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...maybe to some, maybe not to others, but here is my story........ I helped my daughter chose a used car she could afford two months ago. We ended up with a 2005 Ford Focus. She called Thursday night saying her key wouldn't work. Without a definition of what that meant, I grabbed my tool box and cables and jumped in my truck. Once I got there I quickly realized that the ignition was locked up. That is, the key would go in, but it wouldn't move. I tried the usual things such as trying to move the steering wheel and shift out of park. No luck. After a bit of other fiddling around we had it towed to the dealership we bought it at. This is the third car I have bought from this dealership and I have always felt that the price we settled on each time was fair. Each of the previous two vehicles ran as expected. Obviously I have gone back to them for these reasons. My daughter has a one year warranty from the dealership, however it does come with a $200 deductible I haven't checked, but I would imagine that the factory warranty is expired based on mileage (I think it has about 40k+). At this point the best I got from the dealership was (not a Ford dealership btw), "We will see what we can work out". The context of that statement is such that I don't believe they are going to stick it to me, but I also don't think this is going to be free. The truth is I can't blame them as this is a factory defect that has two TSBs. I would expect more from a Ford dealership although after a Google searh of "Ford Focus ignition", I don't know. I found PAGES of results documenting and complaining about this same item, yet Ford will not recognize (i.e., recall...TSBs do little for the consumer) a defect that dates to at least 2000 on a single model of theirs. Included in the pages of Google results were at least two lawsuits (one being a class action out of California). While searching the web, I did find two TSB pdfs and forwarded these to the dealership. One of this bulletins even shows a repair method that involves drilling into the ignition. I spoke with the dealership yesterday and they plan to keep the car over the weekend. They did not offer a rental, but the warranty does cover one for every eight hours of repair. I'll wait until repair costs are determined before I potentially make any claim to anything. There is some language in two agreements my daughter signed at purchase that may to be my favor, but I don't know. The truth is I may not have a lot to stand on beyond the deductible. Needless to say I am dismayed and angry with the Ford Motor Company. It is no wonder they are in the shape they are in. To take the defect history of this single item and do nothing to satisfy the customer does not bode well for them. In fact, to develop such defect history and continue to manufacture the same problem speaks volumes to their position in the marketplace. If anyone that reads this works for Ford and takes this personally...GOOD...you should. As a matter of fact, print it out and take it work. I would be more than happy to speak to a rep of the company face to face. I would be more than happy to express my regret that this historical company seems to be well on it's way to obscurity. 
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I got an 2002 Focus, never had a problem with it.
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Thats not just a Ford problem. GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, etc, etc, all know of problems with most of their vehicles, but don't recall them. You can find problems on almost every car on the road if you look for them.
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All Pro
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Ford, Chevy, and Dodge all suck.
If you want quality, buy Toyota or Honda.
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I've had my '98 Escort for 130,000 miles now with very few problems. I know some people have issues with Fords, but my car has been excellent and I'm going to drive it until its wheels fall off.
[color:"green"] "World domination has encountered a momentary setback. Please talk amongst yourselves." Get Fuzzy[/color]
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 Why are their service departments just as busy?
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Quote:
I've had my '98 Escort for 130,000 miles now with very few problems. I know some people have issues with Fords, but my car has been excellent and I'm going to drive it until its wheels fall off.
Trouble Spots
Consumer Guide's® Auto Editors have scoured repair bulletins and questioned mechanics to search for commonly occurring problems for a particular vehicle. In some cases we also give possible manufacturer-suggested solutions. In many instances these trouble spots are Technical Service Bulletins posted by the manufacturer, however, we have our own expert looking at additional vehicle problems.
Audio system: Electrical noise caused by the electric fuel pump in the tank can cause a buzzing noise when the AM band of the radio is selected. (1997-98)
Automatic transmission: The transmission may not engage right away when the car has been parked overnight because the torque converter drains down. (1997)
Doors: The dome light may come on while driving or fail to come on when the door is opened. (1997-98)
Fuel gauge: The gas gauge may have an error of about 1/8 tank, may drop from full too fast, and the tank may take fuel slowly due to a problem with the fuel sending unit or slosh module. (1998)
Hard starting: If the engine will not start or the cooling fan does not shut off in cold weather, the integrated relay control module needs to be replaced. (1997-98)
Heater core: Installing a restrictor in the heater inlet hose may repair heater cores leaks. (1985-2003)
Oil leak: In cold weather, moisture can freeze in the PCV system. When the engine is started, the dipstick pops out of its tube and oil leaks out. (1997-98)
Vehicle noise: The blower motor may chirp or squeak at low speeds. This can be corrected with a replacement motor. (1997)
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Why are their service departments just as busy?
Everyone is calling to tell them how great their vehicles are 
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Thats not just a Ford problem. GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, etc, etc, all know of problems with most of their vehicles, but don't recall them. You can find problems on almost every car on the road if you look for them.
Specifically this is just a Ford problem and that's my point. This automaker has at least six years of warranty and complaint history but they haven't honored this with a recall. That is certainly their prerogative, but I honestly believe it does not serve their vulnerable market position very well.
Knowing of problems without taking action is one thing. Knowing of problems with a single model type and a specific part is another. I am an ISO rep and work closely with with warranty with one of the other automakers you mentioned and I can explicitly tell you that our company would take action is such an instance. Customer satisfaction and loyalty is our life blood.
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I have been in the car business for 23 years and I have seen the problems with all makes and models. Just talk to some mechanics who work at the dealerships and they can rattle off common problems on every car they sell at that dealership. I am not saying it's right (because it's not) but it has been that way since before I was even born 
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Thats not just a Ford problem. GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, etc, etc, all know of problems with most of their vehicles, but don't recall them. You can find problems on almost every car on the road if you look for them.
I agree with ya on that GM, i remember seeing something on the news a few months back about Chevy having a problem with one of their vehicles that had been going on for years but nothin had been done about it. Why?, because it wasn't a life threatening problem and they didn't want to lose money recallin all those cars to fix it.
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GM i didn't know they had cars in the stone age :-x
On a more serious note...GM you are correct....my mom drives a 99 corolla and that thing only has 69k on it and is having engine prbs....never heard before that a TYOTOA would have engine prbs! but there u go...(we have always taken care of it...timely oil changes n everything...but there seems to be some sort of leak that we can't find thts eating up oil faster than it should)
However, i've always heard more complains about ford in general...not sure how true that is but u always hear ppl bitchin' about american cars compared to say honda or toyota....
Last edited by BrownBuck; 06/02/07 11:56 AM.
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I wasn't saying that my car is perfect and everybody should go out looking for 1998 Escorts, GM. I was simply saying that I haven't had any issues with my car and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Ford again in the future. Edit to add: Although, if anybody is interested in a 98 Escort with 130,000 miles and wants to pay an obscenely high price for it, I can probably be talked into that.
Last edited by logdawg; 06/02/07 12:03 PM.
[color:"green"] "World domination has encountered a momentary setback. Please talk amongst yourselves." Get Fuzzy[/color]
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Quote:
I have been in the car business for 23 years and I have seen the problems with all makes and models. Just talk to some mechanics who work at the dealerships and they can rattle off common problems on every car they sell at that dealership.
I am not saying it's right (because it's not) but it has been that way since before I was even born
I understand and would imagine this is true of the automaker I work for.
It's obviously the repetitive part of this defect and Fords unwillingness to or inability to remedy it that is surprising. Several of the things I read about this even say that the replacement part is just as likely to fail. Geez. 
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GM i didn't know they had cars in the stone age :-x
He's the original Fred Flinstone. 
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If you want Quality, good gas mileage, and for a reasonable price, My family suggests Hyundai, we've never had a problem with them. We have a 2005 Used Hyundai Sonata, and we just got rid of our Chevy Suburban for a 2007 Sonata, with XM Radio. They are great cars, and one of them will be my first car, they have great room in the backseats...Just look into Hyundai if you are still looking for a car. 
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they have great room in the backseats
HAHA already thinkin' about the back seat of a car aye? haha nice
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After a little research it looks like it's only the 2000-2001 models, can't find any ignition complaints after that. So apparently they did something to fix the issue in later models. It's a damn European car they decided to release in the US. They probably forgot to move a piece from the the right-side driver to the left-side driver option.  I've had 5 Fords in my life, and not one has had any non-typical wear and tear issues, and a couple of them I drove over 100k miles. I agree, this 2000 ford Focus issue seems to be pretty common and they should do a recall, but from what I have read, several people have had it happen several times, which means Ford may not know exactly what is causing it, so issuing a recall would be pointless at this point, but they should do replacements at no charge in the meantime.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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Can't go wrong with Honda. Pay a little more, and enjoy your car, predominantly repair free for the next 120,000+ miles. On recent trip back from Kentucky, I averaged over 37 miles/gallon in my Accord.
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Well he has to have room for when he has to take his afternoon nap. Just ribbing Brownie.
#gmstrong
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If you want Quality, good gas mileage, and for a reasonable price, My family suggests Hyundai, we've never had a problem with them. We have a 2005 Used Hyundai Sonata, and we just got rid of our Chevy Suburban for a 2007 Sonata, with XM Radio. They are great cars, and one of them will be my first car, they have great room in the backseats...Just look into Hyundai if you are still looking for a car.
I don't care for Hyundai styling, but you are correct about quality. Their initial introduction the US was lacking as they were ranked near the bottom of most JD Powers categories, but they really turned that around in an impressive amount of time. That had to be a significant undertaking, but I would imagine their cost per unit was getting pummelled with the 10 yr / 100,000 mile they once offered.
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Well he has to have room for when he has to take his afternoon nap.
Exactly.
But in all seriousness, Hyundai is a great make, they don't come up exactly with their own looks on the car though, I mean our 2005 one looks like a Jaguar, and our 2007 looks like a Honda Accord. 
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I agree with ya on that GM, i remember seeing something on the news a few months back about Chevy having a problem with one of their vehicles that had been going on for years but nothin had been done about it. Why?, because it wasn't a life threatening problem and they didn't want to lose money recallin all those cars to fix it.
Your 100 percent correct. My wife drives a 2000 Impala and she loves it. However those suckers have bad "intake manifold gaskets" and you see them in service departments for that problem all the time. There is a service bulliten out on them and GM knows about the problem but will do nothing about it. I have friends who work at both a Toyota dealership, and a Honda dealership, and they can point out common problems on their cars as well.
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Quote:
I agree with ya on that GM, i remember seeing something on the news a few months back about Chevy having a problem with one of their vehicles that had been going on for years but nothin had been done about it. Why?, because it wasn't a life threatening problem and they didn't want to lose money recallin all those cars to fix it.
Your 100 percent correct. My wife drives a 2000 Impala and she loves it. However those suckers have bad "intake manifold gaskets" and you see them in service departments for that problem all the time. There is a service bulliten out on them and GM knows about the problem but will do nothing about it. I have friends who work at both a Toyota dealership, and a Honda dealership, and they can point out common problems on their cars as well.
I think I just figured out what your screen name means..
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I think I just figured out what your screen name means..
How did you guess in a car thread that GM stood for Girlie Man?
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On a more serious note...GM you are correct....my mom drives a 99 corolla and that thing only has 69k on it and is having engine prbs....never heard before that a TYOTOA would have engine prbs! but there u go...(we have always taken care of it...timely oil changes n everything...but there seems to be some sort of leak that we can't find thts eating up oil faster than it should)
One thing to remember about cars is that they have over 10,000 parts. Evev if 99.9 percent of the parts never break during the first 100,000 miles that still leaves 10 parts that would.
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Florida.. I went through 3 or 4 pages last night and it did appear to me that this continued beyond 2001. If they did do something to fix this then that is good. I will feel a little better with the expectation that the replacement part will last. Replacement at no charge would help, but if understand a recall then that would also cover labor. I don't know what the (labor) quote is for this, but I would hope it is no more than an hour. I did take the cover off the steering wheel (two halfs with tabs holding it together) and I don't think it's much more than switching good for bad. Btw, Torx screws suck too...lmao. I glad a had the right size in my tool box.
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FWIW, my '92 F150 has 177,000 miles on it. It still runs great and, most important, starts every time. Sometimes I think half the problems on newer cars are caused by all the high-tech bells and whistles they put on them to help sell the car, more so than to help it run well.
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I was a General Manager at a car dealership when I started posting on the boards. GM = General Manager not General Motors 
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I'm sorry to hear you are having problem with your car, but really type other vehicle in google and you'll find that every car has problems. Also you don't know that this is the same issue you googled. The person that owned the car before you might of had a large set of Keys/Keychains. When people have alot of key chains and keys on the ring swinging around while driving when the ingition key is in the ignition it will destroy the ingnition switch in the exact manner that you described.
That's why I have my house keys and my car keys on seperate key chains. My car keychain has two keys, my car key and my work toolbox key. That's it.
Not saying that's what caused this issue but googleing a problem and finding out others have had the same problem when your vehicle is 2 model years and 40K+ mileage old doesn't mean your problem is Factory caused.
I hope the dealership fixes it and get your daughter back on the road. I drive a 2001 Ford Escort ZX2 that I bought brand new. I now have a little over 100k miles and the only problems I've had were normal wear and tear maintenance like changing the Altenator, tires, oil, belts, brakes, tune ups, wiper blades and new battery. Everything else is OEM still.
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Btw GM, I remember from years ago on the original board that you worked at a dealership and I must ask what would you do in this instance as GM of the dealership?
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Tell you what, Honda does a great job with telling me anything that comes up with my car. I have gotten e-mails and letters about possible problems with things from the seatbelt to my 3rd gear. Plus the fact that Hondas rarely break down I am very happy. My buddy is a Honda mechanic and he is busy b/c the cars are just a pain in the ass to work on. Like to change my oil filter you have to take off the wheel and it's still a tight squeeze, so I take it to the dealer to have them do it just b/c I don't wanna deal with it. It looks good too resell time also.
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I try not to buy foreign owned cars.
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Free...thanks for the well wishes and I'm glad to hear that your Focus is running well. The biggest reason I posted this was due to the alarming amount of complaints for this single item (and the fact that we got bit by it  ). While your reasoning can be appreciated, I really don't think that's the case.
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Btw GM, I remember from years ago on the original board that you worked at a dealership and I must ask what would you do in this instance as GM of the dealership?
The car was bought two months ago so you would be S.O.L. Now if it happened only a week or two after you bought the car it would have been fixed, or if it was something the dealership over looked when doing their saftey check then we would have paid for it.
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Thanks. ...and that sucks. Kinda figured though.
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My buddy is a Honda mechanic and he is busy b/c the cars are just a pain in the ass to work on. Like to change my oil filter you have to take off the wheel and it's still a tight squeeze, so I take it to the dealer to have them do it just b/c I don't wanna deal with it.
Most newer cars are a P.I.T.A. to work on  One of these days they will let mechanics have some imput into the designs of the engine compartment.
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Wow! I would think with it being only a 2005 that you would at least offer a 6 month warranty on it.
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Thanks.
...and that sucks.
Kinda figured though.
If a dealership payed for repairs on the used cars it sold that broke down months after it sold them, it wouldn't be in business long. Now if you would have bought a good warrenty on the car when you purchased it, your problem would have been covered
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Wow! I would think with it being only a 2005 that you would at least offer a 6 month warranty on it.
We offer warranty's on everything we sell, it's not our fault people are not wise enough to buy them
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