18th Apr 2004, 16:52
I too have a 2000 Focus and it has been fine, for the most part. Last year, the ignition cylinder froze leaving me stranded late at night in a bad area of town. I had the car towed and the cylinder had to be replaced for $430. I complained to Ford and they paid for half. Less than a year later, the same thing happened again. I had no choice, but to replace it again and this time Ford will do nothing to help. This is above and beyond regular car care... any ideas what can be done? thanks jobean222@aol.com.
25th Apr 2004, 12:58
I have a 2000 Focus ZX3, and I too have had quite a bit of problems. Right now I need to fix my brakes again, and I have a coolant leak somewhere. Also, my ignition has locked up twice. First time it was covered under warranty, but ford kept the car for almost 2 weeks and when I picked it up it had a flat tire and the dealership refused to help me. The second time my fiance's Dad, who is a mechanic and car dealer, had his locksmith friend help me. He said that the problem is very common in the Focus. A trick we used to get the car up and running, was to squirt WD-40 into the ignition a wiggle the key till it starts. He then had to clean or replace, can't remember, the discs within the ignition, took him about 30 minutes and charged us nothing. So I now keep a can of WD-40 with me, and since the car is paid for, I will just keep fixing it.
15th Jun 2005, 02:02
Stalling problem solved! I have a 2000 ZX3 as well and I've had some problems. So if your car has similar problems it could be... (drum roll)...the fuel pump. These problems include, but are not limited to, stalling, loss of power, a sort of chugging once reaching a certain RPMs (like a loss of power), car not starting in general- feels like its choking or flooding with gas (sometimes you can smell excess gas) - I would bet its the fuel pump. But no fear, the fuel pump for this model is under warranty. Simply call your local Ford dealer and tell them you believe your fuel pump has gone bad and they shall fix it for free. Be warned, they will have you replace the filter which runs about $60 and you will have to pay for the tow. But that saves you the $400-$800 on the pump.
25th Nov 2003, 01:50
I have a '03 Focus ZX3 I bought in July and have had it now for over 4 months and the only things I've taken mine in for is, for some reason, my car will sometimes stall out when I start it after a short trip. And when I come to a stop the idle drops too low, or at least I think it does, and you can feel a slight "shudder" in the steering wheel, seat, floorboard, etc. I've taken it in 4 times or so and no one can find a problem. No check engine light or anything comes on to let me or them know there's a problem.
I think I will try another out of town dealer to see if they may know about this problem.
This is my first new car and I do not want a new car that may leave me stranded in a parking lot 'cause it don't feel like running.
But, I agree with the other person who posted about you going to a legal service and seeing what you can do.
It's worth a shot 'cause you can't keep getting stranded with a new car right? I don't care if a car is as much as 4 years old, it's still a new or newer car.