This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
[1] 2000 Ford Focus ZX3, 27,500 miles, no known events prior to faillure [2] wile driving at 65 mph on I-65 the passenger side front suspension spring failed, dropped into the wheel and shredded the tire. Vehicle shook violently bordering on being out of control. Lifting the accelerator allowed the car decrease in speed and was brought to the side of the road. Tow and delay of 24 hours to secure parts ensued. Coil spring was found to have failed adjacent to a metal plate that received the spring as part of the strut assembly, at an area contained in a plastic sleeve. [3] coil spring, strut and tire replaced. Parts photographed in place prior to repair, spring and strut retained.
I heard a clunking noise in the front passenger side of the car, I took the car into the dealer for several recalls at approx.149,000 miles. Ford peformed the necessary recalls. 5,000 miles later I was backing up and I heard a loud knock and the car dropped on the passanger side. I went home and jacked the car up and found the spring broken into 3 pices so I lowered it back down to pull it into the garage. Upon removal of the spring/strut assy. I noticed where the breaks were in the spring assy one of the breakes was pretty rusty and the other looked like fresh metal. I pulled the drivers side apart and it looked like a totally diffrent part but there was a plastic wrap around the spring with an abnormal amount of rust near this wrap. Ford will not help me in this matter. This car is a lemon!
2000 Ford Focus front coil springs broke turning into a gas station. Ford honors some of the Focus's as a customer friendly warranty only cars made up to December of 1999. My car was made in may of 2000 so it does not meet the program as they put it but yet the same issues and parts needed to be replaced at my expense. 708 claims since Dec. 2003 where covered if your car was manufactured before 2000. Ford well aware of the faulty springs purchased over in europe. Not able to handle american rough roads with poor corrosion protection and inexpensive steel causing them to break while traveling. Ford feels it is not a safety issue and will not do a recall.
Driving through a paved parking lot, ran-over a small storm drain with the left side of the car. The right side front coil spring snapped in the area of a plastic covering. Turning the car was almost impossible due to the mis-placement of the spring. A new spring was purchased, Ford said their special warrenty did not apply to this car. Old part is available.
- Vernon, CT, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
While driving 35 mph front coil springs broke without warning. The cause of the problem had not been determined, and the vehicle will be towed to the dealer for repairs. The spring broke without warning and caused the wheel to lock up and skid to a stop.
Consumer received recall 03V482000 concerning fuel pump failure. While driving at any speed, the consumer felt a hesitation in the engine, and then vehicle stalled. Even though there was a recall for this vehicle, the manufacturer would not honor it because it was a salvaged vehicle. The consumer stated the coil springs failed. Updated 05/11/09.
Heard a thunking noise driving to work lasted a few seconds-drove to nearby parking lot and parked ther till after work--started to drive out of lot and drove appx. 50 yds and heard it again this time a piece of metal hit the ground-stopped and upon checking found a large piece of metal ring -took it to car dealership and they said it was a spring -Ford has a consumer complaint on the springs of 2000 Focus and they fix some for no charge-my vehicle was not assembled in the right place for it to be covered-although it met all criteria (year, make and problem).
2000 Ford Focus. Driving 65 mph on freeway. Loud bang. Checked under vehicle, saw nothing. Several days later I was pulling into a driveway and there was a slight dip entering drive when horrible noise and grinding occurred. Sounded like wheel was going to fall off. Afraid to drive. Towed to dealership. Right front spring had broken. Dealer recommended replacing both front springs/struts. They must know something general public doesn't. when I asked about recalls, they said Ford had history of springs breaking and recalls on Windstar but not Focus. I don't believe it. Has to be manufacturers' defect. Should not have broken under normal driving conditions. Car only 3 years old. Site indicates many incidents in 2003. Probably many more not reported.
Front coil spring is fractured. Ford Motor Company's customer satisfaction program 03M02 only covers cars built through December 1999. My vehicle was built in May 2000. Ford's coverage does not extend to all affected vehciles or Ford has another problem with front coil springs on Focus. Very high efforts to shift in and out of 1st, 3rd and 5th gears - difficlult to shift gears resulting in increased time and attention to shift gears.
Consumer took vehicle into the dealer on June 2 and June 9 because she heard some noise in the front end. It was later determined that the right front spring broke. The dealer replaced the spring under warranty. The consumer fells that the spring should not have broken on a 3 year old vehicle.
Hello-I have contacted Ford multiple times in the last six months due to issues with my barely out of warranty Focus. One of them had a tracking id of [xxx], case id of[xxx]. the other case id I have since lost but was under my name and this same VIN #, [xxx]. the morning of Monday, 6/30/03, with approximately 29,300 miles on the car, I went out the garage to back up. A horrible grinding noise was coming from the front of the car. The right front spring coil was sitting on top of my tire. This is of course related to a recent recall (the tenth one I've received). I'm outraged that Ford isn't requiring Focus owners to have their coils checked. There was no shift in suspension or noise with my vehicle. Suddenly, it just became very, very undriveable. The day before this happened, I put on 200+ highway miles at 65mph. If this coil would have broken on the highway, it would have been an extremely dangerous situation! I have had my car in the shop 14 times for non routine maintenance since I have bought it, but this last incident was incredible scary. Respectfully, [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a recall. Manufacturer recall# 03M02 subject front coil spring. The NHTSA campaign number could not be found in the artemis system. The dealer stated the parts were not available.
Passenger front coil spring broke after going over speed bump @ 5 mph. Could have punctured tire if not immediately noticed. 2000 Ford Focus, 38,000 mi.
After sitting down in the driver's seat there was a loud pop. Vehicle backed up, and the front driver's side of the vehicle collapsed. Coil spring punctured the drivers side tire. Cause was unknown.
I drive a 2000 Ford Focus with 32,000 miles on it. I was driving on the highway (I-44) at 70 mph speed when the spring on the strut of the front passenger tire broke. The car swirled, started smoking, made screetching noise, and with lots of struggle and dangerous swirls I pulled up on the left side of the 3-lane interstate. It was impossible to remain in this narrow lane because the danger was too high, so a police officer escorted my car across three lanes to pull in into the right side of the highway. After my car was taken to a repair shop, I contacted Ford Motor Company to report this incident. Ford informed that my warranty was up a month before the incident and there was nothing they could do about it. They showed no concern regarding this dangerous incident happening on a 3 year old vehicle. Besides the traumatic experience and the repairs, this can lead to more incidents of this kind, but Ford customer service showed no interest in this case. Unbelievable. Lawsuit waiting to happen. I will never buy a Ford product again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Haverhill, MA, USA