Ford Focus ZX3

zx3beast

it is true that there are both good and bad examples of vehicles that
are supposed to be reliable and unreliable and our own individual
experiences that contradict the same. fgaydos does make a good point with the consumers reports article. they do base their results on a number of categories i.e. mechanical,electrical etc.there is some
validity to their findings,however the vehicle you purchase may turn
out to be a winner.of course, time will tell what the common problems are among owners of any given vehicle.i guess the real question is,
is it an indicator of future reliability or is just those isolated problems in that model year. i do not miss my focus but i do however miss sharing the enthusiasm of those who are still having pleasant experiences with the no denying fun to drive hatchling. good to see that
there are some old timers still posting.

boston14

Consider me a happy Ford customer. My 01 hatch has 5,600 miles of trouble free driving in 11 months. I have 2 cars so I spread the miles. Still very impressed at the design of the zx3. Quite often feels like more roomy than midsize car and rides like one too. I can see why Car and Driver named it on the top 10 list 3 yrs running. As for the reliabity issues, I knew coming in I was taking my chances with Ford and I guess just lucked out.

seminole_kev

I was going to say you must work 5ft from where you live. I wish I only racked up 509 miles a month!

little9

I purchased a Dodge Spirit LE relying on CR's recommendation that this car was their BEST BUY. Real world experience proved that CR doesn't know everything. I purchased a Toyota which 2 wks after I got it had to have an entirely new transmission. I don't read CR anymore when it comes to automotive things. Instead, I read what ordinary citizens living in a real world experience with their vehicles. Given enough input from a large enough sample I feel I get a fairly good idea of a particular make/model's performance/reliability. Having said that, I won't be buying a Focus despite the fact that just 6-8 mths ago I thought it a viable alternative to such over-rated cars as Honda.

ksc37

Show me when CR listed the Dodge Spirit LE as a "Best Buy" and I'll eat that issue. There's a big difference between Consumer Reports and Consumer Digest.

So from your real world inputs, how should the car manufacturers rank in reliability? Perhaps Toyota should rank dead last?

fdthird

I subscribed to the magazine for a couple of years but found that the auto sections really didn't do much for me. A car really isn't a toaster to me but to CR that's the way they treated them. They have great info but I have to admit that when the yearly buyers' digest came out I would sometimes look at the charts for cars I owned and had some trouble relating to areas of concern and praise that they listed for that vehicle.

That being said, my son's 2001 Focus has over 13,000 miles on it and is not quite a year old and is still a great little car. No problems no work beyond 4 oil changes!

gmzx3

Personally, I use CR as one data point/info and do not rely on them solely as some do for cars, more so for some items, like appliances and lawn mowers.

Anyway, I know the Focus, for some, could be more reliable (euro one is supposed to be better), but one thing bothers me when reading CR: according to CR the Focus has many problems but where are they in thje problems charts? I don't know if they are using the recalls when they count problems - or actual problems that the owners (subscribers) have had. But at the back in the problems part, the Focus had almost all red marks(above average) in the major systems...the 2000 had black (below average) for body hardware and integrity. The 2001 had no black marks at all and was above average in just about every problem category. I would expect to see many problem areas, the way they rated it.

I also notice that when some cars are redisigned (the 2002 Camry, for example) CU will rate it a "recommended" right away, but when other cars (mostly domestics) are redesigned, they will rate it "promising" (assuming they like it) but pending how reliable proves to be.

So, to me they are prejudiced. I am not getting into a foreign vs domestic war neither as I have Camry too.

Gary - with zero problems on a 2001 ZX3 - 19K miles

hkchan

Again most people have no idea what the circles mean. The ratings for the different categories are "absolute", not "relative" data. A "red" could mean less than 2% (not the actual number) of owners having problems in that rating category during the preceding 12 months. Again we can argue all day about the meaning of a problem. A half red could mean 2-5% of owners having problems. These are absolute ratings regardless of the model year. A 2001 model with an empty circle in one or more category is not good.

The overall predicted reliability rating, on the other hand, is relative.

clayman1000

I also agree that CR is not the end all or be all in auto info.
In fact here is a snippet from 'Car Talk' Click and Clack who like it, a lot.

"The Focus is so nicely designed that, if it turns out to be reliable, it would be our pick for "small car to buy." It really was well thought out, and you get a lot for your money. It's not a luxury car, but it's comfortable enough, quiet enough, simple enough, and cheap enough. It's more than large enough inside, and in ZTS form, more than fun enough to drive. A decent engine and transmission, roomy interior, fine handling, and no glaring faults make the Focus quite competitive with other good small cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda Protege, and Volkswagen Golf. And, for the price, what else do you want?

View cars.com model report on this vehicle"
And that sums up my take on the car, great car, but reliability is an issue.

redzx3

I have a 2001 zx3 it has 21,000 mi, on it and so far i have had to have a new auto trans, put in and a new power streeing pump put on . Now every time i drive the car i can smell oil inside the car . the smell is comeing in from under the hood of the car i think .Ford tell's me that it's just something that happens to all zx3's .The guy at ford told me that ford is trying to fix all of this stuff on the cars but that the focus is new here and that there are alot of things to work out on the focus befor he would tell anyone to buy one .Now i am stuck with this car for at lest a year .I have to say that the car was great but when it hit 18,000 mi, then it went down hill from there .So just try not to drive your focus very much and you will do ok ..

rwgreenberg

On no. Only 18,000 good miles! I'm getting close.

shov6

Well at least I know I have three thousand more good miles left.

Thankfully I don't have an auto trans, either. And as for that smell, I can tell you from my experience that it's not something that all ZX-3's have. The new-car smell is gone, but no other untoward smells have replaced it, knock on wood.

-SHOV6

silver_bullet

There have been a number of folks reporting this smell, and it has been attributed to different things, such as overfilling the crankcase with oil during an oil change (dealers routinely seem to do this) and spilling oil down the side of the engine while replacing the oil filter. I've changed the oil and filter on our ZX3 from day 1, and am very careful to catch all oil run off during a filter change, but we still get a faint whiff of oil smell from time to time. It really seems to come down to the design of the cabin air intake on this car - underhood air seems to be finding its way into the interior.

That's not good news about "life after 18K". We are just about there. I've encouraged my fiancee to trade our ZX3 in on something with a better reliability record, but she won't give the car up. We both enjoy driving it too much to consider replacing it with something boring. Shame on Ford for botching up the execution of what should be the best compact car on the market.

fgaydos

I mentioned this before with CReports and Ford. In almost every Ford model you see no red dots and lots of black or white dots in the first year and slowly Ford addresses the problems and by the end of the model life, like the Escort, all the circles are red or half red. The end model Escort is even recommended a best buy. All this tells me is that Ford needs to torture test the cars longer or just spring for better quality control. Either spend the money up front or spend it doing recalls. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Now, Don't think I don't lust after the ZX3 SVT, I do, but as a first year model I will avoid like the plague. Once burnt, twice shy.

millsjq

I just purchase a ZX3 powerPlus, ABS and auto. I replace by 17 year old golf as my everyday car when I keep the 911 (993) in the garage. I orginally bought a Lincoln Ls for that purpose but the wife co-opted it. Anyway so far I am impressed at the civilized manners of the car. As I was checking the air pressure ( P205/50R16) I was surprised at the high 34 psi. Is this a result of the Firestone Issue? What was the pressure recommendation be for the Firestone problem?

silver_bullet

Our 2000 ZX3 with 195/60-15 tires runs 32/32 psi. I'd think running 34 or so in the 16s would be about right.

hauschild

Hey, folks! I just ordered a Job 1 ZX3 that included traction control as an option. I haven't read much about the ZX3's system, but what I have read has been positive. Can anyone who has this option provide a little feedback on their experiences with it? One of the reasons I opted for traction control was the fact that it replaces the rear drums with discs; nice!

shov6

I have learned the ZX-3 is easily capable of reaching its' top speed limiter. How do I know this? I ain't saying.

-SHOV6

lebowski

I've read CR for 11 yrs and, like gmzx3, take their auto comments with a grain of salt. I find their data does not correlate well with their opinions, seemingly resulting in a bias for Japanese vehicles. I bought a new 93 Grand Cherokee, a vehicle CR did not like, and drove it for 7 yrs 135k with no unusual repairs. Likewise, friends have foreign cars that are less than perfect and are expensive to repair.
I also think that with any vehicle, preventative mx and paying attention so as to catch problems early will result in a better ownership experience.
Happy with my 2001 ZX3, no problems, hwy 33,cty 28

bpi

Their data does not correlate well with their opinions?
Did you mean your data does not correlate well with their data/opinions?

So with any human being, smoker or not, getting regular checkups and paying attention as to catch problems early will result in a better life health-wise.

littlejohn

I HAD READ THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM, BUT FIGURED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED ON A 2002, NOT!

WHENEVER THERE IS A STEADY RAIN, I HAVE WATER IN THE PASSENGER FLOOR BAY AREA...I MUST SAY I AM DISAPOINTED IN FORD FOR NOT FIXING THIS. I TOO HAD AN OIL SMELL IN THE COCKPIT AFTER MY LAST OIL CHANGE...TOP LOOKED CLEAN...MUST BE SEEPING IN FROM EXCESS OIL AROUND THE NEW FILTER.

ANYONE HAVE THE WATER PROBLEM RECENTLY. ANY ADVICE OR OTHR BOARDS...IS IT AN EASY FIX?

SORRY ABOUT ALL CAPS BUT MAKES IT EASIER FOR ME.

THANKS,

JOHN

cobie

Does anyone know if and how I can operate the fog lights independently of the headlights?
I know the low beams must be on for the fogs to work but can the switch (or something else) be altered to allow me to operate the fogs w/o the headlights on?
Thanks.

scootch

Don't know about where you live but it's illegal in California to drive with just your fog lights on. I'm sure there's a way to do it as I've noticed that when driving cars with daytime driving lights that they go off as soon as you pull up on the parking brake. You could probably take off the console off, locate that switch and make sure it's always "off." On the other hand, maybe your "Parking Brake" light on the dash would always be on that way! Maybe something silimiar (though through wiring rather than a "mechanical" switch) could be worked out with the
fogs" if this is important enough to you.

revka

You may also want to copy/paste your message in our ongoing Ford ZX3 Problems & Solutions discussion.

Also, check in Edmunds Maintenance Guide to see if Ford has addressed this issue with any TBSs (Technical Service Bulletins.) Good luck.

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

fdanna

Has anyone swapped out their factory radio? Is there a radio head unit that exists that fits in the same opening or do they ALL need adapters? I don't want all the extra space around the radio. It's an oddball size but it's used in the cougar too so I'm hoping someone makes a direct replacement.

Kirstie_H

Just a reminder that the Town Hall chat is on for Wednesday evening (5-7pm Pacific/8-10 pm Eastern). Hope you can join in this week to meet and greet with your fellow Town Hall users and have a little fun with The Return of Car Trivia!

Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/newsviews.html

kirstie_h

Roving Host

Edmunds.com

eram310

Does anybody now how to disable the automated lockup mechanism of the doors?
I was locked out of my car when it was running in neutral with the hand brake on.

treva

I have answers for both....

The Fog Light mod is an easy one, so you can have the fogs on independently of the dipped beams / full beams. It involves removing the relay and inserting a metal wire to bridge to terminals. Easier than it sounds, see :

http://www.myfordfocus.com

has step by step details for this as well as a load of other mods to your focus. It's well worth checking out.

I too had a water leak in my passenger footwell. I thought it may have been a blocked a/c tube outlet, but it turned out that there was a gap between, I think, the a/c or heater unit and the firewall.

I found this out to my dismay when I over-enthusiastically hosed the insides of the wheel-arches with a high-pressure water hose after a paticularly dusty weekend road-trip.

Ask the mechanic to check behind inside the wheel arch behind the sound-proof matting as well as the base of the engine-bay, around where the passenger footwell meets the firewall. My mechanic found this slight gap and sealed it with silicone sealant. It did the trick; I haven't had any problems since, heavy rain, a/c or otherwise.

Credit to Ford, they have crappy build quality but they do ripping patch-up jobs !

treva

fdthird

I don't understand how all these cars keep locking doors...our Focus only locks the doors once per start cycle and then only when the car reaches about 5-7 mph.

Is mine different then others???

sacfocus1

Regarding the fog light question by cobie, I have a SE wagon (please hold the boo's) and added the factory fog lamps 3 months after purchased, and the lights work without the low beams on; the parking lamps are on but not headlights.
As far as reliability/complaints go, my only beef is the front brake pads wore out at 25k mi., which I thought was premature, current mileage is 33k. P.S., my doors have never locked unless vehicle was moving.
I enjoy the comments in the zx3 file since you keep posting new material. happy motoring!

seminole_kev

what's wrong with an SE wagon? I'm glad to see that they at least offer the wagon instead of replacing it with a small SUV.

cobie

My focus only locks its doors when in drive and speeds exceed 5 or so mph, however, I do know of other ford products (mostly mystiques and contours) that lock the door whenever it's closed and the engine is running -- even in park. It's annoying and can be dangerous. I had this happen to me once when driving a friend's mystique. Luckily, I was at a ford dealership and they got the door open for me.
I understand this capability can be disabled but I don't know how. For those who wish to disable this stupid set up, perhaps a trip to the dealer is in order?
Another annoying and stupid thing Ford has done is the Focus' seat belt warning chime disable system. It's way too complex and cumbersome. A simple on/off switching is in order here.

fdthird

There is a simple on/off switching on our Focus...its called wearing the seat belt!

cobie

Don't be daft, fdthird. Of course the annoying chime won't go off if one wears his seatbelt. I wear mine all the time. However, there are times when the car is running and you're just sitting waiting for someone or you just want to move your car in the drive that you don't wear a belt. It's at these times the chime is unnecessary and annoying.

snaptab

If you fasten the belt, then unfasten it, the chime won't sound. At least that's the way it works in my ZX3.

shov6

Look... As annoying and intentionally difficult as it is to disable the chime (thanks, American Bar Association!), it really isn't all that difficult at all. I was sitting on a ferry halfway across Lake Champlain one fine night and decided to go ahead and execute the silly procedure needed to disable the chime, even though I ALWAYS wear my belt. I didn't time it, but reading the procedure, completing the procedure, and checking that the procedure had the desired effect took all of three minutes. Even if I am wildly off and it took six minutes, well, that's not really a huge hunk of time no matter HOW busy you are. If it bothers you, read your manual and DO it. You could almost do it during a commercial break while watching "Friends."

-SHOV6

cobie

I'm interested in replacing the stock wires w/ a better set w/ a lower ohm rating (probably 250 ohms, or so). I was told that there isn't any replacement wires currently being made for the Focus. Does anyone know if this it true? I find it difficult to believe. Thanks.

seminole_kev

I don't know, but you might check Focaljet.com

They have a lot of information on parts to mod you Focus.

gandalf17

Ford Focus is subject of 4 investigations

Multiple inquiries unusual for NHTSA
April 2, 2002

BY ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA
DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Federal regulators have opened four separate defect investigations into the 2000 and 2001 Ford Focus that concern problems with engine compartment fires, faulty air bag deployment and rear-wheel bearing failures.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation said it received several complaints involving engine compartment fires on the driver side in the area of the battery.

The agency said its preliminary look into the 2000 Focus fires began March 2 after NHTSA heard from both individual Focus owners and the insurance industry.

A separate investigation examines the potential loss of vehicle control, after a reported 21 incidents of rear-wheel bearing failures in the 2000 Focus.

In two other investigations, NHTSA is looking at 2000 and 2001 Focus compact cars for air bags that deploy at low-speed crashes and bags that cause fires after inflating. The air bag investigations cover 575,000 of the 2000-2001 model year vehicles.

It is unusual for NHTSA to open four preliminary investigations into a vehicle simultaneously.

"We are aware of the investigations and are cooperating fully with NHTSA," said Ford spokesman Todd Nissen. "But because these are ongoing investigations, it is premature to speculate on the outcome."

The Focus, one of Ford's best-selling vehicles, has been recalled several times for a variety of problems. Last November, for example, Ford recalled 279,646 of its 2000 and 2001 Focus compact cars because of a similar rear-wheel problem that threatened to cause wobbling. That problem was due to corrosion from road salt used to melt snow and ice.

After opening preliminary investigations, NHTSA will begin a data exchange with automakers over the reported problems. Then depending on the findings by the agency, the investigation could lead to an engineering analysis or even a product recall.

NHTSA also upgraded an earlier investigation into 34 reports of loose steering wheels on 1997-1998 Ford F150 and F250 pickups that could result in the recall of as many as 1.25 million trucks. The agency's monthly report had 11 complaints of steering wheels locking, leading to four injuries in seven crashes.

The agency is also looking at another 82 complaints of accelerator pedals needing additional force in an unspecified number of General Motors Corp.'s 1999, 2000 and 2001 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, and Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade sport-utilities with engines from 4.8 liters to 6 liters.

Separately, Ford said it is working on a way to detect engine leaks in some of its truck models. The Dearborn automaker said a head gasket is causing leaks from some 5.4-liter V8 truck engines, like the F-Series pickup trucks from the 1999 model year. The engines in question are also in some Ford Expeditions, Lincoln Navigators and Econoline vans.

Contact ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA at 313-222-5008 or bodipo@freepress.com

seminole_kev

yeah I saw that. What I cannot figure out is why the wheel bearing is mentioned as it was an item recalled 2 years ago. Doesn't make sense. The rest of the items are just things they're checking into. I'll be curious to see what the results are. Just so we put this in place. Look at all the vehicles in just this month alone

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/monthly/2002/200202.html

Look back through the months and you see even "bullet proof" vehicles being looked into for problems.

tgrcub

the NHTSA could show that driving a Focus was 50% fatal any time you turned the key, thanks to our wonderfully corrupt system of government, I'm sure it'd only be a few phone calls from industry lobbyists and a few campaign donations, and presto chango, no need to recall it at all... they'd probably just blame all of us people that bought a Focus in cold weather ( i.e needy of road salt ) environments anyhow, and fault us for not buying a much more sensible ( and profitable ) SUV ( talk about safety record!! )

fdanna

Although I don't think it should be done, this is, after all, America so if you want to disable the chime all you have to do is read your manual. There are VERY detailed instructions on how to stop the reminder. At least my 2001 has instructions in there. I read it cover to cover.

shov6

With an eye towards your almost unbelievably cynical anti-government attitude, I have to ask how it is that this wonderfully corrupt system has already ordered at least half a dozen recalls on the car, even when none of them had any relation to fatalities. Your sentiment is noted, but it is nonsensical and inflammatory for no apparent reason.

boston14

Does anyone know if the 01 Z is like the Escort where the plugs dont need to be replaced for 100k?

fdanna

I dropped my car off on Friday to the dealer to see why my car was stumbling at certain RPM's...I had read that the DPFE sensor was problematic and I've already replaced that once. Anyway, the called and said that found nothing wrong (which is a car owner's nightmare to hear). I left work early and took the tech out with me and he indeed felt the problem. He barely spoke english and I can't say I'm too good with vietnamese so I really didn't understand a word he said except that it wouldn't be ready until Monday. Come to find out I had a bad spark plug wire so the engine was misfiring and I'm picking it up tonight. The negative part of me is thinking that the problem will still be there, but maybe it won't...

Problems to date:

DPFE Sensor
Replace Rack and Pinion because of power steering fluid leak (!!!!)
Bad Spark plug cable

27,000 miles 16 months old

My 96 honda civic sold @ 90,000 miles
Problems
Steering cables rubbing against turn signal causing it not to cancel on a turn.

Let's hope that we've got this annoying little issues out of the way.

fdanna

Didn't work. Took it back and went out with another technician. He told me it was the wind. Aw well, It will be paid for by december and maybe I'll dump it.

silver_bullet

fdanna, I'm sure you are tired of dealing with incompetent service people, but you might want to try another dealership for a second opinion. I have to admit, I'm still pretty ticked off with some of the "service" I received while I owned my ZX3

fdanna

Silver_bullet: It really does ad insult to injury when they pretty much accuse you of being an idiot. The guy who was supposed to be the "foremen" of the team was who accompanied me on the drive and right from the start he was just annoyed that I had returned with the problem. At the risk of sounding agist, he seemed old enough to be my great grandfather and scoffed at my suggestions at what might be the problem EVEN THOUGH at least 20 other people on various message boards reported the EXACT same issue!

When we got back he didn't say a word to me, just relayed his message to the manager who relayed his message to the customer service rep who then told me. THen they say well, you have 27k miles if it gets worse come back. Yeah no problem, I love taking time out of my work day so I can help incompetant technicians with god complexes.

If anyone is in the Boston area and can recommend a dealer and they also have had the hesistation problem between 2000 and 2400 RPM, let me know please. I went to Sentry Ford in Medford, they're closest to me, but always give me grief. Or better yet, even if not in the Boston area but have the invoice with the solution listed, maybe I can show that to them.

Sometimes being a perfectionist is a drag

seminole_kev

yeah, that is a weird, and annoying, thing about Ford. The dealer I go to (in the Oklahoma City are) is very good. But, I know for many, there are some really bad dealers out there. Shouldn't be that way. The one good thing about buying from a manufacturer that has a ton of dealers is that at least there normally are a few to choose from. It's just too bad that they are not all good-to-great. Of course part of the problem is that Ford (or GM, Toyota, etc...) has no real recourse against the dealer except in extreme cases. Dealers are normally heavily protected by state laws. Wonder who are big contributers to state election winners?......

basham

I was doing some research on the Focus when I saw your post. (I want the yellow ZX3!) Yes, there are definately replacement spark plug wires being made for the Focus. I work in the accounting dept of the company!! You need to contact Phil Puddington at Micro-Tech Automotive Industries the phone number is 800-688-1588, ext 108. The company has been around a long time, I have worked here for 15 years!)
P.S. do you like your Focus? - I plan to purchase one within the next 3 days or so.
vicki@micro-tech-auto.com