Alternator/generator/regulator Problems of Ford Focus - part 1

While driving the car, 4 days after having the 2nd clutch replacement at 30,000 miles, it was on a street not highway, the cars electronic dash displayed "transmission fault fix now". The car then slowed down a bit losing power, then several other signals appeared on screen, brakes and a few others, then the engine shut down and power went out. The car would not restart after a few minutes, so aaa called to tow it back to dealership. This happened Sunday July 28, 2019. Monday afternoon, after they had time to look at vehicle, I received a call telling me that the "alternator " was faulty and they would get back to me when they had the replacement which turned out to be the next day. The issue with this is my wife had been 110 miles away and had drove home Saturday July 27. If that had let go while she was traveling the 70 mph speed limit there could have been a fatal accident. This vehicle has been in and out of Ford dealership 5-6 times for safety related issues.

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My vehicle instrument cluster failed causing alternator to die and false readings on the dash with multiple alerts such as battery, airbag , oil and incorrect speed dial. The vehicle instrument failed at 30,000 miles and if you search it is a very common issue with the Ford Focus vehicle's. The vehicle staled and died while being drove in town and thank god it did not happen while on the highway.

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Tl the contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start while attempting to drive. The vehicle was towed to malloy Ford of charlottesville (located at 1300 richmond rd, charlottesville, va 22911, (434) 977-7960), but a failure code could not be found with the transmission and alternator. The dealer repaired the connector of the bcm. While driving approximately 50 mph and approaching a stop light, the contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to decelerate. The vehicle also failed to accelerate appropriately. The contact drove to her home. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

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The alternator was replaced less than a week ago. Now, it is needing replaced again. There seems to be an issue with the electrical wiring in these vehicles! there are multiple complaints.

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With less than 21k miles on the car and the alternator, it seized up, tore the pulley off, and shredded the belt and left my car dead. I was driving on the freeway and heard a metallic grinding and jingling sound. Had I not been able to exit when I did, I might not have been able to safely navigate my car to a stop. Ford is refusing to admit that it was their manufacturing that was responsible for this. They did not cover it under any of the remaining warranties on the car. My dad works in the auto industry and he was telling me that they test the alternators that his company makes to last 150k miles and that this should not have failed the way that it did.

On many occasions the rear hatch (zxw wagon) has opened on its own. I've always assumed I must not have closed it properly as it also has not latched on many occasions when closing it. Sometimes it can take several attempts, closing it firmly. One the most recent occassion of the hatch opening while driving our dog was in the car bag cargo area, so you can imagine my anger at the latch. Another issue has been the licence plate lights not illuminating the plate at night, which has resulted in a stop by an officer. Yesterday, may 18th 2017, the battery light illuminated for about 2 minutes on my drive home, then went off. When I got home I put a meter on the battery while the engine was running and got 12. 04-12. 7 volts. While searching youtube for some how-to alternator videos I stumbled across a video that spoke of the wiring in the hatch area. I removed the boot and sure enough, half of the wires had damaged jackets and a few were exposed. I've made temporary repairs and as now the voltage reads 14. 5 or more with the engine running. Also, the license plate lights are working again. This repair is surely going to be temporary at best as I simply do not have the funds for a repair facility to do the work and I have limited resources. I could not sell the car with clear conscience without disclosing my discovery which surely means most people arent going to want it. I would like to know if there was any recall for this, considering it could have the potential to cause many malfunctions in the vehicle's safety as well the safety of passengers, cargo and other drivers on the roadway. This latch popping issue has happened in pretty much every condition. . . . . My driveway, in my neighborhood, the highway etc.

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Alternator caught fire, Feb 2017. Replaced and checked system. July 30, 17 alternator smoked and melted inside. , positive terminal on battery was so hot that the connector was too hot to touch. Replaced. Alternator and battery. Picked up car from repair shop and within one mile the alternator melted its internal wiring wiring and smoked. Car is back in shop. Each time this happened the car was being driven.

The car has had 5-6 repairs over the last 6 years. 3 batteries and 2 alternators. The car dies out while driving and wont restart without a jumpstart, is dead randomly or only clicks. Just spent another $200 on an alternator when the key wont turn and the real problem over all these years has come to light. Very dangerous situation with the car just dieing wherever and whenever.

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.

Newly purchased 2013 Ford Focus se. 1. Initial incident at 23000 miles showing error code on dashboard display with subsequent vehicle stalling (car shutting off). Issue similar to alternator or battery failure. 2. Now-persistent dashboard alarm light with message: steering assist fault, service required. Ford district management informed-no assistance available for repair or buyback or recall. Repair estimate couple thousand dollars. Vehicle not driveable without repair. Electronic power steering locks during drive after start after car is in driving gear preventing turns and driveability. Please respond, thank you (new vehicle purchase) less than 40000 miles.

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I was driving in the rain when the internal lights started to flicker. This was followed by the radio shutting off, headlights dimming before turning off, and wiper blades failing. This was quite dangerous as it was dark out and raining, and I had no wipers or headlights. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get off the road before the car failed entirely. The car would not restart, and I had to get towed to a mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the problem as a faulty alternator, which also caused the battery to fail. The mechanic replaced both components for $630. 80.

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The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The failure occurred on six occasions where the battery and alternator were replaced each time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Out of no where my battery indicator light came on. I stopped to get gas and all electrical components of the car cut off and the car died. I had someone jump me and I made it to my house and in the parking spot and as soon as I parked my car it died again. I went and bought a new battery on 6/11/2015 today is 7/28/2015 and the same thing happened again I had the battery replaced a second time and had the car tested and found out the alternator is failing. I have found many many complaints about the alternator failing and believe this has become a huge issue. I had my children in the car with very high temperatures outside and the car shut off. I will replace the unit but I have seen where many people replaced it multiple times within a 2 year span. Please look into this situation.

I was driving and my headlights and interior lights started to flicker and the check engine light came on and then the car just quit running after 10 minutes I was able to start the car and get home I have had this car (2000 Ford Focus) for a little over a year the place I purchased it from did not tell me about any problems but I have had problems for the whole time and they have only gotten worse I have put an alternator on it and changed a couple of wires that were melted but it did not help! I am afraid to drive the car now especially with my 2 year old in it with me this car is not safe to drive!!!.

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My vehicle has displayed an intermittent but increasing issue with electrical components. It started with a warning on the dash (including the warning chime) about a tire pressure monitor fault, and spread to include many and various warning lights. These include the parking brake light, and the door ajar light. When these lights are displaying, my turn signal indicator will not report on the dash, although I have been able to verify that the signals themselves are working on the outside of the car. Over time, this went from an occasional issue to being almost constant. At times, the tire pressure warning light will come on with constant chiming. I have experienced battery dead / non-start issues, although after jumping the vehicle, it will be fine for days. I have been able to get the dash to work properly by slapping the deck just above the display, although this only works for a short time. I typically only do this now when the constant chiming starts. I have had a mechanic look at it, and will be doing so again today. Last time, they tightened some wiring under the dash, and the issue appeared to go away for about 5 days, then crept back quickly. The initial thought was the alternator, although as mentioned above, the issue stopped after wiring was adjusted, and I suspect smacking the dashboard won't fix an alternator, or provide more power to dash lamps. Thank you. By the way, I am in canada, your form below doesn't offer that as an option.

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Was driving on the highway and broke down. Car towed to garage and alternator replaced along with the battery. The car ran fine for about 1 week where after turning the car off it wouldn't start again. Again had it towed to the garage and the battery needed to be changed. A week later the car did it again and again the battery was replaced. I took the card to my Ford dealership and had an electrical check done and the electrical test came back that the battery that was just put it was low and the alternator had tested fine. Changed the battery again. . Yup you guessed it. . . It died again. Changed the battery again and the car has now been running for 2 weeks now. Called Ford's home office and filed a complaint not that it will do anything.

Battery light lightened, abs light came on, all the instrument panel lines went to zero, car jerked a few times, then died. Tried to start it and just clicked, got a jump start and got it home. Brother checked it out, fixed alternator. Now it is almost a month later and same thing.

I've had this 05 Ford Focus for less than a year and had several problems, all resolved but this one. I was taking my 4 year old and autistic 13 year old step children to the park last Monday and my car started hgoing haywire. It would lose and gain power in intervals and all of the dash cluster stopped working. The car lost power and died on the side of the road with no cars in sight. Ended up having to walk almost 3 miles with them before we finally saw someone nice enough to give us a ride. Since then the car has drained and ruined 3 batteries ansd two alternators. My dash lights are now staying on with no key in the ignition and batteries keep getting drained. There's also a chirp I'm assuming sometjing to do with the security system or the wiring harness on the alternator or dash. I have not been able to get the car out of park for 6 days and it is/was my only mode of transportation for these two children. I'm finding it veery difficult to get things done with such an unreliable car. This problem is still not resolved.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the alternator failed due to corrosion. The contact replaced the alternator himself. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 143,000.

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My car has had the steering fixed, the alternator replaced and the clutch fixed 5-6 times in 6 months. My transmission/clutch is still not repaired. Someone is going to die in this car and I can't afford to get rid of it so I am forced to put my life in danger every day. I have a lemon law attorney and Ford will still do nothing. I paid $1095 for an automatic transmission and I do not have an automatic transmission. Ford committed fraud with this sale.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph with the headlights in operation, the headlights and instrument panel lights became extremely dim. The engine was turned off and the vehicle failed to restart. A certified mechanic inspected the vehicle and replaced the alternator. The failure was contributed to a faulty liftgate wiring harness. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 176,000. Updated 08/15/lj.

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 new vehicle was purchased on 9/3/12. Calls to the service department began on 9/5/12 for complaints of 'bucking and jerking' of the car in low speed shifting. The car was accepted on 9/8/12 for repair of multiple paint chips on the front of the car and for evaluation of the shifting irregularities. Upon delivery of the car (53 odometer miles) the customer was informed that the paint chips had been repaired and the transmission computer was reset. The computer reset was not recorded on the service agreement for that date. On 12/5/12, the car abruptly stopped accelerating and metal grinding prevented use. The car was held from 12/5/12 until 1/8/13 (35 days, odometer reading 7,068 miles) for repair of a broken rear window channel, repair of transmission with replaced clutch. On 1/23/13 the vehicle was towed again due to not starting during multiple attempts by the owners and the tow truck driver. The vehicle was returned to the owner on 1/25/13 with a service report noting a weak battery. The battery was charged by the service provider and no other service codes were reported. On 1/28/13, the steering wheel required both hands to turn and the car narrowly missed going off of the road. Upon attempt to restart, the ignition was weak and multiple warning lights displayed on the dashboard. The odometer reading reset to '0' and the mpg reading went blank. The car had significant change in ignition sound and with uncharacteristic humming noise and was turned off again. When the car was on the tow truck with the ignition off, key out, and door open, the radio began playing and could not be manually turned off. The car was transported to the dealership. As of 2/3, the car has been out of service for 46 days due to multiple infractions. The vehicle has had symptoms of stalling, failure to start, and loss of power steering. Alternator being replaced 2/4.

I was recently driving and my car engine was revving up when I would push in the clutch. After taking it in to the mechanic, they told me my alternator went out. This would not be a big deal but this seems to be something common among 2007 Ford Focus owners. Not only does this repair seem premature but it also is much more expensive than replacing most alternators because it is a dealer only part. . Read more...

To whom it may concern, I am the owner of a 2007 Ford Focus [xxx], it's a pretty good little car. Except for one thing, the battery light comes on. Then it goes off. This repeats. It started in April and lasted until the car wouldn't start leaving my wife stranded 50 miles from home. We had the car towed to the nearest Ford dealer, bill utter Ford in denton, TX. I told them that I had the premiumcare extended warranty, and they understood and let me know if it was just the battery I'd still be responsible as Ford considers that a wear and tear item. They checked the car and determined it was just the battery for which they charged me $246. 61. The car was running all right. Until Tuesday when the battery light came on again. And turned off. This time however my wife was much closer to home and she brought it back. I took it to the Ford dealer we bought it from, bankston and thy examined the car and found that the alternator was not properly charging the battery. They replaced it and I paid a $100 deductible for the premiumcare warranty. So now, for one problem I've paid $346. 61, which in the scheme of things is not so much. But it does seem to me about $246. 61 more than I needed to pay. So I called bill utter Ford and while the man that answered was very nice and had reasonable concerns about refunding my money. He also said that they had replaced many alternators in Focuses (focii?) with the battery light coming on intermittently. I did a google search for "Ford Focus intermittent battery light" where I received 101,000 hits. That is more than a few. Considerably more than a few. Bill utter says they can't just replace the alternator if it tests ok unless there's a recall or a service bulletin. 101,000 google hits apparently hasn't warranted a service bulletin. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

At 41,833 I was driving on the freeway at 60 mph. The abs warning light went on, the radio went off and 60 seconds later I lost all power. Speedometer went from 0 to 60. Towed car. Replaced alternator. At 45, 296 miles the same thing happened-lost power within 60 seconds of abs light going on the freeway. Towed car. The shop said that the previous alternator had been installed incorrectly and also the pcm had burned out. Replaced alternator and pcm. At 45, 536 red charging light came on. Took car in, replaced alternator. At 45, 641 red charging light came on. Took car in. Replaced alternator. All repairs done at Ford dealers.

While driving on the interstate the car had total failure of its electrical system. All dashboard functions failed, lights, radio, anything electrical. Within 5 minutes the car stalled and would not started again. The car was towed to a local Ford dealership. Tests indicated that the alternator was defective. Prior to this incident there was absolutely no warning indicating a problem with the charging system. The car is 5 years old and only has 30,630 miles on it.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the radio and all of the lights on the instrument panel began to operate intermittently. The vehicle then stalled. The vehicle coasted to the shoulder and was towed to an auto body shop. The auto body shop stated that the alternator needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred once and the vehicle would not start. The dealer was not made aware of the second occurrence. The vehicle was not taken back for additional repairs. The failure mileage was 58,120 and the current mileage was unknown.

Alternator failed without prior warning, please note that the charging system failure never once was indicated by the illumination of the battery idiot light before the vehicle stalled at 15 mph and in a drive thru at a mcdonald's. . . The vehicle could not be restarted due to depleted battery charge level. . . . . Note battery passed testing phase after alternator replacement. . . . Please note that the battery idiot light does illuminate during the key on engine off prestart system check. . . . . Once the battery was sufficiently jump charged the vehicle restarted and ran without any apparent problem from any system (no idiot lights illuminated and no check engine light). However when a charging system check was performed, the test revealed the alternator had failed and was not maintaining a voltage output sufficient to sustain vehicle operation. Please note that this alternator failure also caused the whole electrical system to shut down including all lights. . . . . Does this or does this not present a sever safety problem caused by the stalling of the vehicle at any speed and or traffic condition since the circuit that should activate the idiot light when the charging system begins to fail and/or fails completely does not illuminate said idiot light system. . . .

Our alternator failed in our Ford Focus zx3 2007 today while driving - got the car to Ford service station with spare battery and jumper cables and did some on-line research only to find out that several other folks have experienced the same problem:. . Read more...

Alternator failure.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Focus. While driving 50 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileage was 41,000. The VIN was unavailable.

2007 Ford Focus. . . . Alternator and battery replacement. . . If you check into this, you will notice how many people have had to replace these items in under 50k miles on car.

Car shutdown completely in the middle of the road, it started with abs light coming on. Found out alternator had died and killed my battery.

While traveling through oregon on I-205 in extreamly heavy rain my 2007 Focus with 64,000 miles lost most all electrical systems including head lights, tail lights and turn signals. Air bag indicator also iluminated on instrament panel. This all occurred while traveling at 55 mph. I was able to continue to next exit and found sears service center who diagnossed problem as bad batttery and alternator. No prior warning from battery light in instrument panel. This problem ocurring at highway speeds in low visability is a definate safety hazard. I know altenators fail from time to time but the lack of warning in the vehicle instrumentation of low voltage is not acceptable. I have noted many other accounts from Focus owners on various internet sites with almost identical senarios. I think Ford must know by now that this is a problem with the 2007 Focus.