Tl* the contact owned a 2000 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. After restarting, the contact noticed there was an abnormal burning odor and smoke came from the side of the engine where the battery was connected. Afterwards the vehicle ignited into flames. Prior to the failure, the vehicle had its battery replaced. The fire department had to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed totaled. The fire investigator informed the contact that the fire started from the battery cable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. There were no injuries reported. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 100,000.
2000 Ford Focus: fire, smoke or burning smell
91 of the 3,685 complaints about the 2000 Ford Focus describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 91
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 81,450
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 37 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. While driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle caught fire and heavy smoke appeared. The contact stopped the vehicle and jumped out. There were flames under the bottom of the vehicle near the engine. A police report was filed and the fire department extinguished the fire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 ford focus. While driving 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and the engine stalled. The contact stepped out of the vehicle as it filled with smoke and then caught fire. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 81,450.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. While driving various speeds, smoke emitted through the vents and the engine caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and stated that the fire initiated at the engine compartment. A police and a fire report were not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,000. Updated 2/24/15*cn updated 9/11/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, a growling noise was heard coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact continued to drive and then began to hear a clunking sound as the vehicle began to shake. The contact was able to stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and noticed smoke coming from the rear driver's side brake drum. A few moments later, the drum caught on fire due to the grease igniting. The contact used water and was able to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was then towed to contact's home. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
Tl*the contact owned a 2000 ford focus. The contact stated that smoke began to rise through the vents while they were driving the vehicle at an unknown speed. The contact also stated the vehicle stalled and the brakes would not engage when they were applied. As a result, the vehicle coasted to a stop. The contact looked under the hood and noticed the engine was on fire. The police and fire department appeared on the scene to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed the contact's home where it was clasified as destroyed. The vehicle was not inspected. The contact also stated that the brake booster was completely destroyed. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
Total loss of ford focus 2000 due to the car fire. No signals of overheat prior to the accident, all fluid levels fine. I was driving for 30 min; when returned home and stopped the car, noticed a white smoke coming from the front of the car. I decided to figure out what happens but did not have time to do that - after I left the car, it was already on fire. Used 1 fire dispenser on it, it did not help; called 911, by the time the fire department came (in about 10 min), the car was burned to the ground.
The key won't release from the ignition also the ignition won't turn off and if the car was on fire or motor caught on fire you could not turn off the ignition to shut the car off.
2000 ford focus engine fire on the way to work at 4 am. By time the fire department got there it was fully in flames. Burnt evey thing but the trunk before it was put out.
Driving to work 4 am- hear a click; engine goes dead; roll to side of road; get out of car and see smoke and fire coming out of the bottom of engine. Within 4 minutes care is in flames... Totally burn by time the fire department got to site all that was left was the rear end// no injuries luckily I was able to get out of the car.
My husband and I purchased a 2000 ford focus for our 20 year old daughter in october 2008, so she would have a means of getting to college and work. On december 22 2008 she was driving with a friend to go to lunch when smoke began coming out from under the hood. She pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car when there was a loud pop and flames shot out,blowing out the windshield and melting the tires etc. The fire department said it was faulty electrical wiring causing an engine fire.
2000 ford focus the car was being driven and had just pulled into our neighborhood when the AC fan stopped running and I noticed the smell of smoke. The car was pulled over immediately and turned off. Smoke started pouring out from under the dash board and burst into flames. 911 was called the fire trucks came and put the fire out. The entire interior is gone while the engine and drive train are fine. The car is totaled.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Service wiring harness replacement guidelines - service tips
- Erratic instrument cluster gauges and/or warning indicators - service tip
- Unable to remove ignition key - service tip
- Brake and anti-lock brake system lights on after hec (hybrid electronic cluster) replacement
- Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips
- Rough idle, low power and / or stall at idle, a malfunction indicator lamp illuminated and diagnostic...
- Harsh transmission engagement with possible malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on and diagnostic trouble...
- Remote keyless entry (RKE) - service tips
Related recalls
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles equipped with zetec engines, loose or broken attachments and misrouted battery cables could lead to cable insulation damage.
- Risk
- This, in turn, could cause the battery cables to short resulting in heat damage to the cables. Besides heat damage, the "check engine" light may illuminate, the vehicle may fail to start, or smoke, melting, or fire could also occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the battery cables for the condition of the cable insulation and proper tightening of the terminal ends. As necessary, cables will be rerouted, retaining clips installed, and damaged battery cables replaced. Owner notification began february 10, 2003. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 02V288000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A decklid wire harness can fatigue and develop broken wires in the bend area of the wire harness.
- Risk
- This could result in either a loss of individual lamp functions, or in the case of a short of the broken wires that causes a fuse to open, in the loss of stop lamp or tail lamp function. Loss of stop lamp or tail lamp function could increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the decklid wire harness.
Recall number 00V411000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2000 Ford Focus fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2000 Ford Focus?
91 of 3,685 owner complaints about the 2000 Ford Focus (2%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2000 Ford Focus?
There are 2 recalls and 37 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2000 Ford Focus
Stalling 511Fuel pump 226Grinding brakes 189Won't start 122Door locks 116Coil spring 99Hesitation 83Loss of power 77Check engine light 69Steering lock-up 57No deployment 40Engine failure 40Headlights 40Adaptive cruise 38Brake failure 37Jerking 36Fuel gauge 34Wipers 31Sudden acceleration 28Seat belt 24Slipping 24Transmission failure 24Ball joint 23Harsh shifting 23Tire blowout 23Overheating 22Airbag light 21Power steering loss 19Premature wear 19ABS 16Knocking 14Water leak 14Fuel leak 12Windshield crack 12Fuel smell 11Power windows 11Won't shift 10Whining noise 10Misfire 9Pulling 9Warning lights 7Shudder 6Battery drain 5
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