Ford Focus: Problems & Solutions

phowell

My 2001 Focus is finally getting better MPG after they replace a ECM or something like that a valve or sensor or something now it gets 26 in town and running sbout and 30 on trip , not as good as I had hoped but better by far than it was. Now I have a real problem that it goes in for tomorow the struts or shocks or what ever in the front are terrible in fact so bad that my mud flaps are getting worn off were they rub the road if I go over uneven pavment or turn tight in a fast curve. If I go over uneven pavement they both may rub , I meean across something A bicyle could cross, Is it customery to have struts go bad or is there another problem I might look at . My dealership is a good place to buy but their service manager has no Idea this is his first job and I have no confidence in their mechanics

phowell

It is a 2001 Sedan Auto with 4800 miles

silver_bullet

There have been several reports of Foci with front struts (and related parts, such as the upper strut bearings) going bad after a very short time, such as your car. I don't know if this problem is unique to the sedan or not - the ZX3 is built in Hermosillo, while the sedans come from Wayne assembly plant, and quite likely use different parts. The LX sedan is the cheapest model, and probably gets marginal quality suspension parts to keep costs down -- it's the American way.

moses5

Well, I believe the dealership found what was causing the suspension noise on the rear drivers side. A welded suspension had worn down a bushing and was knocking against a heat sheld. Consequently, as I was driving the car home, the noise came back and the car still leans a little. This my be a recall item in the future.

romhog

Ok, this is a concern of mine because it was a very scary situation, and I want to make sure that nobody else lets this get to the point that it did with me. About 1 month ago I had to take my ZX3 in because the throttle was sticking while I was traveling at about 65mph. If I were to let off the accelerator, it would stay at 65mph !!!
Well after pulling teeth at the dealership, they stated to me that the "throttle body was sticking" and replaced the whole thing. Ok, things seem fine now... only till a few days ago, I was driving under the same conditions and... .my gas petal fell limp to the floor. (found later) the throttle cable had "broken off inside the cable housing. causing the petal to fall to the floor. Not something that was fun to try and realize while traveling 65mph on the highway in traffic. I ponder that this was the problem all along with a tattered cable, I think that it was causing my first problem with the sticking. SO if anyone ever started to get a sticky feeling in the petal... it might not be gum.

phowell

Finally after fixing he erc or something my mileage is near what it should be about 33 on trip 27 to 29 on mixed Driving. They fixed the noise of sheetmetal blowing in the wind it seems the iner plastic fender liner on the right rear was just laid in there and not fasented, they agree that the car is botomong out as witnessed by the mud flaps being worn down and the scratches on the bottom of the front under carriage but claim thay have no fix or idea, said struts are good no leaks , yeah yeah yeah said maybe I should call Ford like they ever answer your calls any Ideas folls

ottos

Yes, you pretty much have the idea. Ford engines are not broken in at the factory. But we do durability tests on a sample of engines to ensure consistent quality. We would not break-in engines unless we find it adds value to the cars. If people start buying cars because they are pre-broken-in, then we would consider it.

As for the value of break-in, it is important, but less than in the past. You still need to break it in, but not for as long. I think that Porsche engines, because they use very hard engine components, tend to take 3000+ miles to fully break-in. Kind of interesting.

After reading these forums and working at Ford, I think to make a Ford as reliable as you want it, you need to do a little footwork to replace the bad parts, then you'll see that the car is pretty good.

I'm getting a Focus S2, so I can see for myself. I've owned a Toyota truck for years, and it's had its problems, but they didn't turn up until about 120000 miles. Toyota I know tries hard to use the right parts the first time. Ford gets it right eventually.

silver_bullet

... about Ford's approach to building cars. My experience matches your observations. You are correct about Porsche using very durable metallurgy in their engines - BMW and MB do as well. I have taken apart 4 cylinder BMW engines that I know for a fact had never been apart before, and was amazed to see traces of the factory's crosshatch honing on the cylinder walls after 200K miles. You get what you pay for. Now at only 9K miles, I've just had to replace the front rotors on my fiancee's ZX3 due to warpage. Let's hope this isn't indicative of the quality level of the rest of the car!

ottos

you probably got a bad set. Ford parts have big tolerances, so every so often a bad part gets into the assembly. We don't catch it because we don't check every part, and neither does our supplier.

phowell, push down on the the suspension, and see how it feels. It should be kind of hard to move. Does the car feel wallowy?

vadp

Your take, please.

http://www.teamfocaljet.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000980.html

You can download the sound here (---->videos ---> noisy tranny video)

http://www.angelfire.com/weird/covert1/

mikecordell

I got my yellow automatic hatchback a whole week ago, I love it to death, but the second I saw that focussport offers a supercharger I fell in love, this superb handling car strapping a supercharger at the stoplight wars? anyone wanna race? at 5 thousand miles I'm having one put in, any questions or advice?

petedo

mike, go to focaljet.com forums then zetec tuning. Do a search on aerocharging and it should tell you everything you want to know

mikecordell

that helped with some of the number crunching, but it was primarily turbo, well, all turbo, and people trying to bend the manufacturer their way as far as the build up of it goes. I want a supercharger, belt driven so I will not have to contend with turbolag in my already sluggish system, the automatic has a real pick up problem at low rpm. I am thinking about starting to upgrade already, maybe at a thousand miles doing the whole intake/exhaust kit thing with a little chip on the side.

pcott

We have a 2000 LX purchased in March 2000. At about 15,000 miles, the ignition locked. The dealer replaced it; I just hope it doesn't happen again. The latest problem (at 18,000 miles) was a cracked rear brake drum. Apparently the squeaky brakes are a separate issue. We enjoy the car, get about 28 mpg with significant highway driving, and hope we don't encounter too many more headaches.

biker16

the road noise is all in the tires. If ford put the p400ts on every Focus no one would complain about road noise hey would all complain about engine noise and wind noise. It makes a huge difference change the tires and you will see.

The Zetec engine is noisy, it makes anoying ticks and other unconfortable sounds. the Economy of the Focus is begining to lag behind honda and toyota. for d has some great engines ready to replace the Zetec, but who know when they will replace the Zetec. but they will offer better econmy (42 mpg) better reliabilty, and better refinement.

[url]http://home.att.net/~biker16/my_zetec_to_die.html[/url]

KicKMan1

Anyone ever experience a slight hesitation in power at about 55-60 mph? It's as if an injector is fouled or plugged. Once again a fuel issue arises. Could there be sporadic problems with some Focus ECU's?

moses5

I have experienced the same thing from about 40-55 mph. Now when I take step turns at about 50 or so, to get onto the highway, my car starts to stall. Right now, I am trying to sell my focus. My warranty is up in about 1500 miles and I feel problems are in my future

occupant1

just heard a radio commercial. They're REALLY stretching the capabilities of a Focus. You remember your window sticker? Says the car gets 33mpg highway, right, but the little thing underneath says you can expect 26 to 38? The Ford dealers around Dallas are advertising the car as getting UP TO 38mpg. Anyone even close? I didn't think so. I say it's false advertising, they're claiming the car gets better than EPA ratings when in fact it gets worse...

01redzx3

I have had my zx3 for 6 mo, and i love it . I have alot of mi, on it and its doing great. I drive 60 mi, aday for work and i now have 10,000 mi, on my car and it has been a great car . the gas mpg gets much better after you get 3,000 mi, or so on it . my zx3 is a auto with all the toys on it and get 34 mpg and thats going 80 and 90 mph.I almost got a echo but i like the looks of the zx3 better. good luck with your zx3 and take care .

revka

Check out the new Edmunds' Maintenance Guide, in the Additional Resources box, on the left side of the page. Hope this is helpful. ;-)

Revka

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mkenton1

Just took advantage of the 0% interest deal this weekend and purchased a 2001 cd silver zx3 with manual transmission. The car had 23 miles on it when I drove it off the lot. Coming off a 95 escort lx with 95,000 miles the focus is a sweet car however.... We got a really hard rain in central Iowa yesterday and when I went out to my car to head home after work then entire passenger side "footroom area" was sopping wet. The rain was seeping in from the molding under the glove box. What the? This is obviously a build quality issue but it doesn't make it any less annoying. Anyone else have a similar situation? Also, I'm just a stupid girl....but the repairs would be covered under the warranty, right?

revka

I also responded to your same message in the main Ford Focus ZX3 discussion, but to answer here: yes the repairs should definitely be covered under your warranty.

Also, I want to suggest that you check out Edmunds' Maintenance Guide for service bulletins (TSB's) and recalls on your 2001 ZX3. This sort of information will help keep you alert to other kinds of problems that may arise. You'll find a direct link to this in the Additional Resources box on the left side of the page. Learn more about recall and tsb's in this Edmunds.com article. Good luck and please keep us posted on your situation.

Revka
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fokus5

I'm taking my 2000 17k mi. z into service this morning.

I've had all the usual problems and then some - broken clutch spring, water leaks, strange engine sounds, lousy mileage (ok - that might be my fault - but she's so much more fun when you keep the revs up) and so on.

Recently, I've started hearing a loud humming noise apparantly coming from the rear of the car. I thought I might have a bum tire so I took her to a shop to have em checked out, balanced and rotated. They said the tires were fine. The back tires moved up front and vice versa, but the noise is still coming from the back. I had the rear axle / bearing recall work done about a year ago. Could this be the problem? I don't see what else it could be...

The noise starts at about 25mph as a low pitched moan, then at about 35mph becomes a loud hum, and at about 45mph, it's loud as hell. Above 60mph, the noise is higher pitched and less noticable, perhaps because of increased road / engine/ wind noises? I'm probably driving a lot of dogs nuts while on the highway.

Anyone experience this problem before?

revka

Hi Folks - This discussion is now linked from the Hatchbacks Message Board to the Ford Focus ZX3 Owner's Club. If you have a chance, please stop by and say hello in our Ford Focus ZX3 Owners: Meet The Members discussion. Also, for those entering here from the Hatchbacks board, you'll find a direct link to the Owners Club on the left side of this page. Hope this is helpul. ;-)

Revka
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liquidgrey

I just took delivery of a 2002 ZX3 on 2/16 and am very impressed with it with the exception of a recalcitrant seat back. The drivers seat will not fold/slide as it should. The seat back will fold but the seat will not slide forward. The passenger seat works properly and the drivers seat will slide smoothly with the adjustment lever at the front of the seat. I wanted to see if anyone else has run across this problem and if there is an easy fix(I want to avoid going back to the dealer as they are better than an hour away and the local dealer is horrible). Thanks for any info!!!

eram310

A month ago I bought a second hand 2001 ZX-3 with 8000 miles, yellow with every option available including traction control. The car is fun to look at and a joy to drive. So far, issues like a rattling mud flap on the left rear tire and a stuck seat belt were taken care of by the dealer to my satisfaction. My only concern is that fuel economy is way below what Ford claims. Ford gives 28-36 mpg, based on 45% highway driving. I do 90% highway driving, and the best that I have gotten is 26 mpg, which is not even within the range Ford gives. I use the car mainly to commute to work, 16 miles each way, at an average of 70 Mph. The dealer checked the engine and told me everything is fine. He said that the only other cause could be the driver’s habits. This also is not an issue. None of my previous cars were off by so much of what is claimed by the manufacturer. Other than Ford giving inaccurate information, does anyone have any insight into this problem?

shov6

Liquidgray, I simply don't understand what your problem is. You say that the driver's seat won't slide like it is supposed to, but then you say that the seat will slide smoothly with the lever at the front of the seat. Perhaps what you are saying is that you expect the seat to move forward when you use the control on the REAR of the seat, but mine (a 2001) doesn't do that for EITHER seat. Please elaborate.

-SHOV6

cyurgeles

shov6, thanks for responding perhaps this will clarify things. According to the owners manual,
"Tip/slide front seat (Coupe). Lift the control and fold the seatback forwards. The seat can be slid forwards to allow easier entry to the rear seats. Slide the seat back and fold back the seatback until it locks with a distinct click. The seatback will return to its original position. Rock the seat to ensure that the catch is securely engaged." The diagram in the manual depicts the drivers seat going through this iteration. In examining the drivers seat underside it is lacking the cable mechanism the the passenger seat possesses (which releases the seat slide catch when the seatback is folded forward). I will have the dealer check another 2002 ZX3 and will post the results. As an aside I wanted to see if this cruise control behaviour is typical. The "on" button for the cruise seems to be non-functional. If I hit the "set coast" button the cruise control light comes on and the cruise engages. The "off" button does shut of the cruise. Thanks for any info!!!

liquidgrey

In reference to the cruise control it is, of course, the "set acc" not "set coast" button that I was referring to. I guess I tried to invent a new cruise control function.

crbf1

Hey y'all. I've got an 02MY ZX3. I believe only the passenger's seat will tilt and slide forward when using the upper-most lever on the seat back. My drivers seat will not. As for the cruise control, the "on" button only turns the c/c on. This will enable you to "set" the speed desired, which in turn illuminates the light on the instrument cluster.
Hope this helps.

shov6

Well this one is news to me. I am not aware of the tilt & slide feature, and i have never stumbled upon it in my '01. If this feature is in the '01's, someone please tell me because mine doesn't work! Or if it does, I have never activated it by mistake.

-SHOV6

liquidgrey

I believe that the tilt/slide was an addition for the 2002 model year(and appears to only be applicable to the passenger's seat). I will have to check into the cruise control issue more carefully as I can always enable cruise by hitting the "set acc" button (even if I have hit the "off" button to disable it). Thanks for all the info!!!

shov6

Now I know for a FACT that I can't activate the cruise control in my car without turning it "on" first. You know, you are using cruise for a few hundred miles, stop to use the loo, and then hit "resume"... And have nothing happen, because you turned off the car. Hit "set" and STILL nothing happens... Have to turn it "on" first.

-SHOV6

liquidgrey

liquidgrey

Armed with your description of the cruise control functions I have determined that the cruise is working properly on my ZX3 (user error was to blame). Thanks again!!!

snaptab

MPG seems to vary quite a bit from Focus to Focus.
I have a 2001 ZX3, premium, 5 speed that consistently gets 30+ MPG after 11,000 mostly rural highway miles. Other people in my area have never seen 30 MPG, no matter how easy they drive. Not sure why the big disparity. Luck of the draw perhaps.

eram310

Thanks for the input,

I just went over some of the earlier messages on the same subject and some suggested replacing the ECU- Electronic control unit (or something like that). How can I convince the dealer that mine is bad and he should replace it under warranty? If he does replace it, would it affect the engine’s performance?

botski

Anyboby have a factory stereo with bad volume resolution? Just want to see if this is a common problem or an isolated problem.

On my stereo, Volume #1 is too soft, Volume #2 is ok when sitting and too soft when driving (AVC works "ok" in this situation), and Volume #3 is too loud. The other 20 some settings are uselessly deafening. And yes, I am older than 18.

seminole_kev

that the first click "1" is too loud. It needs a ".5" or something. Just enough to be background noise for a conversation.

snaptab

Well at 11,000 miles my ZX3 finally saw the inside of my local Ford dealer's service dept. After putting it off for a couple of months I decided to have the rear wheel bearing recall done. Wasn't having any problems just wanted to get it over with. Not a bad experience at all, didn't even need an appointment! I was in and out in an hour and a half, including an oil /filter change. No charge.
John Stuckey Ford, Hollidaysburg, PA you done good!

swdzx3

I have 2000 ZX-3 w/ 31,750 mi.Today I started it,drove 1 mile,stopped at a gas station.
When I tried to restart, it cranked fine but
idled weakly for a few seconds and died.
Repeated multiple times with same results.
Had it towed home,checked fuel pump fuse(ok),
relay(how to check?),fuel pump shut-off switch.
Now it cranks strong but does not start.
Gauge shows 1/2 tank,check engine light stays
on.Any solutions before I tow it to Ford?

crbf1

Sounds like 1/2 tank of bad gas. Bummer. Dealer should be able to tell pretty quickly -- just need to get a fuel sample. You might get lucky by having them drain the tank completely, replace the fuel filter and refill it w/known-good fuel.
Good luck

dvc1492s

After purchasing the ZX3 new and putting on 450 miles, I have run into a problem which I think is coming from the steering or the suspension. There is a "clunking" noise as you drive at a constant speed (maybe 15 / 20 mph and turn the wheel from right to left with a gradual result in the car rocking. The same sound occurs when you hit a bump or are driving on rougher road. This sound seems to be coming from the passenger fire wall / to center of vehicle.

Since the car is only a week old, it has not been hit, run over anything or involved in any mishaps.

The dealer is going to take a look at it but I was wondering if anyone has had this problem or might be able to give some diagnostics from afar.

Thanks,
Jack

fdanna

I've had a similar experience on two different occassions. Both times I started the car just to move it in the driveway and the next day the car started and then died. I continued to crank the engine but nothing. So I tried holding the gas to the floor while cranking. I had read this in a manual about not being able to start the enging. It's never happened without starting the engine and stopping it after only a few seconds of running. Kind of nerve racking.

swdzx3

Turns out the fuel pump failed in my ZX-3.That fits the symptoms pretty well.Dealer replaced the pump and fuel filter under warranty,but now there
is a gas/vapor leak and smell.Ford mechanics...
Want to hear how many tries it took them to fix the leaking ac evaporator case,and how many other things they damaged in the process?

dvc1492s

The dealer repaired a linkage arm in the passenger and driver side wheel well. It seems that Ford came out with a slightly different configuration which did not allow the link (for more stability in cornering) to come loose. Suprising cuz this car was manufactured in 2/02 that by 4/02 they had a new config on the "fix it" line but wasn't installed before shippment to the dealer.

I was told by the dealer that this wasn't life threating and it was taken care of in morning / to night pickup.

Commenting on some other ZX3 improvements, i would have to agree that the sound volume control should have a 1 1/2 and 2 1/2. Its too big of a step, at least for us quite guys.

Secondly, the accessory plug couldn't have been put in a worst spot. Try plugging your cell phone in and shifting without getting tangled with the cord.

And lastly, didn't Ford ever think of making a small compartment between the passenger and driver's seats that has an open / close lid. I've got (4) cup holders but is it ever that more than myself is in the car. PS. i don't drink coffee on the road.

Oh, ya, one more thing, you northern folk should take a look at the under body just above the fuel lines. Why didn't they coat it at the factory. I'm hoping that the salt that our gov't put on the highways doesn't eat though the underpanel for at least (8) years.

Jack

dvc1492s

Has anyone ever see 5w20 on the market. Kinda news to me, but that's what it takes. Since i've got 1000 miles on now, it due for that early change. Any comments?

Jack

shov6

I am mystified by what dvc is saying about the need for a compartment with a lid between the front seats... mine has one, it's in the armrest. I know it was an option and all, but it's there. And four cupholders? I only have two.

5W20 oil is out there. All I know is that I get it when I go to the Jiffy Lube.

-SHOV6

scootch

dvc1492s - Pennzoil, Mobile, and Castrol (at least) make a 5W-20, as of course does Motorcraft, but I don't see the latter in the stores. The first three are strictly petroleum oils while the Motorcraft is a synthetic blend. I called Mobil 1 and they said they have no plans for making a 5W-20 synthetic. If your '02 ZX3 is like my '00 version, and you change your own oil and filter, try putting in only four qts initially instead of the 4.5 qts Ford says it takes with filter. Four quarts brings the oil level right to the top of the full line on my dipstick. The first couple of times I changed the oil and put the full 4.5 qts in the thing was over filled and Ford says never overfill it.

bpi

How accessible is the oil filter?