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.
3.4
definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,109 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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.
Blew the fuse from my fuel pump upon start up of car, needed fuse replaced and got the car to start. However, the fuse would continue to blow, therefore need new fuel pump and filter. Tried to replace the pump with an after market part and it wouldn't fit properly, meaning I need a new expensive pump.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the problem. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 83,000 and current mileage was 89,000. Updated 6/8/11 the consumer believed the stalling was due to a clogged fuel pump. Updated 06/15/11
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle completely failed and shut off. The vehicle failed to start, but the contact was able to pull off the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the sender and fuel pump failed, which caused the vehicle to shut off. The vehicle was repaired at the cost of $540. The manufacturer stated that there was no current recall for the fuel pump; therefore, no compensation would be made. Updated 01-26-09 *bfthe failure mileage was 22,600 and current mileage was 22,700. Updated 01/26/09.
Approximately 3 weeks ago, while driving on the interstate (~65 miles per hour), a cooling system light came on (2002 Ford Focus, manual transmission, 46,000 miles), and instantaneously, the car stalled. It almost threw me into the windshield. The car recovered and did not die, and I was able to get to where I was going. It happened again a few days later while making a right hand turn (~20 miles per hour). I brought it to pep boys, who could find nothing wrong. It stalled and died two blocks away from pep boys, so I brought it to the Ford dealership. I asked them to check on any recalls because I have noticed that many focuses have this problem. They called me to tell me that it was definitely the thermostat, thermostat housing assembly and O ring, and I needed an oil change (which was done at pep boys one week earlier). They wanted $1100 to fix it, so I took my car home. Today, I drove it to a mechanic, and it killed twice, and stalled three times (driving no more than 30 mph). The hazard light came on by itself while I was driving. The mechanic just called to tell me that the fuel pump is bad, and that is what was causing the stalling. It is a shame that I could have been killed in this car, and no recalls have been done on the 2002 Ford Focus for faulty fuel pumps.
My wife was driving the car, and had just turned from the parking lot to the road when the car stalled and would not start again. She was able to coast to the side of the road where the car was towed to the Ford dealership. Ford has told us that the fuel pump failed and needs to be replaced. The car is 5 years old and has less than 50,000 miles on it.
- Champaign, IL, USA
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2002 Ford Focus ztw wagon. Diving on highway and vehicle lost power. Pulled from highway and had vehicle towed to service center. Repair facility replaced fuel filter explaining symptoms were consistent with restricted fuel system. Three days later vehicle exhibits same problem. Towed to service center where a plugged/clogged fuel pump screen was found. Repair facility stated this was a common issue on prior year (2000 - 2001) Focus. Receipts and used parts available.
2002 Ford Focus with 80,000 stalled on freeway at speed of 60 mph without any prior warning. Potentially very serious situation, but there was no accident and no one was injured. Car was towed to Ford dealership where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump had failed. We are trying to get Ford to replace the defective fuel pump as a warranty, but nothing has happened thus far.
Fuel pump quit on my 2002 Ford Focus - car stalled in traffic. This same problem on year 2000 and 2001 Ford Focus have been given extended warranty but not the 2002.
(1) vehicle with approximately 40K miles exhibited hard starting and occasional stumble for 6-8 weeks. (2) failure was clogged fuel pump and vehicle would not start. (3) correction was replacement of fuel pump with updated unit.
My 2002 Ford Focus with 80,000 miles stalls when going high speeds, and it has happened 5 times, to date. The last time I was going 55 mph on an entrance ramp to the freeway, with over 1/4 tank of gas when the engine stalled, vehicle lost power, including power steering. I had to slam on the brakes and stop in "V" where road split, came very close to having an accident. Took it to Ford dealership at recommendation of Ford, determined it was the fuel pump. The first person we talked to at Ford said they would fix it once we took it in and pay for diagnostic, the second person we called at Ford after taking it in said it is our responsibility to replace the part. I am extremely concerned about this problem, it is a major safety hazard to lose steering and power at high speeds.
: the contact stated that the vehicle started, but operated as if it was out of gas. There were no visible leaks of any kind, and the vehicle was taken to a service dealer. The dealer determined that the fuel pump had a failure.
My Ford Focus 2002 is starting to stall & hesitate while driving. I originally had believed it was bad fuel but it is recurring & once it stalls it is difficult to nearly impossible to keep running when putting it into drive. I have had it towed once & looked at by my mechanic, who is puzzled at this point (fuel additive, oil change, filters changed, spark plugs cleaned). It seems to be worse when the gas gage is @ or below a 1/4 of a tank. I have read that there was a similar problem with the 2000-2001 models & am inquiring if anyone with a 2002 is reporting such incidents. I bought the car used (from a Ford dealer) with 12,000 (I think) miles on the speedometer & have been fairly happy until just the last 60 days. I can tell you that I had no problems until I ran very low on gas one night & stopped & filled up at a station that I normally do not use, but it is a station that does a great deal of business in the area where I work. I thought that I may have gotten some bad fuel or had run the tank so low that "gunk" from the bottom of the tank had gotten into the fuel. I used some "fuel additive" & I know that my mechanic (after towing it) also used a fuel additive...everything was fine for a couple of days but then it was hesitating/jerking while I was driving to work on a 1/4 of a tank of premium fuel (my mechanic suggested I only put in $10 of gas in case it was the fuel pump). My mechanic does not believe it is the fuel pump because once he got it to run & he had it running hot he had no problems...he feels I may need to just wait it out...stalling while in traffic is a bit too adventurous for me!!!
Car sputtered, stalled, and died in traffic on two different occasions (one month apart), requiring towing. I would describe the symptom as "fuel starvation", like a bad fuel pump or filter. Both times, it occurred with a warm engine, 1/4 tank of gas, and accelerating normally from a stop. Mechanic subsequently detected no problems, except blown fuel pump fuse.
Vehicle has stalled numerous times without warning, once while a semi was following close behind. After the vehicle stalls, I have to wait anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours for it to start back up and not stall. I have noticed that the 00-01 models are covered by recall for a defective fuel pump but my 02 model is not covered by it. I have also noticed that the 02 model could have been manufactured with two different types of fuel pumps. The fuel pump the car had installed depends on what date it was manufactured. I unfortunately have a vehicle within the date range of being manufactured with the older and defective fuel pump as my vehicle was built in October of 2001. Why is my vehicle not covered in this recall when it was manufactured with the exact same defective part that the 00-01 models have?
The contact stated the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed the dealership and it was determined the fuel pump failed. The fuel pump and iac valve were replaced. There were no warning indicators prior to the failures.
R.E. Ford Focus 2002 fuel pump failure [xxx] I was sitting in the car with the engine idling waiting to pick my wife up from work at around 5pm cst. As she approached I turned off the engine and exited the vehicle so she could drive. Up to this point we have loved our Focus because it has always been reliable. When she started up the engine, it started to shake. The shaking became progressively worse and then the engine started to sputter. She turned off the engine and waited a minute and then restarted. The shaking continued at a lesser intensity so she attempted to drive the vehicle. About 25 feet later, in the middle of busy office building access road, the engine stalled. She tried to restart the engine to no avail. It sounded like the engine was not getting any fuel. We had a 1/4 of a tank. We check the fuel pump fuse and tried the fuel pump reset switch. Thinking that the fuel tank indicator might be defective and that the car might be out of fuel, my wife had a co-worker driver her to a local gas station to get gas. Adding gas did not resolve the problem and the fuel tank indicator showed the added fuel. When none of the quick fixes worked, we had the vehicle towed to apple valley Ford in apple valley Minnesota for servicing. They identified the fuel pump as the cause and because it is not covered by the 2000/2001 Focus "extended warranty" for the same problem, we will have to pay around $600 to repair the car. I am furious about the cost but more so about the dangerous and untenable situation this defect puts my life and the life of my loved ones. How could the 2002 not be included? after research into this issue, I am angry that our lives are not consider important enough to Ford or to the NHTSA. I shudder to think what could have happened if the engine had stalled on the freeway. There are plenty of recent complaints online by other 2002 Focus customers who have had to replace their fuel pumps multiple times. Updated 07/19/2012 information redacted pursuan
I own a 2002 Ford Focus and having troubles with hesitation and stalling when the fuel tank nears or below a quarter of a tank of fuel. Replaced the fuel filter trying to remove possible problem. Problem still excists. Researched and found that Ford has identified years 2000-2001 Focus's with the same defect in the fuel delivery module. Since this vehicle is driven by our college aged daughter, I am very concerned about the safety of this condition. I telephoned Ford customer relations and they have indicated an unwillingness to act in correcting this defect. I further identified that there was a current extended coverage program 03N01 for the 2000 and 2001 year models. Further in a ODI resume, investigation #EA02-022 indicates that 2002 year vehicles are also being affected.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wilmington , NC, USA