2000 Ford Focus SE review from North America
"Should never have been built"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Have had to change tires at every 25,000 to 35,000km. Even after numerous wheel alignments.
Vehicle is on its fourth fuel pump. Only the first one was done under warranty. Have had to shell out $700.00 to $800.00 for every replacement after that.
Still has tendency to stall or lose power on warm days. Dealer tells me there is nothing wrong with engine, everything checks out fine.
Cruise control cable was changed under a recall. Cruise has never worked properly since recall. After setting speed, car will drop 10 - 15 km before cruise catches. Also with hard acceleration cruise cable will unhook from throttle. Again Dealer states everything checks out fine.
Trunk very often will not open from release on dash, have to use trunk opener on remote.
Paint on front air dam started peeling at 72,000 Km.
Anti theft radio panel pops out on its own. Started at 62,000 km.
Will not be covered under warranty, as per dealer. Is now held there with duct tape.
Plastic hub caps were totally broken or cracked after 30,000 Km.
Way too many recalls for a number 1 selling car.
General comments?
I have had a Cougar and two Aerostars in the past and never had a stitch of problems. So I was never worried about buying a Ford product again. I'm sorry to say this Focus will be the last Ford product I will ever own.
Recommended reviews
  | Only worth it if you can buy it super cheap to begin with and can afford the maintenance |
| Due to the cost of repairs and upkeep, this car is not for the financially fragile |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 4/10 |
| Reliability marks | 5/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 126 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 128456 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Aerostar |
| Date of Entry | 27th August, 2002 |