Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - REAR WINDOW | |||||
| 04189 | 12/13/2004 | 04245 | 10014062 | Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt | 04/27/2005 |
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - BLOWER | |||||
| 03182 | 09/15/2003 | 10004028 | Water in climate control heater blower motor case, which can be associated with an inoperable heater blower motor resister, blower motor, or a blown blower motor fuse. *tt | 11/14/2003 | |
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - CONTROLS/WIRING | |||||
| 041514 | 08/09/2004 | 04189 | 10011159 | Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt | 01/04/2005 |
| 031501 | 07/12/2004 | 04137 | 10009321 | Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt | 09/23/2004 |
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||||
| 16598 | 02/01/2003 | 10002487 | Backglass window developes a crack with no apparent cause. *tt | 09/03/2003 | |
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||||
| 04152 | 08/09/2004 | 10011148 | Loss of intermittent wiper or wiper park function. *tt | 01/04/2005 | |
| 16796 | 04/01/2003 | 10002669 | Intermittent wipers inoperative. *tt | 09/10/2003 | |
| 16909 | 06/01/2003 | 10002620 | Loss of intermittent wiper or wiper park functions. *tt | 09/08/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 01/25/2007 | 70000 | ||
| I have replaced the transmission, the water pump, the thermostat, and all radiator hoses. the car overheats daily still. the stereo cuts on and off and can't be turned off by the power button. the rear left seatbelt is stuck where it can't be used. the driver window fell into the door, when the panel was removed it showed that the whole wire system had snapped. the driver door also can only be opened from the inside. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - REAR WINDOW | |||
| 09/07/2004 | 1 | ||
| While drivingand upon turning the air conditioner on right rear window shattered. *ak | |||
| 01/19/2003 | 440 | 01/09/2003 | |
| After leaving my auto, i returned to find the rear window shattered, but in tact/in place. there no signs of any impact or attempted entry. the police were called and they said they could not find any evidence of anything striking the window and appeared it might be a faulty window. upon bringing it to the dealer's sevice shop, the manager said he would notify his ford rep of this problem. he said normally they would not do anything but since the auto was so new, he would try to see what he could do. upon investigating if there was a ford recall or similar regarding this problem, i came accross at least one other occassion where the window just shattered and was replaced by ford under warranty. the individual said ford claimed it was due to welding irregularities and such. when i was speaking to the service manager at ford, he claimed that the 2003 ford focus rear defroster was changed and they had given it a higher amp to make it hotter. since it has been about 6 dgrees outside, it could have been hot and shattered when cooling quickly - he did not know and was just searching for answers. regardless, the auto had 440 miles on it and was only about 10 days old when this occurred. it could have been serious if this windowed shattered and blew out while driving, possibly causing harm to any passengers in the back - or anywhere for that matter. i believe this needs to be checked out to prevent any possible harm to anyone. the auto is a 2003 ford focus se sedan. | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 04/11/2008 | 5000 | 3 | 09/05/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. while parked in the backyard, the contact started the vehicle and the rear window blew out. the dealer repaired the window. a few days later, the locks on the passenger side door would not unlock. the dealer repaired that failure as well. afterwards, the ignition cylinder began to fail. the contact took the vehicle in for repair and had to pay $300. the current and failure mileages were 5,000. updated 05/21/08 *bf the consumer stated the trunk needed to be repaired as well. updated. 05/20/08. *jb | |||
| 11/15/2004 | 32000 | 1 | 11/15/2004 |
| Rear window was shattered for no known reason while driving 65-70 mph. the shattered glass flew fell the vehicle while child was sleeping in a child safety seat. no injuries were reported. dealer was notified.*ak | |||
| 11/13/2003 | 1480 | 1 | 09/11/2003 |
| The rear window in my 2003 ford focus sedan zts spontaneously shattered overnight while parked in the driveway. the next morning it was found completely intact with no sign of impact or forced entry. ford refused to pay for the repair stating that i should contact my insurance company and have them sue ford.*ak | |||
| 10/13/2003 | 200 | 1 | 10/10/2003 |
| My wife barbara purchased a new 2003 ford focus. she brought it home on fri. oct.10th. 2003, she put on about 100 miles. she parked it in our driveway. on monday oct. 13, 2003 when i went out to the car i noticed that the rear window was crazed. with a closer inspection i saw that the window was completely cracked. the window was intact with no sign of impact. i called the dealer and they asked me to bring it in to their service center. i did and they are repairing it. we live in a remote area with no trafic. the car was parked in a driveway with the rear window facing away from the road. the temperture was 38 deg. f.at night and 70 deg. f daytime. we live in alpine, az ellevation 8050 ft. *la | |||
| 01/19/2003 | 440 | 01/09/2003 | |
| After leaving my auto, i returned to find the rear window shattered, but in tact/in place. there no signs of any impact or attempted entry. the police were called and they said they could not find any evidence of anything striking the window and appeared it might be a faulty window. upon bringing it to the dealer's sevice shop, the manager said he would notify his ford rep of this problem. he said normally they would not do anything but since the auto was so new, he would try to see what he could do. upon investigating if there was a ford recall or similar regarding this problem, i came accross at least one other occassion where the window just shattered and was replaced by ford under warranty. the individual said ford claimed it was due to welding irregularities and such. when i was speaking to the service manager at ford, he claimed that the 2003 ford focus rear defroster was changed and they had given it a higher amp to make it hotter. since it has been about 6 dgrees outside, it could have been hot and shattered when cooling quickly - he did not know and was just searching for answers. regardless, the auto had 440 miles on it and was only about 10 days old when this occurred. it could have been serious if this windowed shattered and blew out while driving, possibly causing harm to any passengers in the back - or anywhere for that matter. i believe this needs to be checked out to prevent any possible harm to anyone. the auto is a 2003 ford focus se sedan. | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 69893 | 1 | |
| Back in july (ish) of 07, my 4 door ford focus zx5 passenger side rear door window fell in the door while driving. on aug 8, 2008 my driver side rear window fell in the door as well. i had my 2 girls in the back seat this time. the first time this happened i took it to a ford dealership and was told that the top pulley had broken out of the door causing the window to fall. i now have 2 non functioning windows with the same thing wrong with them within almost a year from each other. just waiting for the front windows to do the same while i'm driving down the road. *tr | |||
| 03/22/2007 | 66051 | 2 | 06/04/2004 |
| The driver side rear electric window of my 2003 ford focus ls has malfunctioned & failed to respond to switch control. motor function seemed to still be intact but the window didn't respond to the electrical switch on the door panel. this resulted in the window being stuck in a half down position but could be pulled back up manually with little resistance. 1 week later the passenger side rear window exhibited the exact same symptoms. after calling a few local dealerships/repair shops, i was informed that the window(s) had probably come off track but they could not be certain without inspection. i received an estimate of $200 just to look at the problem, the estimate did not include any additional fee's that may incur thereafter. i contacted triumph auto glass to repair the problem and was told by the technician that this is a very frequent problem with the ford focus model & that he has ran into this problem several times in recent months. he wasn't able to repair the problem at the time, but he was able to identify the problem as he had ran across it numerous times. he stated that both regulators for the window motor's had failed & estimated the repair cost to between $500-$600.00 ! i was not able to afford that expenditure at this time & opted to glue both back windows shut in the up position. so now i have essentially no rear windows (at least windows that function) & there is damage to the carpet & upholstery from the elements. not to mention the fear of possibly having the car broken into or stolen. i did wish to make you aware of this issue as it seems to be quite frequent. i have checked your site & several others for the ford focus & was unable to find any recalls or bulletins for this problem. but it's a big problem & a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed by ford and i am obviously not the only one affected by this mechanical failure. thank you for time and attention to this matter. sincerely, mark williams | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 5 | 05/01/2003 | |
| Dt: 2003 ford focus. when the vehicle was first purchased front window came out. the dealership fixed it. then, the trunk started popping open, the vehicle was fixed at the dealership where she purchased it. the vehicle was taken to another dealership, because she moved. they stated the vehicle needsednew brake pads. te consumer told the dealership the vehicle made a noise on the passenger side by the front tire. the dealership did nothing about it. the vehicle was then taken to a tire company, they found the front rotors wore out, and this was a manufacturering problem. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership and they stated the vehicle needed new rotors and brake pads. also a piece was coming off the vehicle between the two doors on the driver side between the windows. this vehicle just went over 15,000 miles when she was leaving the dealership. in addition, there iwas something wrong with the steering wheel, it was too hard to pull back, and it swerved in the other lane. the trunk was still coming open.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2005 | 1 | 02/01/2003 | |
| Dt: the consumer states he took his vehicle to a mechanic and was told the vehicle needed a new window regulator. when he called the dealership they stated that the part was on back order and would not be available until august 15. the power windows on his vehicle was rising sideways. if this continues to happen, the mechanic stated it would eventually break. *jb | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||
| 05/10/2006 | 55000 | 6 | 08/12/2004 |
| Leaking of rain water onto the floor of the passenger's side. the car has been completely checked and nothing is wrong. they refuse to reinstall the windshield because they say it is a factory defect with the pollen filter seals not keeping water out. it is causing water damage to my car, mold is starting to form, and who knows what other damage this will cause! *tr | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 1 | 12/29/2004 | |
| Owner of a ford focus/2003. ignition switch locked up and had to get my car towed ($45.00) as well as pay for repairs ($183.00). called ford headquarters and talked with a representative about being reimbursed. i also mentioned the problem i was having with my gauges. upon starting car, gauges are all out of wack, swinging back and forth and landing on zero. after being on the road for about 15 or 20 minutes they will positioned at the right place. the representative seem to only care to hear about one of the problem (ignition switch) and not the other one. i was put on hold for a while and when rep return she told me to call company that was repairing my focus and they will help me in this matter. i called the company and the guy that eagerly took my money stated that he will do a claim for me and he stated that i will get some of my money but not all of it back. in checking the recalls i see ignition switch lockup is one of them. i only have had my car for a little over a year. my windshield is cracked and insurance says i must pay $250 before they fix it, when turning on air conditioner, driving seem difficult (hard to pull), liftgate water leaks, and upon purchasing my car, brakes were squeaking; i mentioned this to the dealer and he told me not to worry about it that the brakes were new and had to be broken in. well they are still squeaking after a year in a half. i need all of these things fixed on my car, right now i am a month behind in car payments (good record on making my payments), had to use the money to get the ignition switch repaired. *jb | |||
| 02/16/2006 | 14000 | 1 | 03/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the ignition locked up and the vehicle was taken to the dealership. the ignition tumbler was replaced. the ignition locked up again, and the dealership determined the key needed to be replaced because they would not work with the new ignition tumbler. also, the windshield has been replaced three times. the windshield cracked when hit by an object on the highway and overnight, with the source unknown. | |||
| 11/20/2005 | 41000 | 5 | 09/09/2003 |
| I only owned the car for about 2 months before the problems started i was told that there was nothing wrong. the transmission wouldn't change gear, they say this is normal. also, the windshield was never sealed in they told me that it could be fixed. the front wheels click when driven. the brakes went out quick. the back hubs are sealed from rust. and now i can't even get my disabled child to the doctors because the ignition has gone completely out. the locksmith said i was lucky i was parked. *jb | |||
| 11/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| Consumer complaint regarding defect in ford focus windshield. *ts the windshield had come loose in the center about 12 inches. *sc | |||
| 06/08/2004 | 15000 | 1 | |
| Consumer was driving and windshield exploded. glass filled the front driver's side. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||
| 06/30/2005 | 35930 | 3 | 07/01/2003 |
| Dt: consumer complained about transmission problems. the rear door on the wagon did not close properly and the windshield wipers did not go all the way down when turning them off. dealer was working on the transmission. also, dealer will take care of the door and the windshield wipers while vehicle was in the shop for transmission. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR | |||
| 06/24/2009 | 44000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. the contact stated that the windshield wiper motor in his vehicle would not return to the off (park) position. when he turned it off, the wipers would stop in the middle of the windshield. nhtsa campaign id number 01v258000 only included the 2000-2001 models. the manufacturer provided him with a reference number and refused liability. the current and failure mileages were approximately 44,000. updated 08/04/09.*jb | |||
| 10/27/2007 | 75700 | 3 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. on three occasions, three window motor regulators have failed in the vehicle. the failure was noticed while driving 30 mph. the front driver side and both rear windows failed and were repaired at the owner's expense. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 76,100 and failure mileage was 75,700. | |||
| 12/05/2006 | 28000 | 50 | 07/05/2003 |
| Nhtsa previous report 01v258000 (recall id 01d-258) for ford focus windshield wiper motor problems - 2001/2002 vehicles. i have a 2003 ford focus with identical problems, wiper does not stow - as there are other reported vehicles - will nhtsa direct ford to recall or fix later model year for this same issue? the virginia safety inspection failed my car for this issue - stated ford would fix, ford dealer has no requirement, as this is not a recalled year. *jb | |||
| 12/09/2006 | 25000 | 100 | |
| The wipers on this car do the exact same thing my 2000 ford focus did that had a recall they don not want to return to the home position. *nm | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - SWITCH/WIRING | |||
| 05/13/2005 | 24000 | ||
| Failure of intermittent function on windshield wipers in 2003 ford focus. this was a problem with an earlier (2001) model year and was suposedly fixed by ford, but i am having the problem with my 2003 focus zts 4 dr sedan. | |||