Owner-reported complaints naming the other system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Ford Focus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
FORD FOCUS WHEEL AND IGNITION LOCKED UP. CANT TURN KEY OR WHEEL! I HAVE RED MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS AND CANT BELIEVE FORD HAS NOT RECALLED THIS ISSUE!!! THE BEST PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS MY CAR JUST GOT OUT OF WARRANTY! YOU SUCK FORD AND YOUR CHEAP [XXX] DEALERS!!!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
IGNITION AND STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN WHILE HEADING OUT ON MY LUNCH BREAK. I'M REALLY DISTURBED THAT THE NHTSA HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING TO MAKE THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY FIX THIS PROBLEM WHICH IS A CHRONIC, WELL-DOCUMENTED SAFETY HAZARD. MY CAR IS NOW COMPLETELY IMMOBILE AND HAD TO BE TOWED BACK TO MY RESIDENCE. LUCKILY MY FATHER IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIX IT, BUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE THIS OPTION AND HAVE TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX A PROBLEM CAUSED BY FAULTY MATERIALS KNOWINGLY USED BY FORD. I WILL NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN. *TR
WE HAVE ALREADY FILED A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT FOR ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME DEFECT WHICH HAPPENED WITHIN APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AND A HALF OF EACH OTHER. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT WE FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOU, ABOUT 2 SEPARATE/SIMILAR EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED DURING OUR OWNERSHIP OF THIS VEHICLE (2004 FORD FOCUS ZX-3). IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO INSERT/REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. ON THE PREVIOUS OCCASION THE KEY BECAME STUCK AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. AFTER THE ONSET OF THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT, THE KEY BECAME COMPLETELY STUCK IN THE IGNITION, IT WILL TURN SLIGHTLY EITHER WAY, THE KEY WILL NOT COME OUT, BUT THE CAR WILL START. ON THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR RE-KEYED, AND BOUGHT A NEW LOCK CYLINDER AND HAD IT PROGRAMMED AND INSTALLED AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP. LUCKILY THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WE WERE AT A FRIENDS HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SO WE WERE NOT STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, AND THIS TIME FORTUNATELY THE CAR WILL STILL START. HOWEVER, THE KEY REMAINS STUCK IN THE IGNITION SO REALISTICALLY SOMEONE COULD STEAL THE CAR. *TR
MY 2004 FORD FOCUS ZTS WITH 79,000 MILES ON IT IGNITION FROZE AND LEFT ME STRANDED AT WORK FOR 1 HOUR IN 90 DEGREE HEAT. I CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I'M LUCKY THAT I HAVE NOT REPLACED MY IGNITION AT LEAST THREE TIMES WITH 79,000 MILES. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE IGNITIONS FALL APART AND THERE IS NO WARRANTY TO PROTECT ME AGAINST THE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I ALSO GOOGLED FORD FOCUS IGNITIONS AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM LUCKY I HAVE ONLY EXPERIENCED THIS ONCE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 55-70 MPH, THE VEHICLE AND THE STEERING WHEEL BOTH BEGAN TO SHAKE. WHEN THE SPEED IS BELOW 55 MPH, THE SHAKING WILL STOP OR DECREASE. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES WHILE DRIVING, THE CONTACT HEARD METAL ON METAL FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE FINE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,019 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,759. UPDATED 01/02/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE SQUEAKED AND VIBRATED AND WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE. THE ENGINE MOUNT WAS REPLACED, DUE TO IT BEING BROKEN. THE SHIFTER SQUEAKED. THE RIMS WERE BENT AND THE TIRES WERE OUT OF BALANCE. UPDATED*JB
CAR STALLS WITHOUT NOTICE. SENT DAUGHTER TO EMERGENCY ROOM ONE TIME. STALLS 2 DIFFERENT WAYS, WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES WHEN COMING TO A STOP. TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL HAPPENS. HAS BEEN IN SHOP MANY, MANY TIMES AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT PROBLEM. STARTED WHEN CAR WAS 7 MONTHS OLD. ALSO, CLUTCH PREMATURELY WENT OUT. HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 OR 3 TIMES. (CAR HAS 26,000 MILES CURRENTLY). ALSO, THERMOSTAT HAS GONE OUT MANY, MANY TIMES- DAUGHTER HAS DRIVEN MOST OF WINTER WITH NO HEAT. *NM
I HAVE A 2004 FORD FOCUS THAT HAS 18,000 MILES. I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO HAVE THE THROTTLE REPLACED TWICE; AFTER SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES, THE THROTTLE BEGINS TO STICK AND IT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT TO APPLY LIGHT PRESSURE TO THE GAS PEDDLE. THE THROTTLE WILL STICK AND AS I APPLY PRESSURE TO THE GAS, THE CAR WILL SURGE FORWARD WHEN THE FORCE FINALLY OVERCOMES THE THROTTLE STICKING. THIS CAUSES PROBLEMS IN COMMUTE STOP/GO TRAFFIC AS I HAVE SEVERAL TIMES ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE OF THE SURGE. *NM
I HAVE TO REPLACED 02 SENSORS 3 TIMES IN LESS THAN 50000 MILES. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING DURING WINTER CONDITIONS IN THE NORTH EAST, THE SALT, SAND AND SNOW ACCUMULATE ON THE INSIDE OF THE WHEELS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE WHEELS WERE SO FLAT ON THE INSIDE THEY WERE UNABLE TO SHED THESE ELEMENTS. THE CONTACT IS UNABLE TO REMOVE THESE ELEMENTS AT THE CAR WASH. THE WHEELS HAVE TO BE TAKEN OFF AND CLEANED BEFORE THE VEHICLE IS SAFE TO DRIVE. UPDATED 03/28/06. *JB
I DROVE AND PARKED THE 2004 FORD FOCUS ABOUT 40 MINS FROM MY HOME. ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER, I WENT TO GET IN MY CAR AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. I INSERTED THE KEY AND IT WOULD NOT TURN. SEVERAL PEOPLE TRIED JIGGLING THE STEERING WHEEL, STEPPING ON THE BRAKE ALL TO NO AVAIL. I CALLED AAA AND FORD ROADSIDE AND WAS TOLD BY BOTH THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED AND THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING AT THIS TIME (SAT. EVENING/ SUN MORNING OF COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND). *NM
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH VEHICLE HIT A POTHOLE, AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE RIM BENT. *AK
TYPE OF AUTOMOBILE IS A 2004 FORD FOCUS. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONSX IGNITION LOCKS UP AND CANNOT START CAR. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE FORD FOCUS DATING BACK TO THE 2000 MODEL AND YET FORD HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS PROBLEM FOR A MOTHER WITH CHILDREN IF SHE WERE TO TRAVEL AT NIGHT AND WHEN RETURNING TO THE CAR COULD NOT START HER ENGINE. IT IS NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE FOR REPAIR OR UNDER WARRANTY IF EXPIRED AND IT IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT ON THE PART OF FORD AND THE CONSUMER SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS THAT AFTER RESEARCHING HAS BEEN EVIDENT SINCE THE RELEASE OF THE FORD FOCUS. IT IS TIME THAT FORD DID SOMETHING ABOUT THIS INSTEAD OF LEAVING IT UP TO THE CONSUMER TO REPAIR. *AK
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE INVESTIGATE THE MATERIAL USED IN THE REAL WHEEL COVERS OF THE 2004 FORD FOCUS ZTW WAGON. I BELIEVE THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT PROTECT THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING OBJECTS. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .