I purchased a 2001 ford focus in august 2001. In sept. 2001 with only 2240 miles on the car transmission seemed to be slipping and the car failed to accelerate properly. Had it towed to the dealership and they said there was a leak in transmission line. This was repaired. In oct. 2002 at 16416 miles headlights would not come on when I turned the switch. Switch was replaced. About this same time new brake pads were required. Nov. 2002 at 17871 miles the ignition cylinder locked up. Car was towed and ignition cylinder replaced. August 2003 at 26757 miles ignition cylinder locked up again. Once again the car was towed to the dealer and ignition cylinder was replaced. Now I have a bubble in one tire and my brakes are squealing. What's next? Not once have I picked my car up from the dealer and it been washed or vacuumed out. I bought a new car because I needed reliable transportation. Now I feel like taking it back to the dealer and letting them keep it. I wonder how many ford employees would buy a focus?.
2001 Ford Focus transmission complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 90, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car jumps at highway speed. Checked with ford dealership in regard to problem, and no one can give me an answer.
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 transmission in my 2001 ford focus blew up before that I went and checked my fluid in it and there was nothing in it its a 5 speed and I never tampered with it so I put fluid in it that ford recommended after telling me its not fords fault there was no fluid in my car and after I put the fluid in it it blew up no gears nothin just grinding
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.
I took my car to sequioa national forest on memorial day weekend. My car was acting great til I til the grapevine my car suddenly did not want to change gear it would get stuck making my RPM really high I was afraid I was going to burnout my engine after I got into into the mountains the car was fine again maybe cause I was driving under 30 MPH but as soon as I got into the highway again I was fine as long as kept the same pace of the car which was 80 MPH as soon as I got like 85 or lower to 65 MPH it would get stuck. Unfortunetly all of this happen when my warranty expired by 1000 miles. I thought ford would be understanding but unfortunetly they didnt give a rats behind. So now im stuck with a "dependable" car with a crapped out transmission. Thank you ford you always make good cars (sarcasm by the way) next time ill get a real dependable car like honda or toyota. You suck ford motor company.
While merging onto the highway the car shifted into neutral and had no way to accelerate and causing a hazard by slowing traffic and having to go to the side of the highway.
When the vehicle was in park, the left axle snapped which caused the vehicle to roll backwards and caused an accident.
The driver side front tire had blown out. The passenger side tire was found worn on the inside along with an exposed wire. (these two tires were not of the same manufacturer) other problem were as followed: the button on the cassette player had broken, the adjuster button for the side view mirror on the passenger side had popped off, while driving the over drive light flashed and the vehicle jumped in/out of over drive (transmission problem-per mechanic), the battery light came on, there were no fuses in the wires under the passenger seat, trunk lock popped off, A/C button light on the dash came on when the heat was on, the brakes squealed(since purchase), there was a blind spot on the passenger side mirror, and when the headlights were on, the driver was unable to see other vehicle's due to the seats being too high. Mr scc
The engine missed usually mildly, but sometimes violently as to shake vehicle and sometimes stall, also the vehicle experienced a raw gas smell, suspension, brake,transmission and tire problems.*ak. Consumer also noted the rear hatch popped open by itself.
I had my car in the shop five times for transmission problems. The fourth time they replaced the transmission. When I got it home the fluid was all over the place. So I took it back the mechanic, and now I have to wait for another transmission.
The transmission and steering column failed at a low mileage.*jb
The transmission failed, before the first oil change was performed.
I just bought vehicle used in november with 13k on it. The trunk latch was the first thing that wasn't working right. It woudn't work unless I shut it really hard. The split rear seat doesn't latch either. Now after15k miles and three months have passed and I keep loosing brake fluid. I took it to the dealer and a tech found that the clutch master cylinder is leaking fluid. I wonder if that is why my clutch is slipping?
While driving vehicle stalled , resulting in loss of brake and steering functions. As a result, consumer collided with a truck. Ph
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
No summary. Dt
Have there been any reported problems with rack/pinion, transmission and alternators on this vehicle since mileage has been so low yet so many problems with the car. Dt
Vehicle sliped out of park and into drive, while car was running, I was out of the car aproxmently 15ft away checking in on the cookout that was going on at the shop.. At which time I heard like a shifting noise or loud click from the car, I look over at the car an noticed the vehicle started forward an crash into to corner of building causing some minor damage to the right front fender of the car nothing to building. When I got into the car the console gear selector was still in park. I notified great lakes ford about what happen, I have to bring it in on 09/25/2002 to have the transmission look at. I just hope I dont get the run - around treatment.. I feel after reading other complaints on your web page of this type of car and year having simular problems ford should be notified and a letter sent out to the customers notifing them of the possible problem with automatic transmission. And a recall notice should be issued. Thanks ray scott. Nlm
The check engine light illuminated and was told it was a faulty switch that needed to be reset, the problem has not yet been resolved.
At highway speeds vehicle will suddenly slam into park. Consumer has smelled wires burning. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide any further information.
On the way home after purchasing vehicle, the side view mirrors would not adjust. Consumer called the repair service to have the mirrors fixed. When consumer went to adjust the mirror it broke into 3 pieces.
Was driving home from work last thursday (10 minutes on the interstate, 97 degrees, full AC), when the car started to lose power followed by transmission lurching and engine trying to die. Pulled the remaining block into my apts and opened hood expecting to find overheated engine, and ended up see a bunch of flame and signing my thumb. Got fire extinguisher and put it out, and called fire dept. No work was done to engine other than a new air filter 4000 miles ago. So far the ford dealer wants to write it off as complete loss and leave it to my insurance. Took out my air intake, melted battery, melted battery wires, ruined hood, scroched headlight, smoked interior, and who knows what got sucked into engine through the intake. Dealer wouldn't tow because "warranty tows have to be called in through ford customer service". Photos are up at http://www.geocities.com/archangel_jjn. Contact me for more information.
Consumer states that brake pads and rotors were replaced, while braking at high speeds, the steering wheel will shudder.
Told waldorf ford that the car was leaning was told this is normal. Went out of town and a family member looked at it and said, "did you know your rear axle is bent and the wheels are brring inward." I told them what we were told, they said we need to take it back & have ford fix it. Ford refuses to take our calls to make appointment to fix.
Vehicle will stall out once gas gauge reaches a quarter tank. Also, keeps getting a power surge. Policeman offered consumer assistance, and moved her vehicle. Noticed that every time she turned ignition switch, odometer would increase several thousand in mileage. Please describe details.
Servere bucking/jolting a steady speeds, when A/C is turned on, when slowing down, when stopping, and when shifting gears. Radio turns off by itself, gets loud by itself, and sometimes, you can't turn it off. Popping noises when putting into gear.grinding noises and knocking noises when driving. Car vibrate uncontrolably at times. When increasing speeds, car wants to stall out and not shift gears. Almost lost control serval times because of jolting problem. Ford doesn't care, doesn't want to fix and has refused to contact us after 2 certified letters were sent.
Consumer states when driving if vehicle hits a bump the rear end of vehicle goes from side to side like its loosing traction of the road. Cause is unknown. Jbconsumer further states the vehicle used to give them 300 miles when the fuel tank is full to empty. Now the vehicle gives them 180 miles. The vehicle also has trouble changing gears and has been stalling. The dealer says there is nothing wrong.
Consumer states that the steering mechanism is getting looser the more consumer drives, the looser steering wheel gets. Consumer states there is a lot of play in steering and that makes it very hard to steer the vehicle. *jb the vehicle's mileage is decreasing from 300 miles to 200 miles and then to 180 miles for a full tank of fuel. The vehicle also experiences stalling and changing gears has been difficult.
Started to notice that the transimission would clatter at any speed. Clatter became pronounced and took the car in and it had a bad bearing. This problem seems to be a common one. While the car has 60k on it all the miles are highway as I drive it 100 miles round trip per day.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 Ford Focus?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history