2000 Ford Focus SE from North America - Comments

I've lost count of the multiple recalls and now have a new one to take care of. This recall covers two independent items.

Replaced front brakes and rotors at 32,000 miles at my expense. I replaced with aftermarket parts and refused to replace with Ford parts. The aftermarket pads seem to not leave as much brake dust on the wheels.

Rear brakes squealed at the end-of-braking from 22,000 miles to 36,000 miles until Ford replaced the rear wheel bearings under a "program". The fix at 22,000 miles that used "improved" pads did not stop the squeal.

Oil cap "click mechanism" failed and could not be removed without taking to dealer. Dealer replaced oil cap under warranty.

Windshield wipers do not last very long and tend to skip across windshield.

Rear wheel fender well cloth type material was not installed properly and made flapping noise. Re-installed correctly under warranty.

Cruise control "coast" button did not work and was replaced under warranty.

Ignition switch replaced under warranty. The "button" where the key is inserted would stick causing the "key in ignition" chime to go off even after the key was removed. The replacement ignition switch (i.e. the improved one) is starting to do this as well.

Sometimes the fuel indicator would malfunction and indicate "empty". This problem was very intermittent and has not been experienced for some time now.

At certain cruising speeds - most notably at about 45 to 50 miles per hour - it sounds like many crickets are chirping in my automatic transmission. Ford dealer investigated and said it was a gear in the transmission, but that all of the automatic transmission Focus's have the same noise. No repair available. Noise persists. I test drove a new Focus and confirmed Dealer's statement.

Trim molding corner piece on rear door exterior around window came loose. Replaced under warranty.

Noticed small hole (1mm x 2mm) along weld seam of spare wheel basin in trunk. I pointed this out to dealer, but only did so for the feedback to Ford. I did not want them to fix. Fixed it myself with a dab of silicon adhesive.

Screws on front fenders loosened. Resulted in noise at high speeds. They were re-tightened at about 36,000 miles.

I had engine performance problems when trying to use premium grade gas. Switched to regular and things seem fine. I am perplexed, but happy that cheaper gas works better.

Ford 1-800 Customer Service is useless and has proven to be a waste of my time. I've found it to be far easier and better to deal directly with the dealership on problems. I have been satisfied with the efforts of the dealership that I used (and will use) for service.

Ford would be better off replacing their 1-800 Customer Service with additional engineers to improve the reliability of their cars.

This car is fun to drive as it hugs the road well.

Road noise is loud.

Excellent sound system can almost drown out the road noise.

Seating is comfortable (except for headrests) for average sized people. My friends and colleagues over 6'1" don't seem to fit very well. Headrests are uncomfortable as they tend to push the head forward.

The drivers seat could use lumbar support.

Large trunk.

Acceleration from a stop at real low speeds (i.e. reasonable parking lot speeds) is touchy. I find it difficult to keep the car from tending to lurch forward as I try to delicately depress the gas pedal.

Having to replace the front brakes at 32,000 miles isn't necessarily bad, but having to replace the rotors as well is absolutely ridiculous!

Depreciation on this car is way too much. I am certain it is related to all of the recalls and customer complaints and concerns. In three years, it appears it has lost about 59% of original value based on what a dealer will give for trade (loss of about $8500). This is why the car is so expensive to drive.

Gas mileage is not as good as I expected. I get between 24 and 26 mpg in a mix of flat land country highway and city driving - with the air conditioner turned off. This drops to about 21 to 23 mpg with the air conditioner turned on. I live in Florida were the grade changes are minimal!

Visors will not flip down and forward all of the way because of the headliner design. The visor tends to block the drivers view in this position. They will not stay in an intermediate position as they tend to snap back to the roof of the car.

The cup holders in the front are all wrong. A cup with a handle when placed in the holder on the drivers side will tend to poke the drivers leg. There is not as much height clearance for the front passengers cup.

The rear cup holders... well, there is only one - for a three person back seat!

Plan to spend many hours leaving this car at the dealer for warranty repairs.

If Ford would have fixed the many problems of the Focus before selling this car, they would have truly built a car worthy of all the awards and press it received. However, reliability problems have overwhelmed and overshadowed all awards and accolades this car has received. Ford needs to deliver quality (spelled r-e-l-i-a-b-i-l-i-t-y) instead of just talking about it.

There are far better choices for the buyer concerned with reliability over handling.

I live in Northern British Columbia, Canada and have experienced many of the same problems with my 2000 Focus SE.

I've had to replace front brakes, including rotors and still have an annoying squeal in the front. Shortly after I got the car, the ignition key got stuck in the lock and the entire ignition switch had to be replaced. Then, the speedometer quit working and the dealer had to replace the entire instrument panel.

I also experience the ever-present brake dust on the front wheels, which actually stains the hubcaps

Dave Clark,

Fort St. Jon, B.C.

I have also had to change brakes and rooter's before 32,000 miles. My ignition broke, we had to hammer my key into it just to start it. I have had to bring my car in for many recalls. And then the newest problem at 55,000 miles my fuse just went for my locks, so I now need to roll down my window and actually reach out to stick the key into the door to unlock it from the outside in order to open the door from the inside, I would recommend replacing this fuse before it happens to you, the fuse is very very hard to find it is under all the wires on the back of the panel, you need to look very closely in order to find it. I also had to have the cable replace for the inside drivers handle because it snapped. The control knob for the speed of the heat and AC actually melted and we had to replace the entire unit. I think my car has been towed and sent to the repair shop more than I have drove it. I however do get great gas mileage only when I fill my car at a certain gas station don't ask questions I have no idea why, but I have actually been able to prove my point to others. I have also had the radio replace 6 times and it still doesn't work right, it will shut off every time I hit the littlest bump in the road, dealer can't figure out why.

Ahh the 2000 Ford Focus SE. What can I say about my little wagon. I too had a front brake and rotor replacement at around 32,000 miles... but get ready for 86,000 miles folks. After keeping the highest maintenance possible on this vehicle I was slapped in the face by FORD today. Seems that the head on this vehicle is nothing more than an old Escort header which was known for dropping valve seats!!! Well guess what?!?! cylinder 4 dropped causing massive internal problems. Thanks FORD!

Now that I think back... after so many recalls I can't remember them all... a leak in the dash that took 3 times for the Ford dealer in Chattanooga to fix... rear bearings that rusted after owning the car 2 months...

Needless to say, this will be my FIRST AND LAST Ford vehicle. If the trade in value was worth a darn it wouldn't make it back into my driveway.

SHAME ON YOU FORD! You've just sent another American to a Japanese vehicle.

Hi my name is Brandon I own a 2000 SE wagon. 2nd owner Received at 168,000 it is now 6 years old. I work for the company that used the car it was a courier car in Alaska

Problems while boss owned the car, Wheel bearings front and back (300.00 each estimate) Motor mount ($160.00 car sounded like f1 race car or loud exhaust when was broke) Transmission (1,600.00 auto) Broken springs? I have never heard of this on any vehicle (150.00) timing belt and tune up (325.00) ignition key (200.00) Brake jobs never bought new rotors (450.00) that does ad up to some money, but considering if any thing breaks in the motor which in this line up seems next, a new short block from ford is only $750.00, And head work a few hundred if you do this your self. So in closing I do not think ford built a bad car they built a cheap one and that is what everyone wanted, but with routine care a focus will last a long time P.s. this car was driven hard for 5years as a courier 8hrs every m-f and the 10,000 miles I have put on have been full throttle from stop light to stop light to test its durability I thought the motor would have been toasted already I never thought I could trust a motor over 100,000

But the focus instills a confidence.

I've just recently gotten rid of my 2000 Ford Focus Wagon (SE), and I couldn't be happier. Many of the problems mentioned above were experienced by me as well - here's an abbreviated list of issues that I had with this car:

- the lock cylinder in the ignition switch had to be replaced on three separate occasions, and was starting to go again.

- the electrical system had major issues: the taillights would not turn on, nor would the interior display lights (although for a short time, the interior lights would work for 7 -8 seconds if I squirted windshield wash over the back windshield (the wiper itself didn't work, though) )

- the connector on the volume knob was problematic - if I attempted to change the stereo volume from, say, level 3 to 4, it would often jump to, say, level 20+, which of course damaged my speakers (and my eardrums!). Sometimes spinning the knob to turn the volume down would just continuously increase the volume. Very uncomfortable.

- the car seemed to live to destroy tires - in my four years of owning the car, I went through 3.5 sets of all-seasonal tires, even after an average of 2 wheel alignments per year, as well as rear wheel kit work. Also, there was a persistent shake/shim in the entire car as soon as I approached speeds of 70 km/h. No amount of front end work seemed to be able to correct this.

These were the more outstanding and unsettling issues with this car, beyond the normal (if accelerated) "wear and tear". I hear that the quality improved in later models, but I won't be attempting to find out for myself.

We bought our Focus SE wagon in 2002 and have had problems with the door not latching and a number of other problems. From day one there was the heater switch, went bad in December; coil springs breaking; lower control arms rear breaking in half; transmission quit working; rear doors will not latch, we have to tie them shut; lower control arms (front) ; ball joints went bad twice driver side, three times passenger side with in weeks. The wiring in the rear hatch shorted out from opening the hatch causing the brake and marker lights to blink when using the brakes. The thermostat housing had to be replaced due to corrosion between the head and the housing build up causing an antifreeze leak and warping the housing. The car has been in the shop every week. My last Ford!!!

Warning, early model Ford Focus cars have weak fuel pumps. My Ford Focus left my family on the highway due to the fuel pump wearing out at $60,000 miles. The part is kind of recalled. Ford just lets people tow their cars in with the broken fuel pumps and then the dealership replaces the fuel pump as an extended warranty part.

I had my fuel pump replaced under recall at about 60,000 miles... just another defective part Ford put in the '00 Focus.

I bought a 2000 sedan Focus on the 3rd of July (2008). It had 136,000 miles. Two days ago on the 16th of July the engine went out. Has this happened to any of you? My dad has a ranger and he is well over 300,000 miles.

Some of you mentioned brakes that you replaced at your own expense. I wanted to let you know, that due to a class action settlement with Ford, you may receive a full refund for any repairs or replacements of the front brake pads and rotors that occurred within the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. The refund applies to all original owners and lessees of the model year 2000 and 2001 Ford Focus vehicles purchased or leased in California. There is no "cap" on the settlement. All you need to do if you meet the requirements is file a claim at www.focusbrakeclass.com or 866-287-3696 by September 16, 2008. You may also see findjustice.com for more details.

2001 Focus SE, 151,000 miles with no problems until now. Dropped #1 cylinder intake valve seat. Busted head, broke the connecting rod. Re-man. head, complete engine overhaul: parts - 990.00, labor - 750.00 (cash). Drove it 280.1 miles as of last night, then rod made a nice little hole in the block. Should have torched it when it dropped the valve seat.

Tom.

Many years ago I had the exact same thing happen to a Dodge I owned after I had the engine rebuilt at 215,000 miles due to oil consumption and smoking. The shop that did the rebuild did not properly tighten the rod bolts, and one came loose and came through the block. Hopefully the shop that rebuilt your engine gave you a warranty. They owe you a new engine.

The ignition freezes up. The steering column does not seem to recognize the key. It opens the car door but it's like I'm trying to use a key from a different car.

I've heard plenty of negative comments about the first year for the Focus, but I must say that I am extremely happy with my '04 ZTS. Bought it in Dec.'07 with 58,000 km. and I now have 94,000. Drove it from Vancouver B.C. to Toronto and back this summer, and it never missed a beat. My only concern is a 'creaking' sound that seems to be coming from the front end when I drive off, or back up (manual trans.) Other than that, I'm happy.

I bought a 2000 Ford Focus SE back in 2006 with 70 thousand miles on it.

I've replaced the engine twice since then... I've had multiple engine problems with this car, I know a mechanic or this car would have cost me a fortune! 6 different times hoses have come undone in the engine, causing it to stall out and have to have it towed. On different occasions it was recalled twice (on the same part! Ford is retarded) because when I would give it gas, the car would putter and have no power...

CD player doesn't work anymore... brakes are fine, drives good. The engine in this car is just god awful... I will never buy another Ford or tell anyone to buy a Ford.