Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. While driving between 20-80 MPH, the accelerator pedal would become stuck momentarily. The dealer stated that the throttle body was defective and needed to be replaced. The part was unavailable and the dealer stated that it was being redesigned especially for this failure, and would not be available until december of 2008. The vehicle is inoperable and awaiting the replacement part in order to be repaired. The failure and current mileages were less than 30,000.
2001 Ford Focus acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 66, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I purchased a 2001 ford focus on my way to work while pulling into my parking space the car accelerated unexpectedly then the brakes did not work. I then pulled on the emergency brakes which did not work to immediately stop the car. I crashed head on into the car in front of the parking space. Also, upon impact the airbags did not inflate. The car was supposedly to have front and side impact airbags and one in the steering when and nothing happened. My chest went straight into the steering wheel so hard there was a circular imprint around my chest and stomach. After people came to see about me one man asked if my car was off. I said yes and he pointed out the car still looked like it was trying to accelerate. The wheels were spinning full force. I took the car back to the dealership I only had it for 3 days and nothing was done to correct the failure. The owner of the dealership said since the car was in a wreck it was worthless to him and there was nothing he could do. He even threatened that he would call the police if my family and myself did not leave.
My daughter was driving on the highway. Traffic was trying to merge, and she was blocked in on the left. She accelerated a little to get ahead of the merging traffic. At that time the throttle stuck wide open and would not release. She stated that when she tried to stop the car with the brakes, it would not slow down even though she was pushing as hard as she could on the brake pedal. She placed the gear shift in neutral and was able to stop the car. She came to a stop at the side of the road and shut the car off. The rpms were at 7000 before she shut the engine off. Upon restart, the engine continued to race to 7000 RPM. She was able to get the throttle un-stuck by pushing the pedal to the floor and releasing. She drove the car to a sears auto center, where the technician found the throttle linkage malfunctioning. He could not fix the problem, and could not guarantee that it would not happen again. We elected to leave the car there, and have it towed to a ford dealership in the morning. It was a very scary and potentially dangerous event.
No event LED to this failure. I was driving on the freeway when my accelerator cable broke. Luckily, I was in a lane that allowed me to coast to the shoulder; however, a defect such as this is a safety concern. This could have caused me to get into a car accident.
While driving vehicle hesitated to accelerate when pressing the acceleration pedal. The cause of this was undetermined.
When attempting to brake, the consumer down shifted and the safety ignition switch malfunctioned and was caught under the clutch, causing the relay to slow down. The consumer pulled the emergency brake to stop the lurching, but it was too late and the consumer scraped another vehicle in a parking lot. *ak
Vehicle stalled while driving or would not start. Dealership informed the consumer that the problem pertained to the idle control valve, but the problem was not resolved.
Consumer noticed fuel rail system was leaking gasoline, resulting in stalling. Independent shop cleaned the fuel injection an throttle cable. Dealer was notified.
While driving down the montauk highway 27, I reached the speed of 50 MPH. Approximately 5 minutes after reaching 50 and placing my car in cruise control, the car unexpectedly began to rapidly accelerate. I could not slow the car down, had to turn the ignition key off and stopped in the middle of the highway.
Vehicle was surging at a steady speed of 53-63 MPH. *ph *sc
The vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while driving 35 MPH. The gas pedal went all the way down to the floor. The cable popped out of the throttle mechanism and the vehicle accelerated. Please provide further information.
Vehicle stalled without warning when driving at any speed. The problem occurred more frequently when making turns or reversing. Vehicle was almost rear ended when it stalled while merging onto the highway. Dealership replaced the fuel pump 3 times, but problem still exists. Also, while driving at any speed vehicle will suddenly surge and accelerate at a high speed. The brake pedal was depressed to disengage the excess speed. The cause of the sudden acceleration was undetermined.
Ford focus sped up for no reason and then veered to left crossing left lane and went into ditch which had a culvert and the car then bounced into a cornfield. Airbags deployed for both driver and passenger. Driver had broken ribs and other bruises. Passenger had chest injuries from which he died couple hours later. The inspecting officer said witnesses insisted they did not see brake lights, and if there was anything wrong with the car the driver would have hit the brakes. Driver remembered the accident, and was awake and talking to passenger. She was hospitalized and had neurological tests and did not have a stroke.
Vehicle accelerated without driver touching the accelerator pedal. Over $5,000 for repair.
2001 ford focus displaying problems with transmission due to several leaks, cruise control, and trunk of vehicle. *mr water leaked onto the floorboard of the trunk which was only adjusted(problem repeated), the cruise control worked intermittently(new switch was ordered, the drivers side window squeaked and was fixed, the transmission leaked and was replaced but the service dealer was unable to determine the cause, water leaked in the front passenger side (problem repeated) then the r & l cowl grid was replaced to remedy the problem but didn't, coolant leaked from the upper radiator and the hose clamp was replaced, the trunk did not shut properly and the latch was replaced but did not fix the problem, the vehicle was taken in due to the parts being recalled, the real wheel bearings were replaced, the second recalled part was the pinch bolt torque and battery cable routing which was replaced, and the mechanics found that the brakes had worn out in the front and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken in for warranty repairs on 10 separate occasions and six attempt for the leaks, the problem in the front of the vehicle persisted. In addition, the entire transmission had to be replaced because of several leaks, several circuit and switches have broken down on the cruise control. The consumer was also concerned with the gas mileage which had consistently fallen and did not act as the promoted dealers sticker. The consumer requested a full refund for the purchase price. *scc
My 2001 ford focus se 4dr tends to stall out after using the air conditioner. The stalling behaviour starts after the A/C has been on for a while and continues after the A/C is turned off. The engine sputters and will stall while driving at highway speeds.
I am writing to you in regard to a host of problems I am currently experiencing with my 2001 ford focus zx3.these problems include, but are not limited to: (1) gears not shifting properly and signs of locking up during driving -- and brake grinding sounds; (2) continuous "flickering" of headlights and dashboard panel lights; (3) air conditioning and heating systems not functioning properly; (4) large pond of water (during heavy rains) in floor on front passenger side; (5) problems with fuel module and fuel monitor; and (6) transmission failure in progress. transmission failure in progress -- ECM codes erased by dealership -- fuel monitor and bad running condition very evident. he further stated the fluid is burnt very badly , he cannot service the transmission at this point and that this vehicle is going to go downhill from here. In other words, the 2001 focus that I purchased from town & country ford, inc. Only nine months ago is not drivable and it will cost at least $2,000 to replace the transmission. This is clearly a defect. It has to be! I cannot afford to repair this vehicle and make payments on it at the same time.
Engine stalls and power loss and brakes not responding resulted in rear end collision with another vehicle.
I bought a 2001 ford focus. The throttle was sticking and was hard to take off and then it would lurch forward all of a sudden. I took it to the dealer and they oiled the cable and it worked for a few hours and got stiff again. I took it to another dealer and they replaced the throttle body. That problem was fixed. Now when I drive it the check engine light comes on and then it dies. I had to have it towed back to the dealer. I feel this car is not safe.
Nar 03/05/2003 the vehicle engine sped out of control by itself with a hugh burst of speed, and the car ran into the shrubbery at the edge of the parking lot.
The consumer has experienced the following: the brakes has an abnormal noise, pulsation when moderate-hard braking, and grinding, the accelerator cable clip-broken, battery and case, belt assembly and idler seal, transmission/pan gasket leak, temp guage-found burnt resister/connector-goes hot and cools when A/C is on and the fan does not come on, the vehicle stalled at an intersection, the exhaust camshaft seal is leaking, the fuel sender works intermittently/inop, and the rear suspension-rear shocks-seemed weak and hears a noise in the rear end when going over a dip. Scc
While backing up slowly with my foot on the brake, the car lurched backward with tremendous force and struck two other parked vehicles. The brake failed to stop it. Dt
The consumer was backing the vehicle of out a parking space when the accelerator pedal became stuck resulting in a collision with 2 other vehicles. The dealer could not determine the cause. *mr
While in motion consumer's foot slipped from gas pedal. Consumer tried to put foot back on the pedal, but there was no pedal. Consumer was able to move vehicle to the side of the road. C0nsumer had vehicle towed, and it was stated theat cable to gas pedal broke. *jg....
While backing vehicle into the driveway, the engine surged and the vehicle shot back toward the house hitting it. The vehicle then shot forward bending a metal fence. Consumer suffered injuries to the neck, also, in the accident the front seat broke, putting consumer into a 45 degree angle.
Accelerator got stuck, and the vehicle started to speed up which caused an accident. Contacted dealer.
The vehicle surges while in 3rd and 4th gear, around 35-40mph. It has stalled out three times. We have taken it to a dealer to be repaired after telling them on several occasions that something was wrong and the problem has never been completely resolved.
While driving the vehicle started accelerating by itself to the point where consumer had to pull over, out of the highway.dealer was notified.
While traveling at normal highway speed, I was crossing the tacoma narrows bridge when I experienced complete loss of throttle control. The vehicle slowed to a stop with the engine at idle. The accelerator pedal went to the floor. I called 911 and a washington state patrol vehicle responded and pushed me off of the bridge. The vehicle was towed to the nearest ford dealer where it was discovered that the throttle cable had snapped close to the linkage at the engine. The cable was replaced under warranty. Due to the high volume of traffic on the bridge the stalling of my vehicle caused a large traffic jam and left me in a very unsafe condition.
Car hesitates while at steady throttle and stalls while idle unless I turn off air conditioner and stereo (sometimes stalls anyway). Dealer has been non responsive to the problem, stating it needs routine main tenance flushes,which have cost hundreds of dollars with less than 25, 000 miles on the car. The problem only continues to get worse. The stalling makes me fear for my safety. Also, the dealer cannot service my vehicle in less than two. *ak weeks when I call for an appointment. I had the vehicle looked at today by anot her mechanic who told me in his opinion, these flushes had not ever been done and that the car was badly in need of such. I have the invoice from the dealer stating that they performed the fuel injector cleaning and the throttlebody combustion chamber cleaning (at my expense) at 25,482miles. On several occasions, the car has not started immediately in the morning as well.
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