Battery Cable problems of the 2000 Ford Focus - part 1

While driving the vehicle the electric dash cluster quit working and the vehicle cut off in the middle of traffic. The alternator was replaced then the vehicle did the same thing a few months later. The battery cables were replaced and the battery and the alternator were replaced as a precaution. The vehicle after 4 days and no driving longer that 35 miles a day the same thing happened again while traveling down the interstate.

I was starting my car, on first start did not start when retried starting there was nothing tried again nothing opened hood and smoke was coming out from battery cover. Removed cover and battery cables and battery were very hot the positive and negative cables started melting. When had cooled enough to touch removed positive cable and when tried replacing cable there was a lot of sparking, called my mechanic who picked the car up inspected cables found them to be defective contacted Ford and the said they knew of this problem but because of the date and manufacturing place of the car it is not covered under the recall for this problem.

The battery cable coming from the positive terminal is melted. Upon investigation I found that this was a recall: NHTSA campaign #02v288000. However Ford is claiming that my VIN is not part of the recall, even though it is specific for my model and year, and even though my car is experiencing the exact issue that the recall is for: faulty electrical wiring that can lead to a fire. I have not had a fire in my vehicle, but a melted cable is close enough for my liking. Battery terminal cables should not be melting, period.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Focus. While driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the battery cables had melted. After moving the battery cables the vehicle restarted and the contact was able to drive with constant deceleration. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel intermittently. The contact stated that the wires had completely burnt with time and he had the wires replaced. The failure continued. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated there was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 02v288000 (electrical system:battery:cables) but the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

The key has gotten stuck in the ignition three time now. The first time we could not get the car started in a rough neighborhood, and had to leave it over night. The second time I had to remove the battery cable in order to shut the car off. This last time I also had to remove the battery cable to shut the car off.

After stalling out the engine of my 5 speed transmission in 1st gear, the car wouldn't start again and in fact lost all power. It was jump started, but in 1st and 2nd gear, it sputtered and lurched forward, then died again. We had to have the car towed to the shop as it was undrivable. Lucky we were just in a parking lot and not out on the road or it could have been disastrous. Even the emergency flashers would not turn on due to no power. The repair shop said that the battery is completely dead and that the battery cables were melted.

2000 Ford Focus se, purchased new 04/2001 --- 06/02 - car died on fathers day, replaced battery with one from auto zone; ?/03 - at service call for recall of harness wiring, complained about led lights flickering, no problem found; 10/05 - car died, towed to Ford, battery replaced; 12/06 - service at Ford, complained about led lights flickering again, no remedy; 06/07 - car died, towed to Chrysler dealer (my employer), could not locate prob, charged battery, 06/07 car died, replaced battery; 06/07 car died, towed to Chrysler - replaced alternator; 09/08, ignition locked/replaced; 02/09 car died, towed to Ford, replaced battery; 06/09, electrical system warning light illuminates at 35-40 mph. Positive battery cable insulation melted. Service at Dodge (employer) - reroute positive cable directly to bolt on connector to battery, problem continues - carried to Ford, they advise alternator is bad and must be replaced. ---- 9 years, 5 batteries, 3 alternators, problem not corrected. Dealer continues to treat the symptoms, not cure the disease. Something is causing this to happen continuously. Numerous Focus owners at least through 2003 experience same issues. Service advisor admitted to me that they "replace a lot of batteries and alternators in Focuses" and that "it seems to be inordinately high numbers". Other problems with this car include 3 sets of inferior brake pads (finally had a good set installed by an independent mechanic) and cracked motor mounts causing intense vibration especially when engine is cold. Seeking remedy for electrical issues - considering consulting attorney to start class action lawsuit. Concerned about potential fire hazard. My daughter was driving this car for past 2 years, finally knuckled and bought her a great Chrysler pt cruiser for her personal safety. I am not in a position to acquire another vehicle for myself and must continue to drive the Focus until otherwise capable of another vehicle. Will never buy Ford again.

Heat damage to battery cable, smoke was coming off of battery cables, the cables were so hot they melted. Car now will not start but occasionally cranks very slowly. . This is exactly as the recall issued by NHTSA in 2003 on the same make and model. Your campaign number 02v288000. My car is now a fire hazard and can't be driven. Need help.

2000 Ford Focus zx3 battery cables. Not included by Ford in VIN range for current recall 02v288000 " cause the battery cables to short resulting in heat damage to the cables. Besides heat damage, the "check engine" light may illuminate, the vehicle may fail to start, or smoke, melting, or fire could also occur. " although this vehicle suffers identical symptoms plus stalling in traffic which puts operators life at risk. .

2000 Ford Focus #1 car has been owned by me since 2001 (bought from a dealer with 13k miles on it), it gets used lightly and never goes on long trips. I use it just for local driving, to and from work. (about 5 miles a day, car has 80k miles on it) this car is a lemon! I have had some of the strangest problems and gone through more recalls then anyone should have to. #2 problems I'm having currently: suspension car's front passenger side spring has broken, makes very loud crunching noises when turning, needs repair. Electrical car has smelled of burning rubber, and electrical system has started smoking on more then one occasion, have come very close to going up in flames. Turning the car off then disconnecting the battery terminal cures the problem temporarily. Was also told by local mechanic front axles are bad, and need to be replaced soon but do not know much more about it. Problems I've had: fuel pump recall, door latch recall, and battery cable recall. Have also had problems with the rear bearings of the car, paid out of pocket to fix those, because dealer told me there was no recall on them. After reading NHTSA campaign #01i017000 I have since learned otherwise. #3 all the problems I'm having with the car currently are not fixed. All the other ones were repaired by the dealer with the exception of the rear wheel bearings. The front spring is still available as is still on the car, and he electrical system is still intact. I will have to replace the spring soon but I'll hold on to it. The same goes for the front axle's.

On 10/23/07 I inserted key into ignition of my Ford Focus and immediatley the lights and gauges went haywire-vehicle failed to start. To make a long story short ,after unpluging the battery cables and going back to the stranded car the next evening, it started . 2 days later my wipers came on by themselves and would not stop until I turned the car off and restarted. On 10/31/07 while driving my daughter home, the vehicle began accelerating and deccelertaing uncontrollably. I pulled of the highway and when I opened the drivers door, the seatbelt light began blinking and making a loud ticking noise. This had happened the night prior, but I thought maybe the button was depressed. My dome lights make a screeching noise and blink on and off. This is a serious problem that needs to be looked into. Whenever something like this happens I am driving home late at night and of course the dealer is not open to help me . My car is almost paid off and I will not invest more than what it is worth, which is only about $2,500. Too bad I have paid about $18,000 for it. I would also like to know why I have not received recalls for the following problems: 1. 1st month after purchase, electrical system running airbags, mirrors, doors etc. Failed. 2. 37,000 miles- transmission failed 3. 42,000 miles- power door locks failed and soon after passenger doors stuck in the lock position. 4. All window tracks have failed. 5. Wheel bearings replaced. 6. Trunk latch failed 7. Ignition failed and was replaced and is going again. 8. Brought in for 1 recall (fuel filter) and still didn't correct problem with vibration and lurching. This is a vehicle that exceeds highway saftey ratings? something will be done about this if I must hire an attorney- I am out a lot of money and no vehicle.

To the best of my knowledge no recall notice was ever received regarding campaign # 02v288000 , I have a bill for replacement of the exact same parts due to the exact same problems this recall notice stated . I would like reimbursement. How do I go about this?.

Battery cable damage, vehicle fails to start.

Failed to start; noticed that positive cable insulation near connection to battery was melted; had battery jump-start; took to have battery check in car while running; bad battery; replaced battery with new one; and failed to turn on; mechanic checked continuity and there was none found; mechanic cut off part of cable with burnt insulation and tried to reconnect; no remedy; notified by mechanic that it would cost approximately $400 to replace positive cable harness. Mechanic notified me of a recall he found concerning the zetec engine and battery cable harnesses catching on fire; thus, contacted dealer with VIN; and they said there is no such recall associated with that VIN. . .

Battery cables were replaced under recall 02v288000. New cables only lasted for 2 years before car quit running and the cables needed replacement again. 2nd replacement was not covered under warranty or recall so consumer had to replace cables at Ford dealer for $250 (parts and labor). Consumer feels that two years of life on battery cables is completely unacceptable. Car is now considered somewhat unreliable due to the fact that battery cables are prone to failure.

Driving down the highway at about 55 mph, car hesitated, ran real rough, then ran normal until I reached my destination. When I reached my destination car just died in parking lot, would not turn over, would not do anything. Had car towed to hillside Ford (nearest Ford dealer). They called me back and said that could not figure out the problem until they put a starter in the car because the car was not turning over. What the starter has to do with the car dying is beyond me? so I said ok, they changed the starter, charging me of course ($180 for starter), and then realized that the car still didn't do anything. This is when they figured out that the battery cables were all burnt up. So they told me they would have to be changed (another $90. 00 for cables). So after the starter and the battery cables were changed the car was back to running normal. My total bill including labor $618. 00. I had no choice but to get the car done because it is my only source of transportation. After further looking into recalls on the NHTSA website for my car, I realized that there is a recall for the battery cables on my Focus, with my engine and the same year (recall #: 02v288000). I called Ford and they told me that all recalls are VIN specific and my car was not on the list. This is the same thing they said when they had a silent recall on the fuel pump, which they finally agreed to take care of.

Battery cable was located in a way that caused abrasion against battery case. Wear by this abrasion caused failure of the insulation and a short circuit. This resulted in total engine and electrical failure and started a small, brief electrical fire of the cable insulation and battery case. The incident occurred on a freeway, and put the occupant in significant danger. Vehicle was towed to garage. Battery and battery cable harness assembly was replaced. Status of alternator not yet available.

2000 Ford Focus with z-tech engine caught fire drivers side battery compartment/wire harness.

Consumer received recall 02v288000 concerning battery cables. When driving at night, at any speed, headlights got dimmer, and the radio came on and went off intermittently. Consumer saw this recall on NHTSA website, and believed battery cable failure was the cause of this problem. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified.

While driving at any speed, the vehicle stalled. The consumer restarted the vehicle, and drove it to a mechanic for inspection. The mechanic determined that the battery cables needed to be replaced. Recall# 02v288000. The consumer was told that his vehicle was not apart of this recall. The positive battery cable was found routed improperly.

While driving the dash light began to flicker then the vehicle shut down suddenly while in gear. Campaign id number : 00v411000. The consumer was told that the power cable to the battery was the result of the problem. Campaign id number : 02v288000. The consumer was told by the service department that this is a problem because the vehicle could explode. The warranty company turned the consumer down stating that the problem was not part of the warranty. The key gets stuck in the vehicles ignition and would not come out. The doors would not close properly and remained open while the vehicle was in gear. When the tire was removed the consumer noticed that the wheel was missing a lug nut. Campaign id number : 00v303000 the air vent did not stay open when the a/c was on high. The brakes howled like a wounded dog from the time of purchase. Pads and rotors needed to be replaced.

The battery cable coroded causing the vehicle to shut down at highway speed. Please provide any addition information. Ts.

While driving at night time headlights failed, only the high beam worked. Also, this vehicle had a problem with misrouted battery cables. Dealer not notified. Vehicle's warranty expired.

Defective vehicle - numerous major problem and defective parts, recalls.

Various problems involving 2000 Ford Focus. Recall campaign #02542 was issued for the vehicle in reference to defective battery cables.

Consumer's vehicle experienced the same problem as mentioned in recall 02v288000 concerning battery cables. Dealer would not repair the vehicle because VIN number was not included.

I own a 2000 Ford Focus stz. I bought this vehicle for my wife and kids. The first incident with this vehicle was back in I think March. The ignition froze, leaving my wife stranded at work and the kids at the babysitter. She had to find a ride to the babysitter and then home. She then had to call a tow company and have the car towed to skyline Ford in salem oregon. She was told that there have been quiet a few Focus with this problem. The service tech knew immediately what was wrong with the car. We were 100 miles over the factory warranty!! we had to pay for the faulty part. The next problem was in the beginning of August. We went to get ice cream. The car stalled as we were leaving the ice cream store. The car would not start. It finally started after about 15 minutes. We were only about 10 minutes from home. All the way home the car acted like it was not getting enough gas. Upon arriving home, I opened the hood and noticed that the battery cable was melted. We called skyline, who could not get us in until Saturday. It was 3 or 4 days. Now we are told that we have to pay $120 for a faulty part!! there was a recall on this car for faulty battery cables. We are told that if Ford decides that there is a problem with the actual cable, then we will be refunded the $120. This is outrageous!! I wish that I had never purchased this car. It has really hurt my opinion of Ford products.

While driving vehicle began smoking, then caught on fire under the hood. Dealer diagnosed melted battery cable as cause.

2000 Ford Focus. Bought at sanger Ford outlet new. Problem: cable and wiring frayed. Result: aaa called. Dead battery. Towed. Inconvenience.

Nhtsa recall 02-v-288-000:certain passenger vehicles equipped with zetec engines, loose or broken attachments and misrouted battery cables could lead to cable insulation damage. This recall failed.

The vehicle continued to experience a problem with the battery cable after the recall was performed.

The consumer received a recall notice for the battery cable wire. The vehicle battery light was on and the vehicle was taken to the dealer to replace the wire. Two weeks later the wire was replaced again. The vehicle was driven home then parked. Ten minutes later the vehicle caught fire. Total loss. Prior to fire the battery light was on and the vehicle stalled out occasionally.

After the recall regarding the battery cables was performed, the problem recurred.

The consumer received a notice for recall remedy 02v288000. Prior to receiving notice, consumer took the vehicle to the service dealer regarding the fraying of the battery cables. Once the recall notice was received, the consumer took the car back to dealer and they tried to force the consumer to file a warranty claim for repair.

Consumer received a recall notice #02s42 to replace the battery wire. The consumer was traveling on the highway and she noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle caught on fire.