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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,132 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.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000 and the current mileage was 48,804.
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.
While idling, my car is turning off. It also does so when attempting to accelerate after shifting the car from P to D. initially the gas cap light on the dashboard signaled. I replaced the cap, and the check engine light was illuminated afterwards. Now, the car is turning off completely while idling and only the check engine light is lit.
Fuel pump started to cause car to stutter, stall, completely die. Has stalled out on interstate in heavy traffic, in the middle of busy afternoon 4-lane traffic; both times barely making it of traffic and being hit by oncoming traffic w/children in the car! car manufacture date is 09/01 in Mexico. Had fuel pump replace and has failed both times, cost is too expensive for me! already paid over$1000 for parts and labor! no recalls on this car regarding the fuel system or the ignition switch locking up!!! I have seen more and more of these 2 problems with the early Ford Focus, why hasn't something been done yet"?????"
Car was running funny for about a week. Leaving a store parking lot. I pulled out on the highway and car started missing real bad and stalled. Would not start back up. I had it towed to the garage and was told after they looked at it that it needed a new fuel delivery system or fuel pump and stuff. Another known issue by Ford Motor Company, but not for my Ford Focus. The guy I pulled out on probably thought idiot.
- Mount Juliet, TN, USA
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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. The contact was driving approximately 5 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent where the engine restarted. The technician was unable to duplicate the problem. The similar failure recurred; although the engine restarted. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated the fuel pump would need to be replaced. There was a recall related to the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 03V482000 (fuel system, gasoline). The VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 49,728.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the wires on top of the fuel pump started to melt. As a result, the vehicle would intermittently surge forward and stall without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the melting wires were causing the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000 and the current mileage was 154,000.
On March 17, 2011, my 2002 Ford Focus suddenly stalled out as I was accelerating uphill, turning right on a ramp to enter a busy highway. Fuel tank was about. I restarted the engine a couple times, but it stalled out again after a few seconds. It was potentially a dangerous situation, but luckily I was able to roll the car back downhill to a safer location. (later I learned that an identical scenario is described in Ford dealer letter 03N01, in which Ford agrees to replace fuel delivery modules for 2000 and 2001 models, but not 2002.) I had the car towed to a Ford dealer, but they were not able to look at it till the next morning, at which time the car started fine. Ford ran many tests, including electrical and mechanical, took it out for 3 ' 4 test drives and could not find a problem. They charged $150 for the diagnostic labor. This car has done this every year now for the past 3 years. Similar, but not identical, stalls occurred on March 16, 2009, March 10, 2010 and March 17, 2010. Each time, I had to have the car towed. Locations were different, so it was always a different shop. None of them were able to look at it right away, and by the time they looked at it the next day, they could not find the problem. However, each one charged about $150 labor. Those 3 incidents also required a new 15 amp fuse for the fuel pump, perhaps because of the repeated unsuccessful efforts to restart the car after it stalled. This year, I stopped trying to restart after 4 unsuccessful efforts. The fuse did not blow this year. In between these stallouts, usually exactly one year apart, the engine has started and run smoothly, with no indication of problems. Each time a stall has happened, the car has worked fine the next day, without any addition of fuel. This indicates that it is not a problem with the quality or quantity of fuel in the tank. The only explanation that I can see for these unpredictable failures is a defect in the fuel delivery system.
2002 Ford Focus. Consumer requests reimbursement for towing and repair expenses related to problem that should have been taken care of under recall. The consumer mentioned recall #03V482000 the fuel pump was replaced.
Fuel pump in my 2002 Ford Focus failed suddenly as I was merging onto a 50mph highway in January 2010. The car just literally died, without warning. Fuel intake stopped and so did the car. I was lucky it was early on a Sunday morning and traffic was light. If I had been in heavy traffic, this sudden failure would have posed a grave safety risk. The repair cost $700. Ford refused to cover any of it. In a search of internet articles and your web site, I found this fuel pump failure to be a well-documented problem in 2000 - 2002 Ford Focus'. I am concerned that they replaced the original defective pump with an exact replica of the original pump, exposing me to continued danger.
The car started to putt putt and then it stalled out I had a hafl of tank of gas when I had to get this towed come to fine out the fuel pump and filter was clogged.
2002 Ford Focus exhibits engine hesitation when the fuel tank is below 1/4 full. There are acceleration problems and the car has completely lost power on at least one occasion while driving on the highway. This began to happen with 80,000km on the car and now always happens when driving at highway speeds with only 1/4 tank of gas. Complaints to Ford about how this is the exact same condition that caused them to issue a recall on 2000 and 2001 focuses (03N01) have not resulted in any offer to replace the fuel pump for free.
2002 Ford Focus bought the end of March 2009, now sits in driveway, because Ford will not fix fuel delivery module failure, because of VIN# not on list as being one of the 671000 units affected. The car is doing the same thing as all the other 671000 that were affected, surging, loss of power, stalling, hesitation. We were going down the road, changed lanes and it started doing this, now I have had 3 mechanics work on this car, no help replaced fuel pump, battery, fuel filter etc, no luck. It starts when it wants will run then it starts losing power, stalls. We did expect problems with used car, but not one that should have been included in a recall and fixed. If accident happens because of this problem Ford will be at fault.
My 2002 Ford Focus zts suddenly stalled in heavy, fast moving traffic. I had to wrestle the car to the curb without power steering or power brakes while at the same time avoiding traffic. I took it to the shop and they said the fuel pump has failed and needed replacement. Total cost estimate is nearly $800. This is a common problem in 2001 and 2000 models and this part is even covered in an extended warranty for those years. However, the 2002 is not covered. I think that this should be a safely concern for Ford but I think they are doing the bare minimum. I will never buy another Ford again. No wonder they are having such difficult times at Ford!
Faulty ignition cylinder lock, fails without warning. I had it replaced 12/15/07 and it is now defective again on 4/6/09. I had it fixed last time for $200, but it can cost up to $400. How this isn't a safety issue is beyond me. Then again the pinto's exploding gas tank wasn't deemed a "safety issue" by Ford, either.
I purchased a used 2002 Ford Focus in fl. While driving it to my home in tn, I experienced stalling at hwy speeds. I changed the fuel filter and continued on my trip. It stalled again and wouldn't restart. I had it towed to a Ford dealer that diagnosed the problem as the alternator and battery. I replaced them both. The car started and I began my travel back home. Upon my return home, when I would utilize the car, I would experience stalling under varying conditions. I took it to a mechanic who could not find that problem, but did replace the thermostat. Typically the car would run for several hours before the stalling would begin. I could usually allow the engine to cool for approximately 20-30 minutes and the car would start. I could drive for approximately 15 minutes before it would stall again. My latest experience happened at hwy speeds. After 30 minutes of travel the car stalled and has not restarted since. I contacted Ford who informed me that my car was not part of their "recall (s)" due to where it was assembled. I find it very "coincidental" that my car is experiencing the exact problems that the "recalled" cars experienced. Is there a course on action that I should take?
I drive a 2002 Ford Focus wagon, mileage 85,578. Two days ago I had trouble starting it. I did get it started but everytime I took my foot off the accelerator the engine stall. There was no check engine light warning prior to this or during the event. I was able to drive my car home, but had to restart it each time I had to stop. The next morning it drove fine but I took it to a Ford dealer for diagnosis and repair. I was told it was a fuel pump failure and it cost me over a $1000 for repair. (parts lister were sender, gasket, kit, tube, gasket, filter). In researching recalls I found that model years 2000-2001 were having this exact same problems and a recall was determined for this. I do normal driving - 70% highway, 30% in town. My car is just over 5 years old, I don't believe that normal wear and tear should cause the fuel pump to fail. It seems to me that this is some kind of defect in the original part or assembly.
Driving my 2002 ZX5 Ford Focus around pittsburgh, with less than a 1/4 tank the engine started stuttering. Then the car stalled. I turned it back on and drove about a 1/4 mile when it started stuttering and shaking pretty bad again. When I tried to accelerate, there was no power and the engine stalled again. I waited a little before turning it back on. It did the same thing twice more; once it stalled when I was doing a left turn at a busy traffic intersection and the other while driving down a crowded avenue. Fortunately I was able to make the 2-hour trip back home without any incidents. I took it to the Ford dealership in my town and they told me they needed to replace the fuel pump, fuel filter and also perform a fuel flush. The total cost is roughly $600. I have been looking in the internet and there is a history of failures with the fuel delivery module on 2000-2001 Focus. Ford has claimed that the problem was solved in 2002. My bumper-to-bumper warranty expired this past January and the dealership says that since my car is 2002 the extended coverage program 03N01 does not apply in my case, thus I have to pay for the repairs. I disagree and I do not feel that the cost should be my responsibility. My car shows all the symptoms described on the 03N01 document, which is a quality issue that Ford should have resolved and clearly has not. It is unsafe driving a car that can stall without warning leaving the driver stuck in a dangerous situation.
I have 2002 Ford Focus SE that cuts out and stalls while making right hand turns. I took to the dealer 18 months ago and they couldn't find anything wrong. Now it is doing it 5 times a day and other Focus owners are saying that theirs cuts out as well. Ford has no tsb that I could find for it but it is very.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Windisor, NC, USA