Car Stall problems of the 2001 Ford Focus - part 1

2001 Ford Focus zx3 stalls when driving and almost caused someone to rear end my car. Now wont stay running when idling. Car cuts off at lights or stop signs or when breaking or engaging clutch.

Driving on 4 lane highway, car sputters and stalls as if out of gas. Coasted off road, and after a few minutes car started and ran fine. Car has been doing this every few weeks. Changed coil, plugs, plug wires, oxygen sensor, fuel filter, cat converter and still stalls. This car is dangerous when it stalls in fast traffic. We only drive it now during daylight and short trips because it is not dependable.

Saturday may 04/2013 my car killed over 30 times driving about 5 miles. This happened last year doing 60mph on the freeway. It is impossible to restart a manual transmission at this speed. In this case, I drove into the service department of Ford of bellevue and it continued to kill while there trying to move it. The service person blew me off wouldn't even take the time check it out or even listen. As I was driving out it killed too many times to count. The sales manager said to bring it in Monday. Sunday it stopped killing. When I brought it in Monday, I asked for the service manager, the service employee went to find him & it took about 10 minutes, that was curios as the place was deserted. When the service manager arrived, he refused to discuss the matter only saying we were busy. I had contacted Ford as well as the franchise holder auto nations previously but nothing was done. Last week I sent a letter to the chief engineer at Ford but I suspect nothing will be done at that level again. In my research I found the following information today that was posted by another individual " the vehicle is stalling at unpredictable times due to fuel delivery system/fuel pump. I am a ase certified mechanic. I talked to Ford, then I called the local dealer. They told me, as they have in the past it's a fuel pump issue. . . " there is more to this posting but the bottom line Ford knew of this problem all along and chose to ignore it. This is an accident waiting to happen & it could be a killer.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. While driving at approximately 15 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact pulled over and when he restarted it, the vehicle functioned properly. The dealer, when contacted, stated that they were unaware of such a problem. The failure continued to occur intermittently. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in any recalls related to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000. The current mileage was 130,275.

On hot days after the car has been brought up to operating temperature and is restarted it goes into a mode where it consistently stalls at idle and low rpm. It has a manual transmission. This is an intermittent problem and only occurs some of the time. Nether Ford or independent mechanics have been able to diagnose and fix the problem. Intermittent and unexpected stalling is a significant safety problem.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. While driving at any speed, the vehicle would begin to stall and then shut off. The vehicle would also stall and then regain power. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 86,000.

While driving on an interstate highway the car began to surge and loose power. Eventually the car stalled completely. This happened while traveling in normal conditions at ~65mph. The date given is the most recent occurrence. This same situation occurred once before ~1 year ago under the exact same conditions. Engine surge has been a persistent problem with the vehicle since it was new (~6 years).

: the contact stated while driving at any speed and without warning the vehicle stalls. After one hour the vehicle restarts. The dealer replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, cam, oxygen sensor, fuel sensor, fuel line, coil tech, and vacuum hose; however this did not remedy the problem.

Just driving to the bank and the car started to sputter as if it was losing power when I came to a stop at a red light. I have replaced the air filter and the fuel filter. I checked all fuses. When braking I have to have one foot on brake and other on gas to give it a little gas so it doesnt stall.

While driving vehicle stalled and operated at a reduced speed. Went back and forth eventually allowing the engine to die. This happened at all speeds. There was loss of power. The vehicle could not restart easily. It may take 20-30 minutes to restart the engine. The vehicle has not been to a dealer. No repairs were made. The consumer has no idea why this happened. The consumer believed this vehicle was included in NHTSA recall, NHTSA 03v482000 concerning the fuel system. The consumer contacted Ford, and Ford stated this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.

The vehicle stalled. Consumer pull over, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. At the stop light the motor blew out which caused the vehicle to stall. The #4 valve set dislodged some how most parts stayed in #4 and #3, but got in every part of the head. The service quote need replaced engine with long block. Vehicle need engine assembly complete- remove and replace.

Dirve the car for 30 minutes or longer (engine is hot). Stop, and restart it from 15 to 30 minutes later, and the car will continually stall so long as the clutch is completely depressed. This will happen very predictably under these conditions. It is clearly temperature related, as restarting the car just 5 minutes later when still very hot, or an hour later when cooled down, and there is no stalling. Dealer (athol Ford) believes it is related to the idle air control valve, but refuses to fix it, even though it was taken in while still under warranty. Dealer also claims to have no knowledge of any TSB related to this issue.

Oct. 13-14, 2004: engine would crank and crank and not start after sitting overnight or for several hours. After much cranking, engine finally would start. Oct. 14 - personal mechanic identified that fuel pressure was bleeding off - fuel was not remaining in fuel rail. Directed me to take it to Ford dealer for fuel pump recall 03v482000. Oct. 18 - to solve the problem, related to Ford's recall program #03n01, Ford dealership replaced fuel pump. In conjunction with the fuel pump replacement, dealer recommended fuel filter also be replaced, at a cost to me of $62. 95 plus tax. I approved this. Dealer (suntrup Ford) also recommended fuel cleaning induction service, done for $127. 88. Oct. 28 - returned to dealer for repair. Car had sputtered at stop light twice, and idle when stopped had changed from what was normal. Dealer could not duplicate concern, and reprogrammed the car's computer for $119. 90. Nov. 16 - on two occasions car sputtered after starting when engine was warm. On second occasion, car was extremely difficult to start. After it finally started, I drove about a block, and it stalled without warning and without sputtering. Car was towed to private repair shop nearby, where on Nov. 17 mechanic indicated he could not duplicate the condition. Mechanic promised to look at car again on Nov. 18. Consequences of failure - inconvenience, potential dangerous condition, out several hundred dollars for recommended repairs (related to recall) and for towing. Car still not diagnosed because condition has not been duplicated.

My 2001 Ford Focus has stalled numerous times and died once while I was getting on the highway. It usually dies when it has a quarter tank of gas or less but still not on empty. I have replaced the fuel filter and had the injectors cleaned. I also took it in and had the recalled bolt fixed. None of these things have fixed the problem.

While driving vehicle stalled intermittently. Consumer pulled over and restarted the vehicle. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

While drivingthe vehicle stalled. The driver was able to drive it to dealer for inspection. The mechanic could not duplicated the problem. The driver informed the mechanic that this problem still occurs, and has not been resolved. Please provide any additional information.

While at a stop sign or driving vehicle stalled. Consumer restarted vehicle. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

Vehicle shakes and dies erratically. Took to dealer for fuel pump assembly recall. Repair has not fixed. Driving on highway, step on gas all the way and car decelerates and loses speed. Intermittently dies when this happens. Also shakes violently while stopped leading to stalling. All of the above have happened on several occasions in the past couple of months. I thought the recall for fuel pump assembly would fix it, but it has not. Getting progressively worse.

My car just started to stall out. . I had Ford replace thew fuel filter and pump still has that problem.

While driving at an undetermined speed vehicle stalled. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and mechanic determined that engine and transmission failed.

When trying to start the vehicle, consumer noticed a bit of hesitation on the engine. As driver started to back-out of the garage and headed on to the neighboring street, vehicle stalled and died. (nar).

While driving 65 mph the vehicle stalled. The consumer managed to pull over and had the vehicle towed. The dealerships mechanic has been notified but did not resolve the problem. The same incident occurred when the consumer's son was driving the vehicle. (the vehicle died while in heavy traffic).

The vehicle tends to stall unexpectedly at various speeds. Taken to dealer for check up, and the computer was reset. The stalling still persists, and the dealer has not determined a cause.

While driving, the vehicle would intermittently stall. The consumer would have to depress the gas pedal in order for the vehicle not to stall. Cause has yet to be determined. The dealership was notified, and the problem was resolved.

I just purchased a 2001 Ford Focus for my daughter a month ago and have had a problem with it stalling at unpredictable time. I did a little searching and found this is a problem that others are having and the nnhtsa is currently investigating. This is a very serious issue especially for a young, new driver. It can be deadly. Please give me an update on this investigation and add my complain to the data. I hope you pursue this issue before Ford allows someone to die from it. Ms.

The same as eveyone else. The vehicle is stalling at unpredictable times due to fuel delivery system/fuel pump. I am a ase certified mechanic. I talked to Ford, then I called the local dealer. They told me, as they have in the past it's a fuel pump issue. They would have to charge me 75 bucks to check it out (because according to Ford, it has to be done by them regardless of my qualifications) then if it's not having the performance problem at the time they would not be able to verify it's the fuel pump. Since it's intermittent I chose to pull the tank and investigate my self. I agree "kinda" that it's a fuel pump issue. The reason I say this is because I pulled the tank tonight, disassembled the pump/sending unit assembly and found a large amount of sediment in the base and around the sides of the body the pump sits in. Additionally the screen/sock on the inlet side of the pump motor was almost completely clogged with the stuff,. The tank itself had a light film of the brown stuff which easily is wiped with a clean rag. Looking at the gunk, it would seem to me to be very bad gas, but why just the Focus. I put the same stuff in both my other two vehicles and no problems. I can't analyze the stuff to determine what it is for sure but can assure you it's only a matter of time before it caused enough cavitation for the pump to heat up burn out. I did not see evidence of any gaskets or anything else internal attached to the tank going bad, but since I use the same fuel else were w/o problems it almost has to be a situation like a seals/sealant deteriorating and producing the nasty stuff. I plan on saving $250 and clean it all and see if things improve. The pump is only available from Ford (interesting). Ford needs to do somthing about this before they allow somone to get killed out there on the hiway. I just purchased this vehicle used a month ago for my 15 year old daughter. I should have done better research first.

We sued Ford via the magnuson moss warranty act. The Focus had been sold prior to the filing of the law suit. We reached an out of court settlement of $3500. The problem with the car was intermittent stalling. The local Ford dealer was unable to determine the cause of the problem.

I was turning a corner to merge on to highway and car stalled and died on me in traffic. I was almost rear ended.

My vehicle feels like it's missing or about to stall and I have taken it to Ford and they say they can not do anything for me. They say it's a characteristic of Ford Focus 2001 with just over 19,000 miles. It is so bad that I feel like running it into a tree sometimes. Please help me!!!!!!! thank you.

2001, Ford, Focus stalled while merging into traffic from on ramp.

My 2001 Focus zx3 will sputter, lose power, and threaten to stall. This occurs at any speed. It has stalled and left me stranded once. When towed to the dealership, nothing could be found wrong with it and so I was charged nothing. It started up again just fine, but periodically threatens to stall again. Also, the paint over the driver side rear wheel is bubbling up and coming off.

Car stalls without warning at various speeds on various occasions.

Car suddenly stalls when taking a sweeping right hand turn. Power steering is inoperable, leaving auto in middle of road or highway ramp.

The vehicle stalled without warning, and did not restart.

While driving, the vehicle stalled and did not restart.