Vehicle has a recall for Rear Door Latches. I have attempted to take the vehicle to 2 different Cloninger Ford in Hickory and Cloninger Ford in Valdese. Both dealerships claim they can not do the recall due to parts. I would like to know what steps do I need to take to get my vehicle repaired for this recall!
2003 Ford Focus: doors won't lock, open or latch
33 of the 977 complaints about the 2003 Ford Focus describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 33
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 50,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
Drivers side rear door will not latch just flies open.
The back door locks on this car do not work. They say a lubricant was used to fix the recall issue, however, if that was the fix, it did not work and the locks should have been repaired. That ford will not address this is insane to me, as door locks should not just go like that. The "fix" was not a fix at all. Also, the lights on this vehicle are horrible. It cannot be driven at night in an unlit area. There is no visibility. I was told once a recall was performed it was then done, however, I do not believe the lock was taken care of properly, therefore, I feel ford should take care of this. I have applied the lubricant as they instructed to the doors and this does nothing. Neither door will stay closed & opens if driven.when this happened the first time, there was a child in the back seat. We were very lucky we were in a 25 MPH zone and were able to immediately pull over. The doors have to be corded shut until a lock is installed. I do not feel I should have to carry the burden of this repair and do not understand how they say a lubricant can fix this problem. It is my opinion the locks should have been replaced during the recall, not just sprayed with a lubricant. I cannot believe I'm the only person with this issue. I feel that ford saying this recall was completed is far from incorrect and they are responsible for making this right. Again, I understand once a recall is completed it is closed, however, I feel you should look into ford having not really completed this recall, as the issue was not fixed. It should not have been closed. All they did was put a temporary band-aid on it and did not take full responsibility.what it comes down to is ford took the cheapest way out at the time and did not truly fix the problem and did not take their full responsibility. Doors that were recalled and are not working were not fixed.I have had contact with ford with no solution
When riding down the road the doors will automatically lock by themselves. The steering wheel has locked several times over the years. When I bought the car used, it came with many keys. Well, this time when it locked, the steering wheel locked and the ignition locked and I had to get it towed from smithfield nc; approximately an hourly from my home. The mechanic can not get it unlocked because the steering wheel has to be turned to unlock it, vice versa, and the steering wheel is locked. Also the lighting is very poor with the head lights and I see this on all the vehicle for that year and make as I ride down the road. My car is parked because I cant afford to fix it. I have found many complaints about this steering and ignition lock issue. I am wondering why this vehicle has not been recalled for the issue. It is a hazard. I have contacted the ford manufacturer concerning the matter and was told that they can't assist me with it because my car has no warranty. Also, there was a recall on the real door lock. Ford dealership informed me that it was repaired by team ford dealership prior to me owning the vehicle; I informed him that the problem was still a issue getting the rear door to lock securely at times. He informed me that it could only have been fixed once under the recall. These issues have occurred repeatedly since I bought this vehicle in 2009. They all put me at risk of great danger.
(1st) it was passenger rear door latch wouldn't stay latched, door come open during driving, (2nd) a month later trunk wouldn't latch, then (3rd) 2 months later driver side rear door came open during driving, wouldn't latch. Daughter almost fell out and car almost hit door when it flew open. I had to use seat belt to tie door shut to make it home.
The driver side exterior door handle is not working. This has happened before and lasted a few days then somehow started working again but now it is back. When I try to pull it open it is as if there is nothing attached to the other side. I pull it out and it stays out and loose. We have had a recall on this same vehicle for the rear doors having this same exact issue except we have never had a problem with the rear doors, only the front. My dealer says they can fix the rear doors for free but I will be charged for the front. I find this funny because ford is willing to work on my doors that work fine for free but won't do anything for the broken and hazardous doors. Can we please update this recall to affect all the doors on the 2003 ford focus before we have drivers rolling out of their cars?
This vehicle is a total lemon.at 4,900 miles 5 disc cd player had to be replaced. At 15,000 miles the vehicle began leaking coolant and had to have the radiator replaced, luckily it was still under warranty. At 22,000 the vehicle needed a new alternator because it would not crank. At 24,000 miles the key became stuck in the ignition and would not even turn over so the ignition was replaced. 26,000 the center console broke of hinges. 27,356 miles the car would not turn over the starter had to be replaced.32,000 miles the air conditioner went out. 36,000 miles alternator went out again and had to be replaced.38,000 miles complications with the air conditioner again. Had no problems until 54,000 then everything spiraled out of control. The water pump went out, the pump housing was leaking. The starter coil was bad a few fuses had blown that I hadn't know about. I had a full tune up, sparkplugs and new wires and also purchased a new battery. 61,000 the window lever to roll windows up on passenger side completely broke off, the door handle on passenger and driver side became very stiff and had to be aggressively opened until the passenger door handle broke and does not open from the inside or out. 68,000 miles waterpump adapter cracked and sprayed antifreeze everywhere. 72,000 light oil leak from the top of the engine, coolant leaked into the spark plug compartment and only days later the alternator went out. So this little problematic baby is parked in my garage with only 73,263 miles on it because I cut her off at nearly $4k in repairs. I don't know what to do with it besides send it to the junk yard because I would hate to sale it and pawn this money consuming vehicle off on someone else. Ford should just buy it back from me.
The left rear door doesn't latch properly, causing the door to fly open on it's own. Thank goodness kids were not in the car when this occurred. Since the first incident, the door will not latch and is now tethered with rope and can't be used. Ford know about this problem as they have a current recall notice the federal safety agency campaign id number: 05v030000 ford claims that my vehicle is not covered. The issue for my vehicle is that it was purchased in the state of florida in 2003 and registered in the state of florida in feb of 2005 when the recall came out. (it is now registered in the state of ny where it has been since 2006. If the recall came out one year later, my car would be covered?) covered or not, ford knows that the car is unsafe. A remedy would be to re-issue the recall again so that it covers any 2003 focus as I am certain that my car is not the only car sold in a state not covered, but that has since relocated to a state where corrosion can occur due to salt and winter conditions (unbeknownst to consumers). I am lucky that my kids were not hurt, but someone else might not be as lucky.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated that in an attempt to turn the key in order to start the vehicle, it refused to turn. A local mechanic replaced the ignition and reprogrammed the key and door locks. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairing the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000 and the approximate current mileage was 25,200. Updated 02/09/12*lj the consumer stated the key would not turn in the ignition. The old ignition had to be drilled out and replaced. Updated 02/13/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v030000 (latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch). After the vehicle was repaired, it was difficult for the rear drivers side door to remain closed. While driving approximately 50 MPH the rear drivers side door opened while a child was seated in the rear seat. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the door latch was extremely corroded. The rear drivers side door would no longer latch. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated that both rear door locks no longer functioned. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 05v030000 (latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch). The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 145,000.
The door handles on my 2003 ford focus have a recall on them, but only on certain ones and mine isn't one of them, although all four of my handles are broken. The first incident that happened with the door handles was I got out of my car at a store and left my four year old daughter in the car with it running to get a paper, and when I went to open the driver door, the door handle broke and all of the other doors were locked (because they automatically lock when you put the car in gear). I was 8 months pregnant at the time and was stranded at the store with my daughter locked in the car for about an hour. And then, on may 27th 2011, I went to leave my house and I usually keep the driver's side window down because the only doors that we can open are the driver's door and front passenger door and only from the inside. But on this day it had rained so I put the window up and when I went to leave my house I had already went outside and went through the whole "procedure" of getting the back door opened so I could put my 3 month old son in the car and I guess when I went back inside to get him, the drivers door got blown closed by the wind, because whenever I put him in and shut his door, I went around to the driver's door and it was shut and my 3 month old was stuck in the car!! It took 30 minutes for my husband to get to the house (because I had to call him home from work) and he had to climb in through the trunk and manover the carseat out of the way so he could wiggle in there and get the baby out. My son was covered in sweat from head to toe and was having a hard time breathing whenever we got him out because he already has breathing problems and he was in the car with all of the windows up for 30 minutes. I believe that the ford company should fix our door handles because if that isn't a safety issue, then I don't know what is!!
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles with four or five doors and originally sold in or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, a build-up of corrosion at the pawl pivot area of the rear door latch can cause a binding condition of the pawl that may affect proper engagement of the pawl into the catch. The occupant may experience difficulty opening or closing a rear door, and eventually the rear door may not latch properly.
- Risk
- If not latched properly, the door may open while the vehicle is in motion. If an occupant fell out of the vehicle, personal injuries could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will have a lower rocker seal added to the door and have the rear door latches evaluated free of charge. A latch that passes the evaluation will be lubricated to prevent future corrosion. A latch that does not pass the evaluation will be replaced. In addition, a sticker will be affixed to the rear doors advising the owners to use the recommended lubricant. The recall began on march 9, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 05V030000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Ford Focus door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2003 Ford Focus?
33 of 977 owner complaints about the 2003 Ford Focus (3%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Ford Focus?
There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Ford Focus
Stalling 42Won't start 42Steering lock-up 28No deployment 26Grinding brakes 23Fire or smoke 13Brake failure 11Engine failure 11Coil spring 8Jerking 8Loss of power 8Premature wear 8Tire blowout 8Ball joint 7Seat belt 7Slipping 7Won't shift 7Sudden acceleration 7Transmission failure 7Knocking 6Headlights 6Overheating 6Check engine light 5Fuel pump 5Power windows 5Water leak 5Wipers 5
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