general problems of the 2006 Ford Focus

The welded retainer of the front bushing on the right side lower (control) arm had rusted through. This allowed the control arm to separate from the frame and the right front wheel to turn outward (while I was traveling straight ahead). The drive shaft was pulled from the transmission and some parts hit the ground. Luckily, I was approaching a stop sign and traveling at less than 30 miles per hour. (the day before I was on i95 at 65 mph) upon inspection you can see that the control arm is forged in the shape of a "c" from very thick metal where the bushing rests against the arm. However, the bushing is retained by a much thinner metal, welded across the arm forming the other side of the "c". It is that thinner welded retainer that had rusted out. We live in an area where salt is routinely used on the roads during the winter. I know the car is very old. However, this design is inadequate from a safety perspective in the northeast.

27500 miles, 2006 Focus zx3, I noticed as going over speedbumps and parking into parking spot, my car made creaking noises as if the bottom of the car was going to fall off. I took this to my dealership and it took them a while and eventually they found rust on the springs. They filed off the rust and put the car back together, no more creaking.

Bought car with 12,000 miles on it in 2007. Noted vibration and pull to the right shortly after purchase. Took to a dealership for alignment and told the alignment was perfect. After another month and having to replace all the tires due to bald spots, took car back to the dealership. They showed me the computer print out and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the alignment. Second set of tires now prematurely wearing and car continues to vibrate at highway speeds and pull to the right. Tires rotated every 6,000 miles and all highway driving. Like the car but feel unsafe with this problem.

Ford Focus station wagon with 40,000 miles on tires. Tires worn completely down to bare metal on both rear tires. I drove into a parking lot to shop and heard hissing noise. Saw damaged tires changed leaking tire to spare tire. Wear on inside of rear tires only. Local tire dealer looked at alignment and commented that Focus tires frequently blow due to "tow" irregularities in alignment. Difficult to adjust tow to manufacturer's specifications without excessive wear on rear tires. I replaced tires. I was advised to rotate tires frequently and have alignment checked regularly.