Ignition switch failure.
2003 Ford Focus electrical complaints
Page 13 of 19: complaints 341 to 370 of 522, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Ignition key switch would not turn to start key. I had to replace the lock assembly on 2003 ford focus I bought brand new 12/31/2003. Told by scott reynolds of reynold's ford that even one of his mechanic's wife had same problem as a number of people have.
Electrical problem that shuts down the car.
During the past week had been having trouble turning the key in the ignition, and a couple of days ago the ignition was completely stuck. After 4 hours of trying to get it too turn I had to have the vehicle towed and it was being repaired as of right now. I have had the vehicle less than 2 and a half years and have yet to even surpass 50,000 miles on it. This wa s a problem that is quite widespread among ford focus owners I felt the need to make my problem known also.
Parked car when arriving to work at 8 am. Was leaving for lunch at 12 pm and ignition wouldn't turn at all. Wheel locked. Had to call tow truck. First truck arrived and they couldn't tow car since steering wheel locked and only a flat bed truck. Then had to wait several hours for a wheel lift truck. Was told by towing company that he had (8) ford focus' (same model), that week with same problem. He also told me that locksmiths do not want to touch the issue, since it is a manufacturer problem and that ford won't take responsibility for the issue. Towed to dealer and was told that it would be $300 to replace ignition. Warranty had just ended on vehicle. Ford corporate honored a small portion of replacement cost, I ended up paying $100 (thanks to the dealers help), but this shouldn't have happened in the first place. Obvious from this site that it's not just me that this is happening to. (and this problem is among many others I have dealt with on this stupid car).
2003 ford focus ignition switch failed, causing the tires, steering wheel and ignition to lock. Therefore, car became inoperable. A subsequent tow damaged the car before being taken to repair shop.
(1)from the time I bought the car 1-1/2 years ago, the ignition switch would sometimes freeze, disabling the car from being started. At first, I just had to turn the wheel in the car and then the ignition switch would work. (2)about a month ago, the ignition switch completely froze. I had to have the car towed to my home. I was told by one of the tow truck men who came to tow my car that this ignition switch was a factory defect in almost every american-made car. (3)I wrote to ford in detroit and filed a complaint. They did not even grace my complaint with a response. I then got an estimate of the cost to repair from the service director at capistrano ford. He told me it would be $260 to $280. I had to wait until this month as I am on social security disability income and had already allocated my money going out for june. On july 3 I was finally able to have my car towed to the dealer. When I spoke to the service manager, he informed me that I was quoted wrong on the cost of repair and that it would be $403 to repair. I complained, reached the director of the service department again and told him of my complaint regarding the higher pricer. The service director told me he could knock off $70 of the bill by taking the cost out of his technician's hide. I disputed that as being unfair, and told him that ford (in detroit) should be paying for this, not his technician. He told me he would try to knock off even more of the cost. Later in the afternoon, the service manager called to tell me my car was ready. When asked how much the charges were, he told me "$50 bucks!" he told me they had decided to charge the service to ford in detroit and did the work as a courtesy service with a $50 deductible. Again, this ignition switch is known by tow truck people to be a factory defective part in just about every american-made car. My car is only 4 years old and has less than 25,000 miles on it. Please recall this ignition switch on every american-made car.
Ignition lock failure on ford focus zx3, 2003. Multiple occurrences. Purchased car used at 39,000 mi; now at 47,000 mi. Have owned for less than one year.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. While checking the brake light bulbs, the contact noticed that the wires were cracked. The dealer stated that the wire harness needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 73,281.
One evening stopped at the store, turned car off, went back to start car, ignition would not turn over. Called towing company, they were able to turn it over. Informed me I needed to get the ignition switch replaced. Looked around found an lock smith that could do it, charged an arm and leg. The problem is recurring and will need to be replaced again. Ford is not responding to the problem, I am not the only one, a petition has been issued with over 900 signatures with the same problem. Ford needs to resolve this issue with a recall.
2003 ford focus. Steering wheel will not unlock after inserting key .
Ignition switch failed
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated that the ignition switch would lock up and the key was unable to be turned. A mechanic diagnosed the vehicle as needing a new ignition cylinder. The ignition cylinder has been replaced. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 39,035 and failure mileage was 25,700.
I went to start the car after work like always and the ignition was stuck in lock! I have been reading online all day about all the people that this happened to. Please make ford recall this product or at least refund the consumer the cost to fix a product that is obviously defective. I have yet to get to see the final bill on the fix.
Key would'nt turn the ignition on my2003 ford focus zx5. Happened at various times, till it would'nt work at all. Had it repaired at dealership at a cost of $365.00. They replaced the ignition lock.ak
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated that the ignition key gets stuck in the ignition or the key fails to start the vehicle completely. The failure occurs intermittently. The dealer stated that she needs a new key or a new ignition. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 55,000 and failure mileage was 50,000.
The ignition won't work. I cannot turn the key in the ignition. I have had trouble turning it before, but usually after turning the steering wheel or jiggling the gear shift it would work. Nothing is working today.
My 2003 ford focus has a locked ignition that I found out is a very common problem since 2000. It was told that it would cost me $500.00 to fix it.
My left tail signal light went out. When I went to change it according to the instructions in my manual I could not remove the taillight capsule from the housing. I went to coons ford fairfax, va to see if they could change it. I was told that the electrical output of my car melted the taillights to the lens on both sides of the car. The estimated repair is $500. I got on the phone and talked to someone at ford's main customer service line. After our conversation they gave me 15% off on my repair bill. After retrieving my car the other taillight died. Someone on ford's assembly line did not wiring my car correctly. How is this my fault and why did I have to pay $421.20 for a mistake they made? For safety reasons I got the repairs done. I would like a full investigation of this matter. I have in my possession both broken taillights for anyone to check out.
Ignition turned fine, parked car overnight and when I returned (very late that night) to leave the key would not turn. The ignition was locked. Nothing would fix this. I spent nearly 30 minutes trying to turn the key without being able to start the car. The neighborhood was very scary, and my inability to drive away made me feel extremely uneasy, especially at such a late time of night.
Tl*- contact stated while driving the 2003 ford focus lx he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled to the side of the road and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department stated that the fire could have started from some faulty wire underneath the hood. The contact could provide pictures if needed. The failure mileage and current mileage were both 54,000.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 for focus with a current and failure odometer reading of 38,000 miles. The contact stated while driving at about 35 MPH under dry conditions the instrument panel failed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, they repaired the problem. But, when she contacted the manufacturer, they stated that they would not assist her with this problem. When the contact had the vehicle at dealer for service the mechanic found that the third brake light assemble melted, causing the brake light to fail.
A ford focus wagon 2003. When I trying to start the vehicle the ignition switch cylinder lockede, would not engage. The key would not turn when inserted in the lock & icould not turn on the car. The vehiclewas just over three years old. *ak this problem happened two days in a row. Called ford & they said there is no recall. I searched google for ''ford focus ignition locks''. Please note the following results copied from this google search ''results 1 - 10 of about 455,000 for ford focus ignition locks . (0.39 seconds)''. I was concerned that a faulty ignition would be used if ford replaced it so I called a local locksmith. The owner was very familiar with the problem & has replaced a number of ford vehicle ignition locks. I had the locksmith replaced my focus ignition. The cost was $240.75. I am 59 years old. My family has owned numerous cars & trucks. I have never had to replace an ignition key switch in any other vehicle especially one just over three years old. Ironically to add to my frustration, I just paid off the 36 month car loan on this focus. Also, sent a letter to ford motor company about this problem to attn: alan mulally, president & ceo plus cc'ed to william clay ford, jr., executive chairman & the federal safety agency headquarters, 400 seventh street, sw, washington, dc 20590 (sending via mail & email to the federal safety agency)
2003 ford focus - an apparent "known defect" yet still not a recall or reimbursable expense to fix. We are unable to start the car. The key goes into the ignition, but won't turn the switch... Ford's fix is to replace the cylinder at over $300.00 and a new security key at $150.00.
The key stuck in the ignition switch on my 2003 focus pzev. When it finally released it would no longer turn. I had the veihicle towed by aaa and had a aaa locksmith come to repair the ignition which I was told is not covered under my warrenty, at a cost of $300. The locksmith said it is a common problem on the focus. One month later the locksmith had to come back out to repair it again. A year later I must turn the key back a notch to remove it from the ignition. It will cost me another $300 to have the repair repeated. The locksmith says that the problem is with the part itself and will continue to happen.
I've had my 2003 ford focus wagon in twice for repair of the ignition lock. The first time I had the problem the steering wheel wouldn't release as the key wouldn't fit into the ignition. Took it to the dealer and they removed the lock cylinder. It was cleaned and lubed and operating normally on 26 january 2007. About a month later I was having the same problem. This time I had to have it towed to the dealer. This car only has 13,000 miles on it! They had to drill out the ignition lock cylinder and replace it. I hope this time it will last longer than a month! This was a very costly service! $267.00 for labor and $99.91 for the part! I haven't seen any recalls on this yet but if they do have one I'm hoping to get my money back as this has been a very costly service to me - almost $600.00 total for both instances!
Tl*- the contact stated that when driving the 2003 ford focus the vehicle shifted into neutral, then shifted back into drive. This would last anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. The contact stated that the dashboard lights and radio would flicker on and off, as well as the lighting system, including the headlights. The contact stated that the doors will also lock and she wasunable to exit the vehicle. When this happened she attempted to get out of the vehicle by manually hitting the unlock switch. The vehicle locks finally opened after approximately twenty minutes. The mechanic advised the contact to have electrical system reprogrammed, which was done in november 2006, but she continued to have the same problems. The vehicle stalled when exiting the interstate while driving at 45 MPH. There were no warning lights before the vehicle lost power. The contact was unable to restart vehicle, and had vehicle towed to a mechanic. The mechanic informed contact he did not know why the vehicle lost power. The vehicle currently had 57000 miles. *ak updated 03/30/07.
I have owned 3 ford focus: one 2000 and two 2003. All three vehicles have had an ignition cylinder failure which cost in excess of $300 each time. The key will not turn in the ignition and this happens without warning. On three occasions I have been stranded and had to call aaa to get be to a garage for repair. I have cited only the most recent incident in this complaint. This is a known problem and I fail to see why a recall was never issued. Ford should be held accountable.
I have a 2003 ford focus. The fault is that when I put the key in the ignition, the key will not turn at all. It is locked in place. It happened once this summer on this car and on a 2002 focus I sold to a friend whom works with me. I called the ford dealership to see if they have seen this problem, which they had. They told me I could tap it with a rubber hammer to get it to unlock. Sure thing, it did. I checked for recalls, which none were found. I checked for tsb's, sure enough, there are numerous reports of this problem. This appeard to be a major defect. I believe this could be a serious safety problem if for instance someone went for a drive during the winter in the remote mountains and stoped to got for a walk. Upon return, the defective ignition wouldn't work and they're stranded. Ford didn't appear to want to listen to my complaints. Look at the tsb's and you'll really get a good picture of the volume of ignation problems.
My key stopped working, or would only work intermittently for the past month. I started carrying my spare key at all times so I wouldn't get stranded. I finally had a 2nd key made ($125 at dealership). The new key failed to work later the same day. More intermittent ignition problems for next 2 weeks. This past saturday both keys failed. When I could finally get the car to start I came home and started researching on web. Found this is a widespread well-known problem. Have appt. At dealership tomorrow for total ignition replacement, my time, my dime. It will be a few hundred dollars. I already work a full time and part-time job to make ends meet. I cannot afford this. I can't afford to be stranded someplace in the middle of the night, either. Ford damned well knows about this, and just ignores their customers. This is the 5th ford I've owned in 20 years. It will be my last.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Ford Focus?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history