Ignition Problems of Ford Focus - part 2

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle refused to start. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the ignition cylinder was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 107,000.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Focus 🔎.

The ignition on my 2000 Ford Focus is defective in that the key does not go all the way into the ingtition. This problem appears to be systemic with the Focus. The car is stranded in the path of oncoming cars and presents a danger to the public. Systemic issues across a large span of VIN numbers present a safety issue and a general public nussiance. Cars are stranded in intersections and places of business because of defective ignitions that are known to Ford. These issues are on blog sites in large numbers. I trust the transportation and safety board will recognize the significance of this problem. I am requesting an investigation that I am sure will reveal public safety concerns by the sheer number of incidents of this ignition failure.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Focus 🔎.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated the ignition was locked and the key will not turn to start the engine. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000. Mw.

Vehicle suddenly lost power, only continuing to run at a rough idle. The vehicle would not allow any acceleration. The only possible response was to limp to the shoulder of the road. After turning off the ignition the vehicle was restarted and ran as normal for the rest of the trip. Four days later the same thing occurred. Upon taking the vehicle to the Ford dealer and having them tell me to continue to drive the vehicle until it occurred again and then have it towed in, I convinced them to look further into it. I was able to locate several complaints on line of the same type. The necessary repair was to replace the throttle body. The next day the dealer contacted me and said the Ford hotline stated they had previous complaints and advised to replace the throttle body. This was done and the vehicle has operated correctly since the repair.

See all problems of the 2008 Ford Focus 🔎.

Key won't turn in ignition. Luckily, my car was parked at home when this happened but could leave you stranded if away from home. I now have to leave my key in the ignition until I get the problem fixed.

The key would no longer turn in the ignition (but operated door and hatch without difficulty), creating an unsafe condition in which the car could not be driven and the owner was stranded with an inoperable vehicle. The local Ford dealership required $400 for a replacement ignition cylinder. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Focus 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the ignition failed and locked abnormally. The manufacturer was contacted they advised there were no recalls for the failure and would provide no further assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the ignition was locked and would not allow her to turn the key inside the ignition for several minutes. After various attempts, the contact was able to turn the key in the ignition. The contact stated the failure recurred various times intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs or diagnostics. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

I have had my 2002 Ford Focus for 2 months. The key has always gave me problems with not wanting to turn. Today though I went to go to my college classes and the key will not turn at all. I have tried to get it to turn for 2 hours. Untill I said [xxx] it before I break the key and that I had already missed my class that I couldn't miss because of a test. Now I get a zero. I like Ford vehicles but if they cant even fix a small igntion defect for thier customers[xxx] Ford. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Focus 🔎.

Just like all the other complaints. 'my key became stuck in the ignition and was stranded hundred's of miles from home" how thoughtful of Ford to only charge me four- hundred dollars!.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Focus 🔎.

We have a 2004 Ford Focus 2. 3l. Key wont turn in the ignition. The steering wheel is locked. We had to call a lock smith out to replace the ignintion cylinder assembly. The lock smith said that he replaces two to three every week on the Ford Focus model. Lucky for us we were at home when the ignition failed. I read other stories where others were not so fortunate. It is unfortunate that Ford still to this day dose not have a recall on this issue. Even a curtosey alert would be better then sitting in the dark and having to do your own research to discover wht the fix is.

My wife drove to the movies. After the movies she found she couldn't turn the key in the ignition. She jiggled it and tried for 20 minutes before calling me. The car is a 2000 Ford Focus. My wife and her friend were stranded in a bad part of town due to a malfunction. When I called my dad about it (he is a service manager for a Chrysler/Jeep dealership) he told me it's a terribly common problem for the 2000-2003 Focus. I called Ford. They told me the same thing. Says the fix them all the time. I asked why it wasn't recalled since my wife was left stranded and they wouldn't answer. I am just glad that my kids weren't in the car. It was only 20 degrees outside. Ford needs to fix this!.

The ignition will not turn without large amounts of spray lubricant and pummeling the key while in the ignition to cause the tumblers in the cylinder to fall into place. This is a major safety issue, because it happens without warning, and right now, during these epic blizzards we are experiencing, it has caused me to be in danger. This problem is common among owners of this vehicle. Many people have developed ways to temporarily fix it since they don't have money available fix this unexpected safety issue, which is not part of preventative maintenance of an automobile. . . . While others have opted to just get the car towed to a dealership, which replaces the ignition assembly with the same faulty parts, and then charges up to $500. This ignition needs to be recalled by Ford, and it needs to be replaced free of charge with a reliable ignition assembly. This morning, after having to find other transportation to work for two days, I finally dedicated three hours to getting the ignition to turn. I had to leave the key in the ignition, because I cannot afford to lose my job by being absent or tardy. I am in an initial probationary period at my job, and I think it goes without saying that if I had enough money to fix Ford's mistakes, I would probably just go and buy a different car altogether.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Focus 🔎.

Key would not turn the ignition, stalled the car and then could not turn the car back on in the middle of rush hour traffic, on christmas eve none the less.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while trying to start his vehicle the key would become stuck in the ignition and he would be unable to release the key. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who advised him that the tumblers had collapsed and the ignition needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 102,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The events leading up were intermittently spaced this has been happening since I purchased the vehicle from a private owner in 2004. When I would put the key in the ignition the wheel would not turn and feel locked I would sit for 10-20 minutes and work on it by pushing the key in hard and turning the wheel as hard it would come loose and the ignition would turn. This impacted my life as a nuisance. Recently in Dec of 2010 the occurrences became more frequent two to four times a week constantly being stranded until I could get the ignition and wheel to turn. Happening frequently while at the store, work or somewhere away from home and again causing a great nuisance and frustration as it has made me late for work several times, allowed me to be vulnerable in situations that could have been avoided with proper recall. Then around Dec 20th 2010 the ignition stopped working. I was at work leaving for the day and I sat there for over an hour, not knowing any of this was a normal recurrence with other Ford Focus owners. After working on this myself I had to contact my spouse to come and try and he was unsuccessful as well. I have kept up the maintenance on my Focus and it is in very good condition for the year. Currently it has not been fixed only towed to my home residence. The cost is so high for the ignition replaced I have been given estimates of $500 plus extra for towing. This cost comes after months previous I had replaced the radiator tank at a $400 cost. This car seems to have some of the highest amount of recalls and service bulletins and I do not understand how the main power to the car, the ignition, is not seen as a hazard to the public who purchased these vehicles.

Ford Focus 2001. Ignition locks up requiring new tumbler. Key won't turn in the ignition. The car won't start nor can you get it in neutral to push it off the road. It is a known defect but not remedied by Ford.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Focus. The vehicle was parked when the contact attempted to turn the ignition on but it would not respond. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The approximate failure mileage 100,000.

Key won't turn in ignition. For a couple of weeks, I was able to tap on the end of the key while it was in the ignition lock, and the key would turn. Now, I am unable to get it to turn at all -- even after tapping on it with a hammer.

Complete ignition lock failure. Can not turn key in ignition to start the car.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while parking, the steering wheel seized while the power steering warning chime sounded. In addition, the key would sporadically fail to turn when inserted into the ignition. The contact stated that the vehicle would start after approximately thirty minutes of repeated attempts. The dealer was made aware of the failure but the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. The contact stated that when the key was in the ignition, it would not turn the engine on. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the cylinder and the key switch at the contacts expense. The manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance with the failure. The vehicle was being repaired by the dealer. The failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 1/21/11 the key would not turn the ignition. The dealer replaced the ignition lock cylinder updated 04/18/11.

The ignition was locked solid. The key could be inserted and removed but the ignition would not turn. Replacement seems the only viable solution. It seems to be a design defect as so many cases of the lock-up have been reported.

I was parked outside my girlfriend's dr's office waiting to pick her up. It was a cold day and she didn't want to take the bus. When I tried to start the car the key would not turn. I attempted repeatedly to turn the key, but it would not budge. This had happened twice before (I had only owned the car a couple months), but the key had turned with some fiddling. This time it wouldn't turn, no matter what I did. I eventually had to have it towed. The mechanic called me today and said the ignition cylinder needs to be replaced and the key has to be reprogrammed. I read several sources online that said this is not necessary that anyone who tells you this is padding their own pocket, but what can I do? I'm not a mechanic and I'm not about to call this guy a liar. I have to bite the bullet and pay for the repairs as he describes them.

Purchased vehicle October 2010, driver side seat belt unbuckles and key sticks in ignition and steering wheel locks.

See all problems of the 2010 Ford Focus 🔎.

The ignition in the Ford Focus falls apart and you are stranded!!!. I had my handicapped daughter with me and it was night. I can imagine a young woman by herself with this problem. You cannot be jumped or a mechanic cannot look at it. The only solution is to be towed, which for us was 49 miles away. Very unsafe for my daughter and me. We had to leave her walker behind and she was without it (immobile) until I could retrieve it. This car had less than 50,000 miles on it and had all checkups and everything up to date.

Key sticks in ignition.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford Focus 🔎.

The key in my 2003 Ford Focus will not turn the ignition. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere. The key is fine. . The actual ignition mechanism is locked and will not turn.

Oem ignition / tumbler mechanism locked up. . . Preventing me from starting vehicle.

2003 Ford Focus ignition will not turn engine over nor unlock steering.

Parked car as always. Came out to start car to leave and key will not turn in ignition. Had to have it towed. The tow truck driver said they tow Ford Focus models with bad ignitions quite often. A woman in a Focus wagon pulled up in the lot where I was stranded before the tow truck arrived. I asked her to not park there since a tow truck was coming; I also told her why. She said she had several times where her key would get stuck in her Focus. Mine had done that a few times over the past 3 months, it appears based on the internet searches, and just my conversations in one day that this is a major issue. Mine is a 2004 model Focus. So it goes beyond the thinking that it is only 2000 to 2003 models. This past weekend I could have been stranded in the henry m. Jackson wilderness area in wa. State, possibly with no cell phone service available either. Luckily this problem happened when I was in civilization. I was in the middle of nowhere this past weekend, in black bear & grizzly bear country.

My key ignition has locked up on my 2004 Ford Focus leaving me stranded and costing me time from work not to mention the cost its going to be to fix it. I have read many many complaints on this problem and as of yet there is no recall. But I strongly suggest Ford considering a recall because it is a safety issue. . . . Who feels safe stranded on interstate, bad area of town, at night or whatever the case may be!.

I tried to start my car and the key wont turn in the ignition. I have met 50 more people since yesterday who have also had this problem. I cannot afford to replace an ignition especially if it's a Ford mistake. Ford should be held responsible for the defect.

2004 for Focus. Ignition occasionally won't start with the key. Got stranded a few times. It seems something is wrong either with the keys or the ignition area where you place the key.

Key won't turn in the ignition of my 2002 Ford Focus -- it's locked.