2001 Ford Focus SE

Summary:

The 2001 Model Ford Focus SE is a Lemon

Faults:

The Catalytic Converter is shot on both 2001 Ford Focuses we own. We own a Focus Sedan and wagon.

The trunk latch on the Focus never worked. I had an extended warranty when I purchased the car and the dealer told me nothing was wrong with the latch. I took the car in several times and the dealer said, there wasn't a problem. However, I just received a recall in the mail saying the trunk latch was faulty.

There was a problem with the ignition switch, and the car wouldn't start properly.

The fuel injection system was faulty and the car would stall frequently.

We received several recalls from Ford on both our cars.

General Comments:

The Sedan is a nice looking car, but it is a Lemon, as well as the wagon. They run well for a couple years, and then they became money pits. We have lost a lot of money on up keep and maintenance for these vehicles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st August, 2006

29th Jan 2007, 08:54

Is the sedan having problems with the trunk latch or is it just the wagon?

14th May 2007, 16:41

I received the same recall in the mail recently, but I have the sedan version. You might want to pay attention to the windows if you have power windows as well. About a year ago, my back passenger side window fell out of track and the cable broke, so it wouldn't roll up. Within less than a year, the same thing happened to both the front and rear driver side doors.

29th May 2007, 21:40

I have 206000 miles on my se wagon. Only have had to replace wear items...brakes, tires etc etc. The car has had the oil changed religiously every 3500 miles. And I had the trans flushed at the suggested times.

26th Feb 2008, 12:08

I have a 2001 ford focus SE, recently I have been troubled by overheating (a problem that has persisted for the past year and after replacing the thermostat, housing as well as multiple other parts I am still stumped). recently while I was on-line troubleshooting the problem I came across a recall concerning the fuel delivery module. Until recently I had not known the name of the problem which was causing engine hesitation and loss of power. This is only a problem when I merge onto or off of the highway- it is VERY terrifying when you push the gas to accelerate and nothing happens while traffic is flying past. I made an appointment to have the problematic part fixed however the dealer was hesitant to say the least to fix my car.

2001 Ford Focus ZX3 L4 2.0 DOHC

Summary:

Built Ford tough - about as tough as Pee Wee Herman or Richard Simmons

Faults:

Fuel pump went out.

Battery cables get hot and wire insulation shows signs of melt. And no, I am not running any thing off of the cables.

Front rotors warped.

Front end easily misaligned.

Radio went dead.

Popped spring tore a hole in the driver's seat and injured driver.

Slave cylinder hydraulic line cracked.

Shifting linkage out of adjustment.

General Comments:

Fuel Delivery System went out. There was a recall on it that no one bothered to tell me about. So I had to put in a new fuel pump before finding out that I could have gotten it done for free.

Hood latch quit working and was stuck down. I had to pull the cable gently (no, I did not break it) to open the hood. Then the thing would not sit down like it was supposed to. Frustrated and unable to afford parts - and needing the car every day for work, I decided on a quick fix. I cut the metal tongue with a reciprocating saw and simply installed hood pins, like the ones on race cars.

Brakes, as on all Fords, went bad and required new rotors. I think those things must be made of lead to warp so easily.

A leak has developed in my slave cylinder. This means my clutch pedal no longer does what it is supposed to. Why did it crack? It's plastic! Amazing that some thing that handles that much pressure is made of plastic. That surpasses cheapness; it is negligence!

While I was under my car I saw that, just as unbelievably, the thermostat cover is also plastic! I mean, we are talking about water running at high temperatures and pressures, with a plastic thermostat cover. This is nuts!

A spring in the driver's seat began boring into my butt. Finally after a week it popped through the cloth and tore a nice little gash in my seat - and my butt and made me bleed a little on my clothing and the chair.

The factory radio quit working in stages. First the light quit coming on. Then it just stopped playing. Fuses were good. Nothing electronic was wrong with the car. It's just junk.

The front suspension is an insanely stupid design. This is also probably why the brakes go bad. But the most noticeable result is the front wheel alignment being totally ruined by only moderate pot holes at only fair speeds.

Simply put - this car is a lemon. It's junk. It has a total of 5 recalls on it. Let's see, one for windshield wipers that quit and sometimes catch fire, another for battery cables that start fires, another on the fuel pump, and yet another for seats that suddenly break and recline while driving down the road.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th June, 2006

27th Jun 2006, 14:10

"Built Ford tough - about as tough as Pee Wee Herman or Richard Simmons"

- Ain't that just grand

30th Jun 2006, 23:44

Yeah...this is the author. I forgot to include that the ignition switch went out at only about 65,000 miles. From looking online I learned that this is a common problem, but the NTSB has for some reason not issued a recall on this item. I guess it isn't considered a safety concern. Hopefully some one doesn't find out they have this problem while on rail road tracks... Or if the commonly bad fuel pump causes your car to cut off and forces you to get out of your car and leave it in the middle of the interstate. I guess the folks at the NTSB didn't think about those scenarios. Any way, it cost me $150 and 1.5 hours labor to change the ignition switch. Unfortunately in order to keep my absolutely worthless warranty I had to use the same OEM part that will only do the same thing again. Once I get my new shift cables installed I am trading it in on a new Yaris. The BLOWcus is junk!