2002 Ford Focus

2002 FORD FOCUS WITH 80,000 STALLED ON FREEWAY AT SPEED OF 60 MPH WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. POTENTIALLY VERY SERIOUS SITUATION, BUT THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. CAR WAS TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. WE ARE TRYING TO GET FORD TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP AS A WARRANTY, BUT NOTHING HAS HAPPENED THUS FAR. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY HE ATTEMPTED TO USE THE CRUISE CONTROL AND IT ACTIVATED AND DEACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SHUT OFF. NO WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BATTERY CABLES WERE CORRODED AND THE POWER LEAD FUSE PANEL WAS INOPERABLE, THE CABLES AND GROUND CIRCUITS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 117,300.*AK UPDATED 03/19/07. *JB

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY BRAKE LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON AND IT FELT LIKE MY BACK END WAS FISHTAILING. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND CALLED AAA. AS AAA WAS TOWING MY VEHICLE, THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL CAME OFF. THE WHEEL COULD NOT BE LOCATED AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE DID NOT CAUSE ANY ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES TO OTHER VEHICLES. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE REAR WHEEL BEARING HAD FAILED AND THE REPAIR BILL WAS IN EXCESS OF $2,900, INCLUDING THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED TO THE REAR SPINDLE, CONTROL ARM AND SUSPENSION. MY VEHICLE IS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. THE PREVIOUS 2 MODEL YEARS WERE RECALLED FOR REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. *NM

I HAD JUST GOTTEN OFF WORK AND WENT TO LEAVE. I TRIED TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND IT WOULDN'T MOVE. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, IT WAS MY IGNITION SWITCH. THE GUY AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP NEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN I CALLED, STATING IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES TO THE FOCUSES. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER STATED THAT SAME THING. FORD SAYS IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT IT DEFINITELY CAN BE. I WILL NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN, ESPECIALLY NOT ONE FROM ARCHIE COCHRANE IN BILLINGS, MT. THEY ARE A BUNCH OF MONEY HUNGRY JERKS WHO ARE UNWILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR WRONG DOINGS OR HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR A CUSTOMER. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2003 FORD FOCUS HAD IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER PROBLEMS. SINCE 08/2006 WHEN HE PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IT WOULD NOT CONSISTENTLY TURN OVER. HE STATED THAT FOR THE PAST 4 DAYS THE KEY WILL NOT TURN OVER THE IGNITION, AND HE HAS BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE. HE CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP, AND WAS ADVISED TO TAP ON THE KEY WHILE THE KEY IS IN THE IGNITION TO GET THE KEY TO TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT FOUND ON A WEBSITE CALLED AUTOMOTIVETALK.NET, AND A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER OWNERS WERE LISTED. THE WEBSITE STATED THAT VARIOUS LOCKSMITHS DESCRIBED THE FAILURE AS THE TUMBLERS IN THE IGNITION SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT COULD GET THE KEY OUT OF THE VEHICLE, BUT COULD NOT TURN THE KEY TO GET THE IGNITION TO START. THE CONTACT DID FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER, AND HE WILL HAVE A CASE NUMBER AVAILABLE FOR THE HARD COPY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80000, AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73000.*AK

CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HAS A LEAK OF FLUID INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR (DOWN THE CLUTCH ARMATURE TO THE CLUTCH PAD AND TO FLOOR MAT, IF SIGNIFICANT LEAKAGE) WHICH HAS A) CAUSED THE CLUTCH PEDAL PAD TO BECOME SLIPPERY AND FALL OFF DUE TO THE FLUID SEEPING BEHIND THE PAD [AFTER MARKET REPLACEMENTS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO RELATIVE YOUTH OF CAR, THEREFORE NECESSITATING SERVICE AT DEALER], B) CAUSES THE BRAKE LIGHT TO COME ON SPORADICALLY DUE TO A DROP IN BRAKE FLUID (CLUTCH HYDRAULICS SHARE A RESERVOIR WITH BRAKE SYSTEM), ALTHOUGH NO FINDING OF CORRESPONDING BRAKE TROUBLE CAN BE MADE [PROBLEM TEMPORARILY DISAPPEARS WHEN FLUID LEVEL TOPPED OFF] AND C) CAUSES SPORADIC CLUTCH "SOFTENING" AND DECREASED EFFECTIVENESS. ISSUE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF BOTH DEALER AND INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NONE CAN FIND A FAULT WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AS INDICATED BY THE ERROR LIGHT AND THEREFORE NONE INDICATE THAT A TROUBLE EXISTS. THE LEAK IS NOT OBVIOUS UPON VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND THE PROBLEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON BRAKING POWER (UNLESS LEFT TOO LONG AND BRAKE FLUID LEVELS DROP SIGNIFICANTLY). UNABLE TO LOCATE PRECISE LOCATION OF LEAK (SUSPECT EITHER RESERVOIR OR SOME ASSOCIATED LINE TO CLUTCH HYDRAULICS) OR TO DETERMINE WHY ONLY CLUTCH SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE IMPACTED. 1) NO NOTICEABLE/KNOWN EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE; UNCERTAIN HOW LONG CONDITION EXISTED PRIOR TO INITIAL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM 2) SEE FAILURE AND CONSEQUENCES NOTED ABOVE 3) NO CORRECTION IN PLACE YET AS DEALER SERVICE DOES NOT YET ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM AND DID NOT "FIND" PROBLEM AT RECENT 60K SERVICE WORK-UP (INCLUDED TOTAL SYSTEMS CHECK AND FULL BRAKE INSPECTION WITH FLUID TOP OFFS) PROBLEM WITH BRAKE LIGHT FIRING MANIFEST APPROXIMATELY EVERY TWO WEEKS (SINCE FIRST NOTED IN NOVEMBER 2006) DUE TO FLUID LOSS, PARTICULARLY WHEN TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ISSUE IS "RESOLVED" BY ADDING BRAKE FLUID TO RESERVOIR. *JB

GAUGES HAVE BEEN SURGING ALONG WITH THE HEADLIGHTS. THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT THOUGH AS THE GAUGES NEVER RETURNED TO NORMAL POSITION AND I DROVE ALL THE WAY TO WORK ( 13 MILES) NOT KNOWING MY SPEED ,MILEAGE NOR TEMP OF MY CAR. AT THE SAME TIME MY RADIO WAS ON AND WHEN I TRIED TO TURN DOWN MY HEAT FROM 4 TO 3 IT TURNED OFF ANY SOUND FROM THE STEREO. WHEN I REACHED WORK I LET MY CAR SET FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES WHEN FINALLY MY GAUGES SURGED ONCE AGAIN AND RETURNED TO NORMAL. I BOUGHT MY CAR A YEAR AGO AND TOLD THE DEALER ABOUT IT THEN (THE SURGES ALWAYS RETURNED TO NORMAL UNTIL THIS EVENING) AND THE DEALER JUST COMMENTED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. *NM

TWO SEPARATE 2002 FORD FOCUS AUTOMOBILES HAVE HAD THE IGNITION LOCK BREAK, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN THE KEY, UNLOCK THE STEERING COLUMN, OR START THE VEHICLE. BOTH THESE INCIDENTS OCCURRED WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS OF EACH OTHER. IN THE FIRST CASE, THERE HAD BEEN A GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE DIFFICULTY IN TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION LOCK. IN THE SECOND CASE, THE FAILURE WAS ABRUPT AND COMPLETE - NORMAL OPERATION IN THE EVENING AND TOTAL FAILURE THE NEXT MORNING. THE TWO VEHICLES INVOLVED ARE A 2002 FORD FOCUS 3-DOOR HATCHBACK (ZX3), AND A 2002 FORD FOCUS 4-DOOR SEDAN (ZTS), BOTH TIMES IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP (SPECIFICALLY, VETERANS FORD IN METAIRIE LA) AND HAVE THE LOCK REPLACED AND TWO NEW KEYS MADE AT THE COST OF $375 FOR EACH OCCURRENCE. *JB