Ignition cylinder has failed twice since I bought the car in 11/02. The car is a 2003 ford focus. The ignition cylinder freezes and prevents the car from starting. I have had this cylinder replaced twice in one year. The first time on 11/6/04 and the second time in 11/27/05.
2003 Ford Focus electrical complaints
Page 17 of 19: complaints 461 to 490 of 522, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I only owned the car for about 2 months before the problems started I was told that there was nothing wrong. The transmission wouldn't change gear, they say this is normal. Also, the windshield was never sealed in they told me that it could be fixed. The front wheels click when driven. The brakes went out quick. The back hubs are sealed from rust. And now I can't even get my disabled child to the doctors because the ignition has gone completely out. The locksmith said I was lucky I was parked.
Ignition switch will not turn. Obviously this is a very common problem and I am very surprised that ford would let this go on so long.
The ignition on my 2003 ford focus has failed twice. Once over a year ago, and again now. The ignition will not turn when I insert the key.
Ignition switch at 45,000 miles, ford focus.
Ignition switch went out while my wife was at work. Had to get the ignition switch replaced. Ford dealer wanted at min. Of $100 plus parts independent mechanic replaced it for $65 plus parts.
I have a 2003 ford focus zx3, it has just a little over 48,000 miles. One morning (out of blue), the key lock would not turn over. Luckily, I was home. As a result, I had it towed into a ford dealership. Was charged an arm and a leg by the towing company (ford dealer recommended) and to make things worse, found out that my extended warranty did cover a (key/ignition cylinder) replacement compartment, would of been covered if it were the switch/electrical components of the switch. In the end, I had to pay over $500 for a part that apparently is geared or expected to fail on newer focuses (according to tow co., ford maintenance staff, and the random internet searches). I called ford directly, and at this point they do not have a recall because the government hasn't determined it to be a safety problem (they acknowledge a problem also). I guess if I were stuck up in the snow packed sandia mountains and my toes froze off, hey maybe they would consider it a problem. Please, can you check into this, I hate to see other unsuspecting buyers, drivers, get hit with this unnecessary burden and out-of-pocket expense. Any assistance you can provide, will be greatly appreciated.
I have a 2003 ford focus, and just recently my ignition went out. The key will not turn and the steering wheel is locked. I know various people who own a focus and have had the very same problem. It barely started to stick the day before it finally went out. I currently am looking into my options on how to fix the problem. I am having a very hard time getting to work and getting around in general. It is very hard especially with two children. Luckily it didn't lock up on me while I was driving.
The ignition of our 2003 ford focus will not allow the key to turn. There was no warning that there was a problem until it was time to leave for work and the key would go into the lock, the bell would sound, but the lock would not turn. According to the dealer this is a common problem with the ford focus, and they suggest you either get the car towed to their shop, or, if you can, drive it to their shop to have it fixed. The price to fix the problem is approximately $350.00 and is only guaranteed for one year. The car is two and a half years old.
I have a 2003 ford focus with 44,000 miles on it. The ignition locks too frequently and has cost me not only money, but job related time and costs. I was told that it was not covered under warranty let alone as a recall. Don't you need the ignition to ignite to use the car?
Ford focus needed ignition tumblers replaced because the old ones locked up about 4 hours from home. Luckily I read that almost everyone with a focus has had the same exact problems; however, ford has not done anything to remedy the situation. I had a lock smith fix the problems whom aaa referred me to. I will never ever buy a ford again and am trying very hard to become part of a class action suit against ford for ignoring this problem. I also tell everyone I meet not to buy a focus or any other type of ford because of their poor quality.
I have a focus ford 2003. I had problems with my ignition, my key will not turn to start my car, I took it to replace the ignition cylinder. After few months it did happen again. I just tapped the top of the key and will turn, but today it did not turn at all. I think is not right to pay extra for that expense, when the first think a car is supposed to do is start!!!
Dt: the consumer had problems with the vehicle since purchase. The vehicle caught on fire on september 16, 2005. The motor was off, and it burst into flames. The fire department came and they said it look like it started from the wiring harness. The vehicle stalled before it caught on fire. Was having the same problem two weeks before, and took it to dealer. They replaced some ignition items. Also, was having latches, brakes, and engine problems.
With just 43,500 miles on the car my ignition locked up and I could not turn the key to start the engine. The car had to be towed to a dealers repair shop to be fixed.
Dt: the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The dashboard instruments fluctuated. At times while driving, the dashboard instruments stopped working. The service dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak
I own a 2003 ford focus which has 52,000 miles on it. The ignition on the car has locked up completely and the ignition key will not turn the ignition at all. I have contacted the local ford dealership where I was told by their service dept. That this hasn't been issued as a recall by ford but they has "several" ford focus' coming in for ignition repair. Ford assumes no liability at this point but they are happily charging approx. $500 for the ignition repair at their shop. I am very unsatisfied and feel that with the large # of ford focus owners who have experienced this same complaint, something should be done on a larger scale as it is obvious there is an issue with the mechanics of the ignition. A popular web site that offers advice to auto owners is www.edmunds.com and there is a large posting of complaints on this website pertaining to this matter. This can be found at the following web address: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.eea50dc please reply and let me know if any assistance is available. Sincerely, patrick miller.
Dt: 2003 ford focus. The ignition tumbler failed at 38,000 miles. Randomly, the key was hard to put in and then it went out. The battery failed as well. The vehicle was no longer under warranty. Both problems have not been fixed at ford. The battery went out yesterday and the consumer purchased a new one. The ignition tumbler started about 2 months ago.
Can't turn car on , ignition switch lock. Asking 350.00 to repair this defect.
This is the second time in 1 year that I have had to have my ignition lock cylinder replaced in my 2003 ford focus zx3.
Dt: 2003 ford focus. The consumer stated the key in the ignition switch lock got stuck. The vehicle will not go anywhere. This happend when the vehicle stopped and then started again. The dealership doid not know why this happened. This problem was first noticed on september 9, 2004. Then it happened again on august 20, 2005. Both times.gnition switch was replaced. The vehicle had to be towed both times. There were other times when the vehicle was very hard to start but it did start.
Ignition locked up towed to hilltop ford in maysville kentucky. Was told ignition locked up and column would have to be replaced at a cost of $755.69. The warranity went off just 1,000 miles before this happened. Was told they have had many of these problems a car was coming in for the same thing when we left.
Dt: tachometer in vehicle stopped working which resulted in a short. This caused the brake lights to go out. The brake lights had to be replaced 8 times since september. The solenoid in the ignition was defective and resulted in the vehicle shutting down. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, who has replaced the solenoid. But due to the design of the vehicle he could not guarantee that this would not happen again. Consumer reported this to ford 3 times. The alarm on the car was also not working. The alarm was not original equipment, but was something that consumer paid extra for the ford dealership to add on vehicle. Ford will not repair or replace alarm because it was not manufactured by ford.
Brakes turn to sponges and goes to floor dealer says cannot duplicate problem and kicks it out now three more problems have arisen motor shuts off at slow u-turn speed and trans downshifts hard into low gear causing a face plant in the steering wheel, lastly the air bag light comes on and then goes off after 3 hours of driving.
The ignition has locked three (3) times on a 2003 ford focus in less than a two year time period. It appears that the ignition switch and/or components are substandard since the part has been replaced on two previous occasions. The ignition locked for the third time on july 20, 2005. The vehicle is currently at a local ford dealership for a repair or replacement of the ignition. The car was under warranty the first two (2) instances of this problem. However, the warranty has expired and this appears to be an ongoing problem.
Our 2003 ford focus has had to have the ignition switch replaced twice. Parked the car, turned off the car, came back to start later and the ignition swith would ot turn. First switch was replaced in july 2004 and the second one in march 2005. Today while driving the car on a city street the steering wheel became so loose it is not safe to drive and will have to be towed for the third time to the dealer to be repaired. The first ignition swith was covered under warranty. We had to pay for the second switch. Apparently this is a common failure on the ford focus and I believe a recall should be done. Of major concern is this is the third failure on a steering column in a new vehicle.
Numerous occasions where the battery light would flicker and flash and the car would stall. Ford issued a tsb which "cures" this but it did not work with me or many other focus owners (just search www.focusfanatics.com or www.focaljet.com). Ford says they cannot do anything until it does this with them, but it is so random there is never a set occasion when it will do this. The previous owner has been at the dealership many times before me for the same situation. The battery and alternator have been changed and the PCM "flash" has been done over 2 times. Even the service rep at the selling dealership said "this car really likes to be here for that problem". Those were his own words. This is a safety hazard because it has stalled on my when I was in an off-ramp and I almost collided with the barricade an at an intersection.
Car stalls out in cold weather only. Car was purchased on oct. '03 first occurrence was in jan. Of '04. Went through the dispute board and they would not grant new vehicle. Dealership and ford engineer cannot find problem. Car was brought in on 6/6/05 with the ford field engineer present who wanted to duplicate problem. Told him it was not possible since it was not cold outside. Problem still unresolved!
I bought a 2003 ford focus brand new in february 2003. The car had about 300 miles on it. Yesterday the ignition switch went out costing me over $250. This is not normal wear and tear! I went into a restaurant and came out. I was stranded. I've searched the internet for similar situations/complaints and other people had similar situations. I understand batteries going dead or wear and tear on brakes. I've never had this happen before. I've never owned a ford before either! Is there something wrong with ford? Is this statement true?: fixed or repaired daily.
Upon starting the vehicle, the key failed to turn in the ignition, and the steering wheel locked up. Dealership indicated that the ignition froze. This was a common occurrence with these vehicles.
On april 11, 2005, as I was leaving work in the evening, I placed the key in the ignition and could not turn the key. The following day, I spent some time on the telephone with several mechanics and key makers trying to determine the problem. I finally understood that it was a faulty ignition cylinder. On april 14 I had the car towed into bohn ford inc. At 401 n. Carrollton avenue, new orleans, la 70119. (504) 485-2646. While the car was at the dealership, I searched the internet and learned from one website that there were at least 137 other people who had the same problem that I had. I found a second website with another list of people who were sharing their experiences of the faulty ignition cylinder lock. Two people who posted onto the website mentioned the po5. I understood from them that the car could have been fixed for $24.58. The car had to be under six years old and under 75,000 miles. The staff at the bohn ford dealership was very considerate and understanding of my situation; however, when I requested a po5, they told me that while they were sure that I qualified , their office was not authorized to apply for a po5 at this time. My total bill came to $396.69 to drill out, code, and replace the ignition cylinder lock; and to cut, erase, and program two pat keys. The ignition cylinder lock problem on the ford focus can be traced at least as far back as 2001. Therefore I urge you to begin a recall on the ignition cylinder lock.
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