I have a 2003 Ford Focus SE. The key will not turn when you put it into the ignition.

- Paragould, AR, USA

I own a 2003 Ford Focus. Sometimes the ignition locks and the key will not even turn in the ignition, leaving me stranded. This problem began a few weeks ago. It has gotten progressively worse. Until tonight, when this problem has occurred, the key would turn the ignition after 5 - 10 minutes. Tonight, the problem lasted for over an hour and I had to call a tow. I was stranded in a bad area. Having looked up this issue online, I can tell it is an all too common problem for Ford Focus model years 2000 - 2003.

- Waterville, ME, USA

2003 Ford Focus ZX5--key won't turn in the ignition, so can't start car. Steering wheel locked up and no amount of cranking, jiggling, etc., would allow me to turn the key in the ignition and start the car. Was an intermittent problem for about two months, then tonight I couldn't get the car started at all; neither could a kind stranger; neither could my husband. Snowing and cold. I had to leave the car in a grocery store parking lot overnight and hope it will be unharmed in the morning. Will probably have to have car towed to a dealership. Could have been worse: Two weeks ago I was 120 miles from home for three days and would have been terribly stranded. I understand that Ford will replace this defective part (ignition switch) with the same switch, which will also be defective, and that I can look forward to getting stranded again when the key will not turn in the ignition switch again. Cost will be between $350 and $400, plus time away from teaching school (not a good idea and frowned upon by administration). The $350-$400 will only buy me another faulty ignition switch. This is potentially a life-threatening situation. Others have been stranded in freezing, snowy weather nowhere near a repair shop, in extreme heat with small children in the car, in unsafe neighborhoods at night (see www.fordproblems.com/Focus/key-wont-turn-in-the-ignition.shtml complaints). Ford should fix this problem at no cost through a recall and installation of a reliable ignition switch.

- Shelby, NC, USA

Owner of a 2003 Ford Focus svt. I went to the movies last night and when I put my key in the ignition the ignition switch would not turn. I since have had to have my vehicle towed and the ignition fixed.

- Camp Pendleton , CA, USA

I have replaced the transmission, the water pump, the thermostat, and all radiator hoses. The car overheats daily still. The stereo cuts on and off and can't be turned off by the power button. The rear left seatbelt is stuck where it can't be used. The driver window fell into the door, when the panel was removed it showed that the whole wire system had snapped. The driver door also can only be opened from the inside.

- West Columbia, SC, USA

I had no event that lead to the failure of the (ignition) in my 2003 Ford Focus ZX3. I was on my way to work at 10:30 P.M. and I stopped to put air in my tires at a local gas station. When I got back in to my vehicle I put the key in the ignition and tried to turn the ignition over but it would not move. I turned the steering wheel while trying to turn the key because I thought maybe the steering wheel locked up and yet nothing happend. I walked a mile back home and got my spare key and returned to my vehicle and tried it again and it to failed to turn the ignition. I had the vehicle towed to a local repair shop and I had to miss work that evening. It ended up costing me $336.28 to repair the ignition switch/tumbler. I looked online for other Ford Focus owners who have had the same problem and found over 30,000 other owners just on one website that have had the same problem with there ignition. I found plenty of people that have had to replace the ignition more then two to three times in there Ford Focus. This is a problem that Ford denies having on there Ford Focus. The Ford Focus ignition is made in germany by a company called huf. The Ford Focus is the only Ford vehicle that has the huf ignition used in it. That is very ironic considering that the only Ford vehicle with numerous ignition problems is the Ford Focus. Ford needs to correct this problem at once. Ford also goes on to state that this is not a safety issue. I beg to differ, for just one example out of many that I could describe, I live in las vegas where the heat can reach over 110 everyday of the week in the summer. If the ignition broke while I was on the side of the road any where outside of las vegas I could be stranded and if I had no water I could easily die within hours. This is a safety issue and I could list a number of saftey problems that could come from this ignition problem.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

Recently we purchase a used 2003 Ford Focus that has the blaupunkt radio. A new radio station was programmed and the button pushed to store it. Right after the radio started turning on and off with music blaring then silence then blaring again over and over. There was no way to stop it even after turning the car off. I know this may seem insignificant but at the time we were driving on the highway, the passenger set the station and then this started happening which was very distracting to the driver. It could very easily have caused an accident. Blaupunkt sent an email admitting this is a defect if you set a station that has blank rds information. Subsequent web searches showed a lot of people have had this happen. I'm reporting it becuase Ford passed it off as no big deal but I think it's an unsafe condition.

- Tyngsboro, MA, USA

I was on my way to Tahoe in February 2006. It was rainy and the roads were a little wet. We hit a puddle and he car spun out hit both front and back ends from spinning out of control and smashed into the side walls. We were traveling about 45-50 mph. The air bag did not go off. From smashing in to the walls the passenger seat completely broke backwards. Almost in a laying down position and the seat belt was completely extended and wouldn't retract. Car was totaled. At the time there were no serious injuries. But 8 months after the accident I started having grand mall seizures.

- Hayward, CA, USA

The key stuck in the ignition switch on my 2003 Focus pzev. When it finally released it would no longer turn. I had the veihicle towed by aaa and had a aaa locksmith come to repair the ignition which I was told is not covered under my warrenty, at a cost of $300. The locksmith said it is a common problem on the Focus. One month later the locksmith had to come back out to repair it again. A year later I must turn the key back a notch to remove it from the ignition. It will cost me another $300 to have the repair repeated. The locksmith says that the problem is with the part itself and will continue to happen.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

: the contact stated the ignition locked resulting in the ignition cylinder key being replaced by the service dealer. While searching the NHTSA website, complaints were found where this occurred to vehicles and the ignition cylinder key was replaced multiple times. The contact expressed concern that this repair does not seem to be a permanent fix for the problem. Also, there was an odorous smell when the heating fan was turned on and the smell occasionally occurred when the air conditioner was on. The vehicle has not been to the service dealer for the odorous smell.

- Hayward, CA, USA

On 4/12/06, the ignition in my 2003 Ford Focus jammed and was unable to start I was stuck I called the tow service who had me try different ways to start my car however it didn't work. When the driver arrived he hit the key 4-5 times then it unjammed and started up after he turned the car off he had to hit the key again to start the car when we arrived at the dealer in antelope valley, ca the service req informed me the I had to pay $430 to get my car repaired I asked why hasn't the car been recall he didn't have an answer but there are several reports of the same problem with this car I like for someone to look into the problem with this car.

- Lancaster, CA, USA

There was no failure or injuries. Just a problem with gas mileage. This vehicle gets the worse gas mileage of any auto I ever owned except my 1969 Plymouth gtx 440. I keep complaining but the problem is said to be with the engine type. Z-tec and that is why on the 2005 they finally changed the engine. I get approx 15-17 mpg in the city no air on and highway is approx 22-25. I have yet to get close to 300 miles on a tank full of fuel. Terrible terrible.I have paper from window and it states fuel mileage should be approx 25 city 30 highway. This vehicle not close. Runs well though. I would call this a failure of gas mileage factory estimate number of times in box below is conservative. I figured closer to 275-300

- Riverview, FL, USA

Buy the car in livingston Montana 09-28-2002 the VIN [xxx] the car had only like 20 miles we drove it off the lot. We went on vacation that summer we had a blow out on the rear driver side. We called the Ford company in livingston, Montana we were in id so they said that they could not do any thing for us. We had to drive to the next town about 14 miles back. We got back we took it to Ford company. The car was pulling to the left and shaking really bad and the trunk will not lock (it will not lock if we push the button ) we do not use the trunk still, the clutch pops out them told us to double clutch and it ( still pops out went you back up sometimes). We took the car back to they, them on 09-24-2003 they had the car for two weeks almost I have a listed of thing want was wrong an still wrong with the car, we told them we want an new car but they still would not give us one or would not work with us, them said I'm sorry but we could not do that. I know you folks had a lot of trouble with the car but I can not do anything. I was mad an still we bought about four sets of tires for that car. The car was only has 48003 miles, we had many outs, we had a back blow again in Nov- 2004. My wife will not drive it much because she is scared of it. It pulls you all over the road in the bad weather we lived in whitehall, Montana very small town if we want to go shopping you have to drive 20 mins plus away, she waits on the weekends to take my car. She only drives the car to take our child to school which is a mile there and back. Please help us a get different car. That my wife will not be scared of. Updated 07/24/2012

- Whitehall, MT, USA