The key would not go into the ignition. I had to have the car towed to the dealership and have the ignition replaced.
2000 Ford Focus electrical complaints
Page 27 of 46: complaints 761 to 790 of 1,343, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Ford focus ignition will not accept key. Known manufacturer issue. Manufacturer will not cover expense of repair.
The ignition switch was defective. The consumer inserted the key in the ignition and the ignition key failed to turn. Provide further details.
The ignition malfunctioned. As a result, the key got stuck which enabled the consumer to start the vehicle.
1. Really hard to turn key and sometimes hard to put key inside the ignition. 2. Failure of the ignition switch lets you sit wherever you are 3. Replace of ignition switch.
At first could not get key into ignition, then after wiggling it in, ignition will not turn with key in it. This is on a 2000 ford focus. Had to have vehicle towed. I understand now that this is a common problem with focus now by hearing from the tow truck driver and others with focus'. This should definitely be a recall issue as so many others have had this happen.
When the key is placed in the ignition, the key will not turn and start the vehicle. The dealer examined the vehicle and replaced the ignition switch. This vehicle has had the ignition switch replaced three times since ownership.
At 6 months, the ignition switch (and all door locks, tailgate lock) was replaced due to the inability to remove the key from the ignition. 10/29/03 - igntion switch replaced due to broken tumbler assy - cost almost $300 07/16/04 - unable to turn key in ignition - again - same as problem on 10/29/03.
I own a 2000 ford focus that has recently developed a problem with the ignition. When the key is inserted in the ignition, the ignition switch will not turn to start the car or to the auxillary power position. The problem has not stranded me or my wife, but it has been a concern. The problem has been irregular as to when it occurs and usually corrects itself with patience and several attempets. I am submitting this problem because our neighbor has the same car and was stranded. She had to have her car towed to the dealership and $600 dollars of work done to solve the problem. The mechanica at the ford dealership told her that he has seen a lot of these problems and that he expects ford to issue a recall.
Ignition cylinder jammed and car cannot be started. Cylinder must be replaced and tumblers removed to prevent repeat of situation in the future.
Defective ignition switches even service wrighter say they should be recalled my 2000 ford focus has had 4 ignition switches installed, the latest on I installed 5-13-04 and today it was towed 65 miles for a new ong against a faulty design and should be fixed. Ford will credit me for the new switch I put in cause they say the key ruined it but I say the switch ruined the key. So the change everything now that the next one is in ford when it brakes and I don't think its fair the consumer get stuck.the car had the original one, then about a year or so ago I changed it. Then I changed it 2 months ago and now today 07-12-04 again all the service wrighters say the should be recalled too.
Ignition lock failed. Unable to insert kit all the way and had to have car towed to dealer.
Consumer placed key inside of the ignition switch and key would not insert properly inside the switch, and vehicle failed to start. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic stated that this warranty expired.
Consumer went out to start the vehicle and key would not turn. The ignition was locked in place, it would not move at all, and the steering wheel was locked. Vehicle was towed to the dealership, technician replaced the ignition switch.
The key in my 2000 ford focus zx3 will not turn in the ignition. I have to take it to the dealership to fix. I have read so many accounts of this same problem I cannot believe there has not been a recall. (there have been so many already.)
I went out to my car after work and tried to start my car. The key would not go all the way into the ignition so I could not turn the key. After trying a few times, I called ford roadside assistance and had it towed to my dealership, gaudin ford in las vegas on a wednesday night. The tow truck driver said that he's seen a lot of focuses with the same problem. They did not work on it on thursday as they had other cars in front of it. Friday they figured out that the ignition cylinder was binding. They did not have the part in stock, so it had to be ordered. Finally on tuesday it was done. It was under warranty as I had opted for the extended warranty plan, but I did have a $100 deductible. Also, I had rental coverage, but was made to pay for the taxes on the rental car, about $20.
Ignition lock failure. Yet another person with a bad ignion, tumblers fell inside lock could'nt get the key back into ignion. We had the car towed.
When turning the vehicle off consumer smelled smoke coming from inside of the vehicle. Consumer towed the vehicle to the dealership for inspection, and mechanic determined that the wiring harness melted.
I have had my ford focus for two years. I will never buy another ford again. The time I have had my ford I've received about 3 or 4 recall notices for my car. Just recently I had another problem. The ignition on my car completely locked, you couldn't even turn the key. After talking to the person that towed my car and was told that they have seen this on so many of the focus cars I did a search on the internet and found out it is a major problem. It cost me about $450 just to have them fix the ignition. This is a major concern and I feel there should be a recall on this.
Over time, my ignition lock has been freezing up and not allowing my to start the car. Now it will not work at all and am forced to replace ignition cylinder my self. There seem to be many reports of the same problem with other owners as well. Ford needs to recall this car completely until they work out all bugs.
2000 ford focus, second incident involving the faulty ignition tumbler, stranded on vacation. Have replaced the ignition/linkage once already, now car disabled by same situation. Sitting in car trying to get ignition to turn over while 80 mile an hour winds rocking the car side to side. Had no choice but to sit there and fret. Car works fine if you can start it.
Initially, the key would not go into the ignition switch all the way. When the key finally did go in, the switch would not turn. In the process the steering wheel locked. Tow truck was called, and vehicle towed to nearest dealership, olympic ford in marysville, wa. Tow truck driver stated that they had 4 ford focus' with the identical ignition issues to tow that week alone. Reported that this was a rampant failure in recent weeks. As result, husband was left stranded over 35 miles from home.
I have a 2000 ford focus. It has a recurring problem where the ignition cylinder locks up and the car cannot not be started, requiring towing to the nearest ford dealer. The ignition cylinder has had to be replaced june 2001, feb 2003, march 2004, and now for the forth time in june 2004. This is a serious and costly problem. If one were to stall in traffic on the highway, and then could not start, the car will be locked in park and would be dangerous. Upon picking up the car this time, after putting in the key, the key got stuck and I pulled out the whole cylinder and key together. I was told I am not using my key properly! Ford know they have a problem with focus ignitions and will not address or recognize it. In addition, the dealer is tired of dealing with this problem.
When the consumer placed the key in ignition switch, the switch did not turn. The vehicle is now on its 2nd ignition switch. Please provide further information.
Once the key was in the ignition the ignition switch failed to turn. Three times in two years ignition cylinder had to be replaced.
I am a victim of ford failing to do something about their ignition locking problem. My ignition locked up on me. This is a well documented and known problem. The design is flawed. The consumer is being taken for a ride. Even the replacement part has the failed design. Please do something!
Ignition cylinder locks, key gets stuck and will not turn or come out.
Vehicle will not start when the ignition switch is turned. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer due to malfunction of the ignition switch.
We have had three separate occasions where the ignition switch locks up and will either fail to accept the key or fail to rotate to start the car. The first two occasions were during the warranty period the third was outside of the warranty period. This ignition failure seems to happen every 12-18 months. Although this may not be a safety problem, it clearly is a manufacture defect.
Put key in ignition and would not turn over car . Locked in park position and could not get it to unlock the steering wheel. Key would not turn. Dealer claims that this is an ongoing problem with the ford focus, could you please tell me what if any thing I can do to prevent this from happening again, since the car dealer said it's not guaranteed not to happen again. This I s costing me $500.00 plus towing and I'm not even sure it is going to be okay.
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