2000 Ford Focus Electrical System Problems

2000 FORD FOCUS SE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. *LD *JS *BF

THE KEY WOULD NO LONGER TURN IN THE IGNITION, LEAVING ME AND MY BABY NIECE STRANDED FAR AWAY FROM HOME. WE PARKED THE VEHICLE AND WHEN WE RETURNED, WE FOUND OURSELVES STRANDED, BECAUSE THE IGNITION LOCK COULD NO LONGER BE OPERATED. APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH FORD FOCUS LOCKS! *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND MY HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS STARTED TO FLICKER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN THE CAR JUST QUIT RUNNING AFTER 10 MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND GET HOME I HAVE HAD THIS CAR (2000 FORD FOCUS) FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR THE PLACE I PURCHASED IT FROM DID NOT TELL ME ABOUT ANY PROBLEMS BUT I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS FOR THE WHOLE TIME AND THEY HAVE ONLY GOTTEN WORSE I HAVE PUT AN ALTERNATOR ON IT AND CHANGED A COUPLE OF WIRES THAT WERE MELTED BUT IT DID NOT HELP! I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR NOW ESPECIALLY WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD IN IT WITH ME THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE!!!

THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER (WHERE THE KEY INSERTS/TURNS ON THE STEERING COLUMN) LOCKED UP ON ME WITHOUT WARNING, STRANDING ME WHERE I LAST PARKED THE CAR. NO AMOUNT OF LUBRICATION OR QUICK FIXES HELPED. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE FORD FOCUS IN THAT YEAR RANGE. I'M GETTING QUOTES FROM LOCKSMITHS IN THE $250 RANGE. LUCKILY I WASN'T STRANDED IN A BAD PLACE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER CLOSING THE REAR HATCH, THE RUNNING LIGHTS, POWER LOCKS, AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS FAILED TO ACTIVATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 214,000.

THE KEY WILL NOT TURN. THE STEERING WHEEL AND IGNITION ARE LOCKED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE ELECTRIC DASH CLUSTER QUIT WORKING AND THE VEHICLE CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED THEN THE VEHICLE DID THE SAME THING A FEW MONTHS LATER. THE BATTERY CABLES WERE REPLACED AND THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE REPLACED AS A PRECAUTION. THE VEHICLE AFTER 4 DAYS AND NO DRIVING LONGER THAT 35 MILES A DAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. *TR

CAR WAS DRIVING NORMALLY, PARKED MY CAR, TRIED TO RESTART IT AND KEY WOULD NOT TURN. POSSIBLY A BROKEN IGNITION SWITCH. *TR

I WAS PULLED OVER ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK ALMOST MIDNIGHT, AND WAS NOTIFIED BY THE OFFICER THAT I HAD NO TAILLIGHTS, BUT MY TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS WERE WORKING. THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHT AND RUNNING LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING EITHER. IN ADDITION, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS BLEW A FUSE, AND HAVE REPEATEDLY BLOWN THE SAME FUSE. I SAW THAT THE WIRES ON TOP OF THE HATCHBACK, INSIDE THE RUBBER TUBE, ARE CRACKED AND BROKEN. I SAW ONLINE THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT, AS I WORK SECOND SHIFT AND ALWAYS DRIVE IN THE DARK. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN OUT. *TR

I WAS STARTING MY CAR, ON FIRST START DID NOT START WHEN RETRIED STARTING THERE WAS NOTHING TRIED AGAIN NOTHING OPENED HOOD AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM BATTERY COVER. REMOVED COVER AND BATTERY CABLES AND BATTERY WERE VERY HOT THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CABLES STARTED MELTING. WHEN HAD COOLED ENOUGH TO TOUCH REMOVED POSITIVE CABLE AND WHEN TRIED REPLACING CABLE THERE WAS A LOT OF SPARKING, CALLED MY MECHANIC WHO PICKED THE CAR UP INSPECTED CABLES FOUND THEM TO BE DEFECTIVE CONTACTED FORD AND THE SAID THEY KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM BUT BECAUSE OF THE DATE AND MANUFACTURING PLACE OF THE CAR IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD FOCUS. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT INSERTED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION BUT THE KEY COULD NOT BE TURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. UPDATED 01/09/13*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. SHE ALSO EXPERIENCED OTHER ELECTRICAL FAILURES ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE BULB WAS CHANGED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURED WAS NOTIFIED BUT THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 224,000.

THE BATTERY CABLE COMING FROM THE POSITIVE TERMINAL IS MELTED. UPON INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT THIS WAS A RECALL: NHTSA CAMPAIGN #02V288000. HOWEVER FORD IS CLAIMING THAT MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT IS SPECIFIC FOR MY MODEL AND YEAR, AND EVEN THOUGH MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT ISSUE THAT THE RECALL IS FOR: FAULTY ELECTRICAL WIRING THAT CAN LEAD TO A FIRE. I HAVE NOT HAD A FIRE IN MY VEHICLE, BUT A MELTED CABLE IS CLOSE ENOUGH FOR MY LIKING. BATTERY TERMINAL CABLES SHOULD NOT BE MELTING, PERIOD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD FOCUS. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE KEY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE IGNITION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THE FRONT DRIVER?S DOOR HANDLE WAS LOOSE AND ABOUT TO FRACTURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000. ....UPDATED 08-24-12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE DOOR HANDLES BROKE. UPDATED 08/30/2012 *JS

THE IGNITION SWITCH JAMMED AS I HEAR HAPPENS ALOT WITH THESE FORDS DUE TO INFERIOR PARTS . THE DEALER CHARGED ME WITH 3.5 HOURS SHOP TIME TO FIX THIS WHEN FORD HAS ISSUED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLITAN # 02-18-2 WHICH CALLS FOR 1.1 HOURS TO FIX AS WELL AS THE $135.05 LIST PRICE OF THE REPLACEMENT CYLINDER KIT. IF THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM KNOWN TO FORD SHOULDN'T IT BE SUBJECT TO A NTSB RECALL? *TR

PLASTIC INSULATION OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR THAT CONNECTS RIGHT HEADLIGHT BULB WITH WIRING OVERHEATED, MELTED AND CAUSED SMOLDERING FIRE THAT LED TO DAMAGING SMOKE DEPOSITS IN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. FIRE STAYED CONTAINED TO HEADLIGHT HOUSING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY WIRING AND CASE WERE MELTED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 02V288000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BATTERY:CABLES) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,650 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,400.

THE KEY LOCK CYLINDER IN MY CAR FAILED TO TURN OVER ONE DAY. I WAS STRANDED FOR 3 HOURS DUE TO A FAULTY LOCK CYLINDER AND HAD TO PAY $540 DOLLARS TO GET THE PART REPAIRED. I CALLED THE FORD DIRECT LINE FOR ASSISTANCE AND THEY REFUSE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ISSUE. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED TO ME ON THE PHONE THAT THEY KNOW THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE, YET NOTHING CAN BE DONE UNTIL A LAWSUIT, OR RECALL IS ISSUED. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD VEHICLE. *TR

I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE AND WHILE IT DOESN'T FIT WITHIN THE TRADITIONAL CONSTRAINTS OF A SAFETY COMPLAINT, IT IS INDEED A SAFETY HAZARD. THE IGNITION COLUMN OF THE 2000 FORD FOCUS WILL "LOCK" AS I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT A FORD DEALERSHIP. LUCKILY, THIS HAPPENED TO ME IN MY DRIVEWAY. HOWEVER, IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN TO SOMEONE IN A REMOTE AREA, THEY WOULD BE STRANDED BY A PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OF OR ANY IDEA THAT IT MAY HAPPEN. THE SERVICE REP TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM, AND THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD FIX UNLESS I CAME TO A DEALERSHIP. IF SOMEONE HAS A FAMILY OF FOUR (SUCH AS THE PEOPLE I BOUGHT THIS FROM) AND THEY ARE STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, BASICALLY A DEFAULT WITH A KEY TUMBLER IS TO BLAME. THIS SEEMS UNFAIR TO THE CONSUMER. *TR

PUT THE KEY IN IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN. TRIED FOR OVER 2 HOURS. HAD CAR TOWED TO FORD DEALER. AFTERWARD SAW ONLINE THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS ALOT ON THIS MODEL. THIS IS A USED CAR WE BOUGHT FOR OUR DAUGHTER. SHE WAS STRANDED OVER 3 HOURS AND 50 MILES AWAY. FORD KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM AND DOES NOT ADDRESS IT. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR