2003 Ford Focus

DT: TACHOMETER IN VEHICLE STOPPED WORKING WHICH RESULTED IN A SHORT. THIS CAUSED THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO GO OUT. THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAD TO BE REPLACED 8 TIMES SINCE SEPTEMBER. THE SOLENOID IN THE IGNITION WAS DEFECTIVE AND RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER, WHO HAS REPLACED THE SOLENOID. BUT DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE HE COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. CONSUMER REPORTED THIS TO FORD 3 TIMES. THE ALARM ON THE CAR WAS ALSO NOT WORKING. THE ALARM WAS NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, BUT WAS SOMETHING THAT CONSUMER PAID EXTRA FOR THE FORD DEALERSHIP TO ADD ON VEHICLE. FORD WILL NOT REPAIR OR REPLACE ALARM BECAUSE IT WAS NOT MANUFACTURED BY FORD. *AK

THE IGNITION HAS LOCKED THREE (3) TIMES ON A 2003 FORD FOCUS IN LESS THAN A TWO YEAR TIME PERIOD. IT APPEARS THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH AND/OR COMPONENTS ARE SUBSTANDARD SINCE THE PART HAS BEEN REPLACED ON TWO PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. THE IGNITION LOCKED FOR THE THIRD TIME ON JULY 20, 2005. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR A REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE IGNITION. THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY THE FIRST TWO (2) INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM.

OUR 2003 FORD FOCUS HAS HAD TO HAVE THE IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED TWICE. PARKED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE CAR, CAME BACK TO START LATER AND THE IGNITION SWITH WOULD OT TURN. FIRST SWITCH WAS REPLACED IN JULY 2004 AND THE SECOND ONE IN MARCH 2005. TODAY WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON A CITY STREET THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME SO LOOSE IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND WILL HAVE TO BE TOWED FOR THE THIRD TIME TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE FIRST IGNITION SWITH WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE SECOND SWITCH. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON THE FORD FOCUS AND I BELIEVE A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE. OF MAJOR CONCERN IS THIS IS THE THIRD FAILURE ON A STEERING COLUMN IN A NEW VEHICLE.

NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHERE THE BATTERY LIGHT WOULD FLICKER AND FLASH AND THE CAR WOULD STALL. FORD ISSUED A TSB WHICH "CURES" THIS BUT IT DID NOT WORK WITH ME OR MANY OTHER FOCUS OWNERS (JUST SEARCH WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM OR WWW.FOCALJET.COM). FORD SAYS THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL IT DOES THIS WITH THEM, BUT IT IS SO RANDOM THERE IS NEVER A SET OCCASION WHEN IT WILL DO THIS. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES BEFORE ME FOR THE SAME SITUATION. THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR HAVE BEEN CHANGED AND THE PCM "FLASH" HAS BEEN DONE OVER 2 TIMES. EVEN THE SERVICE REP AT THE SELLING DEALERSHIP SAID "THIS CAR REALLY LIKES TO BE HERE FOR THAT PROBLEM". THOSE WERE HIS OWN WORDS. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT HAS STALLED ON MY WHEN I WAS IN AN OFF-RAMP AND I ALMOST COLLIDED WITH THE BARRICADE AN AT AN INTERSECTION.

CAR STALLS OUT IN COLD WEATHER ONLY. CAR WAS PURCHASED ON OCT. '03 FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN JAN. OF '04. WENT THROUGH THE DISPUTE BOARD AND THEY WOULD NOT GRANT NEW VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP AND FORD ENGINEER CANNOT FIND PROBLEM. CAR WAS BROUGHT IN ON 6/6/05 WITH THE FORD FIELD ENGINEER PRESENT WHO WANTED TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE SINCE IT WAS NOT COLD OUTSIDE. PROBLEM STILL UNRESOLVED!

I BOUGHT A 2003 FORD FOCUS BRAND NEW IN FEBRUARY 2003. THE CAR HAD ABOUT 300 MILES ON IT. YESTERDAY THE IGNITION SWITCH WENT OUT COSTING ME OVER $250. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR! I WENT INTO A RESTAURANT AND CAME OUT. I WAS STRANDED. I'VE SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR SIMILAR SITUATIONS/COMPLAINTS AND OTHER PEOPLE HAD SIMILAR SITUATIONS. I UNDERSTAND BATTERIES GOING DEAD OR WEAR AND TEAR ON BRAKES. I'VE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE. I'VE NEVER OWNED A FORD BEFORE EITHER! IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH FORD? IS THIS STATEMENT TRUE?: FIXED OR REPAIRED DAILY.

ON APRIL 11, 2005, AS I WAS LEAVING WORK IN THE EVENING, I PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND COULD NOT TURN THE KEY. THE FOLLOWING DAY, I SPENT SOME TIME ON THE TELEPHONE WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS AND KEY MAKERS TRYING TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS A FAULTY IGNITION CYLINDER. ON APRIL 14 I HAD THE CAR TOWED INTO BOHN FORD INC. AT 401 N. CARROLLTON AVENUE, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70119. (504) 485-2646. WHILE THE CAR WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND LEARNED FROM ONE WEBSITE THAT THERE WERE AT LEAST 137 OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I HAD. I FOUND A SECOND WEBSITE WITH ANOTHER LIST OF PEOPLE WHO WERE SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES OF THE FAULTY IGNITION CYLINDER LOCK. TWO PEOPLE WHO POSTED ONTO THE WEBSITE MENTIONED THE PO5. I UNDERSTOOD FROM THEM THAT THE CAR COULD HAVE BEEN FIXED FOR $24.58. THE CAR HAD TO BE UNDER SIX YEARS OLD AND UNDER 75,000 MILES. THE STAFF AT THE BOHN FORD DEALERSHIP WAS VERY CONSIDERATE AND UNDERSTANDING OF MY SITUATION; HOWEVER, WHEN I REQUESTED A PO5, THEY TOLD ME THAT WHILE THEY WERE SURE THAT I QUALIFIED , THEIR OFFICE WAS NOT AUTHORIZED TO APPLY FOR A PO5 AT THIS TIME. MY TOTAL BILL CAME TO $396.69 TO DRILL OUT, CODE, AND REPLACE THE IGNITION CYLINDER LOCK; AND TO CUT, ERASE, AND PROGRAM TWO PAT KEYS. THE IGNITION CYLINDER LOCK PROBLEM ON THE FORD FOCUS CAN BE TRACED AT LEAST AS FAR BACK AS 2001. THEREFORE I URGE YOU TO BEGIN A RECALL ON THE IGNITION CYLINDER LOCK. *JB