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My advise is if you qualify for the new redesigned fuel pump and want the peace of mind that goes with it .... be persistent at the dealership, remember Ford wants satisfied customers! Good Luck!
Thanks
Might want to check with your dealer.
Don't buy one of those cars unless you are willing to pay for repairs - Ford is trying to cover their a$$ets once the cars get out of warranty.
In fact, I would say don't buy one of the early years at all, unless you want mine.
By "locks", I was referring to the ignition lock. If yours starts to go, get it replaced before it gets to the point they have to drill it out. (Mine was drilled and I had to get a new steering column about 10 months later when the problem recurred. The dealer said metal bits may have been a factor.) While there's no warranty extension yet, Ford has offered some kind of P05(?) program because of the number of complaints.
Hope you continue to enjoy your ZX3.
Are you sleeping with the service manager? :-)
Hey whatever it takes....almost!
FYI: The spark plugs are designed to go 100k miles.
Question: what gasket did they replace?
We've got a 2001 SE with close to 50,000 trouble free miles on it. It's my 21 year old son's ride and taken him from Freshman year at college (he's a senior now) to and from Ithaca, NY from Long Island and last year he and the Focus spent a semester in LA. Only the usual maintenance items and he's loved the time. I drove out to LA with him last year and you'd be surprised how stable it felt at 105 (there sure are some open areas in Texas and Arizona).
We have the oil & filter changed every 3-4000 miles, and had the radiator and transmission serviced at the appropriate time. We also replaced the original Firestone tires last Fall (they were horrible in the snow) with 4 Toyos that my son says are much better. Re the spark plugs...my mechanic tells me that although the plugs will last 100,000 miles, he'd hate to try to get them out of the engine after all that time. I think in the scope of things, replacing things before they wear out is a small price to pay.
No, loola, the cars are not the garbage that many would have you believe.
Speaking factually:
-11 safety recalls to date (the all time record is 13 for GM's X-Car platform in the 80s)
Real people were injured before these recalls were issued, including (but not limited to): Engine fires, burns from premature airbag deployment, loss of control with suspension failures
For more recall information please see the NHSTA website.
Personally I was stranded on the coldest day of the year (10 degrees and -40 with windchill) on a 4 lane highway with no breakdown lane for failed fuel pump. Thankfully, no injury occurred.... maybe because my car is yellow and easy to see.
For statistical reliablity information please see consumer reports. 2000 to 02 models exhibit problems in many areas and often the rate of occurance is very high.
There is an entire website related to people who have had extremely premature break wear. I, by the grace of god, have been spared this problem. However, I just replaced my front rotors because chunks of them were rusted away. They went BEFORE the pads were done.
Check your trade-in value on your car, but keep a box of tissues handy because it will make you cry.
Check this website and compare the number of threads complaining versus praising. Then go to another discussion of a Honda or Toyota vehicle and do the same thing. There is a world of difference.
Finally my personal woes:
1. Snapped clutch spring
2. Leaking power steering fluid resulting in a new rack and pinion
3. Dead radio
4. Four, yes four, DPFE sensors
5. Sway bar endlinks, 2 pair
6. Dead fuel pump
7. Dead A/C (it's in the shop as I type this and they don't know what's wrong).
8. Dead Thermostat (resulting in overheating)
9. Leaking manual transmission (they're also trying to figure that out right now).
10. New heat shield
I'm not even including the recalls.
Best of luck with your cars!
The 2000 was actually T-boned only a month into ownership (yes I was mad!) and the fire department/police were impressed with how it held up. Said normally small cars that size look much worse in side impacts. Door even still opened and shut correctly which seemed to really impress them. I realize that is just one situation, so take it with a grain of salt if you like. I've seen some pretty good accident photos at "the other site" and the Focuses seem to hold up very well in accidents for small cars.
Anyway, while I can sympathize with people who have had problems, the cars are not the crap that some would portray. Yes you can get a lemon, of course I've seen that with "bullet-proof" Accords where the tranny dropped out at 23K miles.
Resale value is a very real issue though, but not because of the car. Look at any small domestic car...well really just about any domestic car and you take it in the shorts. Of course my out the door price was rediculously low to begin with, so that helps.
Structurally it is sound, as evidence of crash tests.
I want to make it understood that I'm not knocking the vehicle in terms of anything but reliability.
Garbage might be politically incorrect. Quality challenged is maybe more palletable.
One may argue that you only see the complaints on this site because people who are satisfied don't write about their cars. This is true. However, look at the VOLUME of complaints being generated.
I do believe if I had to pick between the two, I'd take a 2002+ over a 2000 or 2001 model.
*sorry if I wasn't clear in the above, I'm not saying that problem cars aren't out there as they are. Just that when you take the shear volume of cars made (number 1 produced car in the world for at least a couple of years) you're simply going to have more problem children out there. Plus the spotty launch of the Focus on top of that is going to cause more problems as well.
I do agree that the number of problems are made even worse by the sheer volume of cars sold and yes, those who are happy tend to keep quiet while those that are mad write a lot.
Can only speak from our experience...good car, good dealer.
I have a good Ford dealer nearby, but know of a really crappy one on the other side of town that a friend used to take her Focus (2001 ZX3) to. She had a few minor problems that they couldn't fix (or didn't try) and she became real frustrated and thought the car was a pile of crap. I recomended my local dealer (Actually closer to her house), they fix the problem immediately, and now she's happy with the car.
Now while Ford cannot directly control the dealer, it is still Ford's problem having crappy service at some dealers out there...but that happens with many brands. My boss gets terrible service with his Toyota dealer, but great service with his GMC truck. Go figure.
I believe the 2003 and 2004 models, are approaching the level of the Japanese. This is a good thing, because the Focus is easily the best handling and most feature rich car in its class. I can't wait to take delivery of my PZEV ZX5 in a few weeks.
We deal with a great Mom & Pop type Ford dealership (I've bought the 3 Fords we now own - one 2000 and two 2001s - from the owner) and the service manager is very personable and responsive. When my son's Focus made a suspension noise when we first got it, Ken took a spin with me, herd the noise, hung out the window while he was driving down the street to get a better fix on the location of the sound, and fixed it first time! That's the difference that can make a problem car a good thing or a very bad thing!
Also, a good dealer will actively work within Ford for you...a dealer who doesn't care will brush you off and never give you access to the process.
Another reason to shop more than price. Over the years, that $100 you saved can cause you a hell of a lot more misery that it put in your pocket!
I know, I know (grumble), but again, posting without it would be greatly appreciated.
Is that what the problem is? Might be more benificial to those of us who may have sinned if we know what's wrong as I don't see anything offensive above (unless you already deleted it?).
Is Edmunds based in the south? They're certainly not liberal.
OK - anymore on this, please email me privately as to not let the Focus discussion get off-topic.
Thanks
They can just go to heck =D
(all content censured so as not to offend those of the big brother administration.)
Even the original manuf warranty doesn't cover the clutch and brakes any longer than first 12,000 miles.
1. Snapped clutch spring - big deal.
2. Leaking power steering fluid resulting in a new rack and pinion - how much did it leak? The reason I'm askin because some Focuses leak power steering fluid extremely slowly and the fluid needs to be topped off only once a year without creating any problems.
It's funny how the Honda and VW engines with oil consumption appetites of up to a quart every 1,000 miles are still to be considered operating within the manufacturer's guidelines.
3. Dead radio - O.K.
4. Four, yes four, DPFE sensors
5. Sway bar endlinks, 2 pair - again very minor.
6. Dead fuel pump
7. Dead A/C (it's in the shop as I type this and they don't know what's wrong) -- They don't know what's wrong? What have they done so far?
8. Dead Thermostat (resulting in overheating)
9. Leaking manual transmission (they're also trying to figure that out right now) -- Figure out what? If it's really leaking or not?
10. New heat shield - I realy wonder what could go wrong with that chunk of aluminium.
First of all you haven't paid for any of those repairs just yet thanks to the extended warranty.
Second, the only serious problem out of those 10 was the fuel pump wich is a very common one and carries an extended 10 year warranty through Ford.
You're saying that you got 76,000 miles on your car.
Things like thermostat, brakes, clutch, A/C problems are not uncommon at that mileage, and are considered to be normal tear and wear. At that mileage those items would need to be replaced during normal maintanance on almost every car (A/C refilled)
DPFE sensors going bad after one another...
Well I don't know exactly what were your symptoms but suspect that those were unecessary replacements unles you were getting the CEL's with a specific code pointing to that part.
The fuel pumps don't go bad overnight. In most cases you will start experiencing driveability problems like hesitation and sputtering long before it goes completely dead. Those are also the symptoms of a bad DPFE sensor.
If you find these problems acceptable, I wish I could be you because then I could buy crappy cars for the rest of my life and be happy.
As soon as I finish building my house and know what my cash situation it, I'm donating the car to charity and buying either Honda or a Toyota.
..I'm donating the car to charity and buying either Honda or a Toyota.
Just don't buy any used Toyota or Lexus made in 1997 through 2002 with 3.0L V-6, or 2.2L four-cylinder engines.
Because you can find yourself with an engine choking on a buildup of sludge from oxidized oil in the form of mucky goo that can seize up the motor. There are 3.3 mil of those out there.
Good luck, man.
I'll just be happy to get my car back from the dealer tomorrow (fingers crossed).
I am a Ford fan. Here is the list of problems I've had with my recent Fords for the first 76K miles.
94 Escort LX - Nothing. Traded it at 65K - wish I'd kept it.
96 Escort GT - Needed new plugs and wires at 52K. Should have done it myself but it started acting up on a rainy day.
99 Mercury Mystique - Broken air vent, replaced under warranty. Warped dash fixed under recall. Alignment went out every 10K miles. Traded with 72K miles.
As I said I like Fords and I would have got a new Focus this year but I could not afford payments, and frankly the reputation is not good for the used ones.
Then on the ride home from work, the check engine light comes on.
PLEASE let someone steal my car and drive it off a cliff!!!
I'm going to get a new fuel cap after work and then I'm going to have autozone read the trouble code just to be sure it's related.
The misery continues....
Anyone want to buy a focus with 3 years and 30k miles left on the warranty? Yeah, I thought not.
They were working on my transmission, how do you knock out a hose? I would chock it up to pure stupidity, but I'm inclined to think they did it on purpose to some how recoup their money on the 6 days they had my car for warranty work.
Oh yeah, bring it on!
For more info http://www.fordvehicles.com/autoshow/upandcoming/focus/index.asp?- bhcp=1
Also, you'll find a lot more info about Focus reliability on the Focus-only boards (google for Ford Focus).
Good luck.
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/stang15_20040315.htm
A car is no better than the sum of it's parts. Lousy parts, lousy car.
The clutch consisted of 3 components and only one, the manual clutch disc, is listed as not covered.
Anyway, I now have a new clutch for $70. Of course, I shouldn't have needed a clutch at 76,000 miles.
The ESP has already paid for itself and thensome.
My father had a late 80's Maxima with the 300Z's motor that had to have the clutch replaced at around 35K miles. Of course he drove it like a race car, but still.
76K miles is not that bizare for a clutch.
I would be majorly peeved if I had to have a new clutch at 76K!!!
my accord has 95k and the clutch is still fine