Ford Focus Sedan

nyfocus · October 2003

I have a 2001 Focus SE, ZTEC engine, with 46,000 miles on it. Ive been reading about people having fuel pump problems and I was wondering what the symptoms are? About 5 months ago, whenever my fuel gauge would approach E (I know, I know, I shouldnt run it so far down!!!!), the car would stumble & hesitates when making a sharp, right turn. Now, whenever the gauge approaches the ¼ mark, the car stumbles & hesitates whenever making right turns and going up moderately steep hills. The car never actually stalls out. So, the problem is related to the gas sloshing around in the tank and is gradually getting worse.

Also, the transmission seems to be a bit noisy. Whenever it shifts between 2nd & 3rd gears, it make a should that I can best describe a chirp, similar to when a car chirps its tires in a parking lot when driving a little to quickly. Other than that, the shifts are smooth & timely.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

baggs32 · October 2003

"Whenever it shifts between 2nd & 3rd gears, it make a should that I can best describe a chirp, similar to when a car chirps its tires in a parking lot when driving a little to quickly. Other than that, the shifts are smooth & timely."

Our 96 Civic does that. I think it's just the clutch slipping. It's been doing that for about the past 3-4 years so I'm not too worried about it being a major problem.

I'm sure you can get it fixed pretty easily if it bothers you but I don't know who could do it for less $$$.

deanc2000 · October 2003

Hello all,
I'm in the market for a used car. I'm a serviceman near a military base in Germany and there are only a limited number of US spec cars here to choose from in my price range ($10k-ish). I'm down to 2 cars which are the only realistic choices since they are really the only ones with a warranty that is at all substantial. They both come with a 5/75,000 mile bumper to bumper.

The first one is a 01 Prizm, white and 3 SPEED AUTO, with power everything, cruise, 17,000 miles on it, and CD player for $9000.

The second one is an 02 Focus, also with power everything, CD player, cruise, and 10,000 miles on it, for a cost of $11,000.

I like the sportiness and unique looks of the Focus, it's OK on fuel economy, but the quality/reliability is infamous for this model, and this is what is holding me back from really being excited about it.

I like the reliability, and fuel economy of the Prizm, but the bland looks and the 3 SPEED auto trans are a turn off. Plus, I hear that the 3 speed has much lower mpg than the 4 speed. I would probably have no hesitation if it were a 4 speed with overdrive.

Can anyone give opinions as to which one they would choose were they in my shoes, and why? I will post this in the Prizm forum also and see what they say. Thanks.

Dean

retiredguy · October 2003

Is the Focus a European mfg model, if so, aren't they much better than the USA counter part?

zduy · October 2003

I own a 2000 Ford focus with 25,000 miles on the odometer and the ignition key tumbler fell apart and locked up the steering wheel and it cost me $300.00 for replacement and it's not a Ford recall problem. To my surprise is that an ignition tumbler fell apart after 25,000 miles and an AAA tow truck operator said this is a very common problem because he towed quite a few Ford Focus with the same problem.

vocus · October 2003

Yeah, that's what happend to my friend's 00 Focus at 40K miles. It's a very well known problem from what I have heard.

spidermonkey · October 2003

The European Focus has been a reliable car according to the press. The Focus was introduced first in Europe and was a big success there. It was brought to North America a year later. I read in the Detroit News about the Focus's intro in North America and apparently Ford dedicated fewer engineers to the launch than normal due to the Focus's success in Europe. Some suppliers for the North American model are different as well.

FWIW, I used to work as an engineer for a Ford supplier, and Ford typically reacts quickly to fix problems. If you look at F150 reliability studies, it got better every year it was made. The same can be said of the Focus. The latest J.D. Power study had the Focus scoring slightly above average for its segment. It deservedly got bad press in the beginning which has proven very difficult to overcome.

--So I recommend the Focus heavily. (full disclosure -- I'm a 2003 Focus Wagon owner)

trinity7 · October 2003

hi,well i own a 2001 focus and personally it's not a reliable car after 80,000km.it seems it's one thing after another not to mention all those recalls(even before 80,000km).i've learned my lesson,no new models until it's forth year of production in fords anyways.hey if you're looking at buying a focus go ahead it's a great car just sell it before 70,000km, of course that's my opinion.bye

fdthird · October 2003

My son's 2001 SE Sport has over 40,000 miles on the clock and it has been a great car. No problems so far and he's traveled back and forth to college many times and traveled to LA for a semester last year. The car will be 3 years old next March.

regfootball · October 2003

my sister's ZX3 has been pretty good and that has like 40 or 50 thou on it now. No real issues.

trinity7 · October 2003

hi,well i guess some people are just plain lucky,buy some lotto tickets lol.bye

nyfocus · October 2003

Well, my 2001 Focus is in the shop right now to determine why the engine stumbles & hesitates when the gas tank get down to a quater tank.

Dean, I used to drive a 1996 Prizm with 1.6 liter/3 speed auto drivetrain. Its my daughters car now. It was fine for 125,000 miles, now it is suffering from old age. The tranny has been replaced, it has a cracked exhaust manifold and other numerous problems that happen to cars with high mileage. My only complaints about the car when it was new, was lack of power and gas mileage was okay, but not great (about 30-32 mpg highway driving, the same as my Focus which has way more power). Plus, without the overdrive gear, the Prizm was LOUD on the highway  lots of engine & exhaust noise.

As for my Focus, which has 46,000 miles, it has had more than its share of problems. The brakes squealed loudly at first until the dealer replaced the pads, the engine was replaced (yep, replaced) because a bad cam left me stranded one night, the alternator would drain the battery dead whenever the car sat for 2 days, the passenger footwelll leaked rain water (cause: cowl was bad). The one good thing was all of this work was done under warranty and didnt cost me anything. The car itself is a blast to drive, which is why Im still hanging onto it. All of the recalls affect the 2000 & 2001 models only. Since 2003, Ford feels confident enough to offer the 5 year/100,000 warranty here in the states so I wouldnt worry about quality to much.

shov6 · October 2003

...and this part of the board.

It's new car time, and the Focus is about to leave my possession.

The car is now out of the shop after going in for the first time in nearly three years. Got my recalls done, resurfaced the front rotors to get rid of the shimmy (they were warped), replaced the clutch pedal return spring, and had a sensor in the exhaust replaced. I don't rightly remember if it's the recently-mentioned DPFE (or whatever it's called), but the above items are the only things that have "gone wrong" except for the check engine light coming on once two years ago and then not recurring until the exhaust sensor needed replacing, and a flat tire about two weeks after taking delivery of the car.

That's it. So... For those considering buying a Focus and are turned off by the negative comments coming from this board, thought I'd be one of the few to give an unequivocal recommendation.

The reason I am getting out of Focus Land is that I wanted something bigger and nicer, so I've made the switch to a Mazda 6S. The Focus SVT was on my short list, but I decided for the same price I'd get a V6 and more room instead.

So, my work is done here, I'll miss the Focus but it was time to move on.

Good luck to you all and your Focii!

-SHOV6

masshoosier · October 2003

....It's a 2001 ZTS, 9200 miles and still smells new. Anyways, bunch of questions
-paid $8800($8000 plus $800 buyer's premium...got it at an auction) for it...good deal? Has Leather, manual tranny, CD, all the goodies pretty much.

-I have until next June on the warranty, has there been any recalls on this car that might have slipped by the original owner(was an estate sale so the car sat for a little while).

-What's the common problems seen with these cars, what should I look out for?

-I see that there is some rust on the muffler that might be premature(the car sat outside so maybe thats why? I also noticed a some rust around the fuse box housing that sits under the left end of the dash..this normal?

-Whats the usual milege? Sticker said between 25-31. Can't always trust those however. Just want to know what to expect.

-Only came with one key....how much will it run me to have another one made....I read in the manual that you need two to make an extra by yourself so looks like the dealer will have to be involved.

So far I love it, drives great, runs great, handles nice, if anyone can be of help on these questions(and the others that come to me later) I'd appreciate it....thanks all.....masshoosier.

vocus · October 2003

Congrats on the new (to you) car. Got a great price on it.

What you should do is take the car to the dealership and get them to look it over before the warranty expires. Also, get them to run the VIN# in their dealer database, so they will find any recalls that were issued on the car.

I would also bring up the rust. There should be no rust on a model year 2001 car this early. The dealer will also have to make you a key, since the Focus has a chip in the key for the theft system.

It seems that the fuel pump becomes a problem on these cars, so it might be worth it to price an extended warranty on the car if you tend to keep it for a long time. Since you got a really good price on the car, you will have some cash left for the warranty.

Good luck with the car, and let us know what the dealer says.

hault · October 2003

I suggest buying a 3rd blank key and programming it yourself. That way if you lose a key you will still have two known keys to make a replacement. I also suggest extended warranty for piece of mind. There is a Ford place that sells discounted warranty on internet. I have 30,000 on a 2000 Focus w/zetec and automatic. So far only recalls and brakes under warranty.

masshoosier · October 2003

Does anyone know where there selling at a good cost?

How much should the an extra key run?

Thanks vocus...appreciate the feed back

vocus · October 2003

There are a myriad of places you can find through a Google search. Just type in 'extended vehicle warranty' and you will get alot of 'hits'. I would check out the 'Finance, Warranty & Insurance' section here at Edmunds.

The dealer is the only place you're gonna get the key, unless you can find a blank key from Ebay and have the dealer cut and program it. VWs are the same way, the keys have to be programmed and cut by the dealer only. Makes for an expensive replacement, but peace of mind that your car's not easily taken.

fdthird · October 2003

Ford Keys and remotes can be bought on ebay for much much less than the dealer charges for them. The key must be cut at a locksmith and then the programing procedure must be followed. masshoosier mentions that you need 2 keys to program a third so that may not be an option for him but I know that I bought Focus and Taurus keys and remote fobs for around $30 total on ebay.

vocus · October 2003

I thought the dealer had to cut them? Maybe not, because they're not laser cut like VW/Audi keys are.

gkarg · October 2003

A friend of mine just bought a Focus and misses the Daytime Running Lights that her Cavilier had.

Would a Ford Tech be able to activate this feature on a Focus - or is that only available to activate on Ford Vehicles with Automatic Headlights?

bobk14 · October 2003

I bought two spare keys at the dealer for $15.00 each. This included the cutting, but not the programming. I followed the manual and programmed both keys in under five minutes. You need two originals to program the new keys. If I had the dealer program the keys, they would have cost $60.00 each!

Do you Focus owners know that, with the exception of the original Motorcraft battery, it is virtually impossible to obtain a new battery for your car. I have checked at least 15 major battery suppliers with no luck. Anyone out there find a seller of Focus batteries?

vocus · October 2003

I don't think it's just something you activate, since I have never seen a Focus with either DRLs or automatic lights. Maybe someone who has a Canadian Focus can help you with that one...

jsies · October 2003

1sourceautowarranty.com
Well rated and seem to be a solid company. Rates are competitive and cheaper in most cases. I have two policies with them. Never used them yet, so I can't comment. Check out their site, their BB rating, etc. Then check a couple others and make a decision you're comfortable with. I recommend them based on the research I've done.

pat · October 2003

You also should do a search on "1sourceautowarranty" using the Keyword Search on the left side of the page. There are some archived discussions that might be of benefit. If you want to talk about them, ask one of the Finance, Warranty & Insurance board hosts to reopen one, or start a new one.

Hope this helps.

jwhytlaw · October 2003

We are considering the purchase of a new 2003 Focus SE - manual transmission. Any thoughts from any one?

bobk14 · October 2003

I have owned a 2001 Focus LX with auto. trans. for 3 years, and it now has 29000 miles. Before the Focus, I owned Toyotas, and I have the following opinions...the Focus is the mostfun to drive as it handles well, and in compaison the Toyota Corollas are a litlle less fun to drive. But, the Toyotas have much better gas mileage and a fine record of reliability. With the Focus, it is pot luck...with each car having varying amounts of problems. The Focus virtually guarantees you a certain amount of mechanical problems and down time, while the Toyota will lean toward being trouble=free for 3-4 years. I had more mechanical problems on my one Focus than on 4 Corollas combined. So, it depends on what you are looking for. Also, the Focus has a very low trade-in or resale value. Iintend to keep my Focus for another 3 years, and to protect myself, I have purchased a quality extended warranty. I would suggest buying a Focus if it has the features you must have, but if a Toyota or Honda would make you happy, then definitely choose one of them. Good luck!

trinity7 · October 2003

hi,i tend to agree with bobk14.i have a 2001 focus se with the zetec engine.i have over 90,000km on it.all my friends bought honda's,nissan's or mazda's.i'm the only one that has had so much trouble and recalls.i have to keep mine,i'll lose too much money if i trade it.now everytime i drive it i pray that nothing else goes wrong,like i'm out of money!!! the focus style is still catchy even though it's almost 4 years old,i like the saturn ion,the doors are neat but if i could turn back time i would have got the civic.sorry ford but make them more reliable.bye

Kirstie_H · October 2003

A major newspaper is looking to interview people who recently bought small cars after previously
driving larger cars or SUVs, despite whether you traded from big to small or if you still have the larger vehicle. He's especially looking for drivers of the Mini Cooper, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Dodge Neon, Hyundai Tiburon and Mazda Protege. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com by Tuesday, October 28, 2003 with your daytime contact info and the type of vehicles you had and have.
Thanks!

snakerbill · October 2003

I tried to use the jfallon@edmunds.com listing you posted but I got the used car site. What did I do wrong? I bought a 04 Civic Coupe, from a Honda Accord, and wanted to add my two cents. How??

bighouseaz · October 2003

I purchased my extended warranty at: http://www.fordwarrantys.com/

It's a Ford dealer in CT. I saved several hundred dollars buying from them versus Ford ESP. I called Ford ESP to verify that I was signed up with them per my instructions and everything checked out.

PS. I have a 2000 ZX3 with 29K miles and have had zero problems. I purchased the extended warranty for peace of mind. I plan to drive the ZX3 two more years and than sell the car while it still has 6 months or so of warranty coverage. It's transferable.

benjaminh · October 2003

A 2003 or 2004 Focus is probably much better than a 2000, 2001, or even a 2002, however I doubt it would match a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic for reliability. We know it won't match them for resale. In terms of fun to drive performance, however, the Focus beats the Japanese and costs less! The mess Ford made with the Focusan absolutely outstanding design with terrible quality-control issuesis to me an example of why American car manufacturers are slowly but surely losing market share. Some people have had good luck, and their Foci have been good to them. However, a lot of people have been burned, and they are not that likely to buy a Ford again if they have a choice. The Focus is both a great design and a great tragedy and missed oportunity.

pat · October 2003

Send an email to jfallon@edmunds.com with the information requested - that'll do it!!

trinity7 · October 2003

hi,fyi..for those who own a focus with low mileage and claim they have no problems well ,i hate to tell you but the problems don't seem to start until after the basic warrantee is over.like around 70,000km.do you think ford knows exactly how long their parts should last,or do they make them last just long enough to get to the end of the warrantee??hey maybe ford could borrow honda's assembly line for a couple of months,lol.well just a thought.bye

fdthird · October 2003

We all bought garbage cars and promise to never buy a Ford again. We are dumb and admit it...now will you please go away?

trinity7 · October 2003

hi,fdthird..excuse me!!! the focus is a very nice car,stylish and fun to drive,it's just not that dependable compared to the civic.it's not garbage bye

fdthird · October 2003

Obviously you have not listened well enough to the folks who like to post here and are much more knowledgeable than us. After all, we bought the cars so how smart can we be??

pat · October 2003

Okay, the sarcasm is not moving the conversation forward. Please let it go.

fdthird · October 2003

Well you know Pat, I don't particularly think that all the folks who come to this site and tell us what bozos we were for buying a Focus do a whole lot to further the conversation either. In fact, personally, I get pretty tired being told over and over again how stupid I was for giving Ford money for a car that will fall apart. I particularly love it when people who have never owned a Focus come to "gloat" about what a better purchase they made buying a ______ (fill in the Japanese car of your choice).

My son's 2001 SE is about 2 1/2 years old and has over 45,000 trouble free miles including a round trip from NY to LA last spring. Recalls, yep...he had a couple done on them and I have no problem with that (heck, in the old days a problematic car was your problem).

Would I buy another Focus? Yep, I think I would because it is a small car that has a great ride, good power, a nice interior, and pleasant styling. Does it have lousy press??? You better believe it does and some of it was justly deserved but for all the people driving a problem Focus, I would venture there are hundreds if not thousands of very happy Focus owners.

Sorry if the sarcasm of my last posts was lost on some of you.

baggs32 · October 2003

Well put fdthird. A lot of us went through the same thing over on the 'CR-V vs Escape' thread so we feel your pain.

benjaminh · October 2003

I owned a Focus ZTS for almost 3 years. It was my first new car. The performance and design were better than I expected. The reliability was much worse than I ever could have imagined. They've probably gotten better, and many people have had good experiences with their Foci, but it's also true that many people have had bad experiences. There's a lot of good and even great stuff to say about the Focus, but there's also a need to let new buyers make an informed decision by giving them knowledge about both the pros and cons of the Ford Focus.

I saw an ad recently for the Focus, which said something like, "look again at the Ford Focus, look again now that it has a 5 year 100,000 warranty on the engine." That whole "look again" tag-line seemed almost an admission that an above average number of people who bought the Focus in its first and second years got sub-par cars. As far as I've heard, the engine of the Focus (either one) has not had any reliability issues. It has been other elements of the car that have been problemmatic.

trinity7 · October 2003

hi,i was very upset at ford last month because it cost me around $1300.00 plus i had to take the bus for 2 weeks.i know there are regular maintenance to be done,oil changes,brakes,tires,light bulbs wiper blades ect..but after talking to a bunch of people a fuel pump so early is uncommon especially when so many focus owners need them replaced.unless it's a safety issue and ford is forced to recall,they will not take responsibility for a batch of bad fuel pumps.it seems to happen after the 60,000 km warrantee and is not covered after that.the focus is a very nice car but it's unpredictable.the quality control is not there,the stability the dependability.i love my focus but to recommend it to my friends well maybe the 2004's.oh...by the way nice speech fdthird,i almost had a tear for you until i realized it was the oinions i was cutting.bye

fdthird · November 2003

I had a real dog of a Toyota once....may never ever buy another. Cost me big bucks and lots of time in repairs...was worth less than half what I paid for it when I had to sell it because I was tired of driving a dog! Went through 3 dealers and they all stunk. But yet, others swear by them while all I did was swear at them...go figure!

trinity7 · November 2003

hi,well before i bought the focus i read alot of car reviews.ALL of them highly recommended the civic,accord,camry but not the focus.the civic seems to have been highly recommended by the pro's for a number of years now.anyways i really liked the new style of the focus and it drove really well,so i bought it.maybe i was lured in by the style and not thinking about reliablity and all those reviews i read.i would advise people to seriously consider the auto pro's advice before buying any car.if at the time the civic would have been more stylish i would of bought it.the civic is still blah in style.anyways that's enough about japanese cars.i'm not mad anymore so lets talk about the focus please..bye

cribash · November 2003

I'm new to the boards, but was wondering what one can expect for real world fuel economy on a 2003 Focus SVT? I realize EPA is saying 21/25 for 2003's, but this seems low for a four banger, inspite of its high performance characteristics. Any info, anyone? I plan on doing a lot of highway driving with the car.

moparbad · November 2003

Consumer Reports now recommends the Focus due to greatly increased reliability.
http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0311/04/c01-315932.htm

Focus hater's can not use reliability as a weapon any more.

regfootball · November 2003

and usa today says the PZEV focus 'hits the small car sweet spot'.

spidermonkey · November 2003

I also read a similar article in my local paper about the improved reliability of the Focus. I used to work as an engineer for a Ford supplier, and from experience I know that Ford doesn't just sit around waiting for problems to fix themselves. That's why I didn't hesitate to buy a 2003 Focus ZTW. One nice thing about the Focus's bad reputation is that it lowered demand for the Focus and allowed me to get a better deal.

I know that taking a car to be repaired is a big hassle, but I do wonder whether paying $2K extra now in hopes of avoiding a "possible" $1K problem several years down the road is worth it.

fdanna · November 2003

I went to that site for warranties in CT. It's NOT a good deal. They quoted 1200 for 6yr/100k miles Premium care. I paid 800.

fdanna · November 2003

Yes, the focus is no longer "much worse than average." Instead it's "average." Hardly stellar, but a huge improvement. And hey, it only took them 3 years to get it right.

Of course, while this does reduce demand (referring to another poster who said the bad rep reduces demand), it also reduces resale values. Everyone with older Focus models still will get crap for resale (either trade or private sale).

Meanwhile this does NOTHING for me and my 2001, which is plagued with problems. I'm bringing it in tomorrow for the second time for a non functioning A/C. I hope it costs a lot of money to fix because I bought an extended warranty and I want Ford to pay.

In Ford's credit, the last time I had to get the car fixed, I had vowed I was going to dump it. I drove a Matrix, a Corolla, Civic and Scion. They CAN'T TOUCH the Focus handling!! There is N-O-T-H-I-N-G in this price class that comes close to the combination of handling and ride comfort.

So, I will continue on my love/hate relationship (love the car, hate the company) until the extended warranty runs out. At that point, it probably would be better to donate it to charity and take the write-off. I don't imagine it will be worth much at 100k miles.

The new euro Focus is BEAUTIFUL, but even if it ever does make it to the US, I've already sent too many nasty letters to Ford to ever consider buying again.

Just to recap, since Jan 2001:

3 DPFE sensors
1 EGR sensor
1 Clutch Spring
1 Radio
1 Rack and Pinion
1 A/C cycle switch
2 Sway bar endlinks
1 Set of sparkplug wires
Rust around the sunroof (factory)
Worn seat fabric
Still hesitates

And finally, bringing it in tomorrow and I'm guessing the compressor is gone.

Ford Focus Sedan

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