2003 Ford Focus power train problems

“THE CAR STALLS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING. ALL POWER IS LOST FOR STEERING AND BRAKES. HIGHLY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR. HAPPENS IN ALL CONDITIONS AND UNEXPECTEDLY. CAR WILL RESTART. APPEARS TO BE A CURRENT "RECALL" OF FORD CARS FOR THE SAME ISSUES. DEALER HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO FIX AND CLAIMS TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS APPEARS TO BE A NEVER ENDING PROBLEM WITH FORDS BASED ON THE INFORMATION I SEE ONLINE. HAVE ALREADY REPLACED AIR HOSE, SPARK PLUGS, VALVE COVER GASKET, WIRES. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY OTHERS ONLINE TO CLEAN THE MAF SENSOR AND THROTTLE BODY, BUT THE DEALER DOESN'T REALLY KNOW IF THAT IS THE PROBLEM OR WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. TO THEM THERE IS NO PROBLEM. I CAN SEE FROM INFORMATION POSTED BY OTHERS ALONG WITH THE RECENT RECALL THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM FOR FORD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT AND HAVE ALMOST HIT OTHERS WHEN THE CAR STALLS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR MORE THAN 1 YEAR. RECENTLY STALLED 2 TIMES IN A WEEK WHILE DRIVING.”

“WHILE WAITING IN A PARKING AISLE FOR A CAR TO EXIT A PARKING PLACE THE ENGINE ACCELERATED TO VERY HIGH RPM. AS MY CAR WAS STATIONARY AND MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND IN DRIVE THE CAR DID NOT SEEM TO MOVE. PLACING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL OR PARK MADE NO DIFFERENCE. SHUT OFF ENGINE AND RESTARTED WITH SAME RESULT. AFTER WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES WHILE RESPONDING TO AN INTERESTED PERSON I TRIED AGAIN AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. DROVE THE CAR HOME AND LEFT IT PARKED. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED . *TR”

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD FOCUS. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE FROM THE PARK POSITION. IN ORDER SHIFT INTO REVERSE HE HAD TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND ALLOW IT TO SLOWLY ROLL BACKWARDS. UPON DRIVING THE VEHICLE HE ALSO NOTICED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 6TH GEAR. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS NOT PERFORMED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 50,000.”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2003 FORD FOCUS. THE VEHICLE SLID ON AN ICE PATCH , WHICH CAUSED HER TO LOOSE VEHICLE CONTROL. THE VEHICLE SPUN AROUND SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN COLLIDED ON AN EMBANKMENT. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. SHE RECEIVED INJURIES TO HER NECK, FEET, AND RIBS, THE PASSENGER RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE SPINE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY CONCLUDED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. ALSO THE IGNITION SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED AT AN EXPENSE OF $450.00. SHE ALSO PAID $300.00 TO REPAIR THE DOOR LOCKS. THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE SHERIFF REPORT NUMBER WAS 09004117. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 94,000.”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD FOCUS. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH. THE STEERING COLUMN ALSO NEEDS TO BE REPLACED SINCE IT CAN BE TURNED 360 DEGREES. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.”

“THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING,HARD SHIFTING, AND NOT GOING INTO 4TH. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 70 THOUSAND MILES. TOOK IT TO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A SOLENOID. ALSO WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN MY TYPE OF VEHICLE. IT MAY OR MAY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM COMPLETELY. WHEN I QUESTIONED WHY HE SAID THAT MANY OF THE FOCUS TRANSMISSIONS HAVE SOLENOID PROBLEMS UNTIL THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WENT ONLINE AND DID SOME SEARCHING AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME YEAR AND MAKE OF MY CAR. WHEN I CONTACTED FORD THEY SAID THAT THEY DID NOT SEE THESE PROBLEMS VERY OFTEN. WHEN I APPROACHED THEM WITH THE DISCUSSION BOARDS THAT I HAD READ AND THE COMMENTS FROM MY TRUSTED MECHANIC THEY HAD NO COMMENT. MY CAR DOES WORK NOW AFTER THE SOLENOID WAS REPLACED, BUT IT STILL SLIPS AND SHIFTS HARD FROM 1ST TO 2ND. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT FORD WILL NOT ADMIT TO A PROBLEM WITH THE MECHANICS OF THIS TRANSMISSION. *TR”