7.1
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $200
- Average Mileage:
- 85,500 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 7 complaints
Most common solutions:
- install a new door handle (6 reports)
- not sure (1 reports)
Rear passenger door won't open from the outside. Window's broken too (previously reported), poor people in the back seat... Have to open passenger front door & reach behind to the back to open it up.
- Martha H., North Smithfield, RI, US
I left my car running WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD ASLEEP IN THE BACKSEAT of my car to stop and get a paper and when I went to open the driver door the handle broke. And my doors automatically lock after you put the car in gear, so all of the other doors were locked, so I COULD NOT GET MY DAUGHTER OUT!! I tried my hardest to beat on the window and wake her up to get her to open one of the other doors, but she wouldn't wake up. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and had to stand outside my car for an hour while waiting for someone to come get my door opened. Also, the rest of the door handles are broke now, they will only open from the inside (and sometimes it's a pain in the butt to get them to open then too). Ford should do a recall on ALL of the door handles and not let this happen to someone else!!
- Savannah S., Alford, FL, US
Count me in with the multitude of Focus owners who have had their door handles break. Unfortunately, mine is the door handle assembly. I now own 2 fords (Freestar) with each door having a door handle/latch problem. Hmmmm? As a poor man, I have no choice to repair each one myself. Thank God for my very large toolbox.
- J A., Wauconda, IL, US
I have a 2003 Ford Focus. Both of my front door handles broke. The rear door handles stick and are very hard to open. I did not get it fixed when the one handle broke. When the second one broke I had no choice but to get it fixed. I took it to the dealer and I was told there was a recall on the back doors but not the front. They told me even though the locks on the front had the same problems as the back doors they could not cover it. They would, however, fix the back doors free. I was told it would cost $350 with parts and labor to fix. That may as well be a million dollars with the price of gas. I contacted Ford for what I thought was an easy solution. If the front doors have the same problem as the back doors they should be covered too. In Fords eyes my crawling through the back seat to get in the car was not a problem. They also didn't see it as a problem that I would have to pay $350 to get the problem fixed. It was obvious to everyone but Ford that if there was a problem with the back doors there will probably be a problem with the front doors too. I asked to speak with a supervisor who was of no help. They didn't even want to discuss the fact that this problem with due to their poor craftsmanship. They made me feel as if I did something to break the doors so I would have to climb through the back to get in. If Ford cannot stand behind their vehicle I don't see the point in buying another Ford. You would think that $350 would be a small price to pay from a major car company to keep a potential future car buyer happy. I WILL NOT buy another Ford. This was just the last in a long list of problems I incurred with this car. I chalked all the others up to wear and tear but this is ridiculous. With the state of the economy and the trouble car companies are in right now I would think they would try to rectify this problem.
- Nicole F., Follansbee, WV, US
It costs 25-50 dollars for a new handle. Add fees and shipping and labor to that and it would be a ridiculous cost to take it to a shop, so I decided to do it on my own. It's easy to find instructions on the internet, so don't get ripped off by shops when you can do it yourself! But make sure you have a torx set...ford loves torx...
- Andrew H., Rexburg, ID, US
I went to get into my Focus when the door handle broke as I tried to open the door. I could not get into the car on the driver's side. New handle has to be ordered and installed. I didn't go to the dealer for this because they didn't consider it important enough to deal with, so went to a body shop. I am not a young person, crawling over from the passenger side was not a long term option.
- ct,co,, Denver, CO, US
This is the second time the driver's door handle has broken. Both times it just broke while opening normally. This definitely is a problem that should be addressed by Ford.
- Mark H., Baird, TX, US