Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 84000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the failure was experienced several times. the vehicle was restarted and began to function normally. the contact also stated that the trunk latch failed to function correctly and the ignition failed and was replaced. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure could not be replicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 93,000. the vin was not available. mh | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 84000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at any speed without warning. the failure was experienced several times. the contact was able to coast the vehicle onto the road shoulder restarted the engine and the vehicle resume to normal function. the contact also waned to state that the vehicle ignition was replaced and the trunk latch failed. the vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to have a diagnostic performed but was unable to locate a failure code. the vin information was not available. the failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 93,000. li | |||
| 09/11/2012 | 65000 | 1 | |
| I went to start the car and the key will not turn. the steering wheel is locked and will not move. i was unable to got to my doctors appointment.. *tr | |||
| 09/11/2012 | 65000 | ||
| I went to start the car and the key will not turn. the steering wheel is locked and will not move. i was unable to got to my doctors appointment.. | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 83000 | 1 | |
| Key will not turn ignition switch. tried turning steering wheel back and forth and no success. this is my only means of transportation. car is just sitting. *js | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 83000 | ||
| Key will not turn ignition switch. tried turning steering wheel back and forth and no success. this is my only means of transportation. car is just sitting. | |||
| 05/12/2012 | 97000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that the key was not able to operate in the ignition switch and the key got stuck. the dealer was not notified. the manufacturer was notified and was aware of the failure. the manufacturer stated that they had received numerous complaints about the failure, but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 97,000 and current mileage was 98,000. sm. | |||
| 05/12/2012 | 97000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that the key was not able to operate in the ignition key at all. the key got stocked. the dealer was not notified. the manufacture was notified who were aware of the failure and stated that they have received numerous complaints about the failure and offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repair yet. the failure mileage was 97,000 and current mileage was 98,000. lg | |||
| 04/28/2012 | 84390 | ||
| I was shopping with my child about an hour from home. we left a store and got into my car to return home when the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. the wheels were straight but the key wouldn't budge. i tried releasing the steering wheel but nothing worked. i had to have it towed which cost me $100 for 4 miles. i was told it was the ignition cylinder which i was told was a common problem area for 2000-2003 ford focus models. after doing research online, i found that it really is common...like hundreds of people on one site alone complaining about the same issue i have and even a class action lawsuit in california. if this is so common why haven't they been recalled? i was left stranded with a child because of this malfunction and even though i have an extended warranty, it wasn't covered and cost me $374. why is that type of malfunction only in those model years? maybe they knew about the flaw and changed it in later years. they should have to change it in every year they sold these defective ignition cylinders. for them, it would be a minor inconvenience and a little money to get these properly taken care of. | |||
| 11/24/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that while parking, the steering wheel seized while the power steering warning chime sounded. in addition, the key would sporadically fail to turn when inserted into the ignition. the contact stated that the vehicle would start after approximately thirty minutes of repeated attempts. the dealer was made aware of the failure but the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 140,000. kmj | |||
| 11/24/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that while parking the vehicle the steering wheel will lock up causing a chime noise to sound. the ignition will not turn when the key is inserted to turn the vehicle on . the contact will attempt multiple times to turn the ignition when it will finally work after thirty minutes. the dealer was made aware of the failure and stated that they will correct the failure at the owners expense. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.cv | |||
| 01/01/2012 | 25000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that in an attempt to turn the key in order to start the vehicle, it refused to turn. a local mechanic replaced the ignition and reprogrammed the key and door locks. the vehicle was repaired. the dealer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairing the failure. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 25,000 and the approximate current mileage was 25,200. rvk | |||
| 01/01/2012 | 25000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that in the attempt to turn the key to start the vehicle, the key would refuse to turn. a local mechanic replaced the ignition and reprogrammed the key and door locks. the vehicle was repaired. the dealer was contacted, but denied any assistance with repair to the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 25,000 and the approximate current mileage was 25,200. nw | |||
| 08/01/2011 | |||
| The steering column locks. i have already had it fixed once before and now it has happened again. | |||
| 01/09/2011 | 167000 | ||
| Ford focus 2003 - key won't turn to turn on car - ignition cylinder/tumbler was broken and need to be replaced. i was stranded in a store parking lot. had to have a tow truck tow my car to dealership | |||
| 08/18/2010 | |||
| My ignition is locked up/steering wheel. | |||
| 06/14/2010 | 85624 | ||
| Key gets stuck in the ignition. ignition will not turn. this happens just about every time an attempt is made to turn the car on for approximately one year. multiple attempts must be made and excessive force to engage key must be used. after contacting several locksmiths and being repeatedly told that this problem can only be repaired by a ford dealer due to the computer needing to be programmed to match a chip in the ignition and key, a local ford dealership was contacted. a customer service employee reported that it can be replaced for $250. but that it is a common problem with no guarantees that the ignition would not need further replacement for the same problem in the future. ignition will no longer turn at all resulting in the key snapping in the ignition. entire ignition will need to be replaced. | |||
| 05/08/2010 | 46000 | ||
| 2003 ford focus has a locked ingnition and will not turn even to roll up windows. froze up once last week and was able to jiggle it and get it working. now it will have to be towed to ford. ford dealership in bozeman montana says it is a common problem with this make and model but ford will not do anything about it. | |||
| 03/15/2010 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 12/21/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| 2003 ford focus steering wheel lock. with the key inserted, the ignition cannot be turned on. believe to be a tumbler problem. i have read hundreds of these problems in the last two days. this should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2009 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2003 ford focus zx5 that has an issue with the key turning in the ignition. at random times and locations when returning to the car, i will find that i am no longer able to turn the key in the ignition. i must work at it (longest has been an hour) to get the key to turn. this creates really big problems when you are stranded with kids at different locations and you never know when it is going to occur. from my research on the internet, many other ford focus owners have experienced the same issue and the fix has been to replace ignition switch (something about tumblers not engaging) and the ford service teams are very aware of the issue and the repairs. what i don't understand is why consumers must pay for a wide reaching manufacturer's defect. *tr | |||
| 01/07/2009 | 50000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 ford focus zx5 and the rear hatch latch does not always engage so have to slam it down a few times to get it to latch. i noticed the recall, but i live in nebraska and the recall does not apply there. i believe this needs to be expanded. also the door latches are getting harder and harder to open, is there any recall on them. also i have a problem with the steering column adjustment lever it will not stay, it releases as you are driving causing the steering wheel to bounce up and down. not safe. *tr | |||
| 09/19/2009 | 1 | ||
| Steering wheel locked, ignition locked and shift gear locked!!!! *tr | |||
| 08/25/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 ford focus. i just hit 70k miles yesterday, and starting today my ignition is completely locked up. my car is in park, the tires are not turned, etc. i went back in the house to try and find a solution and upon searching i found site after site, complaint after complaint about 2000-2003 ford focus' locking up like this after 70k miles, and that it costs $500 to fix. my car is no longer under warranty. this is clearly a manufacturing defect but is not covered by ford and has not been recalled yet. i do not have the money to replace this and now my car is useless and can't even be moved. i can only move the steering wheel about an inch and a half either way and the key in the ignition does not move at all. *tr | |||
| 08/16/2009 | 147500 | 1 | |
| I have a ford focus 2003 in which the ignition key will not turn and everytime i need to start the car i have to rock the steering wheel real hard right to left. one occasion the car locked up on me while back but fortunately i was able to stop it as i was moving very slow. this ignition problem is a very real safety issue and steps need to be taken to make ford fix the problem before someone gets killed. you only have to go to the internet and put in the search window ford focus ignition problems and it will tell you all you need to know. in fact i found out in california there is a clss action suite against ford for this very same problem. i will probably have a locksmith fix the ignition as i don't want topay double to the ford dealer. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2009 | 123000 | 1 | |
| The key won't turn in the ignition and i was stranded at a walmart parking lot. *tr | |||
| 07/05/2009 | 81000 | 1 | |
| I was stranded many miles from a highway because i could not get my ignition key turned, steeringwheel turned or automatic shifter moved. all blocked. luckily, i was able to get a ride back to where i could use my cellphone. a friend checked the internet on the problem and he found the suggestion to hit the key. later many taps this actually worked and i was able to drive home. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| Ignition key mechanism would jam and not turn -preventing turning the key and locking the steering wheel. unable to tow car (luckily all 2-3 times this happened i was close enough to dealer for flatbed tow). was able to remove the ignition key and the car was still running. last occurrence that was not under warranty and ford would not reimburse even though other focus owner had this problem - some up to 10 occurrences and ford said not a defect. i only had two keys on my key ring so not a weight issue. *tr | |||
| 04/08/2008 | 36500 | 1 | |
| Rack and pinion developed a leak. i bought my car in feb 2004 and everything was fine on it. last spring i noticed my car was making an odd sound and i raised the hood and found the power steering fluid level very low and filled it up. the noise went away. while changing the brakes on it my husband found the rack and pinion leaking fluid. the warranty was only good up to 36,000 miles and at the time this happened the warranty had expired. i currently have only 39,962 miles on this vehicle and drive it very little obviously since it is a 2003 and when we bought it feb 2004 it only had 19,221 miles on it. i am the second owner of this vehicle and as i said i have only put approximately 20,000 miles on it in 5 years. there should not be a problem with the rack and pinion on this vehicle with this little of mileage on it and not driven that often, but there is and i have not to date been able to get it fixed as the two estimates i got to get it fixed is between 550 and 600 dollars to get it fixed. no one other than the rich people can afford a major repair such as this when it is obvious that ford has a manufacturing issue on the rack and pinion on this model vehicle. it will be a total pain if this goes out before i can afford to fix it since it is has power steering and will convert to manual steering if it goes out before i can afford to get it fixed. ford should be forced to make a recall for this issue. *tr | |||
| 01/22/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Key will not turn in 2003 ford focus. dealership says it appears to be linkage in the steering column. *tr | |||
| 01/06/2009 | 1 | ||
| Went to start my car and the key would not turn and the steering wheel was locked. i tried every trick in the book. i have had this happen in the past, and by turning the steering wheel, i was able to start the car. not this time... *tr | |||
| 11/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| The key will not turn in the ignition. the ignition barrel is completely stuck, impeding any use of any vehicle functions. has occurred daily or every other day for a few weeks. a few minutes of jostling may allow it to work. a few times it has been stuck for hours until finally working. this may strand some travelers in winter conditions, like myself. very stressful and potentially dangerous situation. *tr | |||
| 12/13/2008 | 1 | ||
| My car refuses to start. you cannot turn the ignition switch to get it to come on. after searching the internet i saw dozens of complains from people having the same problem. i simply cannot afford to make the repairs and since my car is out of warranty my dealership will not help me. ford customer service hung up on me twice. the only fix is to leave the key in the ignition. i managed to use a hammer to hammer it in. *tr | |||
| 12/07/2008 | 1 | ||
| This is the second time i have had my key fail to work in a locked ignition of my 2003 ford focus. the first occurred when the car wa purchased in 2004 and now it has recurred. the first was under warranty but this is not. apparently ford is quite familiar with the problem as several focus owners have fixed this compliant on line. why is there no recall? why should ford get a bail out when they leave their consumers without assistance for repairing a problem of their making? *tr | |||
| 10/16/2008 | 71000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 ford focus and was stranded and had to have my car towed because the steering wheel locked and i couldn't get the key to turn over. the care repair cost was $551 and the ignition and starter cylinder inside of the steering column had to be replaced. i believe this is a manufacturing flaw and ford motor co. should pay for the repairs as a recall problem. it's my understanding that many 2000-2003 ford focus models have this flaw. *tr | |||
| 08/16/2008 | 70000 | 1 | |
| The wheel/ignition locked as turned the wheel to park on a hill. this is the first time it has happened on this car and could not unlock it. i took it to the dealership and they said it would $340 that the whole cylinder would have to be replaced. *tr | |||
| 10/11/2006 | 27167 | 1 | |
| Rattle anf thumbing sound coming from under front of vehicle when going over every bump. reported to ford service department on three occasions. (10/11/06, 04/05/07 and 06/26/08 ) on 06/26/2008, ford charged me $288.56 to install a front end stabilizer kit. old parts are not available. *tr | |||
| 06/30/2008 | 73000 | 1 | |
| I currently drive a 2003 ford focus hatchback 2.3l. after the engine is turned off the ignition and steering wheel lock completely. when attempting to turn on the vehicle, my car key will not turn and the wheel remains locked, in turn the vehicle becomes completely unusable. i call to ford road side assistant prompted me to quickly move the steering wheel left and right while turning the ignition forwards and backwards. i had been able to turn on the car up to 5 times using this system although once at the mechanic the car will no longer turn on, the mechanic must now drill a hole inside the steering wheel causing property damage. this started on my vehicle on sunday june 29th. this is a major safety concern as a car that does not allow the motorist to turn on the ignition can lead to possible crashes if the car becomes stalled in a highway etc. *tr | |||
| 05/28/2008 | 48500 | 1 | |
| Key would not turn in the ignition. this has happened several times. after some repeated attempts to start, eventually the key would work. this time, it has refused to budge. seems to be connected to the steering wheel being turned but that locks up too, so it can't resolve itself. research on internet such as consumer's report shows this to be a frequent complaint with this model. defective ignition! the other day it left me stranded with two small children. i would classify that as a safety concern! *tr | |||
| 09/11/2007 | 1 | ||
| (1) not sure (2) steering wheel and ignition are locked and can not be moved anymore (3) new lock *tr | |||
| 08/19/2006 | 70000 | 1 | |
| While driving, the steering system became difficult to control, which resulted in an severe accident. *jb | |||
| 04/15/2006 | 77000 | 1 | 10/14/2002 |
| I am the owner of a 2003 ford focus and i have several issues. in the last year i have experienced problems with the ignition locking and as well as the steering wheel, i contacted the dealer carey paul ford in decatur, ga and was told that i had to pay for repairs, which i did, after being stranded with my son. this cost me 260.00, i am a single mother and cannot afford to spend money on problems that the manufacturer clearly was aware of. the trunk on the vehicle just randomly opens at any given moment, you're riding along the road and the trunks just opens for no reason. this i find just annoying but would also like to have corrected. my latest issue is that on yesterday 04/16/06, while driving along the steering wheel just became loose and i could barely control the car, i made it to a firestone dealer that recommended that i take the vehicle to the dealer, which i will do first thing in the morning. i can't stop thinking that i or someone else on the road could have been seriously injured or killed. i can't understand how a manufacturer can continue to market a product as safe when clearly there are issues with it. i have found numerous web sites and personally spoken with focus owners with the same problems, what will it take to get ford to take responsibility for it's product. any feedback would be greatly appreciated. *nm | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 1 | ||
| Dt: the contact stated steering wheel locked and she could not get the steering wheel to turn. it locked while the vehicle was parked. a neighbor was able to unlock the steering wheel by maneuvering the steering wheel with the key in the ignition. *ak updated 1/19/2006 - the vehicle was repaired at the dealer. *nm | |||
| 02/01/2003 | 3 | 05/17/2002 | |
| Vehicle has been taken to have repairs done three times and vibration problems has not been resolved.*mr the consumer expects ford to repurchase the vehicle under the provisions of the applicable lemon law in the state of maryland, because of consistent problems with the vehicle. *cb the consumer stated the vehicle had a defective tie rod bushing, bearing assembly, axle shaft and joint, front end alignments and numerous wheel and tire adjustments *jb | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 08/01/2006 | 80000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the transmission slipped out of gear while driving 25 mph. the steering column also needs to be replaced since it can be turned 360 degrees. the manufacturer could not identify the cause of the failures. the current mileage was 120,000. the failure mileage was 80,000. | |||
| 10/18/2007 | 41203 | 1 | |
| Steering column lock gets stuck. vehicle cannot be started. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2008 | 8000 | 5 | 10/25/2003 |
| My mother purchased a new 2003 ford focus from lofink's ford in carthage, ny late in 2003 several times over the first three years she had the car, there was a problem with the ignition switch/steering column. she was unable to turn the key to start the vehicle. she repeatedly tried the key/steering wheel and was eventually able to get the key to turn. when she reported this to the dealership within the warranty period, she was told that sometimes this happened, that she should just jiggle the key/etc. she relocated to belton, tx in jun 07 to be near me, her daughter. on 30 sep 07 the car had the same issue, except that no amount of jiggling the key/steering column would allow the key to turn. the car was towed to johnson brothers ford in temple, tx. the dealership diagnostics read as follows: ignition system diag found ignition switch binding replaced ignition switch, retest sytem ok. the ignition switch would not turn had to drill out ign lock cylinder to remove. this cost: $474.67 which was not covered because the car had 16,505 miles on it at that time and was out of warranty. i pursued this issue with the repairing dealership, the selling dealership, and ford motor company (in writing) to no avail, requesting a good faith reimbursment. today the switch failed again and the car is now being towed for repair.*cn | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 120 | 2 | 05/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that the key has a tendency to stick inside the ignition when starting the vehicle. this prevents the ignition from turning. an authorized ford dealer recommended that she take a hammer and gently tap the key when inserted into the ignition in an attempt to lodge it out. the contact heeded the advice and the remedy worked temporarily. after a few weeks, the failure worsened and currently occurs three times per week. the steering column sticks whenever the vehicle is parked on a flat road surface with the steering wheel turned upright. the contact stated that is was difficult to turn the steering column. ford stated that nothing could be done. the powertrain was unknown. the failure mileage was 120 and current mileage was 67,000. | |||
| 12/19/2007 | 2 | 07/20/2004 | |
| The steering wheel has locked and is impossible to unlock. this happened once before but i was able to free it after some effort. i have not had any luck this time. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2007 | 17000 | 5 | 08/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the steering column failed, which prevented the vehicle from being started. the dealer was not notified of the failure and no repairs were made. the current mileage was 18,000 and failure mileage was 17,000. | |||
| 06/22/2007 | 1 | ||
| I purchased my 2003 ford focus zx3 just over a year ago and have recently had trouble with the steering wheel locking up. after jerking the wheel around a bit i've always been able to get it to start until today. but today when i went to get in my car and go to work no amount of jerking or twisting would get my key to turn and my car to start. before calling for a tow i decided to check for info on like and what do i find? that this problem has been going on in the zx3 since 2000! and nothing is being done about it! so now i'm going to have to drop over $300 on a fix for my car and from what i read i'll probably have to do the same thing again next year. why is the being allowed to go on? if ford cares so little about the people that drive their cars that they can't find a long term fix to a well documented problem than you can be sure that this will be the last ford i purchase. *tr | |||
| 04/29/2004 | 700 | 1 | 04/09/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the starter failed. there were no warning signals for the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the flywheel and the starter had to be replaced. after the first incident, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer thirty times for the following failures: brakes rotors were replaced four times; battery and alternator had to be replaced; the transmission had to be replaced after the second attempt to repair it. the electrical wiring under the dashboard had to be rewired. the air conditioning was repaired three times with the replacement of defective valves; the rear door latches were repaired according to recall # 05v300000. the dealership had not corrected the noises from the steering column. the manufacturer was contacted and refused to cooperated in finding a suitable resolution. the last problem found by the dealership was the required replacement of the engine heads. the engine heads were attached to the vehicle frame. | |||
| 09/17/2006 | 44000 | 1 | 12/10/2004 |
| The vehicle is a 2003 ford focus with less than 45,000 miles, the ignition cylinder locked up without warning and the car refused to start. additionally, the car would not shift out of neutral, making a tow difficult. this is a well known problem, ford refuses to acknowledge the risk of drivers being stranded in unsafe places where they could be raped, robbed or murdered. fortunately, this happened to my wife and i in our apartment complex, however there are reports of other people not being so lucky. hixson ford charged us $289.69 to repair the ignition lock cylinder plus we paid $65 to tow the vehicle. below is a list of websites documenting similar complaints of the ford focus ignition locking up and rendering the car inoperable. some even complain of it happening while driving: http://consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_focus_ignition.html http://www.fazmiclaw.com/focus.html http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0706/347339.html http://cbs5.com/investigates/local_story_041015136.html http://www.petitiononline.com/focusic/petition.html http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.eea50dc http://forums.treemedia.com/fb/archive/index.php/t-493.html http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cars/msg062031202524.html?20 http://www.complaints.com/directory/2004/december/12/7.htm http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/july/5/17.htm http://forums.focaljet.com/problems-service-recalls/416401-please-post-if-your-ignition-has-locked-13.html thank you for any assistance you can provide. *jb | |||
| 06/17/2006 | 70000 | 4 | 12/31/2003 |
| Steering column locks up on ford focus 2003, because of side bar. *jb | |||
| 01/07/2006 | 71000 | 1 | 04/15/2004 |
| Piston in transmission deteriorated causing shift solenoid and value body to go bad at 71,000 miles, front drivers seat belt will not unbuckle, rear seat belts will periodically not buckle, now blowing massive amounts of smoke, rims are seized when trying to change tires, no matter if it was just taken off 5 minutes previously to takeoff; ignition seized and ending up having to rebuild steering column. *jb | |||
| 10/11/2004 | 0 | 04/09/2003 | |
| When sticking key into ignition the key will not turn, the wheels are not locked its the steering wheel locked,, i have taken this vehicle to 3 different dealer ships to report nothing is wrong, first it was igntion an now is the sterring colum, the cars is as of yet to be fixed, this car was purchased in april of 2003, an now the price i am being quoted is ridiculous. this vehicle needs to be recalled from the year 2000-2003, there are forums that customers complain about the same issue on this ford focus zx3, i have contacted ford motor company an have submitted several complaints, i dont feel that i need to pay for something the company failed to correct, i will continue to complain an report until this issue is resolved....... | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 02/10/2008 | 45 | 06/21/2004 | |
| My cars ignition doesn't work. it will lock me out of my own car. i have to bang my key as hard as i can to get the ignition to unlock. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 1 | 10/26/2006 | |
| I am writing because i believe that there should be a recall for my car due to many complaints with the same problem with my car. my wife was shopping and when she went to start the car the steering wheel was locked and the key would not turn. we ended up having to have the car towed to our home. we went online and researched and saw that many people with the same car and year that we have has the same problem. our car is a 2003 ford focus and its an ignition lock problem. the average repair is between $300 - $500. i believe that it is a huge safety issue as my wife was stranded with our 7 week old and 4 year old in very cold weather with no way to start the car for any heat. its dangerous and the complaints are many. all you have to do is google it and you can see. i contacted ford to see if they will take care of the issue and they are supposed to get back to me by tomorrow at 2 to let me know. i believe that they should as again they know that this is a very common problem with this vehicle and have yet to ever issue a recall for it. thank you. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2008 | 8000 | 5 | 10/25/2003 |
| My mother purchased a new 2003 ford focus from lofink's ford in carthage, ny late in 2003 several times over the first three years she had the car, there was a problem with the ignition switch/steering column. she was unable to turn the key to start the vehicle. she repeatedly tried the key/steering wheel and was eventually able to get the key to turn. when she reported this to the dealership within the warranty period, she was told that sometimes this happened, that she should just jiggle the key/etc. she relocated to belton, tx in jun 07 to be near me, her daughter. on 30 sep 07 the car had the same issue, except that no amount of jiggling the key/steering column would allow the key to turn. the car was towed to johnson brothers ford in temple, tx. the dealership diagnostics read as follows: ignition system diag found ignition switch binding replaced ignition switch, retest sytem ok. the ignition switch would not turn had to drill out ign lock cylinder to remove. this cost: $474.67 which was not covered because the car had 16,505 miles on it at that time and was out of warranty. i pursued this issue with the repairing dealership, the selling dealership, and ford motor company (in writing) to no avail, requesting a good faith reimbursment. today the switch failed again and the car is now being towed for repair.*cn | |||
| 12/07/2007 | 1 | 07/19/2006 | |
| My 2003 ford focus, left me sitting on a friday evening because the ignition key cylinder would not allow me to turn the key. not only was the ignition key cylinder locked, but so was the gear shift and the steering wheel. i couldn't move the vehicle at all. it was dark and i was left sitting with one of my two children. i had to call for a ride, get the car towed and then pay to get it fixed. all along, ford knew that this was, as they stated on their website, a defect. obviously this is an ongoing problem for the ford focus. i have a friend who also had this problem. it's a issue that needs to be faced and probably be considered for recall, in my opinion. i feel that paying for this defect is unacceptable. i believe that ford should have this on recall and take care of replacing the ignition lock cylinder for it's customers! *tr | |||
| 04/17/2006 | 53000 | 2 | 03/01/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the steering wheel locked. the dealership replaced the key cylinder. this did not remedy the problem. the steering wheel locked again resulting in the vehicle being towed to the dealership. the dealership replaced the key cylinder again. *ak | |||
| 01/13/2005 | 56000 | 1 | |
| The ignition lock cylinder locks up, making it impossible to start the car.the ignition key will not turn the lock.if the car is towed in it creates a problem in that the car stays in park and if towed incorrectlywill damage the transmission.ford motor views this as natural wear and tear. *ak | |||
| 02/17/2005 | 48720 | 1 | 01/31/2005 |
| I just bought this used 2 weeks ago, thinking it has under 50,000 miles it's good. well on february 17,2005, i put the key in the ignition and the key wouldn't turn. i tried for at least an hour and nothing,i tried again the nex morning and nothing, the delearship had to tow and here i am without a car, so i deceided to search the web and see if this has happened to other people and sure enough it has, if this is a recall it needs to be fixed. *ak | |||
| 02/05/2005 | 57000 | 1 | 04/15/2004 |
| After washing the vehicle at a car wash steering column locked up. steering wheel would not move in any direction. vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed consumer that the steering column was broken , and needed to be replaced.*ak | |||
| 10/25/2004 | 36915 | 40 | 09/25/2004 |
| I recently purchased a used 2003 ford focus from menlove dodge toyota in bountiful in late september. verything was going fine, until one day my wife comes home an hour late from work saying that the keys for our car would turn in the ignition, she had to enlist the help 2 other co-workers & finally got it started after an hour of trying it. o i went out to take a look at the ignition and sure enough the key would not turn until after a bout 20-30 tries. so then i got to thinking, with this car having less than 50,000 miles on it i should have it looked at. after talking to other people & doing research on the internet, it appears to be a very common problem, which ford apparently fails to acknowledge. this is a very serious problem as what if you were driving on the freeway & your car stops running, your going 65 mph, the steering wheel locks because the key wont turn to the on position again. i called to get a quote on getting this fixed and was told it would cost me in the ball park of 200-300 dollars for a defect that is obviously a know problem by ford. have found a message board that other for focus owners have posted information on with the same complaint. my felling is, with so many ford focus owners out there with the same problem, ford needs to step up and admit there is a problem & issue a recall on these ignitions. here is the url to the site i referred to: http://www.autowhiz.com/messageboards/message.php?id=1784&page=1*ak | |||
| 10/11/2004 | 0 | 04/09/2003 | |
| When sticking key into ignition the key will not turn, the wheels are not locked its the steering wheel locked,, i have taken this vehicle to 3 different dealer ships to report nothing is wrong, first it was igntion an now is the sterring colum, the cars is as of yet to be fixed, this car was purchased in april of 2003, an now the price i am being quoted is ridiculous. this vehicle needs to be recalled from the year 2000-2003, there are forums that customers complain about the same issue on this ford focus zx3, i have contacted ford motor company an have submitted several complaints, i dont feel that i need to pay for something the company failed to correct, i will continue to complain an report until this issue is resolved....... | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 07/28/2003 | 7000 | 1 | |
| Consumer states that while driving 25 mph through a puddle of about 6, the engine died on the spot. consumer had vehicle inspected by a certified new york car inspector, who informed consumer that the air intake hose is below the front fender of vehicle. the manufacturer and the dealer has been notified and neither will claim responsibility. *ph | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 03/19/2004 | 6200 | 1 | 05/05/2003 |
| Ball joint (suspension) broke, vehicle spun out of control. fortunately, incident occurred in a multi-story parking garage, at low speed. *ak the consumer's insurance requested status update. *sc | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 01/08/2006 | 1 | 05/22/2004 | |
| My boyfriend and son took my car to have it washed. when they turned the corner the steering wheel just spun. causing them to almost crash. i have had several other things happen with the car since i bought it in may 2004 used. i have replaced the back tires 4 times in a year. they all have cupped. every tire place we have went has said the rear of the car has a defect in it. also, my seat belts used by my children do not always work properly. last jan, the transmission wouldn't shift out of first. ottawa ford did fix this issue as a speed control sensor wiring problem. with the steering issue the car is undrivable and i am a single mom with no other transportation or means of income to fix. i need some help with this. *jb | |||