When starting my car from my carport in the morning, the engine made a rattling, grinding noise. I had the vehicle towed to the ford dealership. They determined that the valve seat had dropped, damaging the cylinder head and two of the pistons.
2002 Ford Focus engine complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 119, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While waiting at a construction site the engine died and would not start (the engine indicator lit). The brake lights, power windows, and rear hatch release also failed to function. The vehicle was towed and the personal mechanic reported the electrical harness to the rear hatch had failed where is passed between the body and the hatch door. The harness electrical insulation was cracked on the entire bundle of wires and shedding fragments causing some wires to short, the 15 amp fuse for the brake lights had evidence of heating, but did not blow, rather, wires leading to the brake pedal sensor, the 15 amp fuse, and along the harness back to the short in the rear wiring harness near the center brake light had discolored and were melted in some segments. Ford customer service said to consult a ford service center to determine if there was a manufacturing defect. The ford service representative said he had seen this before and said it was not a manufacturing defect, rather it was a design defect that occurs after 10 years or more.
The motor on the sun roof and all of my windows went out the handle on door for the front passenger fell off the ,rear door on the passenger side on the inside just fell apart sometimes you can't open the door from the inside or the outside its like they freeze up and a day later they open (this is a huge safety issue ) sometimes my car just dies out and all of the panel goes blank like it just shuts down.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle made a rattling noise and the contact noticed that the steel valve seat had become separated from the vehicle and dropped into the combustion chamber. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 187,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was shifted into park and the contact attempted to restart the vehicle but to no avail. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the engine would have to be replaced due to oil leaking into the engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 94,312 and the current mileage was 94,312.
I own a 2002 ford focus zx3 with a very low mileage of 45226. On october 12th friday, I drove my car to the university, (~2 miles from my home) and parked for a few minutes. Then I started driving toward the commuter parking lot. However, 30 seconds later, a huge ?continuous knocking? Sound came out from the engine followed by white smoke. Then I saw a very large amount of engine oil spill, down the road. Since I could no longer drive the car, I had to get it towed to the nearest garage. The mechanic concluded that one of the piston rods have been broken and spiked the engine oil sump. He was clueless about seeing such a mechanical failure from a low mileage, well-maintained car. Most surprisingly, there were three other ford focus cars with similar engine failures/defects. For a small university town, four cars with similar defects is not a normal issue. The main reason for this complaint because I had to go through a life threatening situation. The continuous knocking and wobbling that occurred for a speed of 18mph, I could only imagine what would have happened if I had been on the highway, 55+ MPH. There has to be a defect or else this would have not happened to a well maintained car with regular oil changes, wheel alignments...etc.
Cylinder head valve seat failure. Approx 1/2 of the valve seat fell into combustion chamer (between piston and head).. This caused piston to break and rod to go through cylinder wall but not through block outer wall and causing coolant to get into oil. Being a ford tech, I have seen damage caused by valve seats in cylinders 1,2,&4. It's always a intake valve seat. Also always and only on sohc motor. Have seen this happen and as early as 60k miles.
While idling, my car is turning off. It also does so when attempting to accelerate after shifting the car from p to d. Initially the gas cap light on the dashboard signaled. I replaced the cap, and the check engine light was illuminated afterwards. Now, the car is turning off completely while idling and only the check engine light is lit.
Without warning the engine blew! I service my auto like I'm suppose to and this happens. By looking online I see I'm not the only one. Try finding a engine for this car is so expensive that it's ridiculous! That let me know I'm not alone! I can't believe the going rate for this car's engine is $1700! So now I'm stuck with a piece of junk costing me $3500 to get it fixed only to wait until the next shoe falls!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. While attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, the vehicle suddenly lost all power without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a failed timing belt. The contact was awaiting repairs. The dealer advised the contact to notify the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance since there were no recalls for the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 110,000.
Vehicle failed to start after completing a 30 minute drive and being turned off for about 5 minutes. Clicking noises like starter failing to engage or low battery ensued. When hood was lifted and battery cover removed and cables and connections were inspected, it was observed that the positive cable off the back of the positive battery harness was exposed, the insulation being almost completely melted. The exposed wires showed signs of fraying and burning. After attempting to jump start the vehicle about 3 times and waiting about 20 minutes, the vehicle started. The vehicle was driven about 20 miles to a service station and inspected by their mechanics. It was decided for safety reasons(fire hazard) to leave vehicle. In 45 years I have never known a battery cable to melt even though I have had bad connections, corroded terminals and harness to the battery and even bad starters. All of the above reasons were the only solutions offered to me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. The contact stated that whenever she would downshift or brake to a complete stop, the vehicle would stall without warning. The fuel filter, engine coil pack and spark plugs were replaced but to no avail. The contact experienced the failure at least three times. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that there were no recalls on the vehicle and referred the contact to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH the engine dropped down onto the drive shaft. The vehicle was pulled over and towed home. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and the contact was informed that the bolts for the engine mount fractured due to corrosion. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 88,000.
While driving, the spark plugs eject from the block. This is dangerous and can cause an engine fire. This problem has apparently been reported to ford, but they claim nothing can be done until they receive a certain amount of complaints. This is not normal wear and tear. The spark plugs have been replaced four times along with the coil. This is unacceptable and inconvenient and ford needs to remedy this issue everyone is having with their vehicles.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. When the vehicle stopped it began to shake. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle stopped. Approximately one month later a check engine light began illuminating on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was told that the engine was misfiring. The contact was later told that the failure was within the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,200 and the current mileage was 101,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Engine stalls when starting the car cold and when stopped at a long light. Have taken it to the dealer several times and was told that they cannot identify any problems. Problem has been present for last 6 years and is getting progressively worse. Have changed battery and fuel filter but problem remains.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. The contact stated she was unable to start the vehicle and it was towed to a local repair facility. The mechanic found that the valve seat had fractured and caused the piston skirt to fracture along with the connecting rod. In addition, the failure caused cylinder scoring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 87,000. Updated 11/23/10
The check engine light came on suddenly on my 2002 ford focus. Immediately, I took it to the ford dealership. The technician couldn't find a problem , the check engine light wouldn't come on. Therefore, nothing could be done. They didn't understand why. Within in week, the engine light came back on. This time there was a miss in the engine and it was running rough. Now, the ford dealership mechanic told me my focus se had a dropped valve and in the #4 cylinder. Inorder to fix the problem, the head of the engine had to be removed to see if the dropping of the valve had caused serious damage to the engine. Because the scheduled required maintenance,I.e oil changes, according to ford instructions for my ford focus, I thought the engine would last. After this event, I became curious about ford focus' engines. Was this an isolated mechanical flaw? Or was it an engine defect? From my research, this type engine failure appears to be from a defect in the design of the 2.0 liter efi spi type of engines. For years, I thought the ford focus was a great product to have because of its reliability, if you complied with scheduled maintenance of the vehicle. It appears that I was wrong. The cost of repair for a well-maintain focus engine $6000.00. There is a pattern to these engine failures. Should the 2002 focus be recalled for engine defects? All I know is that quality well-maintain engines shouldn't have dropped valves for no apparent reason. So, it must be some type of engines design defect.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford focus. While driving 5 to 10 MPH, she heard a loud banging noise. She drove onto the emergency lane to inspect the vehicle and noticed that the front axle looked as if it was going to break. She safely drove the vehicle to her residence. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that there was nothing wrong with it. The failure continued to occur and it was inspected by the dealer again. The dealer advised the contact that both front axles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure continued to occur. The dealer advised her on the third visit that the front axles that were replaced were defective and that the wheel bearings needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle also had an exhaust leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 123,000.
2002 ford focus se station wagon. Consumer states problem with automatic transmission. Engine has strong noise. The consumer stated it took three times to fix the transmission. The window regulators were replaced four times, the thermostat housing failed twice which caused coolant leak. Also, there was a problem with the air bag system and the cover on the passenger side.
Details: the car's check engine light came on and started stalling, had it checked and was told it needed a timing belt and tune up. After $1400 later and still the same problem that the car was only running on 3 cylinders and was recommended to put an additive in the engine to try to loosen up stuck valves... Still same problem . Then tearing the engine apart found damage done to # 4 cylinder .
On 3/12/09, while driving my 2002 ford focus se wagon on main street (ri-3) in ashaway, rhode island, at about 35 MPH, hit a small bump with the right front wheel. A loud scraping noise immediately ensued. Was able to stop within a few feet. Inspection revealed that both mounting studs on the passenger side engine mount for the transversely mounted engine had broken off allowing the engine to drop down onto the passenger side drive axle. The car was flatbed towed 5 miles to my mechanic. His inspection showed that one of the studs had been broken for some time, while the second showed a fresh break. There was no evidence of corrosion, or that the studs had ever been removed and replaced. I don't know how often this failure occurs, but the tow operator and both mechanics at the shop had never seen this happen before. The consequences are that the car becomes inoperable without causing severe damage. The result at highway speed could have been disastrous. The failure was corrected by replacing the broken studs with new factory parts. I have the two broken studs in my possession.
I had to replace the motor mounts twice in approximately a 4 month period due to cracking and complete breaking, a partial break in one and general overall weakening. My mechanic only charged me the first time for the mounts and installation (the second time was a free replacement--as the mounts failed, and as it came only a few months after the first replacement). My mechanic said that there is a problem with the ford focus vehicles due to the lack of stability in the motor mount area. Basically, he said that there isn't much structural support for the engine and the motor mounts get stressed as a result of the vibrations and constant tension on them. He told me that they would probably need to be replaced again at some point. I was trying to figure out some type of jury rig device to reinforce the stability of the area. Do you have any suggestions?
Ford focus 2002 would not start the ignition.
A screw was dislodged from the engine, ricocheting through out the engine causing damage beyond repair. The engine ceased working without any preparation. The engine needed to be replaced completely.
On my 2002 ford focus, the thermostat housing began leaking coolant when the thermostat housing gasket against the engine block failed. This is a common problem on various years of the focus as verified by the comments of the ford motor co. Parts sales people in saying that they sell many of the thermostat housings, and also by blogs on internet chat lines. The rubber gasket swells when it comes in contact with oil and breaks off the inner gasket-support ring, allowing the leak to happen. It is a poor design that can lead to major problems such as environmental pollution and engine failure. I would be glad to mail the affected part to you for your examination. It is amazing how completely the support ring failed, and the condition of the gasket that is not compatible with oil which leaks from the valve cover above. The part could easily be redesigned to use a standard o-ring for the seal, which is resistant to oil, and seals better. The current gasket is more like a rubber band that is held in place by the inside rim which breaks off.
We bought this two yrs ago from ford dealership and up to the date it broke down not one problem . We do all the maintenance plus some all buy certified mechanics . This was our only car . The engine blew at under 200xxxkm . These are all highway km as we are commuters . There is no way this engine should have blown at that many km without some kind of warning sign . Before the day it blew there were no knocks nothing ran like a top . We have never taken this car over 100km on the highway as its our only mode of transportation . We still owe 140000 on this hunk of crap . Im just wondering if this is the norm for the focus engines . Im just baffled because like I said there was absolutely no warning signs up till the morning it happened it started to sputter and lose power . The misses dropped me off at work made it to the shop barely and its never started since . The mechanic says there is no compression in number 4 cylinder and it was just in the shop for a tune up maybe a month tops before this happened . Any help or info would help . There aren't that many out there that care about the little man so I'll take any help or advise I can get . Thx tania and derrek eberlie
In the last 5 years I have replaced a air conditioning hose 3 times ! My mechanic claims it to be a bad design and he sees it often with this model and year ford focus 2002.
The car's check engine light came on and started stalling, had it checked and was told that the car was only running on 3 cylinders and was recommended to put an additive in the engine to try to loosen up stuck valves...a week after that the car, we were driving the car, parked it for about an hour and it wouldn't start. We finally got it started after a few minutes and it sounded like there were rocks in the engine. Had it towed and have not done anything with it because we cannot afford to spend $3000 to repair it and we still owe $5000 on it. We bought it used 3 1/2 years ago. We have found that ford replaced the cylinder heads on these cars because of the problem but no recall was issued by ford to prevent further engine damage. We understand that at this point the whole engine would need to be replaced because of damage to the pistons. The person who checked our car said that he had taken the cylinder head cover off and found a broken spark plug which suggests extensive engine damage.
I was driving to work. I live 7 miles from work. At a stop light my car started shaking very bad and the engine shut down. It would not start again.. I had it towed to my brothers house and started researching the symptoms... Everything I could find leads to engine failure, caused by a thrown rod or broken piston. After checking the compression in the cylinders # 1-3 no problems about 75 psi and #4 was 0. I believe that the #4 piston or rod is broken or otherwise rendered useless causing the complete engine failure. The vehicle has 85500 miles and has been maintained per the owners manual.
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