Ignition Switch problems of the 2003 Ford Focus - part 1

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the ignition switch could not be engaged. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection. The failure was located at the ignition switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 72,000.

Ignition switch won't turn. Happened in bad part of town. This is a serious safety issue.

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.

Ignition switch will not turn preventing you from starting the car. My daughter got stranded at work at 11pm for 45 minutes until someone was able to help her get the key to turn. I took to a repair shop and they said a Ford dealer would need to replace as the 2000-2003 Focuses have a lot of ignition switch problems. The dealer wants $350 and will only warranty the part for 1 year!!.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the key was not able to operate in the ignition switch and the key got stuck. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified and was aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that they had received numerous complaints about the failure, but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 97,000 and current mileage was 98,000.

Ignition switch locks and cannot turn key to start vehicle. Have to use hand or something to hit the key to start the car. Happens at random and without warning. Get in the car and can't start it. Understand that this is a very common problem but Ford refuses to do anything about it.

Failure to turn ignition switch with key. . . Takes several attempts (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.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the ignition switch became stuck and she was unable to start the vehicle for three hours; she also noted that the steering wheel would not move. The steering column had to be taken apart so that the steering wheel would move so the wheels could line up in order for the vehicle to be towed home. The contact had not called the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated when he placed his key in the ignition, the ignition switch locked and would not turn over. The dealer was contacted and advised him to bang on the steering column to allow the key to turn the ignition. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the ignition switch was replaced. The failure mileage was 53,600 and the current mileage was 53,850. Updated 7/20/10 updated 07/23/jb.

My 2003 Ford Focus has a ignition switch problem all of a sudden the key will not start the car it has left us stranded and has taken us as long as 30 minutes to start car. We have tried several remedies like silicone spray, tapping on key so it will start this problem has effected a host of Focus owners with costly repairs and we will soon have to spend money to repair this obviously flawed design.

2003 Ford Focus zx5--key won't turn in the ignition, so can't start car. Steering wheel locked up and no amount of cranking, jiggling, etc. , would allow me to turn the key in the ignition and start the car. Was an intermittent problem for about two months, then tonight I couldn't get the car started at all; neither could a kind stranger; neither could my husband. Snowing and cold. I had to leave the car in a grocery store parking lot overnight and hope it will be unharmed in the morning. Will probably have to have car towed to a dealership. Could have been worse: two weeks ago I was 120 miles from home for three days and would have been terribly stranded. I understand that Ford will replace this defective part (ignition switch) with the same switch, which will also be defective, and that I can look forward to getting stranded again when the key will not turn in the ignition switch again. Cost will be between $350 and $400, plus time away from teaching school (not a good idea and frowned upon by administration). The $350-$400 will only buy me another faulty ignition switch. This is potentially a life-threatening situation. . Read more...

To whom it may concern,recently I was stranded on the road late at night when the ignition switch on my 2003 Ford Focus failed to turn over. I later found out this is an all too common problem with the Ford Focus. As a female stranded alone this could have led dire consequences! now I find that the Ford dealership wants to charge me some$500 to repair the switch. . To be put in jeopardy then charged an obscene amount for their design flaw is outrageous. Please help.

I'm unable to turn the key in the ignition switch, which left me stranded at work after 5:00pm at night. When this happens, the car becomes inoperable until repairs are made. This did happen to me once before around 09/2009. I had my car towed to a locksmith and they were able to fix it. They told me this was a known issue with my car. I looked this issue up online and there are thousands of people who are having the same issue with the Ford Focus. This issue should be rectified by Ford through a recall. I called Ford customer service and they said all we can do at this point is log your call. Because of this issue I've been stranded twice in the pm. This is a safety issue that should be rectified by Ford.

I own a 2003 Ford Focus zx5 that has an issue with the key turning in the ignition. At random times and locations when returning to the car, I will find that I am no longer able to turn the key in the ignition. I must work at it (longest has been an hour) to get the key to turn. This creates really big problems when you are stranded with kids at different locations and you never know when it is going to occur. From my research on the internet, many other Ford Focus owners have experienced the same issue and the fix has been to replace ignition switch (something about tumblers not engaging) and the Ford service teams are very aware of the issue and the repairs. What I don't understand is why consumers must pay for a wide reaching manufacturer's defect.

The ignition switch (that is, where the key goes to start the car) would not turn. I was stuck and had to have the car towed. There had been no warning, that is, the key was never hard to turn, I never had to jiggle the steering column, or anything liked that. I just parked the car in front of a store, and five mints later, went out and found out they key would not turn. (I could remove and re-insert the key, it would not turn) . Further more, the dealer and aaa, of course, say to try jiggling the steering wheel. All that did was lock the front wheels in a turned position and made it very hard to move the car get it to a position to be towed. Having the wheels lock in a turned position, as is common, could be a hazard too. The aaa guy could not free (turn) the ignition switch it either. I had first cell-phoned called the dealer, they had no suggestions. I see I had the same problem so many other 2003 Focuses have reported. The dealer guessed that the cause was that one of the pins in the lock just slipped out of place. The Ford dealer had to replace the ignition switch. It was not cheap. I called Ford motor company they would not pay for it, or part of it.

The ignition switch on my Ford Focus wagon (2003) jammed. Ford charged me $430 to fix it, even though the part is defective and needs to be replaced in many, many vehicles.

Ignition switch will not turn.

The ignition switch on out 2003 Ford Focus continually jams and will not allow the key to turn and start the car. This can be remedied on occasion by hitting the key while in place, but the time it takes to get it unjammed varies. We're afraid this may happen while my wife and child are out somewhere and there is no one to help them, thus leaving them stranded. We've looked online and discovered this is an inherent problem with this model. This happens at least twice in any given day; sometimes it's more often than that. The only real solution we have at the moment is to leave the key in the ignition, but this makes the car prone to being stolen, thus leaving us with no transportation. We tried contacting Ford directly and were told to call back on Monday. As we understand it from our online research, this problem continues even after replacing the ignition switch. As far as we know, there is no recall about this, although a class action suit has been filed in California regarding this issue.

The ignition switch will not turn on my 2003 Ford Focus. This car only has 45000 miles and has been treated gently. I've read 100's of posts online about this same issue and yet Ford is reluctant to recall this or even offer a discount.

The key was starting to stick then I could not get the in the ignition switch to start the car so my son that works for Ford said to tap on the key then it should start so I did and it worked it is an on going thing I think that if Ford knows there is a problem they should do a recall on it the car is a 2003 Ford Focus and is not under warranty like the other owners that have complained about the same problem so now I have to pay to get it fixed like all of the other owners it happens almost every day I go to get my car started it is very annoying.

Car parked at mall later at night. When to try and start car but the key would not turn in the ignition. This failure caused me to have my car towed to the dealership and the ignition switch replaced which cost $427. 00. The ignition switch was faulty but was most likely replaced with the same type of switch which will fail again. I was also left stranded for several hours. Luckily, I was not in a deserted area or the consequences could have been life threatening.

Ford Focus ignition switch froze up in my 2003 Ford Focus. Could not start car , turn wheel or take out of park. Ford company would not pay for their faulting ignition. This is dangerous especially for women who travel alone. They need to recall this part. . . . . . . . . . .

2003 Ford Focus zx3. Ignition switch locking up and not allowing the steering wheel to unlock. This problem has occurred at least 6 time in the last 12 months. This problem has made me late for work each time.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the ignition switch would lock up on several occasions. The ignition would not turn when the key was inserted, which prevented the vehicle from being started. The manufacturer would not assist or assume liability under warranty since there were no recalls. The failure and current mileages were less than 82,000.

The ignition switch lock keeps failing on my 2003 Ford Focus zx3. I have had a locksmith fix it twice now. The cost to me so far is over $400.

The ignition switch randomly broke on my 2003 Ford Focus. My key will not turn the switch. I was stranded with my 2 children. I contacted aaa and the locksmith that I spoke with was out of stock on the ignition cylinder because "this is common problem with the Ford Focus. I usually keep 4 or 5 on hand. " I consider this a personal safety issue as there was no warning of it occurring. It was all very random. I drove to the location. I did my business. I got back into the car. My key would not work. This is a serious problem that the Ford motor company needs to address.

I drove my car to work Thursday morning and everything was working fine with the car and ignition. As I tried to crank my car to go to lunch that day, I noticed that I could insert my key into the ignition but could not turn it to start the car. The steering wheel was locked and would not release since the key would not turn. I had to call aaa for them to send a locksmith out to repair my ignition switch in my car. I have already heard so many people complain about this issue and not even three months ago, my mom who has the exact same make and model car as me, had the same thing happen to her. My brother has the same make and model car as me also and now I am worried he is going to have the same issue occur to him soon too.

2003 Ford Focus zx5. Ignition switch won't turn. Can't start car.

The ignition switch on my 2003 Ford Focus has been failing to work properly. Half the time I have to jiggle the steering wheel as I turn the key in order for my start to start. This has been happening off and on for a couple of months now. Then tonight, I got stranded at the supermarket and was stuck for hours waiting for roadside assistance. The dispatcher not only sent out the wrong person to assist me, but the first tow truck that came wasn't properly to tow my car due to the way I was parked so I had to wait for a second tow truck (a third person). Now my car won't start at all, the wheel is completely locked up, and the only way to get it to the mechanic is to call a tow truck again. However, upon doing a google search, I found that I am not the only one with this problem. And frankly, this car is my family's only decent form of transportation, so without it we're pretty much stuck.

My 2003 Ford Focus key wouldn't not turn. It finally broke off into the ignition switch which left my daughter strained at captain d's. We had to have it towed home. We are having a hard time getting it fix when you're on a low budget.

Ignition switch locks and has left family members stranded. . . . Ignition key continues to lock, dealer recommends replacement (cost est. $450. 00).

My car refuses to start. You cannot turn the ignition switch to get it to come on. After searching the internet I saw dozens of complains from people having the same problem. I simply cannot afford to make the repairs and since my car is out of warranty my dealership will not help me. Ford customer service hung up on me twice. The only fix is to leave the key in the ignition. I managed to use a hammer to hammer it in.

So far, I have only had the problem occur once and am still working to get it repaired. Nothing really happened to warrant the problem happening. It seemed to just happen randomly. In my 2003 Ford Focus, the ignition switch locked. So far, I have heard hundreds of cases of this problem occurring with this particular car, all for Focuses ranging from year 2000 to 2003, and the only thing that seems to fix it is to actually have maintenance done. Speaking with Ford customer service, they did acknowledge that it was a common problem, but would not issue a recall simply because they did not believe it was a safety hazard. I expect to have to pay a large amount of money to repair this problem, even though Ford realizes its an error on their part and that a defect with their car is what is causing this problem. I think it is absolutely unacceptable for a company to knowingly keep something defective on the market, even with so many complaints.

Ignition stays locked, fails to turn to start engine. Problem is intermittent and happens without warning. Occurred over a dozen times to me. Can leave a person stranded. Very costly fix, $150 for new ignition switch, plus labor, $200 to $350 total cost for fix. . Read more...

The ignition switch on my 2003 Ford Focus se is stuck. The vehicle is now rendered unusable since it cannot be started. I consider this to be a safety related item because the vehicle is now stranded and will require the services of a locksmith or have to be towed to the nearest dealership to be repaired. I have read online where this appears to be a common problem with the Ford Focus manufactured in 2000 through 2003.