2003 Ford Focus

MY 2003 FORD FOCUS HAS A IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM ALL OF A SUDDEN THE KEY WILL NOT START THE CAR IT HAS LEFT US STRANDED AND HAS TAKEN US AS LONG AS 30 MINUTES TO START CAR. WE HAVE TRIED SEVERAL REMEDIES LIKE SILICONE SPRAY, TAPPING ON KEY SO IT WILL START THIS PROBLEM HAS EFFECTED A HOST OF FOCUS OWNERS WITH COSTLY REPAIRS AND WE WILL SOON HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO REPAIR THIS OBVIOUSLY FLAWED DESIGN. *TR

I JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT MY 2003 FORD FOCUS. JUST THIS WEEK THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION AND MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD BE LOCKED. I WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO GET MY CAR STARTED AFTER A FEW TRIES OR 10 MINUTES OR SO. TODAY I SAT IN MY CAR FOR 40 MINUTES TRYING TO GET MY KEY TO TURN; IT WOULD NOT. I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR AT THE SCHOOL WHICH I WORK AT, SINCE I AM A TEACHER, AND BE PICKED UP. I HAVE JUST READ ONLINE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE OR ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THE IGNITION YET. I AM CONFUSED AS TO WHY. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IT LEAVES YOU STRANDED AND TO NOT BE ABLE TO GET YOUR CAR STARTED IS A BIG DEAL. IF IT WAS JUST MY CAR, FINE, I WOULD GET IT FIXED WITH NO ISSUE. BUT TO READ THAT HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND FORD FOCUS' ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE IS A LITTLE OUTRAGEOUS AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. THANK YOU. *TR

THE IGNITION SWITCH (THAT IS, WHERE THE KEY GOES TO START THE CAR) WOULD NOT TURN. I WAS STUCK AND HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. THERE HAD BEEN NO WARNING, THAT IS, THE KEY WAS NEVER HARD TO TURN, I NEVER HAD TO JIGGLE THE STEERING COLUMN, OR ANYTHING LIKED THAT. I JUST PARKED THE CAR IN FRONT OF A STORE, AND FIVE MINTS LATER, WENT OUT AND FOUND OUT THEY KEY WOULD NOT TURN. (I COULD REMOVE AND RE-INSERT THE KEY, IT WOULD NOT TURN) . FURTHER MORE, THE DEALER AND AAA, OF COURSE, SAY TO TRY JIGGLING THE STEERING WHEEL. ALL THAT DID WAS LOCK THE FRONT WHEELS IN A TURNED POSITION AND MADE IT VERY HARD TO MOVE THE CAR GET IT TO A POSITION TO BE TOWED. HAVING THE WHEELS LOCK IN A TURNED POSITION, AS IS COMMON, COULD BE A HAZARD TOO. THE AAA GUY COULD NOT FREE (TURN) THE IGNITION SWITCH IT EITHER. I HAD FIRST CELL-PHONED CALLED THE DEALER, THEY HAD NO SUGGESTIONS. I SEE I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM SO MANY OTHER 2003 FOCUSES HAVE REPORTED. THE DEALER GUESSED THAT THE CAUSE WAS THAT ONE OF THE PINS IN THE LOCK JUST SLIPPED OUT OF PLACE. THE FORD DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. IT WAS NOT CHEAP. I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT, OR PART OF IT. *TR

I OWN A 2003 FORD FOCUS. WE CANNOT GET THE KEY TO TURN IN THE IGNITION AND HAS LEFT ME STRANDED NUMEROUS TIMES. I HAVE READ THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY FORD FOCUS OWNERS. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A YEAR ON AND OFF. I FIND THIS TO BE OFFENSIVE THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED AS A RECALL WHEN I SEE THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM. CLEARLY IT IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE IGNITION. *TR

2003 FORD FOCUS. WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR GOT IN PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND IT WON'T TURN. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED. 3/4/10, THE FIRST TIME, IT "FINALLY", AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES TURNED AFTER PUTTING THE KEY IN AND OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE SECOND TIME ON 3/5/10, IT JUST WOULDN'T TURN. THE CAR IS SITTING, WILL HAVE TO CALL A LOCK SMITH TO GET IT FIXED. *TR

2003 FORD FOCUS ZX5--KEY WON'T TURN IN THE IGNITION, SO CAN'T START CAR. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND NO AMOUNT OF CRANKING, JIGGLING, ETC., WOULD ALLOW ME TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND START THE CAR. WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS, THEN TONIGHT I COULDN'T GET THE CAR STARTED AT ALL; NEITHER COULD A KIND STRANGER; NEITHER COULD MY HUSBAND. SNOWING AND COLD. I HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT OVERNIGHT AND HOPE IT WILL BE UNHARMED IN THE MORNING. WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE: TWO WEEKS AGO I WAS 120 MILES FROM HOME FOR THREE DAYS AND WOULD HAVE BEEN TERRIBLY STRANDED. I UNDERSTAND THAT FORD WILL REPLACE THIS DEFECTIVE PART (IGNITION SWITCH) WITH THE SAME SWITCH, WHICH WILL ALSO BE DEFECTIVE, AND THAT I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING STRANDED AGAIN WHEN THE KEY WILL NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AGAIN. COST WILL BE BETWEEN $350 AND $400, PLUS TIME AWAY FROM TEACHING SCHOOL (NOT A GOOD IDEA AND FROWNED UPON BY ADMINISTRATION). THE $350-$400 WILL ONLY BUY ME ANOTHER FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. THIS IS POTENTIALLY A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION. OTHERS HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN FREEZING, SNOWY WEATHER NOWHERE NEAR A REPAIR SHOP, IN EXTREME HEAT WITH SMALL CHILDREN IN THE CAR, IN UNSAFE NEIGHBORHOODS AT NIGHT (SEE HTTP://WWW.FORDPROBLEMS.COM/FOCUS/KEY-WONT-TURN-IN-THE-IGNITION.SHTML COMPLAINTS). FORD SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM AT NO COST THROUGH A RECALL AND INSTALLATION OF A RELIABLE IGNITION SWITCH. *TR