Rear Suspension Problems of Ford Focus - part 1

2012 Ford Focus 24,000 miles. During routine maintenance performed by the dealer, it was discovered that a pair of tires had severe abnormal wear. Tires have been rotated per car manufactore specifications. Dealer reported this is normal for this car and purchasing a new pair of tires would resolve this issue. Upon my investiagation, cupping in a 2012 Ford Focus is directly related to no camber adjustment to the rear suspension. Cupping also reduces traction and braking power. My concern is for safety, and believe the car manufactore has failed to properly design the geometry of the suspension correctly to meet.

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2008 Ford Focus. Consumer states vehicle should be replaced or a generous trade allowance be offered due to problems with rear tire wear and suspension the consumer stated the rear tires were wearing unevenly and excessively. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they claimed the problem was fixed. However, the tires had to be replaced three times. The consumer stated the problem has returned again. Ford refused to purchase the vehicle back from the consumer.

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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. While driving approximately 60 mph, the contact heard an abnormal banging from the rear of the vehicle. The failure would occur when driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for inspection. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the rear passenger side trailing arm was fractured and striking against the brake line. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000. Updated 04/05/lj updated 04/05/11.

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The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph over wet road conditions when the rear end of the vehicle began to skid uncontrollably. The contact was able to gain control and continued to drive. The failure occurred whenever encountering snow and wet road surfaces. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they performed a four wheel alignment and tire balancing. Also, the rear suspension arm was replaced. The failure persisted after the repairs. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the technician informed that the vehicle performance was a manufacturer design. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Focus. The contact stated the rear tires were wearing prematurely and were replaced at 29,000 miles. In addition, when driving at a speed of at least 50 mph, the rear of the vehicle would abnormally bounce. The dealer advised that the rear trans axle was slightly off yet within specifications. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 29,000.

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The contact owns a 2007 Ford Focus. The contact stated the tread on the rear tires was wearing faster than the front. The contact stated the wear was on the outside of the tires but they replaced the rear tires for the third time. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told there was nothing that could be done to the rear alignment of the vehicle. The dealer stated the contact had to try and manage the premature wear of the tires. The failure mileage was 27,000 and the current mileage was 57,000.

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Rear tires were"chopped" due to rear alignment off. Repair shop had to install suspension mods to get align. Had to replace all tires. Total bill was over $500. 00. Car was still under warranty (only 28,000 miles on it). Was told by dealer it wasn't covered.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the rear tires were wearing badly and the top of the rubber was leaning into the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that he needed to purchase a suspension bar to place in the back of the vehicle, which changes one degree. The contact will call the manufacturer to inquire about assistance towards the repair cost. The failure mileage was 180,000. Updated 5/7/09 updated 05/12/09.

We purchased our 2005 Ford Focus zx4 ses brand new in February 2005. Since the date of purchase we have had to replace the rear tires 5 times, two of the 5 times we replaced the whole set. The original factory tires on the rear of vehicle (yokohama 205/50/zr16) were bald at 11,000 miles. At that time we replaced them with 4 new yokohama tires. Six months later, we had to buy another complete set of tires (michelin/205/55/r16) because the tires in the rear were cupping and wearing in a diagonal cross pattern. We took the vehicle to Ford both times and they denied that there was any factory defects on the vehicle. Ford claimed it must be an alignment issue, we paid $79. 99 for a 4 wheel alignment, and even had the front end checked, as well as shocks and struts, and Ford claimed there was nothing wrong. Since then, we have had to replace the tires 3 more times, just last week buying two new tires for the rear. We replaced tires on 7/13/2006 (16,463 miles), then on 7/6/2007 (25,926 miles), then on 1/16/2009 (43, 556 miles). All of the tires purchased had 80,000-85,000 mile warranties on them. Ford refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with these vehicles, and clearly our vehicle is not the only one to experience this problem. Reference oib-NHTSA, TSB #19064. Ford should be forced to fix the defects with these vehicles, at no cost to the consumers who purchased them in good faith. We shouldn't have to invest $3,000 in costs for tires in 3. 25 years.

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The rear of the car jerks/pulls around. It is very hard to keep control of the vehicle when this happens. Thought it was an alignment problem. After having four wheel alignments done, the problem still existed. Several mechanics tried diagnosing the problem with no luck. Finally one mechanics was able to pinpoint the problem. Seems the rear lower arm assemblies are failing (defective or weak parts). My wife was in an accident a few weeks ago which I believe may have been due to not being able to control the car (back end basically does what it wants to do) this is not an isolated problem. I know of three other people within a ten mile radius who are also having the same problem with there Ford Focus. This is definitely a safety issue when it take every little bit of effort to keep your car in control especially on snow covered roads.

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The contact owns a 2006 Ford Focus. While driving 35 mph or more the back of the vehicle began lunging to the left or the right on slippery surfaces especially whenever it rained or during inclement weather. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that they aligned the rear end; however, the same failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was called and stated that the warranty expired and they would assume the repair cost. The failure mileage was 62,000.

The contact owns 2008 Ford Focus. The contact had to replace the rear tires on the vehicle five times. The contact took his vehicle to the dealer for maintenance and they informed him that the rear alignment failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 8,000.

Rear tires prematurely worn and damaged. 2006 Ford Focus with 34,000 miles. The passenger side rear tire wore out badly, (bald spots, and in need of replacement. Also the driver's rear tire wore out well beyond the acceptable range for the mileage. Also needs replacement. Rear end is unstable and I turned the car around when rear of car lost stability. Have an alignment scheduled but in 50 years of driving I have never had a car's rear wheels to be out of alignment bad enough to make car unsafe.

I noticed that there was excessive tire wear on rear tires. At 20k miles the rear tires are almost bald 2/32 of tread left. There appears to be an alignment issue that dealer would not cover under warranty. I was told that alignment is only covered for first 12k miles. The front was aligned under warranty after a bad tire was found at scheduled service. It is so bad now that when you his a bump in the road the rear of the car jumps to one side.

My car was parked at the airport. When I returned home after my car had been parked for three days the anti-lock brakes light came on and my car was making a loud noise. I took it to the dealer and the rear left ball bearing was broken and I was informed by the service technician that my wheel could fall off. I later realized that the same ball bearing was previously fixed under recall 01b85. However the dealer would not cover the expense and I had to pay for it myself. I later wrote a letter to Ford to request a refund and my request was denied.

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Rear tires prematurely worn and damaged. 2006 Ford Focus with 21,000 miles. The passenger side rear tire wore out badl, (bald spots, and in need of replacement. Also the driver's rear tire wore out well beyond the acceptable range for the mileage. Also needs replacement.

Rear end is continuously out of alignment causing scalloping to the rears of two sets of tires. Ford dealership and Ford headquarters refuse to take any action, explaining it is my "tough luck" and that I need to purchase new tires and continue to pay once to twice a year for alignment if tires have not already been destroyed. Many other mechanics I talk to say the Focus is notorious for rear end alignment, but Ford will not make any effort to rectify the situation or take conciliatory action.

: the contact stated while the vehicle was driven at an undisclosed freeway speed, the rear passenger tire became wobbly. The vehicle became hard to control, and was pulled over to the side of the road. The driver continued to drive on the side of the freeway to the residence. Once the vehicle was at the residence, the contact jacked up the vehicle and noticed a broken weld in the rear and the tire was being held on with the a-arm. The vehicle was towed the dealership, but was not inspected. The manufacturer was alerted.

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Every time we would attempt to drive our 2005 Ford Focus zx3 on slippery roads the rear end would wiggle from side to side, at 20 mph or faster, it felt as if you were going to loose control at any time, it was real bad when you went from clean roads to slippery, it felt like it was going to go sideways ! Ford gave our dealer several things to try, but they were never able to stop car from wiggling all over, this car was not safe to drive, dealer had the car at there lot for aprox 28 days, mainly because I would not let my wife drive this car when roads were slippery, we feared for her safety ! Ford decided they could do no more until Ford service engineer had a chance to drive it on slippery roads, he was never able to get here when roads were bad, he did a week or so ago drive a xz3 at a different dealership when the roads were icy, he called the service manager at our dealership to tell him that the Focus he drove was all over the road, and that it almost went sideways when he went from slippery to dry ! so they decided that all Focus zx3 must do that, and that there was no fix ! only parts that I know that were changed were the tie-blades ? Ford would not help us get out of if this car, but our dealer worked very hard with us, and got my wife in to a 2006 escape yesterday ! a big thank you goes out to simmons Ford in vicksburg michigan !.

Rear tire cupping and inner edge wear from misalignment of wheels.

The inside of the rear tire began to wear with less than 20000 miles. When the consumer drove 60 mph on the freeway the rear end fish tailed. The consumer was told the problem was due to the european suspension.

When the car had ~ 3000 miles on it, we were driving on the freeway when it suddenly began to vibrate and shimmy like it had multiple flat tires. We pulled off and looked for problems but the tires were fine and nothing was obvious. When we began driving again there was no problem. The following day, the same problem occurred again and we took the car to the dealer. They found feathering on all tires and replaced all 4 tires and rebalanced them. About a week later while driving on the freeway a loud bang sounded in the rear of the car and it again began to vibrate and shimmy. Again after getting off the road and looking it over, the car seemed ok. We again took it to the dealer who could not replicate the problem and rebalanced the front tires. About 2000 miles later again while driving on the freeway, the loud bang and vibration re-occurred. When the brakes were applied, the car almost went out of control, sliding and feeling like it would tip over. We again took it to the dealer who could not replicate the problem. This time they did no work and said there was not an identifiable problem with it. We informed Ford motor of the problems and are working with a lawyer on a lemon law complaint as the car is dangerous to drive.

While driving 25 mph, a loud popping noise was heard coming from the rear. The driver was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. Please fill ion additional information.

Premature rear tire wear. 6 tires were replaced before 27,000 miles. Dealer says alignment is at Ford specifications. Dealer said rotation at 3000 miles is required on this vehicle to prevent this problem. Overheard tech telling service manager that these cars don't have enough adjustment for camber. Tires can not be rotated after 5000 miles because they cup out and when moved to the front cause severe vibration.

Left rear wheel tipping in at top so much that you could see it before 3500 miles. This causes the rear end to be much "looser" than is normal or aceptable. Ford provides no adjustment for camber in rear and this caused left rear tire to have a cupping pattern on the inside edge. Apparently if the camber isn't correct to begin it will throw off the whole alignment. One dealer checked and said it was in spec. At 15,000 mi. Found dealer who understood the problem and installed a just released shim kit. Ford refusing to cover kit, alignment, or tire under " bumper-to-bumper" warranty (trying to claim it is a normal wear item, or a tire problem, other tires are fine!). Had to pay $142 + tire so that the rear end doesn't come around cause an accident.

Rear tires bald at 20,000. I have replaced 4 tires and need to replace 2 more. I have 42,000 miles on my car. I have rotated the tires all along, but they always end up wearing quick in the rear. For example one set of tires had great tread when they were rotated to the back with about 15,000, then at 20,000 they were bald!!! (like something in the rear chewed them up) car jumps side to side when hitting minor bumps in road and on highway, it feels like car doesn't have good control because of this. Dealership and Ford rep. Say tires are not covered under warranty of course and claim not to find any other problems. They blame it on the driver style. Funny this has never ever happened to me before, including my first Focus lemon I had for 25,000 miles (they replaced my first Focus for us for fuel problems they couldn't fix) I kick myself for agreeing to exchange for a new Focus. Nevertheless, it really seems like an engineering/design flaw or something else in the rear of the vehicle that is making these tires wear so fast.

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The vehicle had been to the dealer on 3 occasions for a noise coming from the rear wheel. . . . .

There was an excessive vibration coming from the rear passenger tires, the dealer was unable to determine cause of vibration or excessive wear on tires.

While traveling on the interstate there was a sway/shift in the rear end of the vehicle as she was crossing a bridge, which caused a loss of control. Scc.

The vehicle loses control where it pulls to the right side, especially from the rear when driving over a rough road or on a smooth road upon driving over a slightly recessed manhole cover. Vehicle has been back to the dealer 2 times for 4 wheel alignment, wheel balance and replacement of rear shocks. No improvements in condition after both visits. Alignment data shows the rear wheels are at higher levels of negative camber, which is not adjustable, and toe. Driving vehicle in icy, rainy weather is unsafe if current handling characteristics are not, or can not be corrected. Dt.

Purchased car new may 2002. Focus zts. In August took car to ontario canada on roadtrip from missouri. Way back from trip, noticed vibrations from back of car at highway speed. Didn't think much of it because of similar experience with escort. Took car on trip to myrtle beach in may 2003 and the vibration was more then obvious at 55mph. When returned from trip took car in for service. Driver side rear bushing on tire arm was worn. Wheel was tilted and tire was wearing wrong. Dealership replaced arm and tire. Took car on another trip March 2004 noticed extreme vibration still coming from same side/back of car. Shakes plastic bags in backseats. Vibrates driver seat and steeringwheel. Because most of my driving is on regular roads it's not something that becomes obvious right away. Will be taking car in again ASAP. Also had a problem right after purchasing the car with the passernger side front floor wet after huge rain. Took it in for repair and I don't think there has been a noticeable problem since.

Backed out of driveway and rear wheel buckled. Now rubbing on front of firewall.

I had noticed that the rear suspension of my car was very wobbly and all over the place when driving. Real bad going around curves on freeways. Do not feel safe. Took to dealer and they said they did a "rear" alignment. It's not any better, afraid to drive car especially on michigan's bad roads. Passengers in back seat say they're thrown all over the place.

Rear end very unstable is snow-more than normal. Dealer said he has had 3 other complaints - dealer says does not know what to do.

When consumer went to have her 30,000 maintenance service performed, she was informed that new tires were needed in order to correct the wobbling nosie that was felt and heard in the rear wheel, consumer believes that new tires are possibly needed due to a previous recall on the rear axle, secondly when consumer brought the vehicle in for tire rotation she could never get documentation stating that the work was performed, consumer now has doubts that the tire rotation was ever done.