2003 Ford Focus zts from North America - Comments

So far it's been a pretty good running car. Although I am somewhat concerned about the aluminum rims. I hit a chuck hole in the road the second day I had it (at about 35 mph) really messed it up.

Well I have read a lot of negative comments about this car. None of them is a 2003 though. Most of them are about the front brakes and rotors going bad at an early stage.

A friend of mine whom is a ford mechanic confirms that this is a problem. He also claims that it's only the first set for some reason. It's about a $300.00 repair that ford won't cover under warranty. I think they should since it's a known problem.

I've had mine only 4 months though and because of the reviews I have read I'm kinda leery about this car. Still no complaints at this time. Keep in mind when reading these reviews that some are kinda unjustified complaints (I believe anyway) Example #1 A lady was complaining that she had to have the oil changed every 5,000 miles. Another one is a guy complaining that the car didn't get anywhere near the gas mileage listed on the sticker. I think he said he had just under 1,000 miles on the car.

It takes (on the average) about 10,000 miles to break in a new car I'm not sure if that same rule stands fast with smaller cars though. I'm getting right @ 35 mpg driving the posted speed limits.

Hello,

I have a 2003 ZTS and I (knock on wood) have been very pleased. I have a commute of approx. 170 miles a day 2-3 days out of the week and have put 42,400 miles of highway driving on this focus. Just had the original brakes checked and still had 50% on the back and 25% on the front. It's definitely ready for a brake job, but I think it's great that the brakes lasted that long with all the curves negotiate on my commute. The only bad comment I can provide is that the paint (black) immediately started chipping all around the bottom side of the car and the dealer wouldn't fix it even though I know its wasn't from road debris as they insisted.

MG.

I have a 2003 Ford Focus, it is a four door, 4 cl.

Recently I have had trouble with the ignition. The key just won't turn. I have checked to make sure it is in park, turned the wheel, etc. I have also discovered that many other people have had similar experiences with this make and model. The trick to turning the key is to jam it into the ignition while turning it, also once you have turned the car on, you can turn it off and back on with ease as long as you do not remove the key. Ford tells me that it is a problem with the contact between the key's chip and the internal CPU of the Focus. The car is under original factory warranty, but I am unsure if this would be covered.

Other than the ignition problem that comes and goes, this is an outstanding vehicle that has great gas mileage.