2001 Ford Focus Ghia 1.8 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Mine is a dog, but even excepting that, it's still full of annoyances

Faults:

Was running a high temperature (just below red) for a few days because the cooling fan fuse had blown. This was difficult to replace, as this fuse isn't a standard size and was awkward to find.

Stopped running due to a broken camshaft, which meant a new head needed to be fitted. This cost £1160 inc. parts and labour.

The cigarette lighter doesn't work.

General Comments:

I bought this as a "learner-friendly" car as my wife is learning to drive - the Volvo was a bit too big and too gutsy, so I bought a Focus instead.

Everyone seems to think the Focus is a great car. I'd say it's not bad - it handles OK, but it's a lot slower than I would have expected from a 1.8 in a smallish car. Whilst it's easy to drive, I find the gear change a bit stiff and it has irritating "features", like turning the air conditioning on when you de-mist the window. You can't open the boot without a key either.

It's also a lot thirstier than I bargained for. It's supposed to get around 38mpg, but I struggle for 28mpg and haven't been driving it that hard - not hard enough to break a camshaft anyway. Apparently that snapped because the head wasn't running true. My mechanic suggested the head had been off before (presumably for a head gasket) and wasn't re-skimmed.

So it's only OK. It's not the driver's car I thought it would be, neither has it been reliable. It isn't as practical as it should be (double buggy won't go in the boot) and it has its fair share of annoyances.

That'll teach me for trying to be the perfect customer in eBay and not properly testing the thing first.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th September, 2006

7th Dec 2008, 15:04

I agree that the boot is small if you are carrying around a baby buggy. I also found that when I put my son's carseat in I can't get the belt into the appropriate clip and it goes instead into the middle one. A three seater in the back but only if the people are thin children I would say. Otherwise I'm loving this wee car, which is a bit gutless, but I'm coming down from a large 2 litre sedan so have to expect some compromises for the better fuel economy. Agree also that it is a bit annoying having to use the key to open the boot when you are outside the car. Generally a great wee car - I love the back lights!

2001 Ford Focus SE from North America

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.