Ford Focus concerning the rear door latch failure that allows the door to open while the vehicle was in motion. When the brakes were applied, both rear doors would open. The rear hatch opened once per week. The consumer was informed that the 14 month old latches were worn out.

- Washington, DC, USA

While driving the dash light began to flicker then the vehicle shut down suddenly while in gear. Campaign id number : 00V411000. The consumer was told that the power cable to the battery was the result of the problem. Campaign id number : 02V288000. The consumer was told by the service department that this is a problem because the vehicle could explode. The warranty company turned the consumer down stating that the problem was not part of the warranty. The key gets stuck in the vehicles ignition and would not come out. The doors would not close properly and remained open while the vehicle was in gear. When the tire was removed the consumer noticed that the wheel was missing a lug nut. Campaign id number : 00V303000 the air vent did not stay open when the A/C was on high. The brakes howled like a wounded dog from the time of purchase. Pads and rotors needed to be replaced.

- Woodbridge, Ontario, DC, USA

The ignition lock cylinder failed in my 2000 Ford Focus ZX3, leading to inability to start the car. Apparently this is a widely known but unacknowledged issue with the Focus line. Events leading up to the failure: Normal use of the ignition to start and stop the car. Failure: The tumblers in the ignition switch broke or jammed such that I was unable to insert my ignition key more than 50% into the ignition switch, thereby making me unable to start the car or even unlock the steering wheel. I had to have the vehicle towed to my house in order to get it out of a shopping mall parking lot. Remediation of failure: I am either going to remove the tumblers in the ignition switch as detailed in www.automotiveforums.com/T158426.html or I will have to pay the ~$300 cost to get a new one from a dealer who won't acknowledge this as a problem.

- Seattle, WA, USA

We purchased the car in May 2000. In January 2002 the lock stuck several times. In September 2003, the lock began to stick again. We took it to the Ford dealership where we purchased the car. We were told we had to pay for the repair ourselves because the car was out of warranty (over 3 years old but with only ~26,000 miles). We ended up paying ~$75. October 16, 2004 the same thing happened again. The car now has 32,937 miles on it. After a call to the same dealer we are informed that the repair was only warranted for 12 months. If only the part had broken a month sooner! we ended up calling a locksmith who drilled out the lock and replaced it for $116. The locksmith told my wife that this is a common problem with the Ford Focus and two other Ford models. The locksmith repairs about four Ford a month. I did some quick math on the problem. Using our county of lancaster pa, I took an estimated population of 250,000. I next assumed one car for every two people. Finally, I guessed that 5% of cars sold are these Ford models with ignition lock problems. If you assume there are four Ford dealerships in the county, four locksmiths in the county, and four independent garages&and assume each business repairs four cars per month, you get a failure rate of over 9%. I find it unacceptable that I paid for two repairs for a problem that clearly is specific to this car and likely a result of faulty design or manufacture.

- Willow Street, PA, USA

I'm writing to you about (part # xs4Z*11582 cyl assy strg col ignition lock) I've had it replaced 2 times and it's at Ford as I write this for the third time. Two times it was covered under my Ford esp (extented warranty) at a $200 deductable.I can't find paper work on first time but second time was (Dec. 9, 2003) 74960 miles on car. This time it hasn't been 12 months or 1200 miles (current date and offically at Ford service center July 17, 2004 (83500 or so miles) I don't think I'll be charged this time because it's within the warranty time but I won't be sure till Monday. I know several people that have had the same problem. My neighbor just went through this a week ago and message boards online are teaming with hundreds if not thousands with this same problem. This is definitly a part problem that Ford refuses to own up to. Ford does not give old parts back. A soon as I find paper work I will update first incident unless it could be gotten from Ford. I should be in there computer data base.

- Austin, TX, USA

When inserting the key into the ignition the key will only enter half-way and the key cannot be turned or the key can be fully inserted, but cannot be turned.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

The front/rear door/trunk manual locks became stuck intermittently. This made it difficult to enter/exit the vehicle. The dealerships mechanic was notified and attempted to repair the problem, however the problem recurred.

- Kansas City, KS, USA

Key lock mechanism on steering column fails (won't accept the key). This leaves the motorist and his (her) passangers stranded. I've seen many identical problems reported in numerous posts on the internet. Probably a manufacturing refect.

- Parma, OH, USA

I have a 2000 Focus. I experiance hesitation when the fuel tank is about 1/4th full, it died once while turning around an offramp cloverleaf. Also when coming to stops it idles rough. When starting and waiting while in or out of gear, idling is rough. Turning corners I occasionaly get creeks from the front and rear. Sometimes I hear thumps from the rear when riding over bumps on occasion. I hear and feel a growl while the engine is running regardless of being in or out of gear or in or out of motion. It feels more prominent when the temp. Is below 60 degrees. I can feel it vibrating in the steering wheel while turning and it seems to stop while turning left but continues when the steering reaches center. While going up or down inclines or small depressions in the road it becomes even more noticeable and you can feel it in the floor. The drivers side rear door lock sometimes clicks in and out of the lock postion erratically when the electronic door lock/unlock button is depressed. This handle is also extremely tough to open. Sometimes power is lost to the radio, I remove the detachable aniti-theft piece and replace it, sometimes it works, sometimes I need to do it numerous times before the radio will turn back on. I had experianced warped rotors on the front when I first bought the vehicle numerous times, but I switched them with slotted rotors so I no longer have this problem. My rear brake drums are stock (but the pasds are not) and they squeal quite frequently, possibly due to excessive dust. I had noticed that sometimes the power window control would not work for windows other than the drivers. This has not happened in about a year or 2. I have just recently experienced water in the passenger well. Last, occasionally the transmission will hesitate while driving. It almost feels like the transmission is shifting into neutral, but more like it was a human with a cluthc out a bit who cannot make up their mind about what gear to use.

- Independence, MO, USA

Intermittent stalling. Also, the brakes, power locks and windows failed.

- New London, CT, USA

Stalling problem-check engine light-cracked cylinder head at 32655 miles also leaking transmission line, brake dust, broken trunk lock and malfunctioning keyless entry on driver door.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

The driver and passenger doors did not unlock from the outside.

- Athens, AL, USA