Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | ||||||
| AQ10001 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 11/18/2010 | Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit | |||
| The agency, particularly in recent months, has been informed of incidents involving allegations of personal injury and death claimed to have been caused by safety defects and failures to conform to minimum federal motor vehicle safety standards (fmvss) on rental car vehicles for which a safety recall to remedy the safety defect or noncompliance had allegedly not been performed prior to the rental car company's lease of the vehicle.nhtsa understands that there is presently a petition before the federal trade commission (ftc) seeking to prohibit at least one rental car company from renting vehicles on which safety recall campaign remedies remain outstanding.the purpose of this audit query (aq) is to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on the above-listed safety recall campaigns.these campaigns were chosen due to their inclusion of vehicles used in the rental market.this information is expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets, in general or individually, perform necessary recall-related repairs or other remedies on the vehicles owned and then leased for use on the roadways.this aq is opened. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 03/04/2013 | 124000 | ||
| The key won't turn in the ignition - apparently a notorious ford focus problem. the car left me stranded miles from home in freezing weather. i will never buy a ford again because they have not issued a recall. | |||
| 02/09/2013 | 168000 | ||
| Ignition switch won't turn. happened in bad part of town. this is a serious safty issue. | |||
| 12/15/2012 | |||
| I have been in the wrecker business for 20 years, this being the second ford focus involved in an accident this year. i have noticed that this vehicle does not perform adequately when involved in a crash, therefore putting the passengers at risk of severe injury or death. the driver of the vehicle mentioned above lost control, and slid sideways into oncoming traffic resulting in an impact to the passenger door and resulted in a fatality of the driver..the area of protection surrounding the passenger compartment is inadequate in that it does not provide safety upon impact. this being the second focus towed recently, it has become aparent to me that these light weignt vehicles propose a safety hazard to the public and should be re-examined | |||
| 12/15/2012 | |||
| Ignition switch failed to turn. internet research indicates defective switch. tapping key with hammer allowed the switch to work properly and continue to work properly as long as the key is not removed. once the key is removed, the ignition switch again freezes and will not turn. | |||
| 10/03/2012 | 69900 | ||
| The ignition key fails to turn. keys are fine and hitting the key worked a few times to get the key to turn. with this problem, a person can easily become stranded in unfavorable conditions. also, should anything happen where the engine dies while driving, the steering could become locked with no way to turn key. | |||
| 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.. | |||
| 06/11/2012 | 104500 | ||
| The ignition wouldn't turn, although the key can go in and out of it. hired a locksmith before i knew the dealership might fix it for free because i needed it fixed quickly. | |||
| 02/13/2012 | 90209 | ||
| Leaving work at the end of the day i went to start my vehicle and the key would not turn in the ignition. it was very cold and after adjusting the steering wheel several time for about 5 minutes i was able to start the car. i have since had difficulty turning the key in the ignition of my vehicle everyday. the last incident was while at the gas station, which took almost 15 minutes to get the vehicle started again. i have researched the issue online and found that many other people have also had this issue, with no recall placed on the vehicle as it is not an immediate risk to safety. although i have now found my self uncomfortably attempting to start my car in less that safe environments on more than one occasion. | |||
| 01/18/2012 | |||
| Key won't turn in ignition/ ignition stuck | |||
| 01/16/2012 | |||
| Key froze solid in the ignition . steering wheel would not turn nor the key. left stranded and had to call a locksmith to physically drill out the factory installed ignition and replace it with a strattec replacement part # 707592. locksmith reiterated what i read on the internet with this being a known problem with the ford focus. | |||
| 01/18/2012 | |||
| Key won't turn in ignition/ ignition stuck | |||
| 01/16/2012 | |||
| Key froze solid in the ignition . steering wheel would not turn nor the key. left stranded and had to call a locksmith to physically drill out the factory installed ignition and replace it with a strattec replacement part # 707592. locksmith reiterated what i read on the internet with this being a known problem with the ford focus. | |||
| 01/18/2012 | |||
| Key won't turn in ignition/ ignition stuck | |||
| 01/16/2012 | |||
| Key froze solid in the ignition . steering wheel would not turn nor the key. left stranded and had to call a locksmith to physically drill out the factory installed ignition and replace it with a strattec replacement part # 707592. locksmith reiterated what i read on the internet with this being a known problem with the ford focus. | |||
| 02/15/2011 | 55000 | ||
| Failure to be able to turn ignition. had to take it to a dealer and spent $400! inconvenience? yes! | |||
| 05/25/2011 | 73420 | ||
| Key would not turn in the ignition, so vehicle was unable to start and had to be abandoned. | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Key wont turn in ignition windows down in a bad neighborhood | |||
| 05/25/2011 | 73420 | ||
| Key would not turn in the ignition, so vehicle was unable to start and had to be abandoned. | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Key wont turn in ignition windows down in a bad neighborhood | |||
| 05/25/2011 | 73420 | ||
| Key would not turn in the ignition, so vehicle was unable to start and had to be abandoned. | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Key wont turn in ignition windows down in a bad neighborhood | |||
| 05/25/2011 | 73420 | ||
| Key would not turn in the ignition, so vehicle was unable to start and had to be abandoned. | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Key wont turn in ignition windows down in a bad neighborhood | |||
| 05/25/2011 | 73420 | ||
| Key would not turn in the ignition, so vehicle was unable to start and had to be abandoned. | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Key wont turn in ignition windows down in a bad neighborhood | |||
| 04/19/2011 | 102759 | ||
| I purchased a used 2003 ford focus se/4 door/automatic. the ignition key cylinder has been acting up for sometime. on three different occasions the cylinder with the key when turned to the off position will completely come out of the steering column when removing the key. again, this has happenen on at least three occasions and could happen at any time. i have not been to a dealer to repair the problem yet. but that is my next stop. i am wanting ford to issue a recall and repair this problem. thousands of other focus owners have had similar or same problems. this has happened to so many people who have become stranded because of this malfunction. not to mention, this is an obvious safey issue due to the possibility of injuries in a moving vehicle. | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 96000 | ||
| 2003 ford focus key not able to turn ignition issue that has been reported previously. vehicle stranded until ignition lock assembly removed and replaced. | |||
| 02/15/2011 | 63000 | ||
| My ignition key cylinder has gone bad. my key will not turn therefore i cannot drive my car. being that i am a young female, i found this experience to be horrific and highly unsafe. my county has one of the highest murder rates and being stuck without a way to get away from a troubling situation has left me to highly regret the purchase of my ford focus. i see on your website that hundreds of people have complained about this issue. i don't understand how a defect in a car cannot be recalled! this venture is costing me over 600 dollars which i like everyone else do not have to spare. i find it a shame that ford does not own up to their mistake. it makes you question the quality the american auto industry puts forth. i have always been a believer of supporting our local business and industry however i have learned that american industry like to burn people and sell unsatisfactory products. i appeal to you to recall the ford focus cylinder before someone makes the ultimate sacrifice to prove that this is indeed a high risk safety concern! | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 60000 | ||
| For the past few months my car ignition has been getting stuck, making it very difficult to start my car. this past weekend my key would not turn at all stranding my family away from home while trying to visit my grandmother in the hospital. luckily we were not her means to get to the hospital as it seems that i have purchased an unreliable car. as i have done my research on this problem, i have discovered that it seems almost all ford focus owners are encountering this problem. i have even read that this is not a safety concern hence the lack of recall! i like billions of americans rely on my car in good times and bad. i hope to god that i do not have a ford focus if anything desperate should become of me and i need safety because apparently they don't like to even start! | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 160000 | ||
| Key won't turn in ignition. for a couple of weeks, i was able to tap on the end of the key while it was in the ignition lock, and the key would turn. now, i am unable to get it to turn at all -- even after tapping on it with a hammer. | |||
| 11/05/2010 | 113000 | ||
| I was parked outside my girlfriend's dr's office waiting to pick her up. it was a cold day and she didn't want to take the bus. when i tried to start the car the key would not turn. i attempted repeatedly to turn the key, but it would not budge. this had happened twice before (i had only owned the car a couple months), but the key had turned with some fiddling. this time it wouldn't turn, no matter what i did. i eventually had to have it towed. the mechanic called me today and said the ignition cylinder needs to be replaced and the key has to be reprogrammed. i read several sources online that said this is not necessary that anyone who tells you this is padding their own pocket, but what can i do? i'm not a mechanic and i'm not about to call this guy a liar. i have to bite the bullet and pay for the repairs as he describes them. | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 143000 | ||
| Safety hazzard-- upper motor mount on 2003 ford focus malfunctions/ disintegrates within three months of installation; whether by garage, dealer, or owner. in seventeen months, i have had to replace the mount (when caught) four times and found it again needs replacement. the oem parts say guaranteed but it constantly cost to remove, repackage, ship, and then replace. | |||
| 10/07/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Failure to turn ignition switch with key...takes several attemps (at times for 1/2 an hour) and happens several times a day and getting worse. after a quick search on-line, i noticed that their was a class action lawsuit in california and that many other focus owners have had similar problems. i will first contact ford customer service, but based on other focus owners, i do not expect much and hopefully soon will be contacting a locksmith to replace the switch. | |||
| 08/24/2003 | 54000 | ||
| The ignition has been sticking for a couple months, making it difficult to start the car, more recently it has been a daily occurrence that the ignition would not turn without great difficulty. what this ultimately lead to was getting stranded due to the car being unable to start ( ignition wouldn't even turn). i am now going to have to get the car towed and either re-keyed, or a new ignition put in which will cost a good amount of money. | |||
| 08/17/2010 | 75000 | ||
| My 2003 ford focus has ignition problems. my key could not turn in the ignition. and as i search online, a lot of ppl have the same problems. this is a recurrent problem with ford focus and specifically 2003 ford focus. this is very severe. image you're in a hurry to start the car, the key could not turn and you are stuck. so why is there is nothing done about it by ford? i just asked the dealership and they told me it is around $450 to replace the ignition. i don't think i should pay this money due to ford's fault. | |||
| 08/12/2010 | 53337 | ||
| 2003 ford focus ignition key will not turn now. | |||
| 06/22/2010 | 64000 | ||
| After warranty expired, put key in ignition and could not turn car on. this was due to a suddenly failing ignition system. had to replace entire ignition column and was stranded for three days while we figured out the problem. this is a safety issue considering it is a well known problem and many people have been stranded in bad areas or during bad weather. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 06/13/2010 | 45000 | ||
| My 2003 ford focus is having an ignition problem - my key will not turn in the ignition - i am now stranded and have to call aaa for help - they just left - have to have ignition replaced by dealer | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 106000 | ||
| Key will not turn ignition. it is progressively getting worse. last night i was stranded late at night and had to call someone to come get me. i tried for over an hour to get it to turn. from what i am finding out this is not a problem that i have. there have been many many complaints of this. this part should be recalled! | |||
| 06/07/2003 | 49774 | ||
| Key would not turn in the ignition on my 2003 ford focus wagon. was stranded at a drive in movie theater at 2am with 2 small children and the windows down as it started to rain. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 64000 | ||
| When accelerating at low speeds, turning and driving spped bumps a horrible rattling, vibration, metal on metal sound is heard inside the care on the passenger side behind glove box. continues to get worse and 2 aaa approved mechanics could not find it. | |||
| 05/21/2010 | 47000 | ||
| The origonal ford car key for my 03 ford focus will not turn in the ignition sometimes. ill say about 25% of the time it wont. and i havent fixed it yet | |||
| 05/03/2010 | 90000 | ||
| 2003 ford focus ignition won't turn over the past month the ignition has been slowly increasing in the number of times that it will lock up and won't turn. it used to work for me to put the key in pull out, wait a few seconds then put it back in and it would work. on 5/3/10 my ignition would no longer work and i was stranded in a parking lot on my way home from work. no repair has been completed yet, but i will be looking into it. | |||
| 04/06/2010 | 111942 | ||
| Ignition locks up and can not turn key to start engine. | |||
| 12/09/2008 | 68000 | 1 | |
| I was out doing errands and the key would not turn in the ignition even with the steering wheel loose. i tried a few times and it finally turned. later that evening when leaving the key would not turn again, except this time it did not ever turn and i ended up having to borrow a car from my in-laws. we are in the process of getting quotes to have it looked at and fixed or replaced. *tr | |||
| 04/27/2008 | 39000 | 1 | |
| Key will not turn the ignition on. *tr | |||