The door latch on the rear driver's side seized up and the door would not open. Due to this the latch, the door handle and reinforcement had to be replaced. The handle still would not open the door due to Ford providing them the wrong part number to be ordered for the latch. Once the car dealership was able to find the correct part number to order the latch the door was fixed, but the handle still comes lose on the inside of the door. The only way to fix this is to hit the handle.

- Cumberland, MD, USA

Three different instances where the passenger back door flew open when making a turn. The door was properly closed and the doors were locked but the door flew open. No one was hurt thank goodness because they had their seat belt on. They could have been thrown from the car. If you had a pet in the car they would have fallen out. Another time my daughter was driving the car and the door flew open. She is an inexperienced driver being only 16years old. She could of had a accident. I no longer let her drive this car. It is a 2000 Ford Focus. I called the dealership and they said they would have to look into the problem. I said will I be charged they said possibley....

- Woodbury, MN, USA

I have several defects in my 2000 Ford Focus 4 door. First one is my left passinger door does not latch closed, 2nd is my cylinder lock in the ignition failed and I had to have it replaced, 3rd when it rains the front passinger floor fills to top with water, 4th the cd player turns off and blinks buy itself, 5th my check engine light stays on after repetedly taking it to machinic to see why and having it reset even though there is no reason it should be on and last the only way I have heat or ac is on level 4 -1, 2 and 3 do not work.

- East Stroudsburg , PA, USA

Rear driver's side door came open on it's own (with a child in the back), safety locks were engaged and there was no indication from the sensor light that the door was not latched properly. Soon afterwards I began having more frequent difficulty getting same door to stay latched. Door is now inoperable as it will not latch once opened. The other three doors do not latch smoothly and I often have problems getting the trunk to latch properly. On one of my numerous recall trips to the service center, I asked if there were any recalls on the doors and was told no. Since the car is no longer under warranty, I cannot afford to get it fixed but neither can I safely Transport anyone in the rear seat. This is absolutely ridiculous. The entire car should be recalled and replaced!

- Clay, NY, USA

My 2000 Ford Focus has a defective left rear door latch. The vehicle has not been involved in an accident. My dealer, lighthouse Ford in falmouth, MA, examined the latch and advised that it was "rusted" beyond repair and that a replacement latch, costing over $200, would not be covered by my extended warranty. Since the door somehow seems to secure itself (without the function of the latch), I opted not to install a new latch at my expense. Is the door a hazard? please advise.

- Pocasset, MA, USA

While driving consumer noticed that the rear passenger side door opened on its own. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. Consumer closed the door, and the door reopened on its own. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic was not able to duplicate the problem.

- Palos Heights, IL, USA

Problems with 2000 Ford Focus rear door latches. (the rear door opened while the vehicle was in motion) the fuse was broken making the latch freeze. The vehicle had a faulty part in the left side driver's door actuator. This made the front door and passenger side door useless. The door could not be opened from the inside or outside, not even with the unlock button from the inside, the key or even the remote.

- Unknown, DC, USA

1. no indication that failure would occur at any time. 2. failing door-actuator. 3. consequences: Door cannot be open at all, key, inside/outside door handle can be operated but will not unlock the door. The remote opener is rendered useless. There is no prior warning it happens all at once. This is the second time that this has happened to this vehicle in less than one year. My daughter who is eight month pregnant had to crawl over to the passenger side to be able to exit the vehicle (in 96 degrees weather). Quite a chore in a small car like this. The dealership refused to fix this under warranty and expects me to pay $574 for the repair. In order to get to the mechanism I was told they most likely will have to break out the door panel, which would also be my responsibility. In my 30+ years of driving I have never had anything like this happening to any of the cars I have been driving. First of all - in my opinion, this is a safety hazard and it is the manufacturer's responsibility. Even if the remote access fails, one should still be able to open the door manually. The key will turn counter-clockwise to the 10 O'clock position and clockwise to the 1 O'clock position. I called the Ford customer service number and was brushed off (out of warranty). Also, the Ford representative acknowledged that Ford does not consider this a safety hazard. I asked for the name of the manufacturer of the door activator and was denied this information. Then I asked to talk to the next person in the supervisory chain and was told that I could not talk to anybody else about this problem. I checked the complaint section on this problem and this is the 53rd complaint on this model car regarding door locking/unlocking problems. When is somebody going to do something about this" I was under the impression that this Agency is here to protect the consumer, or is it just a sounding board"

- Athens, AL, USA

Vehicle's back doors open while the consumer is driving. They are automatic locks, and they still fly open. Someone has to sit in the rear to keep the doors from opening.

- Lake Milton, OH, USA

For no apparent reason, the rear doors on my 2000 Ford Focus SE do not stay latched. This problem is intermittent but has been happening with greater frequency. Additionally, the right rear passenger door will not open from the inside, unless the door never latches at all. I have three children I reansport in this vehicle and I no longer consider it safe. This problem has appeared on several other 2000 Focus cars and I consider it to be a defect that should be recalled.

- Rochester, NY, USA

The rear driverside door of my car would not stay closed. It popped open while I was driving. Luckily the back seat was empty. My son and his friends usually travel back there along with the family pet. It was Sunday so service centers were not open. We had to take apart the entire door to get the mechanism inside the door to work enough so I can lock the door. The other side doesn't appear to look any better.

- North Kingstown, RI, USA

Both rear door latches failed. As a result, while driving at highway speed, the rear passenger door flew open. Children were in the back seat when the doors flew open. The door would not re-latch.

- Brighton, MI, USA

The consumer stated the automatic locks and the doors failed to latch. The consumer had to tie the doors up with rope, because on one occasion the door flew open. The rear passenger door would open on left turns.

- Bedford, OH, USA

Both locks in the rear doors in my Ford Focus have failed. My doors are now held closed with bungee cords.

- Stanfordville, NY, USA

While driving driver's door opened and closed on its own. Vehicle was taken to the dealership on June 30, 2004, dealer repaired and replaced hinges and electrical motor at consumer's expense of $700, but problem recurred.

- Port Reading, NJ, USA

Left rear passenger door latch has failed to function. Door will not latch rendering the vehicle unsafe to Transport children. This is the latest in a history of recalls and component failures that lead me to consider suing Ford under NY's lemon law. I was in the process of trying to sell this vehicle and am now unable to due to this latest problem.

- Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA

On the Ford Focus the door lock either don't lock or you can't get them to unlock. The lock on my car will not lock at all on the back passanger side.

- Reynoldsburg, OH, USA

Problem is that I made a right hand turn and the rear driver side door flew open, with my son in the back seat. Upon futhur investigation I found the door latch on my 2000 Ford Focus to be at fault. I had to replace the unit. I contacted Ford with my concerins of this happening to other vehicals with no response. I feel that this is a very very unsafe as to my self and my family, they could have been servierly injured. I have owned several car in my lifetime and never had a door latch fail. Nor did the child restrant locking system on the latch work and it was engaged.

- Howell, MI, USA

The consumer is unable to open the vehicle doors with the remote. The consumer would have to manually use the key to enter the vehicle. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

Rear doors failed to stay closed. Doors would fly open while driving, even if they were locked. As a result, consumer was unable to Transport their children. Dealership could not locate the cause of the failure. Consumer looked on numerous recalls on vehicle but dealer said that they don't pertain on vehicle.

- Mchenry, IL, USA