6.9
fairly significant- Typical Repair Cost:
- $140
- Average Mileage:
- 94,550 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 17 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replaced housing (8 reports)
- replace thermostat, fixed it myself (6 reports)
- not sure (2 reports)
- Replaced thermostat (1 reports)
$$$
- Ulises P., St Charles, MO, US
my 2001 ford focus se wagon thermostat housing leaks the fist time it leaked was 8 months after i got the car it had 57000 miles on it i took it to ford to get fixed they charged me about 260.00 to fix it well its happened again i went to my ford dealer to bitch does this housing have a defect its made of plastic where the o ring sits there is a thin groove that the ring sits in its all broken out how the hell does that happen ford tells me oh well it will cost you about 63.00 for the housing my car now has about 1280000 miles on it
- Michael H., Little Egg Harbor, NJ, US
Took awhile to figure out the problem and then was finally able to replace the housing. Sucks really bad, but was do-able.
- Chad S., Alpine, UT, US
Had the car looked at before we drove from Laramie Wyoming to Gleenwood Colorado, was told that everything was good and that I would be okay for the trip and i just had the dang part repaired. got to our destination and guess what? the damn thing broke. the car never overheated but i left a trail where ever i went and the dealership there didn't have the part in just told me to keep fluid in it. Had it fixed but it still leaks.
- luckycharms02, Laramie, WY, US
This car has done nothing but give me problems with the cooling system ever since I bought the car....... I have done nothing but work on the thing over and over again. My thermostat went out so I replaced it. Then a radiator hose blew out on it, replaced it too. By the way, I am up to like 35 dollars now & now the thermostat housing stripped out from the other housing that is on the block so now water leaks out in less than 5 mins. I hate ford. I should have bought a chevy.
- Jonathan J., Brawley, CA, US
The leak was really bad. I didn't notice the fluid missing and I almost caused more damage. The part the mechanic ordered couldn't come in for a few days!! Try going to 2 colleges and working full time without a car. Thanks again FORD!
- Vanessa E., Metairie, LA, US
I smelled coolant coming from my car one day. I check my temperature gauge, and the car was getting hot. Luckily I was close to home. I checked under the hood to find the leak. I spotted a slow flowing stream of coolant running down the front of the transmission. After further investigation I found the coolant coming from between the head and the thermostat housing. I replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses, thermostat, and the o-ring that goes inside the thermostat housing. I even used a coolant sealant around the housing before reinstalling it. Everything was fine for a few days. Next thing I know it's leaking again. The Ford parts counter tells me they have 2 thermostat housings in stock so it much be a common issue. The cost of the part is $58 plus tax. I guess I will waste more of my time working on this ticking time bomb.
- Jansen W., Livermore, CA, US
this car has been a pain in the butt since the day I purchased it due to the water leak. even shop mechanics could not figure out the problem. It's been pressure tested, C02 combustion tested and finally after literally hundreds of dollars in coolant and repair fees the problem has been discovered. the stupid thermostat housing is cracked. No one seems to have the right part to fit. So the Ford dealer ship in Evans, Ga says I have to buy the housing and a kit to modify to fix it and a gasket.What a genius that designed the 01 Focus. What kind of nut designs a plastic part for this anyway. I usually buy Ford but this has changed my mind. Even the technicians at Ford can't even be straight with you.
- Valeria H., Hephzibah, GA, US
This is now the forth time that the thermostat housing has been taken off my car to try and fix the non stop antifreeze leak :o( I have had the housing replaced 3 times by ford and finally we did it ourselves and found that the only thing wrong was the rubber washer inside the housing. This is after they said the housing was cracked and needed to be replaced for $350.00 AGAIN! This is the worst car I have ever owned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Cindy B., Beach Park, IL, US
Thermostat housing was leaking, drips on to the transmission, you can smell the coolant leaking when hot. The housing is on the right-side of the engine and it plastic, when removed it was the plastic housing that had cracked and was allowing coolant to leak by the seals. Plastic junk!!
- philipc, Rockledge, FL, US
My main gripe is that this is the second time in less than 2 years that I have had to replace the thermostat housing. It cost me $220, 2 years ago when I took it into the dealership. Now it's only going to cost me $60 plus my time.
I just read that this is a common problem with the 01 Focus. That says something about the engineering of the vehicle or the manufacturing of the parts. Either way, with all the other problems I've had with this car, it's just another reason for me to never buy Ford again.
- patbob, Pasadena, CA, US
need to replace thermostat,need help on doing so .
- Valerie R., Stockton, CA, US
Thermostat housing cracked around the o-ring groove. Searched the web and discovered that this is usually caused by swelling of the o-ring when it come in contact with engine oil. Sure enough, my valve cover was leaking and there was a trail of oil going right to the spot that the housing failed. The o-ring was spongy and swelled, which cause it to crack the housing. 6 hours, $65, scraped knuckles and a perfectly good Saturday later I had the thing replaced. Even though I tightened the valve cover, it still leaks to some extent. What genius engineer at Ford thought that an o-ring used on a component mounted to the engine block didn't need to be compatible with oil?!? I just add it to the list of reasons I won't likely buy another Ford!
- Steve S., Midlothian, VA, US
I had to keep replacing coolant/water in the car almost every hour if I was driving. Cost a lot before they told me I could use water.
- Dawn P., Vancouver, BC, Canada
thermostat housing leaks coolant. it is such a pain in the neck having to fill it up all the time
- Gus M., Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
Of course after warranty goes, so it does the car, coolant leaking it is not a good thing for the environment, so either you pay the shop 67 per hour to fix it, or you can spend 47 dollars (beer included w/ couples pals) & do it yourself, I'll guarantee it will be done better than taking it to a Ford Dealer, like the old saying goes,"IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, DO IT YOURSELF...".
- nininperezlp, Lutz, FL, US
THIS IS THE 3RD TIME I HAD THIS REPLACED. AAA CAR CARE REALLY RIPPED ME OFF AND TRIED TO SELL OTHER ITEMS. FIRST TIME WAS 8-25-14, 65896 MILES $228.05,,,2ND TIME 7-21-15 68497 MILES, MR.TIRE REPLACED FOR FREE, IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY.
- Thomas G., Elkins Park, PA, US