2004 Ford Focus, now 2 years old with 54,000 miles. When leaving the store today my key would go into the ignition but would not turn and my wheel was in a locked position facing left. I had to have my vehicle towed to the dealership costing me $68 and an additional $98 for Ford to look at it. I am sure it will be confirmed tomorrow that I will need my ignition cylinder replaced as have many Focus owners. Which will cost approximately $300.

- Rockford, IL, USA

: the contact stated the key came out of the ignition while in the start position. The vehicle was parked and turned off when the incident occurred. The steering wheel locked up and could not be moved when the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the ignition cylinder and transceiver module needed to be replaced.

- Houston, TX, USA

2004 Ford Focus. Key does not turn in ignition. Stranded in remote area. Had to walk and hitch-hike home. Found hudreds of similar complaints on internet. Sudden, unexpected failure of such basic and fundametal safety/security equipment is inherantly dangerous. Consumers should be warned that this is a common occurance and that it could be dangerous.

- Austeriltz, NY, USA

In October of 2004 the ignition cylinder locked on my 2004 Ford Focus and was unusable. It was towed to the dealership and they claimed to have "fixed it". today is June 18, 2006 and the ignition cylinder locked on me again. My daughter drives this car and she works the graveyard shift. If this car were to leave her stranded at night because Ford failed to issue a recall --I seriously consider this a safety issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- El Paso, TX, USA

Ignition jammed unable to start car, key would not turn at all. Had to have car towed to dealership and they replaced ignition had the car for two days, now that I have new ignition the key is now getting stuck in the ignition. Have not reported problem to dealership yet.

- Newark, CA, USA

: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle the key would not turn unless the steering wheel is turned at the same time. The problem occurs intermittently and has not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle is a 2004 Ford Focus.

- Keene Valley, NY, USA

: the contact stated for the past four months, while attempting to start the vehicle, the key will not turn unless the steering wheel and the key are turned at the same time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the lock assembly, ignition switch, and steering lock mechanism were replaced. This corrected the problem. Updated 05/30/2006.

- Keene Valley, NY, USA

Key will not turn in ignition.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

We own a 2004 Ford Focus ZX3. It has around 50,000 miles on it. The car is primary used for commuting, 150 miles round trip each day. Last week when going to leave work my husband inserted the key in the ignition but the lock would not turn. He had to slam on the key to finally get the key to turn so he could come home. It has progressively got worse and this morning the key is unable to turn at all. We've barely had the car two years. When looking online for a fix/recall notice I discovered that there are thousands of other americans who have experienced the same problem, some of them several times. At what point does Ford accept the responsibility for using subpar materials and fix the thing on their tab? I am now sitting with a car in my driveway, unable to even be taken to the dealer without a tow truck. It is blocking my garage which houses our only other form of transportation. I am going to be out around $100 today for transportation costs and that doesn't even include fixing the Focus.

- Lancaster, CA, USA

I was able to get the key in and out of the ignition but was not able to turn the wheel or the key. Everything was locked. Had to get the 2004 Focus towed and pay 300+ dollars for repair as the warranty is up (40K + mis.)

- Belen, NM, USA

Type of automobile is a 2004 Ford Focus. On several occasionsx ignition locks up and cannot start car. I have researched the internet and found this is a common problem in the Ford Focus dating back to the 2000 model and yet Ford has done nothing to correct the problem. This could be a dangerous problem for a mother with children if she were to travel at night and when returning to the car could not start her engine. It is not covered by insurance for repair or under warranty if expired and it is a manufacturing defect on the part of Ford and the consumer should not be responsible for repairs that after researching has been evident since the release of the Ford Focus. It is time that Ford did something about this instead of leaving it up to the consumer to repair.

- Kinston, NC, USA

2000 Ford Focus ZX3: The tumblers of the ignition are jammed. The key has a rough time going into the mechanism and often gets stuck on the way in or out. Once in, the ignition will not turn at all. The car now has to be towed to be worked on.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

Steering wheel locked up, can't start car. Had to take a hammer and pound key to get started, as a tow truck operator told me all these Ford Focus are doing this.

- Miami, FL, USA

While driving vehicle stalled. Consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic did not resolve the problem.

- Moses Lake, WA, USA