Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||||
| 15819 | 04/01/2002 | 637554 | Some vehicles equipped with 15 inch firestone tires may exhibit signs of diagnonal wear or cupping on the rear tires. *tt | 12/02/2002 | |
| 15762 | 03/01/2002 | 636410 | Some vehicles equipped with 15 inch firestone tires may exhibit signs of diagonal wear or cupping of the rear tires. *tt | 11/08/2002 | |
| 16043 | 07/01/2002 | 636241 | Some vehicles with 15 inch firestone tires may exhibit signs of diagonal wear or cupping on the rear tires. *tt | 11/06/2002 | |
| 15275 | 09/01/2001 | 625816 | Subject regarding premature tire wear. *jg | 12/03/2001 | |
| 15162 | 08/01/2001 | 624612 | Some vehicles may exhibit premature tire wear. *yh | 11/08/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 12/28/2008 | 100000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. while merging off the highway at 10 mph, the contact heard a loud noise and noticed the rear driver's side tire rolling back onto the highway. she recovered the tire and noticed that the bolts, lugs, nuts, and wheel bearing were still attached to the tire. a report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 01i017000 (wheels lugs, nuts, bolts); however, the dealer could provide a warranty for the repair. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 100,000. | |||
| 08/22/2008 | 1 | ||
| I will start with the fact the car is on it's fourth battery. it has had the wiring harness replaced along with every sensor in the car some twice. there was a steering column recall done on it. the two back windows tracks have been broke a total of six times. the door handles brake three so far. the stereo is broke for the second time. i have had to do the brakes twice so far and all this and the car only has 63,498.8 miles . *tr | |||
| 12/12/2007 | 101000 | 1 | 11/01/2001 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle began to shake then the driver side rear tire detached from the vehicle. as a result, the tire crashed into the windshield of another vehicle. the mechanic replaced the tire however; he was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the vin, engine size number of cylinders and tire information were unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 101,000. updated 01/29/08 *bf updated 01/29/08 *tr | |||
| 07/12/2005 | 1 | 10/04/2004 | |
| My 2001 zx3 focus would eat tires .. got it used but with only 30,000 miles put new firestone tires on and had it rotated every 3000 miles to keep it from shaking .. did that 4 times and sold the p.o.s. the people at firestone told me it was bad engineering on fords part . brakes would make nose that the dealer had no clue what it was . .. now i date someone i with a 2002 ford focus. at 30,000 new brakes and rotors . new pcm . and the list is still adding up. if the focus isn't a lemon ... then there is no point of the lemon law. time to change it and make it harder to sell cars that are made so cheap!!! *jb | |||
| 11/27/2006 | 30000 | 1 | 10/29/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on normal road conditions, there was a vibration coming from the rear side of the vehicle. it was taken to an independent shop, who determined that new tires should be installed. the tire manufacturer recommended the pressure was 44 psi. 20,000 miles later, the problem recurred and the tires were cupped and the belt broke. the tire pressure was regularly checked were rotated regularly. after the second incident, the vehicle was taken to the service dealer who admitted that ford had an ongoing problem. the manufacturer was notified, who also admitted to the contact that there was a problem but would not offer to correct the issue. make tire: dayton/model: unknown/size: f15/manufactured: dayton.*ak | |||
| 12/18/2001 | 8001 | 15 | |
| 2001 ford focus experiencing problems with the front brakes, fuel pump, battery, sway bars and tires. *mr the consumer replaced the front brakes five times, the radiator went out, the thermostat and sensors pertaining to the engine light ad gone out, the fuel pump and the battery went out and the mechanic could not find the problem. currently the starter showed signs of going out and the vehicle needed sway bars and 4 tires. *sc | |||
| 11/25/2001 | 14 | 4 | 03/01/2001 |
| Dt: brakes failed twice since 2001. brakes were replaced in 2001 and 2002. kept repairing the vehicle. the water pump/battery, and tires malfunctioned. on june 11 2005 while driving the car stopped. the car made a popping sound and started smoking. there was a warning, the battery light was on. the engine lights came on right before. car didnt start back up after several attempts. car was towed to home. dealer reported no problem with the vehicle. car was regularly serviced.*ak | |||
| 04/09/2004 | 2 | ||
| While driving 75 mph vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that brakes and tires needed to be replaced, and replaced them. however, the problem recurred. *ak | |||
| 12/09/2004 | 113000 | 2 | 12/11/2000 |
| I have had more repairs incidences with 2001 ford focus than is normal on any car. if most of the repairs had been in the first 18 months i could have easily declared a lemon. unfortunatley they have been since that time. most recently i have had the rear wheel bearings replaced for the second time on a 3 year old car and am in the process of having the steering column replaced for the second time. i went through over 3 full sets of tire in less than a year and a half. and less than a year ago i got pulled over by the police because i had absolutely no lights in the back of my vehicle. ford dealer charged me to replace the rear light housing and some wire that had shorted out.*ak | |||
| 02/22/2003 | 21570 | 1 | 06/10/2001 |
| Nar 05/23/2003 *mr faulty firestone tires on 20,000 mile vehicle. *cb | |||
| 07/14/2003 | 25000 | 1 | 09/28/2001 |
| (1) driving along i-80 in illinois between the iowa border and peru, illinois. (2) rear passenger side tire blew out. it was completely shredded. (3) the tire (firestone firehawk) was replaced. *la | |||
| 10/15/2001 | 5000 | ||
| My security system basically went nutty...it even sounded funny when the horn sounded, the cruise would also stick or not work at all when it should have been turned on. i have had the hego sensor or the front oxygen sensor replaced 3 times, one at my own cost...i had a huge bulge pop out on my tire early on, firestone replaced it at no cost...the brakes have intermittantly squealed since the vehicle had few miles on it, when i took it in to get it fixed, it basically felt like they had loosened them because you had to press on the pedal harder to stop, soon after they started squealing again, all ford will tell me is that i need new brake pads at my cost because it is road hazard...should a car with 40,000 miles need brake pads? i think not. the last complaint that i have is that the car will stall with no apparent reason why...no matter what the speed is or if i have just started it or have driven it all day it does not matter, i will just be stuck until it decides to start again. | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 21000 | ||
| I have had several repairs for this car. in regards to steering, wheel, tire as well the suspension. as the car was under 18000 mile i had so much problem with mentioned above problems. i could not control my car when it rained or when ever the road was not in perfect shape. | |||
| 12/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| There is just to much paperwork to copy out, but would like to mail copies. i am going to pick up car this afternoon just had second fuel pump fitted and new gas tank. to date no recall info received by post. however i have been drenched with gas on more than one occassion while filling car. i have nearly been killed when car cut out at 55mph on highway narrowly missed by two other motorists. vehicle has 38,000 miles & has had the following repairs. 1/countless engine sensors 2/four new tyres 3/new front brake pads 4/new front brake rotas 5/new front wheel bearings 6/two fuel pumps 7/one fuel tank 8/waiting for third set of a frame plastic covers 9/three stereo players 10/tracklink reset three times 11/still have realy noisy brakes 12/engine sounds like 10 year old car 13/rear passenger window works when feels like it 14/right hand door speaker sounds as if broken 15/new tires fitted showing signs of odd wear 16/tail gate leakes water 17/ thought lincoln/mercury dealer might give better results no just longer wait. | |||
| 12/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| The reason some of these are not dated is because the problems keep on persisting they say they can not find out what the problem is. my car dies on me and the can not find the cause. it makes a winding sound when i take off and still they can not find the cause. my gears always wind and as soon as i get it out of the shop about one to two weeks later it is doing it again, when i am driving it jerks like it wants to die or go out of gear(keep in mind i have had these problems a couple of months after i bought it). i have had to replace the tires two times i am on my third set of tires and they are messed up now. i am not a bad driver i know it is not me i have a child that is constantly with me i do not drive crazy to make all of these problems happen. i have had the brake replaced once already and now they are sqeeking again. my car cigarette lighter keeps on burning out. i just get so frustrated that i am spending all of this money for them to work on my car with the warranty and then tell me they don't know what the problem is and now the warranty is out i have to pay for this peice of junk. i have had 2 other cars and they never gave me any problems and know i am stuck unhappy everyday with this car i can not stand to drive, i feel unsafe in it everyday. | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 65000 | ||
| The tire and the brakes went out and the car stated sliding. after the crash there were bolts that were found on the grass where the crash happened | |||
| 01/15/2002 | 500 | ||
| Hydroplaines at certain speeds even with new tires and alignment! (originally submitted december 17, 2002) | |||
| 02/28/2004 | 1 | 01/10/2001 | |
| On feb 28, 2004, driving on i-10 from louisiana to houston, first heard a pop noise, then immediately felt loosing control of wheel, tried to hit breaks to slow down the car, and then my 3 years old ford focus flipped over, and thanks god nobody got injured, and everyone was wearing a seat belt. checked the car, the tread on the right rear tire(good year) looked ripped off, assume this tire blew or exploded during the drive on highway, which is very serious situation. insurance is still investigating the case. but more ridiculously the la police gave a ticket for 'can't maintain the car. we got 4 new tires for only about 2 months, everything is in good maintenance, and there was no driving fault or other accident associated with my accident, plus we were the victims of this tire explosion, we almost lost of life during the deadly flip over. the insurance is doing the investigating about tires, we don't have much to complain, but it may take a while to deal with goodyear then. now for this 170$ ticket, 5 hours drive from my home in mississippi, what we should do to deal with the la police? i feel like they should ticket goodyear instead of innocent victims like us, but 5 hours driving to court is really annoying especially we are still driving a rent car during this moment. is there anywhere we can discuss this police manner except 5 hours driving to la court? frustrated car owner lingyun jin sun. *jb | |||
| 12/05/2003 | 1 | 02/01/2001 | |
| Rear and front tires showed signs of excessive wear. the tires were rotated, but the excessive wear still persisted. dealer and the tire manufacturer were notified. *ak vehicle hydroplaned and almost caused a accident. dealer replaced tires with second set of dunlop sport az tires. *ph | |||
| 10/28/2003 | 1 | 12/20/2002 | |
| Firestone firehwak gta 02 tires that came with ford focus. after reading reviews on this tire, i feel i'm not alone, i would like ford to replace all my tires with new tires, hell i just got 2 new front tires and if i read reviews before hand i would have chose a different company, wow. please is there anything ford can do to replace these tires, they have no traction at all it seems. i slide off the road last month going 2- mph with 100 feet braking distance and into some construction on a slightly wet road, i know i'm a careful driver, and all these bad reviews god. *ak | |||
| 10/03/2003 | |||
| The vehicles brakes squeaked frequently. the dealer stated that the front pads needed to be replaced at 37000 miles. the consumer stated it is to early to change pads. both tires also need to be replaced. *nlm | |||
| 26000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer noticed that there are two bubbles on the front two tires. consumer is starting to notice that when the vehicle hits a pothole a bubble forms. *ak | |||
| 08/14/2002 | 7000 | 6 | 07/18/2001 |
| The car starting having problems at 7000 miles. front end jumping. i had a tire go bad and replaced it. had the tire rotated and the front end lined up. then, the noise and the car still did not feel right. i took it back to ford and the rim is bent. replaced that. so far i am out 250.00 for the tire and 298.00 for the rim/. the problem continued, but by 15000 miles the car was jumping, front end problems. had the tires rotated and the car lined up again. i have the problems still. ( i was told(way i drive, curves,the way i take the corners, ) well, # one i am 43 yrs old and this is not my first car. i have had mustangs before and never rotated the tires or changed my driving habits. ( what ever). at 15000 the brakes started to squeak all the time (wet, cold, moisture, dry). per the manual this will happened. i was told that it is common with focus. i had a escort for over 4 yrs and they never did what this car has. with the front and back the recall 02s42/01b85 was done finally in march. this recall stated pinch bolt that retains the steering knuckle to the lower ball joint on your vehicle may not have the proper torque. ****** ( this condition exists, your vehicle may experience vibration or noise... this could eventually lead to ball joint separation with a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash,) this is what i was told ford dealership was wrong with the car since august. i feel that the recall came to late and now my tires are destroyed. one tire is worst than the others. remember that one tire is brand new ( 7000 less miles).... the brake pedal is still making a noise when i release it at the park mode or stop turn around stop at light or whenever. they have adjusted it 3-4 times. and with in mins. of them adjusting it, it is back to the same thing. this is a on going problem, wasted time and troubles. i do not want everybody to notice when i have my daughter in the car or i get hurt in an accident. this is important your reply help debra.w. *jb | |||
| 04/25/2003 | 1 | ||
| All four tires lost air. the consumer had to constantly put air in the tires, which also caused premature wear. *jb | |||
| 1000 | 10 | ||
| The driver side front tire had blown out. the passenger side tire was found worn on the inside along with an exposed wire. (these two tires were not of the same manufacturer) other problem were as followed: the button on the cassette player had broken, the adjuster button for the side view mirror on the passenger side had popped off, while driving the over drive light flashed and the vehicle jumped in/out of over drive (transmission problem-per mechanic), the battery light came on, there were no fuses in the wires under the passenger seat, trunk lock popped off, a/c button light on the dash came on when the heat was on, the brakes squealed(since purchase), there was a blind spot on the passenger side mirror, and when the headlights were on, the driver was unable to see other vehicle's due to the seats being too high. mr scc *jb | |||
| 03/20/2003 | 20000 | 1 | |
| Rear tires bald at 20,000. i have replaced 4 tires and need to replace 2 more. i have 42,000 miles on my car. i have rotated the tires all along, but they always end up wearing quick in the rear. for example one set of tires had great tread when they were rotated to the back with about 15,000, then at 20,000 they were bald!!! (like something in the rear chewed them up) car jumps side to side when hitting minor bumps in road and on highway, it feels like car doesn't have good control because of this. dealership and ford rep. say tires are not covered under warranty of course and claim not to find any other problems. they blame it on the driver style. funny this has never ever happened to me before, including my first focus lemon i had for 25,000 miles (they replaced my first focus for us for fuel problems they couldn't fix) i kick myself for agreeing to exchange for a new focus. nevertheless, it really seems like an engineering/design flaw or something else in the rear of the vehicle that is making these tires wear so fast. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The engine missed usually mildly, but sometimes violently as to shake vehicle and sometimes stall, also the vehicle experienced a raw gas smell, suspension, brake,transmission and tire problems.*ak. consumer also noted the rear hatch popped open by itself.*jb | |||
| 01/01/2001 | |||
| The driver side rear tire are warped and tread separation please fill in additional information on the tire. dealer is aware of the problem. ts | |||
| 11/08/2001 | |||
| While driving vehicle would bounce to side when hitting a bump in the road, took to dealer, the dealer alligned vehicle, tightened up stablizer link. consumer states' tires were replaced 20000, mechanic states all tires were couped. please provide any further information. ts | |||
| 10/23/2002 | 1 | 09/01/2000 | |
| The right rear tire has a bubble on the sidewall. firestone does not have available size to replace it and sent me home with it that way, which i thought rather careless. furthermore, i have replace 2 tires, and nassar ford replaced one tire. in the short amount of time i have owned the car, i have had 5 flats. needless to say i have no confidence driving and firestone has offered no viable solution. dt | |||
| 11/05/2002 | |||
| Consumer states: every 11 thousands miles has to change the rear tires. at this moment has changed twice. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts | |||
| 06/01/2002 | 01/01/2001 | ||
| At about 14,000 miles i noticed the left rear tire was cupping and making noise. ford charged to revise alignment and then recommended four new goodyear tires.*ak | |||
| 09/09/2002 | |||
| Vehicle was taking to dealer for a recall repairs on wheel bearings. upon receiving vehicle back theres was a noise in the rear. took vehicle back to dealer and they stated that tires were cupping and wearing irregularly. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 04/06/2002 | 4 | ||
| Key will not turn in ignition. took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced locking mechanism in steering column. *ak the fuel mileage was not consistent with what was stated , the fuel pump was replace along eith the filter, egr valve and radio, two front tires were replaced at 10,700. *yh | |||
| 05/15/2002 | 1 | 10/01/2001 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 11/01/2000 | |||
| From the summer of 2001 through dec. 11, 2001, my rear tires on my 2001 ford focus starting wearing oddly across and around the tire showing high and low spot tread wear plus cupping that went undetected until 12/01. during 12/01, big o tire company did an alignment check and tire rotation, but didn't notice the tire problem. i left on a short trip afterwards. the rear tires that had been moved forward, chattered loudly, especially, the left side but didn't before rotation. the inspection showed the left front tire that had been rotated from the rear had serious tread wear damage, cupping, and flat spots, some high and low. the left front that had been rotated to the rear was also damaged beyond repair. the tire co. felt they had missed something during alignment and rotation, so they paid for one of my firestone tires and i paid for the other to be replaced with new fulda tires. firestone would not have given much credit do to odd wearing patterns. also, the right tires had the same problem but not nearly as bad. i contacted the ford dealership about the problem and they said contact the tire manufacturer, there is nothing wrong with the car. yet, nothing is wrong with my focus but on 12/11/01 they replaced my rear wheel axle bearings due to a recall . ford checked the alignment and said the tires (firestone) must be defective and i believed that. immediately after the wheel bearings were replaced the rear tires were too. the new tires made the vehicle more stable and easier to control. the firestone tires replaced were badly worn and i thought they caused the car to shimmy from side to side during rain or snow as it was hard to control and making me afraid to drive. in 3/02, the last two firestones were replaced with the fulda tires. i thought the tire problem was solved. as of august 2002, the new rear fuldas' are doing the same thing. now i know there is a rear suspension defect with the focus and not tires. after many calls, ford still says no defect found | |||
| 1 | 12/01/2001 | ||
| The rear tire does not hold air. *jg | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer states that all tires were replaced at a low mileage due to wearing out quickly, no tire information given. *slc | |||
| 06/01/2002 | 11000 | 4 | 10/01/2001 |
| Consumer has taken vehicle in for repairs to tires on numerous occasions for repair due to nails. there also appeared to be belt damage and a bulge on the outer side of tire wall (left front). *jg (firestone p205/50r16 firehawk gta tires) *nm | |||
| 05/15/2002 | 2 | 03/15/2001 | |
| Consumer stated he could not drive more than 45 mph, anything over felt as if he was losing control and driving through a continuous puddle, swerving from side to side, tires only had 6500 miles on them, dunlop sp sport w-10, p205/50r16, dotu22v4m61501ma2520. *yh | |||
| 03/08/2002 | 2 | 11/01/2000 | |
| Have had numerous problems with the car hesitating and stalling. have taken the car in a total of 7 times. 5 of which were related to hesitation. 3 of the those 5 times they found problems with the car. 2 times for an egr emissions sensor and 1 for a fuel pump (they think). the other two times they coulndt find anything wrong at the time. i have called ford directly and they can do nothing about the car, because they say it is repairable. i have had the car back now for a little over a week since they have replaced the fuel pump. seems to have a little hesitation still, but has not stalled. we have had the left rear tire replace once for cupping of the tire. ford dealership wasnt sure what caused it, but they say i could have run over something hard. the new tire starting cupping like the one they replaced, then that is when the recall for the rear wheel bearings was issued. no problems since then with the tires. | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 7 | 10/01/2000 | |
| I have reported numerous problems to you with this lemon. the dealer was told when the car had 5000 miles, that there was a brake problem. several experts have noted that there was a faulty caliper causiing the brakes to fail and the tires to continually blow out, resulting in numerous roadside emergencies. the dealer has reused to either repair, or replace the car from the beginning stating they will not lose money and that the same thing has not occurred often enough. the car is inoperable since the defective caliper, the rotors, and the shoes are all severely worn. the repair shops state that the car is too new to get the parts and that only fordd can get the parts. they want me to pay $200 minimum for each item of at least four, saying they will have nothing to do with it. this is what they have been stating since my complaints began. i have reported these facts to you before, numerous times, as well as by telephone. i have gotten no results. i am disabled and have spent the last week home alone without the ability to get my medical care, and other needs. this cannot go on.*ak | |||
| 11/10/2001 | 1 | 10/21/2000 | |
| While driving at freeway speed the drivers side tire flew across the freeway. *yh | |||
| 03/19/2002 | 1 | 06/01/2001 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak (tiresize: p195/60r15) | |||
| 03/19/2002 | 1 | 06/01/2001 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak (tiresize: p195/60r15) | |||
| 02/22/2002 | 01/01/2000 | ||
| At 23,000 tires on front of car worn right to thr steel belts .i faithfully had tires rotated and not one person acknowledged that were somworn. if i had not gone when i had it may have resulted in a serious accident. i am very dissatisfied about how ford motor is handling the situation.they keep passing the buck to someone else.*ak | |||
| 11/10/2001 | 1 | 10/21/2000 | |
| While driving at freeway speed the drivers side tire flew across the freeway. *yh | |||
| 04/01/2001 | |||
| While driving at any speed and vehicle hits a bump steering is difficult to maintain. vehicle wanders unexpectedly from side to side. dealership has examined vehicle several times. shocks and tires were changed twice. please provide any additional information / documentation. *ak | |||
| 05/02/2001 | 5 | 11/01/2000 | |
| I drove the car to work and parked it. it was parkedfor 6 hours. when i left work to start the car it wouldnot start. there was no noise nothing. i waited a few minutes and tried again. nothing. i then phoned the road side dservice. when they arrived it satarted. the car was taken to quirk ford via the road side dservice. thaey were unable to find anything wrong with the car. the same condition has occured 4 more times. the second time was the day i took it infor the 6,000 mile check-up. it actually would not start for the technician. the next day i was told they had to program the the ppats keys with the ngs system. that was on may 30,01. on june 10 in our driveway it occurred. it finally started after multiple tires and pushing and fidgeting the key in the ignition. then on june 13 it happened twice, once in the morning and once in the evening. again the same ordeal fiddle, push, shove, try not to think you are stranded. i am calling quirk ford tomorrow am and will also report to this to ford main headquarters. do i have any recourse? *ak | |||
| 05/28/2001 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| I bought a new focus 01 in october 00. yesterday, i recognized on the right rear side a significant bubble. moreover, i checked all other tires, and all three remaining tires had deformations at the threads. i took pictures of all the tires and can provide if required. i showed them to my coworkers, and they did comment that this was unusual for them too. after work, i brought my car to moontownship ford dealer in pittsburgh, they just said except the bubble such formations could occur, they said they were usual indentations. moreover, i also called in the morning my dealer (parkway east ford). one service man said that they had a similar case with focus right at hand. but i forgot to get the service man's name. the next time i called them, nobody knew of such an occurance, which really disturbed me. the bubble and the so called huge expected indentations for such a new car is really unexpected and i hope this information is helpful and enough for you. hope you can help me with this issue. *ak (tiresize: p185/65r14)( dot number: tire size: p185/65r14 ) | |||
| TIRES - MARKINGS | |||
| 08/22/2007 | 1 | 05/28/2001 | |
| Bought new in '01 ford focus. noticed right off brakes would make a grinding noise and squeak. tires were worn real bad on inside on one front size since we bought it. repeated alignments with no improvement. still experience this problem. started experiencing problems with it missing during acceleration. check engine light came on in february 2005 and took it to the dealership. they replaced sensors that had recall,was recall code p0401. engine light stayed on. they said that we were using gas that was dirty and waiting too late to put gas into the car and that was why it was stalling. we paid $272.98 for them to replace this whole section that had to do with the fuel being filtered. car loses power and stutters going around curves with even over a half a tank of gas. stalling to the point we must pull over into the emergency lane afraid of accident! i own car i bought brand new and it jerks and sputters like some piece of crap from jd byrider! everytime we start the car you smell oil burning for15 minutes afterwards. had it checked no leaks or anything could be found. april of 2005 noticed when the car idled at a traffic light the thermostat would show shoot up showing it was running hot! took it in to the dealership and they found anti-freeze leaking. was told the thermostat housing and thermostat had to be replaced. retested it and was told problem solved. our bill was $375.00. this was first brand new car and was taken well care of, it only has around 78,000 miles on the odometer. i was told there was a silent recall on these for the engine problems and they were being fixed for no cost to the owner. we were not notified of a recall and paid for all of this out of pocket .car is paid off now and cannot enjoy having a paid off car with low mileage because we are scared to drive it and bought a new car that was safe to drive around with our kids! time goes on and it is getting worse. sometimes not wanting to start at all! engine still stalls despite all these repairs. *tr | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 10/17/2004 | 35000 | 3 | 04/05/2001 |
| I have a 2001ford focus. my daughter just had a blowout of the front tire while driving over railroad tracks in danbury ct. the tracks do not stick up very much. this is the 3rd blow on this car. the car only has 35000 miles on it. the tires are firestone firehawk gta 02. i have looked on the internet and many other people with the ford focus have this problem. they also claim they are an all season tire and if you look on tirerack.com everybody says they are terrible in the rain and snow. they are the lowest rated tire on the site in their relative catagory. my brother talked to firestone when the first tire blew out and they said they would only prorate the tire. they didn't feel the tire was defective. we ended up getting 2 different brand tires and those are fine. i now will go and purchase 2 more, i will not wait for the 4th tire to blow out! they still have plenty of tread on them so its a shame, but i feel these tires definitely have a manufacturing defect. *ak | |||
| 07/21/2004 | 2 | ||
| The firestone firehawk gta-02 original tires that came with my 2001 ford focus zx3 have a defect in the sidewall. multiple large bubbles and small separations in the rubber of the sidewall are obviously apparent. this could result in a violent tire malfunction especially if traveling at interstate speeds. i contacted a firestone dealer and was told because there is no tire recall at this time, i would have to pay full price for new tires for the same tire made by firestone which will probably malfunction also. these tires are dangerous and there should be a recall. *la | |||
| 08/17/2003 | 11950 | 1 | 12/15/2001 |
| Bulge formed in the sidewall of the original firestone firehawk gta 02 tire, size 205/50r16, as provided as original equipment on my 2001 ford focus zx3. the bulge seemed to include the area where the steel belts join with the sidewall, so i had the tire replaced immediately for fear of a tread separation event. *nlm | |||
| 05/28/2001 | 1 | ||
| Rear tire sidewall blewout causing vehicle to spin out of control at 360 degrees for three times. | |||
| 09/09/2001 | 1 | ||
| Firestone, firehawk gta, p195/60r15, dot unknown, original equipment on a 2001, ford, focus with 22000 miles. while driving 60 mph right rear tire had a blowout. no injuries.*ak nlm | |||
| 08/10/2001 | 1 | ||
| Firestone, firehawk gta, p195/60r15, dot unknown, original equipment on a 2001, ford, focus with 20000 miles. while driving 30 mph right front tire had a blowout. at 30 mph, left front tire had a blowout. no injuries.*akdotv6v91rr. nlm | |||
| 07/22/2001 | 1 | ||
| This incident occurred in canada. i have a canadian address. the province is ontario and the postal code is n8t 2j2. the car was rented from enterprise rent a car. tire pressure was correctly set. ambient outside temperature was 30 celcius. entire sidewall of tire separated. photo of tire will be available upon request.*ak (tiresize: p185/65r14) | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 12/03/2006 | 1 | ||
| Cooper cobra gt radial - model: 87tp195/60r15 m + s problem: (2) tire separations and (1) separation with bubble. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2001 ford focus ignition cylinder broke, problems with the tire equipment, engine light illuminated and the sway bar bushing needs to be replaced.*mr the ignition cylinder had been replaced three times. the steel belts were showing through the front tires at 54000 miles. the sensor which caused the engine light to illuminated was replaced three times. the front brakes were replaced twice. the battery, radiator, thermostat and fuel pump also failed. *nm | |||
| 02/08/2005 | 5 | ||
| A grinding noise was coming from rear of the vehicle. driver noticed that the vehicle would drive roughly. driver took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and replaced the all four tires. then, driver informed the mechanic that the problem still occurred and had not been resolved. *ak | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 22000 | 07/07/2001 | |
| Tire problem, possible rear bearing problem, possible alignment problem, egr replaced- engine misfiring is beginning to reappear | |||
| 02/28/2003 | 32000 | 1 | 11/13/2002 |
| Tread separation on firestone firehawk gta p205-50r16 tire. i was told by firestone dealer # 591289 (johnstown, pa) that the tire was cut on the sidewall due to abuse. this tread separation is clearly due to a defect as if it were a re-cap in my opinion. i also had the tires looked over by an independent tire retailer who concurred with my suspicions. *jb | |||
| 09/07/2002 | 12036 | 10 | 10/18/2001 |
| The first thing that i noticed with my car was the stalling of the engine while driving down the road. the next thing that happened was the car would shake violently while driving at speeds of 50-55 mph. at 12036 miles, i took it to a dealership and was under the impression that the repairs would be covered under warranty. they told me car needed an alignment. it also need the rotors turned and the tires rotated because at 12000 miles they were starting to wear. they gave me a bill for $101 they stated these items were wear items and were my responsibility. i questioned why this was happening at 12000 miles. he tried to put the blame off on me saying i brake too hard. you know that is really funny since i have a 1995 ford escort. i bought it new. it now has 170,000 miles. i have never had any problems with the escort. the reason i bought another ford was because i was so pleased with the performance of the escort. about the stalling, they said they put it on the computer and could find nothing wrong with it. but they went ahead and replaced the spark plugs. well, about a month ago, i began to notice the shaking again. then about a week after the shaking began, i had a flat. i called the dealership. they told me the new tire was not covered under warranty. i had the one tire replaced at my expense. the tire business told me the tire was so wore on the inside (where you can't see) that the wires were showing. about 2 weeks after this incident, i had another flat. same thing. the tire was so wore the wires were showing. i had to have all four tires replaced. $300.00. the car is still stalling. i am afraid to drive this car. i am afraid the car will stall in traffic while i have my two year old child in the car. i have complained to ford and they continue to say these things are my responsibility. but i don't think they should be my responsibility if a defect in the car is causing these things to happen. ts | |||
| 04/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was driving and heard a noise like a bing vehicle began to sway all over the place. later, found out that tire tread came completely off. consumer was driving at a speed of 55 mph.*ak | |||
| 05/06/2002 | |||
| While traveling on interstate about 60mph and without prior warning rear driver's side tire blewout into two separated piece of tread. firestone, firehawk , dot number w279. dealership was aware of problem.*ak | |||
| 03/27/2002 | 1 | 09/17/2001 | |
| Firestone, firehawk, p205/50r15, dot unknown, original equipment on a 2001, ford, focus with 6600 miles. while driving 30 mph front passenger tire had a blowout, driver's front tire experienced tread separation. *ak *jg | |||
| 07/01/2001 | |||
| While traveling on highway another vehicle veered into consumer's vehicle and dual airbag didn't go off. also, tire tread separated , and there was wear and tear inside of wheel.*ak | |||
| 4 | |||
| Original equipment on a 2001, ford focus. p195/60r15 size. tread on all four tires has started to separate from base of tires. ford dealer has inspected tires. *ak consumer had all four tires replaced. *slc | |||