I have owned this car since december of 2003 and it has been a very large money pit. This time the car just stopped running. I had taken it to autozone and they told me it need an egr sensor or hosing for it. When I was turning at a light the car just stopped running when I had just turned onto a main highway. There has been major electrical problems with it since day one. This car has had 5 clutches in it and I have complained about that all in itself because a car should never need that many clutches within 100,000 miles. That is ridiculous and very expensive and I have gotten no where with that even though there are other 2000 ford focus's with the same issue. My one head light is not right it never has been there is corrosion on the inside of the headlamp. The rear door latch does not work on the passenger side of the vehicle. The passenger side front door also does not latch correctly and no longer locks at all. The trunk latch is not right either. It will not always unlatch and then close again. It often requires several more times of pushing the trunk release and it will finally unlock after several attempts. I have put thousands of dollars into this lemon. I have all the repair paperwork, it has a brand new breaking system, brand new transmission, brand new engine, brand new clutch, battery. We have replaced everything in this car and here we go again....this car has sat more than it has been driven!!! I honestly feel that we should be reimbursed for the money we spent on buying the car because it was and is still a lemon since day one......
2000 Ford Focus locks problems
201 complaints (5% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 72,000. 6 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 201
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 72,000
- crashes
- 6
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Doors: latch114
- Trunk lid: lock29
- Hatchback/liftgate: lock6
- Hood: latch2
- Tailgate: latch1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Focus locks problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2000 Ford Focus locks
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles with four or five doors and originally sold in or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, a build-up of corrosion at the pawl pivot area of the rear door latch can cause a binding condition of the pawl that may affect proper engagement of the pawl into the catch. The occupant may experience difficulty opening or closing a rear door, and eventually the rear door may not latch properly.
- Risk
- If not latched properly, the door may open while the vehicle is in motion. If an occupant fell out of the vehicle, personal injuries could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will have a lower rocker seal added to the door and have the rear door latches evaluated free of charge. A latch that passes the evaluation will be lubricated to prevent future corrosion. A latch that does not pass the evaluation will be replaced. In addition, a sticker will be affixed to the rear doors advising the owners to use the recommended lubricant. The recall began on march 9, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 05V030000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Rear door latch failure
This investigation was opened on april 8, 2004 as pe04-033 and upgraded on august 18, 2004 to ea04-023.the complainants alleged that the rear door latches failed to keep the doors in a closed position, resulting in rear doors coming open while the vehicles were being driven.some complainants reported that at timesa rear door, or doors, could be difficult to close.others reported that corrosion of the door latch mechanism caused binding of the latch.ford has identified a condition of corrosion in the pawl pivot area of the door latch assembly that prevents proper engagement of the door latch catch to the latch striker on the vehicle body.by letter of february 1, 2005, ford motor company notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall on model year 2000 through 2002 four and five-door focus vehicles registered in, or originally sold in, connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin. Dealers will inspect rear door latches and replace binding latches as required.dealers will also lubricate all rear door latches to prevent future corrosion and binding.a lower rocker seal will also be added to the rear doors. See safety recall 05v030 for details.
EA04023
Rear door latch failure
This investigation was opened on april 8, 2004, based on 17 reports that one or both rear door latches did not function properly.the complainants alleged that the doors were difficult to closeand that the door latches would not remain latched while the vehicles were being driven, resulting in a door coming open.several of the complainants reported that corrosion of the door latch mechanism caused binding of the latch.ford's response to the preliminary evaluation information request provided 19 consumer reports and 28 warranty claims attributed to the door latch where the doors came open while the vehicles were being driven.three (3) of the 17 opening odi reports were duplicated in ford's response.this investigation has been upgraded to engineering analysis ea04-023 for further study.
PE04033
What 2000 Ford Focus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. While parked, the contact placed the key in the ignition and was unable to turn the key. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician stated that the ignition would have to be replaced. The contact also noticed the front driver?s door handle was loose and about to fracture. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000. ....updated 08-24-12 *bf the consumer stated the door handles broke. Updated 08/30/2012
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford focus. The contact stated that the automatic locks were defective and the rear driver side door could not be opened. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 103,000. Updated 02/03/12*lj the consumer stated all of the doors became sluggish. The fuse for the power door locks failed. The fuse was replaced and failed again. The driver's side door stopped opening and would not unlock. Updated 02/10/12
My sixteen year old daughter has been stranded three times because her key would not turn the ignition. The first two times she was close to home and was with a friend, so she called my husband and we met her and took turns jiggling the steering wheel and the key until, finally after about ten minutes, the key turned, so the second time, it took over an hour, but did not give up because of the first time. The last time, my daughter was alone,late at night and fortunately, she was able to call us on her cell, but we had to get up out of bed, to rescue her and after over two hours of trying to get that key to work, we gave up. We had to abandon the car and I guess we will have to call a locksmith, but have been told that they have to use the same ignition and it will most likely happen again.
The key would not fit into the ignition and would not turn making the car unusable and stranding me for 5 hours while waiting for a locksmith. There was no warning this would happen. The ignition just stopped working. This is a well document defect in ford focus models. The locksmith replaced the ignition for $300.
2000 ford focus, rear doors will not close, currently using duct tape. Although there was a recall, I'm told not my VIN number. Looked online, many other complaints like mine, also not their VIN number. It appears to be much more wide spread than ford wants to admit.
Ignition switch in 2000 ford focus locked up and would not turn. The consequences of this failure were that I missed a very important doctors appointment. Nothing has been done to fix this problem because I do not have the $400.00 the ford place said it would cost to fix it. Why has this part not been recalled? It has been an ongoing problem.
The key has gotten stuck in the ignition three time now. The first time we could not get the car started in a rough neighborhood, and had to leave it over night. The second time I had to remove the battery cable in order to shut the car off. This last time I also had to remove the battery cable to shut the car off.
My year 2000 ford focus zx3 had been experiencing some ignition issues. I could put the key into the ignition, but it would not turn at all. This was especially the case if the wheel was locked. Usually after some jiggling of the key it would turn and I could start the car. The first time this happened was in august of 2004. It began to happen about twice a month. The dealership claims they are the only ones who can fix the issue, by re-making the key and programming the now the key won't turn at all. In shopping around dealerships they believe the price will be around $300 if the cylinder is not damaged (by their own key?) for $500, plus the cost to tow the vehicle to them so they can program the key. A local locksmith has told me that this is a common issue with the ford focus. If so, why has it not been recalled?
The ignition switch, on our 2000 ford focus, quit working. This is the second time in less than a year. The last time, I had a locksmith repair it. Now it isn't working again. I "googled" it and found that this is a problem with 2000-2003 models but no recall has been issued. I will call the locksmith for another costly repair but would like this issue looked at possibly for some kind of liability by ford motor company. Thank you.
Questions about the 2000 Ford Focus locks
Does the 2000 Ford Focus have locks problems?
Owners have filed 201 complaints about the locks of the 2000 Ford Focus, 5% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Focus locks problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 72,000 miles.
Is there a recall for the 2000 Ford Focus locks?
Yes, 1 recall: 05V030000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
Other 2000 Ford Focus problems
Electrical 1,343Engine 492Brakes 424Fuel system 411Suspension 390Transmission 225Airbags 191Acceleration 170Steering 168Body 137Visibility 118Wheels 113Tires 88Lights 72Seat belts 54Seats 31Driver assistance 2
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