2001 Ford Focus SE Street Package 2.0L Zetec from North America

Summary:

Nice small car, fun to drive

Faults:

I haven't had any problems with this car yet.

General Comments:

I really like this car, I was originally going to get a Impreza 2.5RS, but went with this instead, and it has not disappointed me. With the manual transmission, this thing will go where you point it. Overall, it's a fun car to drive, and I get 30MPG with this car, no problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd October, 2005

2001 Ford Focus SE Sport Limited Edition 2.0L Zetec from North America

Summary:

Great to drive but the quality is not up to the standard of the European model.

Faults:

The ignition Switch failed at 86000Km's.

Brakes are squeaking and have since we got the car.

The Fuel Gauge is erratic at times, just started.

General Comments:

Generally the car has been good, but that is probably down to the fact that we bought it when it was 4 years old and all the faults have been fixed.

This car is great to drive and corners like it's on rails. It's not as good as the European Ford Focus, but blows away anything here in terms of handling.

We have just had the Ignition Switch fail and we could not turn the key to start the car.

The Tow truck guy basically said "oh not again" and promptly towed our car to the nearest dealer. The dealer originally said that it would take 3 days to fix, but fixed it the same day when I went berserk. The dealer charged us $400.00 CDN to replace the key Cylinder. The dealer also said that this is a common problem, but they cannot do anything, but fix and charge for an item which should have been recalled 5 years ago. When we contacted Ford to complain they basically said that once the car goes past 60000Kms they don't want to know, even though our car has warranty until 100,000Kms albeit only Powertrain.

I am experiencing other issues such as:

- Loss of power then the A/C is running.

- The fuel gauge is erratic at times. -- The rear brakes are squeeking.

Suffice to say this will be the first and last North American Ford Product I will ever buy. This car should have been built to the same standard as the European Ford Focus. It is hugely reliable and well screwed together.

BTW:

I am considering suing Ford Motor Company regarding this issue. Please email me at: fordfocuscostmemoney@hotmail.com if you had the same or similar issue with the Ignition on your Ford Focus. You can also file a complaint with Transport Canada. Remember if this become a recall you will be able to get your money back just as long as you have your invoices.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th August, 2005

19th Apr 2006, 17:34

Loss of some power when the air conditioning is running is perfectly normal because the compressor uses about 5bhp.

19th Jan 2009, 13:00

The ignition switch premature failure is a well known problem on the Focus (just do a web search to see) but Ford won't accept it for a recall.

You can buy a replacement switch for around US$100, its easy to fit yourself, just make sure you do it when it first starts to fail, otherwise you'll need to drill the lock if you leave it too long.

2001 Ford Focus ZX3 2.0 Zetec from North America

Summary:

A great deal

Faults:

My Focus stalled on me one time. It was a recall on the fuel pump which was replaced quickly.

Other than that, no problems at all.

General Comments:

The car sticks to the road.

The factory CD player and speakers were much better than I expected.

This little car can get up and move when it needs to.

Overall, I just love this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd August, 2005

2001 Ford Focus SE 2.0 Zetec from North America

Summary:

Not a bad car, but better values exist

Faults:

This car has had 6 recalls with the which, to Ford's credit, is honourable that they actually admit there is a problem. Still, this is a lot of recalls for any car.

This car has a big problem with pint seperation. The paint is peeling very badily on the rocker panel. Ford Canada have said that they have not had any other complaints on this issue.

This car is hard on gas. We have never gotten more than 20 MPG even when driven gently. The Dealership reprogrammed the ECM, but still the problem persists.

The trunk hatch is hard to close. If it is not closed with force, it will fly open when driving. On top of that, There is no handle to open the trunk lid. Once the trunk lid is closed, you have to unlock it again to open it.

The center armrest is in an awkward position. When it is down the forearm is pointed up when shifting. When it is up, your elbow hits the armrest. I could not imagine how anyone driving a manual transmission focus could put up with this!

General Comments:

The car is in general not a bad car, but it is expensive to run with when it uses so much gas. I feel that the company is not doing what they can to keep customers happy. They seem to be only doing what is required of them and nothing more. If they want to improve their reputation they realy have to improve their customer service. This may involve admitting that their cars are not perfect.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st July, 2005

6th Jun 2006, 18:51

Your gas mileage is definitely way too low. Our '01 ZX-3 got over 30mpg average.

27th May 2008, 10:53

I just purchased a 2001 Ford Focus SE.

First owner was a Ford Accountant, yes I bought it used private sale, they kept the car up, and did a impressive safety on it.

I liked the way it drove, not a Ford person, but my brother is not either and his wife bought a 2002 and love it.

The people selling the car did think about using it as a trade in, but for whatever reason decided not to.

2 weeks after I bought the car the check engine light came on. Great!! The gas mileage was terrible on it.. I wasn't expecting to get 700km on a 50lt tank like my Sunfire, BUT was lucky to get 400km on the same size tank!! It's a 4 cylinder.

I took it to garage, diagnostics, they did complete tune up, and replaced a part, and the next day check engine light and terrible gas mileage again.

I just took it back again, diagnostic test code said EGR valve was leaking, diagnostics said it, vacuum test, drive test, it was only code showing up. Had this replaced. No other codes showing up, and guess what.. check engine light on again. We are baffled!!

At least I was able to get 600km for a full tank this time. I am going back to garage again. Believe me they are honest people, and this is annoying him just as much. He's not getting rich off me at all. Starting to wish I kept my Sunfire!!

14th Sep 2008, 02:08

I have a 2001 Ford Focus SE, and I get great gas mileage, but I have also put in higher performance spark plugs and I use premium; I know it's expensive, but I get 30mpg so I'm happy about that. Before all that I still received good gas mileage.

2nd Feb 2010, 01:49

I agree with paint separation. It has happen on almost every panel on my 2001 Focus ZTS.