CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002 Ford Focus 2.0L SOHC engine has a defect where the intake valve seat fails. The valve then falls into the cylinder, destroying the engine & most owner relationships with Ford in the process.
The ignition lock failed, would not turn and could not start the car. It's a good thing this didn't happen on an out of town trip! A locksmith had to come to the car, replace the ignition lock and key. At $300 it was quite an expensive repair.
this is crap, daughter buys her first car and in less than 24 hours her key is stuck in the ignition and she is saddled with a repair bill....this should be a safety recall, how can someone leave their key in the ignition and expect it to still be sitting there when they come out of school or the grocery store
It was a cold January night in Chicago. I had just gotten off the train and got in my car to go home. I put the key in the ignition and it would not turn. It was freezing! I thought it was frozen from the cold. I got on the internet when I got home to see if I could find a solution to make the key turn. It turns out HUNDREDS of Focus owners have had the same problem. Some of them have gotten lucky by wiggling the key for an hour in the ignition and getting the car to start. I had no such luck.
It was even worse when I had to pay $325 for parts and labor and $125 to get my car towed 4 miles to the closest dealership.
NOW only ONE YEAR LATER the ignition is acting up again! The key is hard to turn and sometimes doesn't want to come out. luckily it has not been a whole year and I should be able to get it fixed under warranty.
SOMEONE please tell me HOW THIS PROBLEM IS NOT A SAFETY HAZARD!!!
I see there are many other complaints about this same issue. The ignition key just suddenly stopped working. Now I can't even turn the car on at all. I was told my the AAA tow guy to either bank the ignition with something solid or have the ignition cylinder completely replaced. My mechanic estimated that it will cost about $250 - $350. Why hasn't Ford issued a recall on this? My mechanic says he sees this problem all the time on Ford Focuses. Ignitions don't just stop working. This is clearly a major defect.
Originally in July of 2007 my keys got stuck in the ignition and wouldn't come out. I took it to a dealer who replaced the ignition under my extended warranty. Five months later I began to have the same problem however I no longer have a warranty. It obviously is more than just the ignition and I can't afford to replace the ignition every few months. After reading all the other similar complaints Ford needs to recall this part and fix the real problem!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The ignition lock failed, would not turn and could not start the car. It's a good thing this didn't happen on an out of town trip! A locksmith had to come to the car, replace the ignition lock and key. At $300 it was quite an expensive repair.
- motorist, Binghamton, NY, US