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Ford Focus: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
The fix cost me $300 canadian. Was thrilled to say the least.
My buddy has a 2001 wagon and said he just recieved a recall notice for this. Is this true. I have not received anything yet in the mail...
I find it hard to believe anyone could destroy the clutch in 1100 miles unless it was defective to start with.
Contact Ford customer relations and talk with them. It is up to Ford to prove that the clutch is not defective.
This years tank is supposed to be 14 gallons.
One would expect fuel warning setting to be approx. 2 gallons remaining and gauge empty reading at approx. 1 gallon remaining.
When my Zx3 warning light comes on, 10.1-10.3 gallons fill tank completely.
When the gauge reads empty, 11.1-11.3 gallons fill tank completely.
Has anyone else noticed this with their focus?
Ford and the dealership both want to dodge any question about this.
There seems to be approx. 19% of the tank volume as unused reserve.
This may be the solution for past stalling in curves of on ramps and on rough surface roads due to fuel slosh in previous models.
Both times the dealer says there is nothing wrong. The computer just reports it as an error. :confuse: Of course, like the boy crying wolf, if I were to ignore the light and something were to be really wrong, than whose problem is it?
This last time, the 3rd time thus far, the light came on when the tank was half empty. However, when I filled the tank up full later that week, the light went out on its own.
Has anyone seen this happen before and is there a fix?
And as far as build quality goes, my car's only experienced one minor flaw in its first year, and 12,000 miles. The 3rd brake light had 2 of the LEDs stop lighting in the array. The dealer replaced it, hassle free.
So to answer your original question, small economy cars with 4 cylinders CAN have a kick a-- A/C.
-SM
FORD everytime i go and they dont find after 2 or 3 repair of anykind for same problem, will say ABUSE, or NORMAL characteristic.
Good luck
Wind3x
i think there is a call back, but they wont do it if you didn`t went to services
its not NORMAL but its on allmost every focus car. so they say its normal.. but you should be able to open the door normally.
to get it fix "i have same prob" i will say to dealer what i do in case of emergency. we will die becose no one can open the door ?. hehe its the only thing i found to make them repair.. LEAK OF SECURITY!
Before I spend the money though I am going to raise some hell with Ford. There is no reason bearings should need replacement after only 43K miles. I mean what are they using in there, gumballs?
I only put 3 tanks in: 7.85, 10.75 and 8.17 gallons.
Yeah I always did expect to put more in, but it just doesn't fit...
The specs do say 14 galons however.. maybe they have the warning set high, so you don't get stranded.
BTw what kind of milleage do you average to? On the three tanks (one of them spents in heavy commuting) I average 22.1 with best milleage at 26mpg.
Igor
Last tank with "city driving" but no jams and traffic, got 21.43. I thought I was OK.. but now I fee l I should be getting better...
BTW I have a zx3 with just 700 miles on it.. .I will chech the liquids to make sure it's all OK...
(Btw my overall mileage after 3 tanks is 22.1mpg. just forthe record :-)
Igor
I have an issue with my 2005 ZX5 brakes. If the car is parked outside on a hot day for a couple of hours, an excessive amount of force is required to get the car to stop for the first couple of stops after I start driving. After a couple of stops, the brakes seem to work fine. I had it into the dealer's shop and they replaced the master cylinder and the brake booster but the problem has returned. I don't feel confident that I could stop the car in an emergency brake situation if I had to brake suddenly soon after starting to drive. Any ideas? This problem does not occur if it is cool out. Only when hot...
Thanks for any advice you can give.
Can someone direct me to what I'm suppose to do or to a site that might tell me?
Even with this I still like the little car. :shades:
Does anyone know if the bulb can operate for one and not the other such that if I replace the bulb both the regular tail light and the break light will both work? Or is it necessary to take it in to have the wiring looked at?
Thanks so much for the help
BTW ifyou talk about winter tires... what do you use... size and type? I have been eyeing Blizzaks SW50... in the 15" 195 width.. any other recommendations?
Igor
Blizzaks are ALL I use, I tried studded snow tires on Zippy, that lasted about a month and I switched to Blizzaks. Driving 164 miles/day I need to be safe, Blizzaks are the ONLY winter tires I've found that give me that peace of mind.
Zippy wears 195/60R15 Blizzak WS-50 tires in the winter and next summer she will wear Goodyear Assurance tires.
Have been following this discussion since buying my Focus 6 weeks ago. Have been surprised by claims of poor mileage. My son bought a new 2003 ZX3. With less than 700 miles on it, I helped him drive it from Green Bay, WI to Seattle. We had several tanks in the low 30's during the trip
I'm driving a 2005 ZX4 ST and had tanks with low to mid-20's at first. Just hit 1,100 miles and filled up today, getting 28.5 mpg with mixed highway and city driving. By the way, the ST is a load of fun.
Absolutely. Many cars use dual-filament bulbs for things like brake lights that double as turn-signal lights. I'd invest in a couple of inexpensive bulbs and give that a try before taking the car to a shop and paying big bucks for what's probably a blown bulb filament.
Meade
Alldata has the TSB titles only, but the details are only for paying customers - anyone know of another source?
Much appreciated.
I am wondering if I need to buy the whole console assembly or can I just install the separate armrest? I really want one.
I have replaced the fuel filter, had the fuel injectors cleaned, and I've always used Chevron with techron. None of these have solved the problem. Could it be the fuel pump?
Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can get it to start, but I have to keep my foot on the gas. The moment I take my foot off of the gas, my car stalls. I have found the best solution to this problem of not starting is to wait it out. If my car doesn't want to start right away, I'll wait about 20 minutes and try it again. This usually works.
I would appreciate any input from anyone experiencing this problem. Thanks.
THE FORD FOCUS SEEMS TO HAVE ALOT OF RECALLS ALSO
YOUR RESPONSE - WOULD YOU BUY ANOTHER FORD FOCUS AND DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THEY ARE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION FOR THIS TYPE OF TRAVEL???
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR POST
1) Ignition tumblers locked up at 40000 miles and could not start car. Ignition tumbler was replaced with 2005 part and it works great. 2006 would be fine also.
2) Misfiring under load at 35000 miles. Problem traced to broken down spark plug. Replaced wires and plugs, car runs perfect ever since.
I think the car is fine. Sure there were some problems and recalls with early models, but these have since been sorted out. I have had no recalls on my 2003. The car is good all around. Loads of cargo space with the hatch models when rear seats are folded flat, I can fit a mountain bike inside without having to disassemble the front wheel (you have to take wheel off in Jeep Liberty to make one fit). And no matter how hard I drive it I always get at least 28 mpg.