2007 Ford Focus

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE RADIO AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN TO OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED. THE VEHICLE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP. THE AUTO BODY SHOP STATED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ONCE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE DEALER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE SECOND OCCURRENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN BACK FOR ADDITIONAL REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,120 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 24 EAST BETWEEN NASHVILLE AND CHATTANOOGA, I HAD AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT CAUSED MY ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN WHILE MY CAR WAS STILL TRAVELING AT 65 MPH. THE FIRST SIGN OF A PROBLEM WAS WHEN MY RADIO SHUT OFF UNEXPECTEDLY. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD TO INDICATE THAT MY ENGINE WAS ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN. AFTER TRAVELING ANOTHER 3 TO 5 MILES, ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON MY DASHBOARD AND A FEW SECONDS LATER MY ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I WAS STILL TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR IN THE EMERGENCY LANE. AFTER STOPPING THE CAR, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. ME AND MY FAMILY WERE STUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY UNTIL WE COULD HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER. THE FORD DEALER RAN ELECTRICAL TESTS AND DISCOVERED THE BATTERY HAD FAILED. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE CAR DROVE FINE. ON DECEMBER 1, 2011, ONLY FOUR MONTHS LATER, I WAS TRAVELING TROUGH THE CITY WHEN MY RADIO SHUT OFF AND A FEW MILES LATER THE ENGINE DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE BATTERY WAS TESTED AND FOUND TO HAVE FAILED AGAIN. BOTH BATTERIES THAT FAILED WERE MOTORCRAFT 1BXT*96*500. SINCE THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WHILE DRIVING WITH NO APPARENT WARNING LIGHTS, AND CAUSES THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN, IT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. *TR

ALTERNATOR FAILED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE NEVER ONCE WAS INDICATED BY THE ILLUMINATION OF THE BATTERY IDIOT LIGHT BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED AT 15 MPH AND IN A DRIVE THRU AT A MCDONALD'S... THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED DUE TO DEPLETED BATTERY CHARGE LEVEL..... NOTE BATTERY PASSED TESTING PHASE AFTER ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT.... PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BATTERY IDIOT LIGHT DOES ILLUMINATE DURING THE KEY ON ENGINE OFF PRESTART SYSTEM CHECK.....ONCE THE BATTERY WAS SUFFICIENTLY JUMP CHARGED THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND RAN WITHOUT ANY APPARENT PROBLEM FROM ANY SYSTEM (NO IDIOT LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT). HOWEVER WHEN A CHARGING SYSTEM CHECK WAS PERFORMED, THE TEST REVEALED THE ALTERNATOR HAD FAILED AND WAS NOT MAINTAINING A VOLTAGE OUTPUT SUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN VEHICLE OPERATION. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ALTERNATOR FAILURE ALSO CAUSED THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO SHUT DOWN INCLUDING ALL LIGHTS..... DOES THIS OR DOES THIS NOT PRESENT A SEVER SAFETY PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE STALLING OF THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AND OR TRAFFIC CONDITION SINCE THE CIRCUIT THAT SHOULD ACTIVATE THE IDIOT LIGHT WHEN THE CHARGING SYSTEM BEGINS TO FAIL AND/OR FAILS COMPLETELY DOES NOT ILLUMINATE SAID IDIOT LIGHT SYSTEM.... *TR

OUR ALTERNATOR FAILED IN OUR FORD FOCUS ZX3 2007 TODAY WHILE DRIVING - GOT THE CAR TO FORD SERVICE STATION WITH SPARE BATTERY AND JUMPER CABLES AND DID SOME ON-LINE RESEARCH ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT SEVERAL OTHER FOLKS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/FOCUS/2007/ELECTRICAL/ALTERNATOR_DEAD.SHTML ALTERNATORS SHOULDN'T FAIL THIS OFTEN ON A CAR WITH LESS THAN 30K MILES. FORD SHOULD RECALL AND REIMBURSE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OF MY 2007 FORD FOCUS CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME AUGUST 31, 2011. THE CAR HAS 37,023 MILES AND HAS HAD ALL THE DEALER MAINTENANCE PERFORMED SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. I WAS TOLD BY THE LONGMONT FORD DEALER THAT THE ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER INDICATED A LOSS OF COMMUNICATION AND THAT THE AIRBAG SAFETY SYSTEM WAS NOT ENGAGED WHEN THE LIGHT WAS ON. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY TO HAVE A COMPLETE DIAGNOSTIC TO DETERMINE WHAT HAD CAUSED THE LIGHT TO ACTIVATE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAD FAILED AND THAT THE ENTIRE CLUSTER MUST BE REPLACED. THIS ELECTRONIC FAILURE REPRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF NOT REPLACED AT A COST OF ~$800.00. I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT OTHER DRIVERS OF THIS CAR MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE SAFETY SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY INACTIVE WHEN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILS IN THIS WAY. FORD DOES NOT OFFER TO REPLACE THIS AS PART OF THE SAFETY WARRANTY PROGRAM. I THINK THIS IS WRONG AND REPRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR DRIVERS WHO MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THE FAILURE OR WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE SUCH A REPAIR AND CHOOSE TO DRIVE THE CARE WITHOUT THE SAFETY FEATURE OPERABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FOCUS STATION WAGON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 45 MPH WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS AND MARKER LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO INFORMED HIM THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS CHAFE AND HAD A SHORT CIRCUIT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN UNDER NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10023297 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: WIRING). THE CONTACT DID NOT ORDER THE SERVICE BULLETIN FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.