Upon starting the vehicle it failed to start. The keys wouldn't turn in the ignition, and the steering wheel locked up. A lock smith informed the consumer that this was a common problem with these vehicle, and was caused by the ignition chip freezing up. He refused to replace the ignition because of past experiences. After the ignition was replaced the parts failed again because of the same failure.

- Sunnyside, WA, USA

Key no longer turned ignition..

- South Bend, IN, USA

It was a rather normal day. I drove my 2000 Ford Focus to college, then home. On my way to a local restaurant everything was fine. When I was finished, I paid for my meal and exited the establishment. I stepped into my car, closed the door, and placed my key (which was in mint condition) in the ignition. The key would not turn either way. I giggled (carefully), but it appeared to be stuck. The car had to be towed, for a fee. The car had to be fixed, for a fee ($300). I was stranded without transportation. With no way to school or work, it was a most compromising situation. They replaced the metal ignition switch after tearing apart my steering wheel. It seems to work fine now, however; I believe the Ford company should address this issue. I have researched for a specific recall, but I was unsuccessful. I found many consumers through the internet who have had to unfortunately deal with this problem. Compensation for this inconvenience is surely desired, and to my other faithful Ford customers (quickly losing faith!) I would say it is owed to us.

- Lititz, PA, USA

Key will not turn in ignition. This was fixed once before under warranty in 2001. But the car is not under warranty now. M

- College Station, TX, USA

I purchased a Ford Focus wagon (2000) from rowan Lincoln Mercury in winter haven Florida in November 2003. Since that time this "checked out" vehicle has had the following repairs: A new ignition lock (twice), a new battery, new spark plugs & wires, new vacuum hose, and new alternator. Now the transmission is going out on the vehicle. Do I have any recourse against the dealership for selling me an obviously messed up vehicle" my contact with the dealership has been unanswered. The vehicle only had 36,000 miles on it when I purchased it. Everyone that touches the car tells me that there is no good reason for the need of any of the repairs except the spark plugs, wires and battery. Any advice as I am now facing another repair bill in excess of $1,000 for a car that is touted as being one of the most reliable on the road"

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

There were no events leading up to the failure, the night before my car was fine. I went to go to work and tried to put my key in the car and it wouldn't go in. I tried the spare key. I tried to wiggle the steering wheel. Everything was locked. I called the dealer and asked if there was a recall, they said no. When I called aaa to have them tow me, they informed me that they have towed about 40 in the past two months just in our small area alone with the same problem. Ford states this is not a safety issue, but with the research I've done and other people have been stranded in parking lots. It's a safety concern. The dealership replaced the ignition lock for a high costs and recognized that there is a problem with the Focus.

- Portland, ME, USA

There were no events leading up to the situation, one day the keys would simply not work in the ignition. Neither our everyday key or our spare key can even be inserted into the ignition. Thus, we can not operate the vehicle.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

On Tuesday evening, after a meeting, I got in my car to drive home. The key would not go all the way in; I thought that my steering wheel was locked (which it was) but I could not get it unlocked. I tried rolling my car off to unlock the steering wheel and tugging hard on the wheel to no avail. I called aaa for a locksmith service because I could not get my key into my ignition. The locksmith that showed up told me without even looking that I had a 2000 Ford Focus and that he has this problem all the time. Without even me having to tell him what was going on, he instantly knew the problem. The cylinder in my ignition had a broken tumbler resulting in my key not going in. I had to tow my car home costing me $25 because the locksmith told me that he could not perform the mechanics in the dark. He quoted me a price of 225 to replace the part, the local Ford dealer wanted 350. My father purchased the part for about 70 dollars form a Ford dealer, he purchased a new key cylinder to install into the steering column. This was all that could be done in order that my car would start.

- Leicester, NC, USA

I attempted to turn my key to the "on" position when the key refused to turn. The steering wheel lock was engaged and would not allow me to turn my key to disengage it. It took roughly an hour of twisting the steering wheel and all sorts of trouble to finally get the steering wheel to unlock and allow to the key to turn. This was the sixth time this had occured, but the most severe incident to date.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

Last Friday my 2000 Ford Focus would not start. I had to force the key into the ignition. When the key finally went into the ignition it would not turn at all. This was the second time I had this problem. The first time I was able to get the key to work after awhile. *akhowever, after 2 hours of trying to get the key to turn this time, I gave in and called a tow truck. They asked me if I was able to get the car into neutral. Until now I had not check this. To my surprise the car would not budge out of park. It was then towed to my mechanic. On Monday, the mechanic found out that my ignition switch was bad. Ford are set up so that to remove the ignition you must turn to key a quarter of a turn. Since my key would not budge they had to drill out my ignition. Since the new part came from Ford my mechanic said this may happen again. I had to pay $299 to fix a problem that may happen again. After this I did an internet search and found that many people with my make and model of car are having this problem. I even spoke with the dealership where I purchased the car. The mechanic there told me he has fixed several and was surprised it had not been recalled yet.

- Council Bluffs, IA, USA

Upon purchasing my vehicle used 4 days later I had to have my ignition replaced because the key would not come out of the ignition, only 2 months later I am having the same problem and the dealer I bought my car from only carried a 45 day warranty.

- Peoria, AZ, USA

Key won't turn, can't start car.

- Holyoke, MA, USA

1. nothing lead to the failure, it just happened. 2. I can't drive the car because the key won't turn. I can insert it fine, but it won't turn at all. I even tried another set of keys. I have a 2000 Ford Focus and I'm having a problem with the steering wheel locking up and the ignition key won't turn. I tried jilting the wheel to try to get it to unlock, but no luck. The car is only 4 years old. This should never be an issue. I think it is a design flaw.

- Plymouth, MI, USA

After fueling my 2000 Ford Focus, I put the key back into the ignition, and both the steering wheel and the tumbler were locked. I have done research on this malfunction and I am convinced that these defect should be recalled. I have not yet recieved a bill of repair for this unneccesary inconveinience. There should have been a recall on the ignition three years ago.

- Wintersville, OH, USA

Parked my 2000 Ford Focus, and went to a meeting. When I came back out, my key would only go half-way into the ignition. After talking with the aaa tow guy, and Ford service guy, this seems to be a rather common occurance with the Ford Focus. I understand that it has bad tumblers. Am currently researching to see what others have done to fix the problem, have had it towed to a garage.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

Ignition cylinder failed and was replaced. This is the third replacement of the ignition cylinder for this vehicle in a 36 month period. Even after the second replacement the cylinder "catches" when attempting to start the vehicle. The dealership claimed to find no problem when returned for correction. This latest failure fortunately occurred in a parking lot and not on the street. Failures have now occurred at milages and dates of: 4 October 2001- 18990 miles, 6 January 2004- 48926 miles, and 15 October 2004- 61543 miles. Part was retained by dealership.

- Arnold, MO, USA

Unable to insert key into cylinder ignition slot of my 2000 Ford Focus.

- New Freedom, PA, USA

Three times on my trip cross-country the ignition locked on my Focus, refusing to allow the key to turn to start the engine as well as disabling the steering. A helpful aaa servicer got my car started in rural Wyoming after allowing it to roll down a hill, but the same tactic on subsequent efforts failed to produce the desired result, and I ended by having the vehicle towed. Internet research has revealed this to be a common problem among "foci, " although Ford has declined to issue a recall on the ignition, which employs tumblers that routinely slip inside the ignition, stranding drivers and passengers roadside, sometimes for hours. Ford has apparently declined to issue a recall because the problem is not a "safety issue." I beg to differ that stranding motorists is indeed an unsafe practice.my ignition is currently being replaced and rekeyed at a cost exceeding $300, and I can only assume that I will eventually be stuck with the same problem due to the faulty design of the ignition. I have also been without transportation on three occasions and experienced costly delays in my cross country trip.

- Berkeley, CA, USA

Ignition-the key will not turn when entered into the ignition the cylinder needs to be replaced. When I contacted Ford service deparment I was advised that this is a very common problem in these cars. Ford Motor Company denies to recognize this as recall which I believe they should since they are having so many of these problems with this car.

- Carol City, FL, USA

Upon trying to start the vehicle. The key would not turn. It took the consumer numerous tries to get the vehicle started. Please provide additional information.

- Sykesville, MD, USA