The car jerks when I put it into reverse. The cars stalls when I put it into drive. I have to take off in 2nd gear. Then I can put it into drive and it takes off just fine.

- Greenfield, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph and changing gears from second to third, the vehicle began shaking uncontrollably. The vehicle was not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

I have a 2001 Ford Focus LX with 199,871 miles on it and its my first Ford car. I have owned many of Ford trucks in my life and always fixed problems with them myself. But with my Focus, every time in the past 4 years when I turn a corner roughly around 15 mph or over, it cuts out and the car bogs out and jumps like the engine is going to jump out then I get a bad smell almost like sulfur coming from the car. All fluid levels are good with a full gas tank. This happens whether the car is hot or cold. Usually I can just punch the gas pedal to the floor and it will eventually gain RPM's again and go with no problems until I turn sharp again. I have recently replaced spark plugs and cables, alternator, transmission and clutch plate, fuel pump and various PCV valves and hoses. Had the fuel pressure tested and it was fine. This problem has been consistent like this for the past 4 years with no other problems. I have always been a Ford guru but this car is making me think twice. I have 2 small children that go with me almost everywhere with me and just today as I turned a corner getting on the highway ramp, it bogged out worse then ever with many angry drivers on my tail. I thought I was going to crash the car into the guard rail. I hit the pedal to the floor like I usually do and it started going again, but in fifth gear it kept jumping and cutting out. I turned off the side of the road to turn the car off then back on and it ran fine all the way home. I have read many forums with the same issues on my make and model and tried many solutions with no luck. With your expertise, do you have any ideas why this is happening. I see this problem allot with Focus but never any working solutions.

- Bellingham, WA, USA

Saturday May 04/2013 my car killed over 30 times driving about 5 miles. This happened last year doing 60mph on the freeway. It is impossible to restart a manual transmission at this speed. In this case, I drove into the service department of Ford of bellevue and it continued to kill while there trying to move it. The service person blew me off wouldn't even take the time check it out or even listen. As I was driving out it killed too many times to count. The sales manager said to bring it in Monday. Sunday it stopped killing. When I brought it in Monday, I asked for the service manager, the service employee went to find him & it took about 10 minutes, that was curios as the place was deserted. When the service manager arrived, he refused to discuss the matter only saying we were busy. I had contacted Ford as well as the franchise holder auto nations previously but nothing was done. Last week I sent a letter to the chief engineer at Ford but I suspect nothing will be done at that level again. In my research I found the following information today that was posted by another individual " the vehicle is stalling at unpredictable times due to fuel delivery system/fuel pump. I am a ase certified mechanic. I talked to Ford, then I called the local dealer. They told me, as they have in the past it's a fuel pump issue..." there is more to this posting but the bottom line Ford knew of this problem all along and chose to ignore it. This is an accident waiting to happen & it could be a killer.

- Bellevue, WA, USA

I was driving to work and I turned on my cruise control, I had to barely brake for a caution when a car was coming in my lane, once I went around them...I left the cruise control off....but the car sped up on its own...approximately 65-70 miles an hour. My brakes were working just fine. I called my dad to see what he wanted me to do....I drove on to work (approx 20 more miles) and didn't have my foot on the gas pedal the whole time....the cruise was off...the pedal was stuck and the car continued going 60 miles per hour....once I came to my exit, I took it out of 5th gear (manual transmission) and the car revved up horribly...I pulled into work and shut it off. Restarted it and it was doing the same thing. These cars need recalled!!!!

- Jackson, OH, USA

I was stopped at a red light, when the light turned green and I engaged the gas pedal the car began to clank and jerk loudly and violently. I drove' the car about two feet before the steering seized up, the car could not be put into neutral, died completely, and had to be pushed to the side of the road. One of the pistons, cylinder # 1, was extensively damaged, due to the valve seat failure which shattered the piston, broke off pieces of the piston skirt, and bent the connecting rod. No damage was done to the cylinder wall, but pieces of the piston skirt were found in the oil pan, and pieces of the piston crown were found in the bottom of intake manifold. Valve seat breakage in the older model Focus, is so common that aera engine rebuilders association issued two bulletins (TB 1725 & TB 1939) to alert the industry to this issue. These bulletins state that the 'intake valve seats are made of a powdered metal that shatters easily'. on October 29, 2012, after the vehicle had been repaired, I phoned Ford to request a refund for the cost of the parts and was informed, that since there was no recall no refund could be issued. The valve seats have subsequently been modified from the faulty powdered metal type, this shows that Ford is and was aware of this issue. Internet entries that outline this problem on the 2001 model can be found at numerous websites, including: www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Focus/2001/.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. The contact was driving 20 mph when she noticed that the vehicle would not acclerate before stalling without waring. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted they advised that the vehicle was not under recall and provided no further assistance. The failure and current mileages were 170,000.

- Deerfield , KS, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. While traveling 65 mph the contact noticed that the steering wheel had suddenly jerked to the right without warning, seconds later the contact noticed that the traction control light had appeared on the dashboard. The vehicle had not been diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 137000.

- Graford, TX, USA

I purchased a 2001 Ford Focus SE 4-door sedan in November 2002. The car was a manufacturer buy-back from the original owner and had a small warranty left. At the end of November 2002, I brought the car back to the dealership to have the spark plugs, spark plug wires and a faulty belt replaced. At the end of December 2002, the car was making a strange noise and the engine light was on, so I returned the car to the dealership. A day or so before my appointment with the dealership, I received a recall notice from Ford regarding the pinch bolt. Unfortunately, I received that recall notice too late the faulty pinch bolt had already failed and caused so much damage to the rack and pinion that it had to be replaced. I have since replaced the front brakes. I also experienced a faulty valve in the heating system that was allowing water to flow into the car's cabin and soak the carpeting. Getting to the transmission problem, about a week ago, the car refused to accelerate going up a hill and instead the engine revved. No matter what I tried, I could not get the car to accelerate past 30 mph. Since the car is now long past its small manufacturers warranty, I had an independent mechanic look at the car. He recommended that I flush the transmission and see if that would help the problem. I spent $100 on a transmission flush. That didn't work and the problem continues. I called Ford Motor Company to complain about the car and to ask for a buyback, but my request was refused. I then took my car to wiscasset Ford. They diagnosed the problem(s) with the car (at no charge). I need a new transmission. They gave me two options for payment. 1) pay for the new transmission out-of-pocket, estimated cost at $2500 - $3000; 2) buy an extended warranty on the drive train for $500. I am planning on purchasing the extended drive train warranty which will allow wiscasset Ford to replace my transmission and will also give me an extra 15K miles for the drive train.

- Liberty, ME, USA

I have had numerous problems with my Focus. About 3mo after I bought it, the transmission began to feel like it was slipping, and making a noise. I took it to the purchasing dealership, and a mechanic told me it was the torque converter. They didn't have a loaner car for me, so I made an an appointment for the following week. The next day on my way home from work, the car shut down. I called a tow truck, they took it to the closest dealership. When I called the dealership the next day, they said the fuel pump went out. They told me that the stutter I was feeling in my car was probably that. A few days later, the same problem. Took it back to the selling dealership, and the shop supervisor went out with me. He said I was driving the car out of context. What he meant by that, he wouldn't elaborate, but said there is nothing wrong with my car. I have been driving it since, and the computer will fade in and out, but I won't lose engine power. My car has to have new brake pads every couple of months, new tires, and other maintenance things. At less than 40000 miles, it needed new spark plugs, and wires, which I happily bought. The dealership wanted $300, because the plugs were in the back of the motor. I went to my car, popped the hood, four spark plugs lined the top of the head cover. There was no further explanation of the attempted over charge. My car has several other problems. The positive cable on the battery, has melted back, there is a loud roar in the cab of the car, and three of the four lug nuts on the right rear tire has snapped off. The explanation for the lug nuts, was that the tire was loose, not fastened properly. But this problem occurred 3-4 mo after I bought it. The tires had not been taken off. I am to the point where I hate Ford for selling me this car. I will ever buy Ford again, but I love the concept of the car

- Weavervlle, NC, USA

The reason some of these are not dated is because the problems keep on persisting they say they can not find out what the problem is. My car dies on me and the can not find the cause. It makes a winding sound when I take off and still they can not find the cause. My gears always wind and as soon as I get it out of the shop about one to two weeks later it is doing it again, when I am driving it jerks like it wants to die or go out of gear(keep in mind I have had these problems a couple of months after I bought it). I have had to replace the tires two times I am on my third set of tires and they are messed up now. I am not a bad driver I know it is not me I have a child that is constantly with me I do not drive crazy to make all of these problems happen. I have had the brake replaced once already and now they are sqeeking again. My car cigarette lighter keeps on burning out. I just get so frustrated that I am spending all of this money for them to work on my car with the warranty and then tell me they don't know what the problem is and now the warranty is out I have to pay for this peice of junk. I have had 2 other cars and they never gave me any problems and know I am stuck unhappy everyday with this car I can not stand to drive, I feel unsafe in it everyday.

- Manteca, CA, USA

Engine light on. Jerky gear engaging. Choppy acceleration. 8/02 replaced alternator 8/02 replaced V belt 10/02 blinkers out & electric windows broke 10/02 battery light on "corrosion on wires" 1/03 wouldn't start, battery light on, "wire fell off alternator" airbag light on then off

- Ridgewood, NJ, USA

When transmission shifts into 3rd gear it freewheels and or will not pull

- Bee Spring, KY, USA

2001 Ford Focus displaying problems with transmission due to several leaks, cruise control, and trunk of vehicle. Water leaked onto the floorboard of the trunk which was only adjusted(problem repeated), the cruise control worked intermittently(new switch was ordered, the drivers side window squeaked and was fixed, the transmission leaked and was replaced but the service dealer was unable to determine the cause, water leaked in the front passenger side (problem repeated) then the R & L cowl grid was replaced to remedy the problem but didn't, coolant leaked from the upper radiator and the hose clamp was replaced, the trunk did not shut properly and the latch was replaced but did not fix the problem, the vehicle was taken in due to the parts being recalled, the real wheel bearings were replaced, the second recalled part was the pinch bolt torque and battery cable routing which was replaced, and the mechanics found that the brakes had worn out in the front and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken in for warranty repairs on 10 separate occasions and six attempt for the leaks, the problem in the front of the vehicle persisted. In addition, the entire transmission had to be replaced because of several leaks, several circuit and switches have broken down on the cruise control. The consumer was also concerned with the gas mileage which had consistently fallen and did not act as the promoted dealers sticker. The consumer requested a full refund for the purchase price.

- Oakland , CA, USA

The driver side front tire had blown out. The passenger side tire was found worn on the inside along with an exposed wire. (these two tires were not of the same manufacturer) other problem were as followed: The button on the cassette player had broken, the adjuster button for the side view mirror on the passenger side had popped off, while driving the over drive light flashed and the vehicle jumped in/out of over drive (transmission problem-per mechanic), the battery light came on, there were no fuses in the wires under the passenger seat, trunk lock popped off, A/C button light on the dash came on when the heat was on, the brakes squealed(since purchase), there was a blind spot on the passenger side mirror, and when the headlights were on, the driver was unable to see other vehicle's due to the seats being too high. Mr scc

- Uknown, DC, USA

Vehicle will stall out once gas gauge reaches a quarter tank. Also, keeps getting a power surge. Policeman offered consumer assistance, and moved her vehicle. Noticed that every time she turned ignition switch, odometer would increase several thousand in mileage.

- Fontana, CA, USA