2001 Ford Focus: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Sep 17, 2020 · Body, Driver assistance · 108,000 miles · MI · fire

On 9/2/2020 around 10 pm in michigan I was making a pizza delivery, I pulled into the subdivision where I had to make the delivery, all the sudden my car completely shut off. I couldn't accelerate or brake. I got my car fo saftey away from the houses because my first instinct was safety. I grab my phone to call my boss, I thought my car juat broke down. Then I saw smoke and sparks. I called the emergency services and the cars smoke got darker and the flames got bigger. I was very scared. All my windows exploded and the car melted to ground. By the looks of my photo the fire started near the battery and cables. Ever since that night, I've been scared of fires, hot surfaces, and weary around cars. I'm lucky to be alive but it was very dangerous as the flames reached about 10 feet high. Luckily it did not catch anything near by on fire.

Filed May 29, 2015 · Engine · 111,000 miles · PA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 ford focus. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the salvage yard. The cause of the failure was unknown. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

Filed May 14, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 130,000 miles · CA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. While driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk and the contact smelled smoke. The battery warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was stopped on the side of the road and the ignition was turned to the off position as the contact exited the vehicle. The contact observed flames under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle restarted without being prompted and started rolling forward. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 02v288000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Filed Jun 30, 2014 · Brakes, Engine · 10,900 miles · DE · fire

Was driving my car at 55 MPH at 11:20 pm on way home from work car made jerk lost all power no brakes no steering black smoke coming through vents to inside of car and flames coming from under hood car fully engulfed in flames blew up.

Filed Apr 7, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · WI · fire

2001 ford focus. Consumer writes in regards to electrical system failure. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle was a lemon. Over the past 2 years alone, he has spent $2,000 in non-routine repairs. Every time there was an issue, the vehicle was taken to the repair shop for the problem, but was never fully fixed. On one occasion, the vehicle started smoking and the wiring caught on fire.. The consumer was informed, the vehicle needed all new wiring, after the dash lights and tail lights went out 3 times. Also, the cruise control and all the lights inside the vehicle stopped working.

Filed Jan 13, 2014 · Body, Electrical · 135,000 miles · MI · fire

Sunday 05 jan 2014 I had recently parked my car, turned it off, and was outside of my vehicle (2001 ford focus) when I began to notice smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. I was confused at first, as the car was completely off for a few minutes before any problems began. Within a matter of two minutes the smoke had increased, thickened, and began to smell. My friend was nearby and had noticed that something was not right. He came over and we both took a couple steps toward the front of the car to figure out what was going on. Immediately flames burst up from the hood. At this point we instantly ran from the vehicle, dialing 911. The flames got worse as we waited from a distance for the fire department to arrive. At this point I was unsure as to whether the car would completely blow up or not, as the flames became worse with every minute. The fire department arrived within approximately five minutes. They were able to put the fire out in a few minutes, but had to break the window and then pry the hood open in order to do so. After the fire was completely out and the scene was safe I was able to talk with the firemen. They showed me under the hood and said the fire seemed to be something electrical and looked as if it had started near the front right of the vehicle under the hood (somewhere close to the passenger headlight). They also explained, as I had already assumed, that the vehicle was unsalvageable.

Filed Jul 28, 2012 · Engine, Fuel system · 108,000 miles · WV · fire

On 7/27/2012, the car caught on fire while being driven. The smoke started coming into the interior through the vents. When attempting to pull over,there was no brake (my guess is that the brake line had melted.). My husband used the e brake and park to stop and someone yelled...get out of the car.my husband and son jumped out and the car became engulfed. There is nothing left. He told me that just before that it started hesitating some,like it was going to cut off, but didn't. For a more detailed statement please contact him. I am so thankful that they got out... Thank you,

Filed Nov 4, 2009 · Electrical, Fuel system · 115,000 miles · CO · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. She had her vehicle repaired according to recall# 03v482000 ( fuel system, gasoline). After the repair while at a local gas station she saw a puddle of gasoline from under the fuel tank. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer and an updated version of the component was installed. Years later, while driving the driver-side head light failed. She pulled over to a local store and turned the vehicle off. Minutes later smoke engulfed the front-end of the vehicle, and then flames erupted. The fire department extinguished the flames and cut the battery cables. A fire fighter speculated that the battery caused the fire. The manufacturer was contacted in reference to recall #: 02v288000 (electrical system:battery:cables). Upon contact she was advised that her vehicle identification number was excluded from the VIN range. She was in the process of sending correspondence to the manufacturer that exemplifies the failure. The failure mileage was . The current and failure mileages were 115,000.

Filed Jun 9, 2009 · Engine · 61,000 miles · WI · fire

Our daughters 2001 ford focus caught on fire from the engine, burned into the cabin. The car was off and parked in a lot. We purchased the car from a ford dealership when it was 3 years old, and have never been told of this problem. The car has been totaled. We are so fortunate that our daughter was not injured, nor that anyone else or property was damaged. She had only been out of the car for about 4-6 minutes before it erupted in flames. Prior to that the car appeared to drive fine. No smells, no warning lights. Very scary. I felt that I need to tell someone, as the insurance company, appears to want to just settle the claim, with no investigation. How are we to make cars safer, if the insurance companies, the last line of defense, don't notify anyone?

Filed Sep 27, 2008 · Electrical · 108,000 miles · MA · fire

2001 ford focus caught on fire under the hood, it started near battery, car is a total loss.

Filed Aug 22, 2008 · Fuel system · 41,800 miles · AZ

2001 ford focus, sever gasoline leak, when noticed half a thank had leaked in 1 hour. Stopped car, had it towed after allowing the leak to stop. Could had get on fire, road got covered with gas. Dealer found disconnected gas line to gas pump on gas pump. Could not connect the gas line back since neck was damaged, replaced gas pum and gas line. Pump was changed by same dealer on 2005 after car died because pump broke, recall was in effect and pump changes as recalled.

Filed Jul 11, 2008 · Engine · 85,700 miles · MI

Thermostat housing has started leaking coolant. This is reportedly a common failure on focus with 2.0l dohc engine (zetec). The thermostat housing failure may or may not be a connection to the valve cover leaking oil onto the thermostat housing and hot exhaust manifold which produces a faintly noticeable burning smell when driving.