2001 Ford Focus ES from North America - Comments

The focus is no doubt a cute car. It's good on gas, a nice size, and roomy inside. However, I have had nothing but problems with my car.

The key gets stuck in the ignition, my heat shield broke off and now drags, my brakes are constantly giving my problems, the tie rods and ball joints have been fixed several times, my radiator mysteriously began to hang, the trunk doesn't close, my emergency brake doesn't work, both my back door latches were defective and would fly open when I was driving.

To be completely honest there are so many things wrong with my car I cannot name them all. I recently bumped into my garage door at approx. 4 mph, my airbags deployed and my windshield cracked, this left me with nearly 3500 dollars of damage. I admit that I am at fault for some of the minor faults on my car, but there is no reason my radiator should hang, my muffler to drag, and the numerous other defects in my vehicle.

I had my daughter in the car when the two back doors opened, I did not receive a defect notice until months after the incident occurred. I swear I will never buy another Ford nor recommend anyone to buy one.

The tranny is going.

The trunk doesn't close.

The body dents very easily.

The gas light will go on and off.

The interior lights occasionally shut off.

The key gets stuck in the ignition.

The heat shield scrapes on the street.

This car is junk!

Ford Focus owners of the world unite! Sorry to hear about your problems. I drive a 2000 Focus SE... the first model year. Quite possibly the only car worse than yours. If you'd like to read about my woes, go to the 2000 Focus reviews and look for the one titled "Great power train, not so great anything else..". It's a long review (601 words), but I had a lot of problems (and still continue to).

I own a 2000 Ford Focus LX, and I think it is a wonderful car, if you keep up with oil changes, check-ups, and so forth. I have had some problems, however. I bought my car used at 20K. Shortly after I bought the car I had to replace both sets of brakes, which, needless to say was quite expensive. Also, at about 40K, I had to replace the ignition.

To this day, my brakes still squeak when I slow or stop, which is quite annoying - not to mention the car in front of mine typically looks in the rear view mirror with a concerned look, afraid I will crash into him (kind of funny to see, because my mechanic says there is not a problem, it is just cosmetic, and my brakes are fine). This car has suited me well, and I think it is a great car, if you don't crash into the garage door often.

Any prospective buyer should understand their driving habits, and be honest. Do you ride the brakes often? If so, you will probably have a brake problem sooner than later in the Focus. Do you have heavy key chains? You may be replacing the ignition because of a dropped pin. It all depends on how you treat your car. If you don't invest time and money into something, it won't save you money in the long run. No car lasts when it is treated poorly, and that's the truth.