wireless remotes stopped working as well. i brought the vehicle to ford as it was still within the three year/36,000 mile warranty period. they said that they could not duplicate the problem. they re-programmed the wireless remotes. after this the problem continued with the flickering lights and buzzing sound and also the wireless remotes stopped working. i returned the vehicle to ford and they told me that the dash lights were malfunctioning and they would have to open up the dash, they quoted me $700 just to open up and diagnose plus the labor charges for whatever the problem was. this was right after the the year/36,000 mile warranty period was over. i mentioned that i had been to the dealership for the very same reason when the vehicle was under warranty but they could not find the problem. ford said that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. ford did not fix this issue and also said that the wireless remotes could not be reprogrammed. in the years since the initial problem, i have had to put in two new alternators. the dash lights flicker almost continuously. the dash display (speedometer, odometer, etc.) has completely cut out while driving the vehicle several time. the vehicle still operates but loses power when the dash cuts out. when the dash display cuts out you are driving without a gas gauge, speedometer, etc. when the dash lights come back on, there is a "hiccup" or power surge accompanied by the same buzzing sound that occurs when the dash lights are flickering when the vehicle is parked. *tr

When i purchased my 2005 ford focus, i had noticed that my key would not come out of the ignition. later i discovered, that if you "cannot" push the button in on the automatic shifter on the floor to put it into gear, the shifter therefore is locked and then you should be able to pull your key out. this works for me, hopefully it helps someone else who is having the same problem. *tr