general problems of the 2003 Ford Focus

Replaced the crank censor and it won't start.

The key was stuck in the ignition. Could not turn off. Out of town so this was definately an unsafe situation because I either had to stay with the car until the gas was out of gas since I didn't have cash for repair. The car was driveable.

My car lost all electrical power, but was still running then finally it died. I lost all lights and electric battery was dead so I bought new battery then it happened again, so I bought new alternator because old alternator was bad, then new alternator died within a month. Same problem, then I went online and found a forum about the hatch back Focus and its wiring problem inside the protective sleeve. So I peeled back protective sleeve and sure enough there were exposed wires just like the thousands of posts from other people, this is very dangerous luckily I was able to pull my car off the road before it died, but with severity of this problem there needs to be a recall for this problem.

Car comes to a traffic stop and dies. Had been shaking prior and had a diagnostic done only to spend $150 to have it no better . Took it to a better mechanic who said the valve seat dropped. I owe 2k on this car and it is worthless not to mention I am a student who has to go to work and classes with absolutely no recourse here. How do I keep my job or my status in college shame on Ford you started me out with a really big problem and now I have to pay for a car that wont go anywhere and will not run on a 2k debt. And no transportation shame on Ford. .

While waiting in a parking aisle for a car to exit a parking place the engine accelerated to very high rpm. As my car was stationary and my foot on the brake and in drive the car did not seem to move. Placing the car in neutral or park made no difference. Shut off engine and restarted with same result. After waiting several minutes while responding to an interested person I tried again and everything appeared normal. Drove the car home and left it parked. This is the only time this has occurred .

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the piston valves and the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 125,000. Updated 10/29/lj.

The ignition has gone out on my 2003 Ford Focus. I attempt to turn the key and it seems locked. I attempt to turn the key back and forth and no success. If I hit the key a few times it might turn. This is a safety issues because without being able to turn the key, I have to access to anything power in this vehicle and I could become stranded at anytime without warning. I hear this is a very common problem with these cars. I believe the manufacturer should take responsibility to fix this issue at no cost to the car owners.

Bought the 2003 Ford Focus new from mallon Ford (currently lakewood Ford), in tacoma, wa. Car advertised at 27 to 36 mpg. Actual mileage on hwy was 42 mpg. Yesterday (March 14, 2013) car owner, [xxx], said car had stopped and was making lot of noise. I told her not to try and start it anymore but that I would be there in 30 minutes. So I arrived and restarted the car. I shut off the engine and raised the hood. I found a connection to the air flow sensor disconnected. Re-connected it and the engine ran but lots of noise in valve train. Like spark knock on steroids. Checked with stethoscope where the noise was coming from. It was emanating from the top of #1 and 2 cylinders. Engine oil is clean and full. So, as a long time mechanic, I am reasonably certain that the valve seats dropped and where broken by the valves in either number one or number two cylinder. That means the engine might be toast or it could be that the cylinder head is toast- - engine has not been dismantled but I am almost certain that the valve seats have dropped on one or more cylinders on the 2003 Ford Focus sohc 2. 0 liter engine. Ford motor company should man or woman up and fix these factory defects. Local Ford service managers told me it was a common problem with that engine. In my opinion, that is a dangerous factory defect designed to cause catastrophic failure. It would have been simple to either pin the valve seats or use another rmethod (such as screw in and pinned) to make sure the seats stay in place. This car used no oil, got great mileage and was otherwise defect free. It is about time that Ford does something about the problem before someone files a class action lawsuit. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving, an odd odor could be smelled, but went away after a minute. Came back once briefly. 20 minutes later, as I was about to turn into my work's parking lot, my car turned itself off. When I tried to turn it back on, it would not turn over and all the gauges went haywire. After I stopped trying to start it, I took the key out of the ignition and the car attempted to start itself. Immediately after this, the inside of the car filled up with smoke. The fire originated near the battery. An officer showed up less than 2 minutes after this all occurred, and he sat there and watched my car burn. He pulled out a fire extinguisher 10 minutes later so my car wouldn't create visibility issues for the cars driving past (it died in the middle of a four lane road). They told me it was most likely an electrical fire. Two weeks prior to the incident, I had my alternator replaced. The new alternator was a Ford manufactured part.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be started. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 75,000.

This vehicle with 110k miles turns out the valve seat of cylinder #4 broke off inside the engine and irreparably damaged the piston, cylinder and cylinder head of which the only way to fix this is with a replacement engine. This option is more than what the car is valued. On further research of both my mechanic and I as we searched the web, it appears that this happens more frequently than it should. It seems that Ford should put a recall to fix these valve seats before anymore people will have to unnecessarily spend thousands to repair the engine or lose thousands of dollars on a undrivable junk car, such as myself. Could you please investigate this matter further and let me know if this is indeed an inherent problem that needs to be corrected. Thank you, ray keijner.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated the oil dip stick fractured when attempting to check the oil level. An authorized dealer stated the defect was a common problem with that model year vehicle. The dip stick was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Key cannot turn - vehicle cannot be started. Unacceptable and hazardous condition with a poorly designed and/or low quality part on all Ford Focus and likely other Ford products. I got around this by pounding on the key with a small hammer I keep in the glove box - I had lived with this for more than 3 years. Same thing happened to my brother-in-law's car (he removed all the tumblers so any key can start his car). It is obvious from reading through the complaints that this is a very significant percentage (>50%?) of all of the numerous complaints against this vehicle. Dealerships want $400 to fix it - that's bs. Actions by NHTSA or a class action lawsuit against Ford is appropriate. It appears that Ford is using this design defect as an opportunity to profit after having put 1000s of consumers in dangerous situations.

Vehicle caught on fire on April 12th, 2008. 2-3 hs after being parked on the street the vehicle was on fire. The cause has not been determined yet, but according to the fire investigation unit the fire apparently started near the console area.

Consumer noticed after depressing the gas pedal to merge on to freeway vehicle started hesitating and shifted into full throttle. Please provide further information.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start in the mornings and it would idle extremely roughly. She took the vehicle to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure and remedy the issue. In addition, the motor mounts had to be replaced and the air conditioner would not blow cold air. The contact is in the process of determining the cause of the failures. The failure mileage was 10 and current mileage was 85,000.

Vehicle idles roughly. Engine skips , and the front end shakes.

2003 Ford Focus svt. (850 miles) car has a high speed surge and a bad miss off the line. No matter how much you play with the clutch pedal and the gas the car always falls on its face then picks back up. (realy bad when its cold) its been at the dealership 3 times. The 1st time they said it was a pinched fuel line and the gas tank had to be droped. 2nd time was the same a pinched fuel line. And now the 3rd time their telling me that im not the only one with the problem and just wait till Ford figures it out. Im pretty sure it had nothing to do with the fuel line. (who know how long I will have to deal with Ford on this matter).